312: Chapter 312 You're testing loyalty in this way?

Standing at the top of the skyscraper, Fang Cheng stared through the deep night at the black Porsche driving away into the distance.

The first step of the plan had been completed smoothly.

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The slip of paper carrying crucial intelligence had already reached Cheng Jiashu's hands through a seemingly accidental incident.

Next, it remained to be seen how this two-faced idol singer and serial killer would react after learning he was about to become the "prey."

Fang Cheng's goal was neither to kill Cheng Jiashu nor to completely clear him of suspicion and save him from trouble.

Rather, it was to make these already murky waters even more chaotic.

Only when the environment grew more chaotic would he have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and turn their strength against them.

And Cheng Jiashu's reaction would directly influence Fang Cheng's follow-up plans.

The bait had been cast; now it was just a matter of seeing how many fish would be lured in.

Cheng Jiashu was adept at disguise and ruthless in his actions; he was by no means an easy opponent.

Faced with this sudden warning, how would he judge the situation, and what choice would he make?

Fang Cheng found himself faintly looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, on the highway with its endless stream of traffic.

Cheng Jiashu gripped the steering wheel tightly as the black Porsche drove quietly through the night.

The glow of the traffic lights ahead flickered across his dark, sullen face.

From time to time, he observed the situation behind him through the rearview mirror, a harsh glint flashing in his eyes that was completely at odds with his usual gentle demeanor.

Although certain suspicious vehicles had disappeared after he intentionally drove in circles and even got out to shop at a store along the way,

the tension in Cheng Jiashu's mind only pulled tighter.

This clean, quick disappearance made him realize something was wrong instead.

The enemies hidden in the dark were not only prepared, but also highly experienced—like patient fishermen, they were far from ordinary.

The car slowly drove into the villa on Daogu Street in Jiangnan District and parked in the garage.

Cheng Jiashu did not go upstairs right away. Instead, he meticulously checked all the security Systems and anti-surveillance devices inside and outside the villa.

From infrared sensors and high-definition cameras to the more subtle special protections he had personally set up, he confirmed every single link was intact, showing no signs of intrusion or tampering.

Only then did he return to his specially modified bedroom on the third floor.

*Click.*

The door locked shut, and the heavy curtains were drawn completely closed.

After thoroughly isolating himself from the noise and potential prying eyes outside, Cheng Jiashu's tense body finally relaxed.

Sitting on the sofa, he took out the slip of paper from his pocket, slightly damp with hand sweat.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly unfolded it.

On the slip were only two printed lines without any handwriting characteristics:

"The murder has been exposed. The Noah Organization plans to make a move on the orphanage children tomorrow night to force you out into the open."

"If you want to know the details, you can go to the abandoned lighthouse west of Qingshui Bay afterwards. Wait until midnight, and I will meet you there."

Cheng Jiashu's pupils contracted sharply, his knuckles turning slightly white from gripping the paper so hard.

A chilling dread slithered up his spine like a venomous snake, instantly spreading through his entire body.

The person delivering the message...

knew his secrets like the back of their hand, and even seemed completely aware of what happened at Chenxi Home.

Who on earth were they?

What was their objective?

And!

What was the relationship between this person and the faction that had been lurking in the shadows watching him for the past month?

If the enemy were only targeting him, Cheng Jiashu would still have room to maneuver.

He could even consider temporarily ducking out of the spotlight to seek an opportunity to counterattack.

But targeting the orphanage, targeting those innocent children...

He could absolutely not sit idly by and ignore this!

Innocent, pure smiling faces of children suddenly flashed through Cheng Jiashu's mind.

Among them was an exceptionally pretty face of a young girl.

Thinking that they might all suffer misfortune because of him,

Cheng Jiashu felt as if an invisible giant hand was tightly squeezing his heart, making it hard to breathe.

Perhaps these people knew that the director of Chenxi Home—that demon cloaked in charity—had been personally eliminated by him.

Was it because he severed their evil chain of using the orphanage to traffic children that they wanted to retaliate against him like this?

"Noah Organization..."

Cheng Jiashu repeated the name in a low voice, a bone-chilling intent to kill bursting from his eyes.

Was this organization the mysterious real controller hidden behind the Red Tiger Gang?

He stood up abruptly and paced back and forth in the room anxiously.

The sound of his footsteps rang out with striking clarity in the silent bedroom.

Then he stopped by the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and peered outside vigilantly.

On the pitch-black street, apart from a roaming dog, there was nothing unusual.

