43: Chapter 43 Huo Xiao

Only then did the man react, scrambling to his feet and running toward the door.

He didn't dare to stop until he had run three streets away, leaning against a wall to gasp for air.

But the man's voice was still echoing in his mind...

"I want to see your leader within an hour, otherwise..."

He shivered, turned, and kept running.

...

At this moment, in the secret chamber deep within the Dark Blade headquarters.

Captain Huo Xiao sat cross-legged, surrounded by a faint, blood-colored halo.

He had been in seclusion here for exactly seven days.

Attempting to reach Level 7.

At this level, every step forward was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

He had been stuck at the peak of Level 6 for several years.

Having finally found a glimmer of opportunity for a breakthrough this time, he absolutely could not be interrupted.

As for what was happening outside...

Commander Leí Héng is dead? Captain Han has gone for revenge? Those were all minor matters.

Once he broke through to Level 7, the entire Mist Camp would have to learn the name Captain Huo Xiao all over again.

He was just immersed in the circulation of energy within his body when, suddenly...

A chaotic noise came from outside the door.

Footsteps, shouts, and people yelling.

Captain Huo Xiao frowned.

Before going into seclusion, he had given a strict order: no one was to disturb him. Who the hell had the guts to do this?

The noise outside grew louder and louder.

"Let me in! I have an urgent matter to see the leader!"

"The leader is in seclusion and is not seeing anyone!"

"It's a matter of life and death! Captain Han and the others are all dead!"

Captain Huo Xiao's eyes snapped open.

Captain Han is dead?

His expression darkened, he took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the surging energy in his body, and stood up.

The door of the secret chamber burst open with a boom.

Outside the door, two guards were blocking a disheveled member of the Dark Blade.

The man was pale, his clothes covered in mud; he was the one who had just escaped from Wang Dashan's house.

The three of them froze when they saw Captain Huo Xiao.

Captain Huo Xiao's face was grim: "Speak, what happened?"

The man fell to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling:

"Leader... Captain Han and the others... they're all dead..."

Captain Huo Xiao's frown deepened.

"All dead? Explain clearly."

The man knelt on the ground, shivering, and recounted the events as quickly as he could.

From Captain Han leading the team to the east side of the city, to meeting that little girl, to that woman transforming, and to them all undergoing Petrification...

Captain Huo Xiao's expression grew increasingly grim.

Until the man mentioned a name.

"That man... his name is Wang Dashan..."

Captain Huo Xiao's hand suddenly trembled.

He interrupted the man: "Wait... who did you say? Wang Dashan?"

The man nodded frantically: "Yes... he said his name was Wang Dashan..."

Captain Huo Xiao's pupils contracted violently.

He stepped forward, staring intently at the man: "Quick, tell me! What does that Wang Dashan look like?"

The man was startled by his reaction and began to describe him, stuttering:

"He's... he's just an ordinary middle-aged man, wearing ordinary clothes, looking very ordinary."

"But with a wave of his hand... a snap of his fingers... people turned to dust..."

Captain Huo Xiao's hand shook even more violently.

Others might not have heard the name Wang Dashan, but how could he, Captain Huo Xiao, not have heard of it?

He was the leader of the Twelve Zodiacs.

Chen Long.

The person standing at the pinnacle of this world.

The person he had revered for ten years, worshipped for ten years, someone for whom even just looking up felt like a luxury.

And now, his own subordinates had actually gone to kill Chen Long's son?

Captain Huo Xiao's mind went blank.

He remembered seeing Wang Dashan once recently.

It was at a gathering of underground forces, where only one representative from the Twelve Zodiacs had come, and they had suppressed the entire room into silence.

And when that representative spoke of Chen Long, they used a tone that was almost devout.

"Lord Chen Long... is not someone we can discuss."

Never mind those idiots like Captain Han; even if it were him, Captain Huo Xiao, even if he threw the entire Dark Blade into the fray...

A hundred Dark Blades, a thousand Dark Blades, wouldn't be enough for that man to kill with one hand.

Captain Huo Xiao stood there, his face deathly pale.

The man knelt on the ground, not knowing what he was thinking, and could only cautiously call out: "Le... Leader?"

Captain Huo Xiao snapped back to reality.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Then he turned and strode out.

"Quick! Get me the fastest helicopter!"

The two guards were stunned, then turned and ran.

Captain Huo Xiao turned back and said to the kneeling man: "Go, get Su Wan for me! Immediately!"

The man scrambled to his feet and rushed out.

Captain Huo Xiao stood in the hallway, looking at the night outside the window.

"Chen Long's son... we've provoked Chen Long's son..."

...

Ten minutes later, a helicopter landed on the roof of the Dark Blade headquarters.

Captain Huo Xiao was already standing on the helipad, followed by a bewildered Su Wan.

"Leader, what is so urgent?" Su Wan asked.

Captain Huo Xiao did not answer, just pulled her onto the helicopter.

"Take off!"

The helicopter lifted off and quickly disappeared into the night.

Su Wan looked at Captain Huo Xiao's face, and a strong sense of unease welled up in her heart.

She had never seen the leader like this before...

His face was pale, his hands were shaking, and his eyes were full of fear.

"Leader..." she said cautiously,

"What exactly happened?"

Captain Huo Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"Captain Han is dead. Tie Shan is dead. The people we sent to the east side of the city are all dead."

Su Wan's pupils contracted.

All dead?

She remembered her last-minute decision yesterday not to go to the east side of the city, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.

Her voice trembled: "Who... who did this?"

Captain Huo Xiao turned his head and looked at her.

"Wang Dashan. Chen Long of the Twelve Zodiacs."

Su Wan was stunned.

Chen Long?

That legendary existence?

Captain Huo Xiao's voice was hoarse: "That idiot Captain Han... he went to kill Chen Long's son. Wang Lin is Chen Long's son."

Su Wan's mind went blank.

She remembered Wang Lin's calm eyes from yesterday.

She remembered his words, "Then let me know if you succeeded in killing him when the time comes."

At the time, she only thought the kid was cold-blooded.

Now she understood.

That wasn't cold-bloodedness.

That was complete indifference.

Su Wan's legs began to go weak.

"Lea... Leader... what are we... going to do now?"

"To apologize... to beg for mercy."

Su Wan opened her mouth, unable to speak.

The helicopter continued to fly forward.

The cabin was terrifyingly quiet.

Captain Huo Xiao sat in the cabin, eyes closed,

his mind replaying his subordinate's report, repeatedly pondering the details of their trip.

Fifteen minutes later, Captain Huo Xiao ordered the helicopter to land.

But not at the door of Wang Dashan's house.

Instead, it landed in an open space two thousand meters away from the small building.

Su Wan was stunned: "Leader, why are we stopping here? Why not fly directly there?"

Captain Huo Xiao unbuckled his seatbelt, his expression grave.

"The helicopter's rotor noise is too loud; it will disturb Wang Dashan's daughter while she's watching TV."

"And it's already night; if his daughter is already asleep, and she gets woken up..."