370: Chapter 370 The Stalker, the Masked Man

Under the cover of night, Dongdu seemed to have transformed into a dazzling sea of lights.

Countless high-rises stood amidst it, neon lights flashing and glass curtain walls glowing brightly, casting the sky into a hazy silver-gray.

In the CBD area of the city center, the most bustling commercial district.

A certain skyscraper, however, had its lights extinguished long ago, standing like a black sword thrust straight into the clouds.

At the top of the building, a huge "Noah" logo emitted a cold white light, overlooking the endless stream of vehicles below its feet.

On the top floor of the skyscraper, inside an office spanning several hundred square meters.

No lights were turned on here; darkness permeated everything.

Only the city lights filtering in from outside the window outlined the contours of the expensive furniture inside the room.

A hulking figure stood quietly in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

He held a thick cigar between his fingers, its crimson spark flickering incessantly in the dark as wisps of smoke curled upward.

Soothing jazz flowed through the air, and a vinyl record player was spinning tirelessly in the corner.

Creak——

The heavy solid wood door behind him was gently pushed open.

With shoe soles stepping on the marble floor, the faint sound of footsteps came from afar and approached.

Finally, it stopped a few steps away.

The newcomer stood quietly and respectfully called out:

"Minister..."

Minister Luo Lie stood before the window without turning his head.

As if he were still immersed in the night view outside the window and the music by his ears.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice low and magnetic.

"You came over so late, is there something the matter?"

Standing behind him was none other than Zhuo Feng, the head of the Intelligence Department of the Dongdu Branch of the Noah Organization.

There was a trace of hesitation on his face as he seemed to be weighing his words.

Then he said softly:

"Minister, some rather bad news just came in, regarding Noah Pharmaceuticals..."

Minister Luo Lie exhaled a ring of smoke, his tone remaining steady:

"Speak."

Zhuo Feng took a deep breath and reported:

"Around seven o'clock tonight, a bloody incident occurred at Building 78, Sanmalu, Jiangbei."

"An Advanced cadre and three ordinary members of our organization died a tragic death inside."

Hearing this, Minister Luo Lie narrowed his eyes slightly:

"The killer is from the Special Investigation Team? Have they already killed Scorpion, yet they still refuse to let up?"

"Probably not."

Zhuo Feng shook his head and said, "According to the confessions of personnel from the Logistics Department, when they received the action call and rushed to the scene, aside from those four corpses, they found no trace of any perpetrators."

Speaking of this, he paused and added:

"Only, a painting drawn with blood was found on the wall inside the house."

"It was identical to the marking left at the scene when Captain Chen Rui and the others died back then—a grinning, Smiling Demon face."

Minister Luo Lie's shoulders moved as he finally turned around.

In the dark, no expression could be discerned on his sharply-contoured face.

"Smiling Demon? He couldn't help but strike again? Who are the deceased?"

"Not fully confirmed yet."

Zhuo Feng nodded, then explained in detail:

"The identities of those three ordinary members have been verified; they are all registered unregistered experimental subjects who were inoculated with 'Pioneer's Blood' a few months ago and are currently in the preliminary observation period."

"As for that cadre, we suspect it is Jia Liang, the Level 8 cadre responsible for recruiting and monitoring experimental subjects."

Minister Luo Lie was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He had an impression of the name Jia Liang.

He was one of the main persons in charge planted by the organization on the side of Noah Pharmaceuticals.

Recently, to avoid being tracked down by the Special Investigation Team and drawing the attention of higher-ups, he had been hiding out in this building.

Therefore, he had also met with him a few times and exchanged a few words.

Now, he was actually killed by the Smiling Demon?

This news truly made Minister Luo Lie feel somewhat surprised.

From a subordination standpoint, the Noah Pharmaceuticals Dongdu Branch and the Dongdu Branch of the Noah Organization were administrative peers.

However, its security work had always been handled by the Dongdu Branch.

Especially those top-secret experimental data, which could only be personally controlled by experts within the organization.

Usually, Jia Liang was stationed inside the company, responsible for daily supervision and management work.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Feng, as the intelligence boss, concurrently oversaw the overall security System of Noah Pharmaceuticals in Dongdu.