Cheng Jiashu's brows knitted tightly. After pondering for a moment, he seemed to make a difficult decision.

He took his phone out of his bag, hesitated briefly, and brought up a number buried deep in the corner of his contacts—one almost forgotten.

The contact displayed on the screen was "Shen Mingrui."

A complicated emotion flickered across Cheng Jiashu's eyes.

Ever since his parents died in an accident, he had barely been in contact with relatives on his mother's side.

Back then, due to certain matters, both sides had parted on very bad terms.

Unless absolutely forced, Cheng Jiashu did not want to have anything to do with these people from the Shen Family again.

But now, for the safety of the orphanage children, he had to set aside his disgust and estrangement.

Cheng Jiashu took a deep breath, hovered his finger over the call button for a few seconds, and finally pressed it.

The phone rang a few times before connecting.

"Jiashu."

A robust voice came through the receiver, carrying a hint of surprise:

"What wind blew you in today? Is everything going well with you lately?"

"I'm fine. How about you all?"

Cheng Jiashu's face showed no expression, his voice kept as calm and collected as possible.

The two exchanged brief pleasantries.

Cheng Jiashu directly stated his purpose:

"Uncle, I've run into some trouble recently. I'd like to ask you to help me look into an organization called 'Noah.'"

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly:

"Noah? How did you end up provoking them? That organization... is no walk in the park."

"I know."

Cheng Jiashu's voice remained flat as he repeated:

"I need to know their background before tomorrow noon, as well as all of their strongholds and main member information in Dongdu."

There was another brief silence, as if weighing the pros and cons.

"Jiashu, it's not that your uncle doesn't want to help you."

The voice on the phone held a touch of reluctance:

"Our Shen Family can't get too deeply involved in something like this. You know that our family does legitimate business now and has to protect our reputation; we cut ties with those underworld people long ago."

Cheng Jiashu's eyes grew colder, knowing the other party was making excuses.

"Uncle."

His voice rose a notch, carrying a tone of firmness:

"This matter is extremely important to me. It involves the lives of many innocent people."

"If you can help me, I, Cheng Jiashu, will remember this favor. In the future, if you ever need my help with anything, I will never refuse."

He deliberately emphasized his name, reminding the other party that he was no longer the helpless orphan they could push around back then.

The line fell silent again, longer this time.

Cheng Jiashu waited patiently.

He knew the other party was calculating whether this "deal" was worthwhile.

Finally, the voice on the phone spoke again, its tone noticeably more serious:

"Alright, Jiashu. Since you've put it that way, I'll stick my neck out and help you with this."

"However, the information might not be completely comprehensive. After all, the Noah Organization operates in extreme secrecy; even the Special Investigation Team can't fully track their movements. I can only do my best."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Cheng Jiashu's tone softened slightly.

"Be careful out there."

The other party offered a brief warning before hurriedly hanging up.

Cheng Jiashu put down his phone, his face void of expression, his eyes growing ever colder.

He knew that expecting these so-called relatives to help wholeheartedly was nothing more than a pipe dream.

They agreed only because they valued his newly Awakened special abilities and his promise of future repayment.

But no matter what, as long as he could obtain concrete intelligence on the Noah Organization, he didn't care about playing along with this hypocrisy.

The room was dead silent, save for the ticking of the wall clock quietly echoing around.

It sounded exceptionally clear and grating.

Cheng Jiashu buried his face deeply in his hands, his shoulders trembling slightly.

He tried his best to suppress the surging desire to kill within him, along with an indescribable trace of... fear.

...

On the other side of the city, at the "Midnight Forest" Bar.

Deafening electronic dance music smashed against everyone's eardrums like violent waves.

Beneath flashing laser lights, countless young bodies writhed wildly to the beat, blowing off excess hormones.

The air was thick with a heavy scent of alcohol, perfume, and hormones.

Xu Hao was holding a hot, scantily clad young girl, swaying to his heart's content in the middle of the crowded dance floor.

Her soft, supple body pressed tightly against him, her rosy lips practically touching his ear.

"Brother Hao, I've got my eyes on that latest designer bag. There are no classes tomorrow since it's the weekend, won't you take me to buy it?"

Her voice was irresistibly sultry and flirtatious.

Just as Xu Hao felt himself on the verge of completely melting into this decadent atmosphere,

"Xu Hao!"

an all-too-familiar voice detonated in the depths of his mind like a sudden bolt of thunder out of nowhere.

It instantly drowned out all the surrounding ear-splitting dance music and noise.

Xu Hao froze, the smile on his face instantly solidifying.

He violently shoved away the hot girl who was cutely begging for a gift in his arms.

He pushed her so hard that she stumbled back several steps and nearly fell.

This earned him a low, dissatisfied curse from her:

"Fuck, what a freak..."

But Xu Hao couldn't care less at this moment. He pushed through the crowd and hurried toward the second floor with a tense expression.

Entering a relatively quiet lounge and locking the door behind him, Xu Hao looked around vigilantly.

Then, lowering his voice as if talking to himself, he called out to the empty air:

"Boss? Is that you? Where are you?"

"I'm not at the bar. I'm at home."

The voice echoed clearly in his head once more.

Xu Hao's eyes widened sharply, a ghost-like expression coming over his face.

"Holy shit! Boss, what kind of skill is this? Is this that telepathy thing from Wuxia novels?!"

In his excitement, his voice inadvertently rose, blurted out loudly.

"Keep it down. Don't speak out loud. Just quietly think in your mind whatever you want to say to me."

Fang Cheng immediately reminded and instructed him on what to do.

Xu Hao froze for a moment, quickly covered his mouth, and subconsciously complied.

He thought quietly in his mind:

"Hey, hey, Boss, can you hear me like this?"

His demeanor was just like secretly making a phone call.

"Yes."

Fang Cheng's response was short and clear.

At first, Xu Hao felt a surge of novelty and excitement, as if he had gotten some incredible toy.

But soon, as if remembering something, the excitement on his face quickly receded, replaced by a trace of anxiety and vigilance.

"Boss, you... doesn't this mean you've crept inside my head?"

"Then all the random stuff I usually think about, plus my... little secrets—won't you know all of it?"

Xu Hao babbled incoherently, his face flushing slightly.

"This is just a special ability that temporarily establishes a mental connection. It can only transmit speech and cannot explore the deep thoughts in your mind."

Fang Cheng's tone remained steady as he explained unhurriedly:

"In other words, it's the brand-new, completely safe, and absolutely secret communication method I mentioned to you before."

Hearing this, Xu Hao visibly breathed a sigh of relief, the tension on his face softening considerably.

He grinned, feeling a sense of relief like surviving a narrow escape, and thought to himself:

"Awesome! Boss, with this move, we won't have to live in fear like underground agents meeting up anymore."

"Let me tell you, every time I went to the club to find you, I was scared out of my mind, terrified of being caught by the Noah Organization or the Special Investigation Team!"

Pausing, Xu Hao hurriedly explained further:

"Oh right, Boss, it's not that I didn't want to contact you right away. It's just that after the meeting yesterday, that damned Ma Biao called me over to drink and pick up—"

"Uh, no, we were discussing action details together and pulled an all-nighter. I didn't get any chance to slip away."

"I didn't wake up until this afternoon. I was originally planning to find an opportunity tonight to stuff the intel into the locker at the usual spot before notifying you to get it."

"Mm."

Fang Cheng responded softly, signaling his acceptance of the explanation.

Not daring to slack off, Xu Hao immediately reported the details of yesterday's meeting and the Noah Organization's upcoming operation plan to Fang Cheng in his mind.

"...The target is that popular idol singer, Cheng Jiashu. The police call him the 'Smiling Demon.' I heard he's committed quite a few sick murders in secret."

"This operation is scheduled for tomorrow evening between 6:00 and 7:00 PM at Chenxi Home orphanage in Guanlan District. The commander in charge is Minister Luo, who came from headquarters—supposedly a Grade 10 executive, very formidable."

"And several Advanced executives from the organization are leading teams, all ruthless characters who kill without batting an eye..."

Fang Cheng listened quietly, pretending to be completely clueless, occasionally asking a question or two.

The information Xu Hao transmitted at this moment largely matched what Fang Cheng had spied through "One-way Projection" by possessing him.

There were only minor discrepancies in small details, which indicated that Xu Hao hadn't deliberately concealed or distorted information, making him fairly reliable in terms of loyalty.

However, Fang Cheng had no intention of telling him that he could monitor his every move at any time via "One-way Projection."

On one hand, such an ability was too shocking to reveal recklessly.

The other party might not accept it calmly and might even become more wary.

On the other hand, keeping this trump card hidden allowed him to continue testing Xu Hao's loyalty.

At the same time, it made him appear even more mysterious and unfathomable in front of Xu Hao, making it easier to control people's minds. (End of Chapter)