Recently, the situation surrounding Noah Pharmaceuticals was very tight, the pressure from above was immense, and countless eyes were watching every little movement here.

At this critical juncture, the main person in charge actually met with an accident, and his body was mangled beyond recognition.

One could imagine what kind of storm this news would stir up inside and outside the organization once it spread.

"Currently, the identity of the deceased has not been fully confirmed, and we still need to wait for the DNA comparison results."

Zhuo Feng continued to explain the situation to Minister Luo Lie:

"Because when he was found, his entire body's muscles were swollen and bloated, his physique was severely deformed, he suffered fractures and heavy blows in many places, and his head... was even completely blown apart, making it impossible to see his appearance from before his death."

Speaking of this, he paused, his tone somewhat solemn:

"Your subordinate guesses that Jia Liang must have been forced into a corner when encountering a formidable enemy, injecting the new version of the strengthening serum, but still was not that person's match."

"Moreover, according to the preliminary autopsy report, his skull was very likely blasted apart in a single punch by someone using their fists at high speed."

"Oh?"

Minister Luo Lie's gaze flickered slightly upon hearing this.

He knew very well that the new version of the strengthening serum in Zhuo Feng's mouth was the newly developed "Pioneer's Blood 2.0" by the organization.

This kind of serum could forcibly stimulate cellular potential.

After injection, the experimental subject would enter the "Elementary Distortion Period"; if they could endure the pain of muscle tearing and bone hyperplasia, they would have the opportunity to enter a more stable "Secondary Metamorphosis Period".

During this stage, the experimental subject's bones and muscles would become exceptionally tough, and both defense and recovery capabilities would be boosted severalfold.

Although there was only a tiny probability of achieving complete metamorphosis and successfully reaching the third stage to become a more stable mature life form.

But at least in terms of physical strength, it had basically reached the level expected by the experiment.

Jia Liang himself was a Level 8 cadre, with physical qualities far surpassing ordinary people, and he was also an agility-ability enhancer.

Under this "Secondary Metamorphosis Period", his head was actually blown apart by a single punch?

Minister Luo Lie couldn't help but ponder inwardly.

It seemed that, synthesizing intelligence from all aspects, this Smiling Demon was indeed a monster extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

At least on the level of strength, he brutally slaughtered the transformable Captain Chen Rui, and on the level of agility, he completely crushed the extraordinarily fast Jia Liang.

"If it really is him, reappearing after lying low for half a month, there must be some sort of ulterior motive."

After pondering for a moment, Zhuo Feng also analyzed:

"Your subordinate suspects that the reason he laid his hands on Jia Liang might be to silence him."

Meeting Minister Luo Lie's probing gaze, Zhuo Feng paused and continued:

"Last time you instructed me to investigate the leak of the 'Demon Hunting Operation', due to a shortage of manpower and my suspicion that there was a ghost internally, I temporarily transferred Jia Liang to assist in the investigation."

"He didn't participate in that operation, so he himself couldn't possibly be the mole, and he had a bunch of unregistered personnel under him that he could utilize, making actions very convenient."

"So these past half months, apart from his main job, he was basically busy with this matter..."

Hearing this, Minister Luo Lie suddenly grasped the key point.

"Where is the investigation list in his hands?"

"It wasn't found at the scene; it should have been destroyed or taken away by the other party."

Zhuo Feng clearly had thought of this long ago and immediately replied:

"However, I remember the general contents of the list, and we can completely investigate it all over again from the beginning."

Speaking of this, his tone shifted, and he perked up energetically.

"Moreover, this time, the Smiling Demon made a slip-up despite all precautions. Although he smoothly silenced him, he also exposed a fatal flaw, which gives your subordinate even greater confidence in capturing him."

Minister Luo Lie raised an eyebrow and motioned:

"Let's hear it."

"Yes."

Zhuo Feng slightly bowed and calmly replied:

"Under normal working conditions, Jia Liang and those three peripheral members wouldn't easily meet under normal circumstances."

"Choosing to gather in such a place pending demolition leaves no more than two possibilities."

"Either they were previously investigating a certain target person nearby and subsequently rendezvoused there to exchange intelligence; or, for some reason, they were lured over together and fell into the enemy's trap."

"The second possibility is obviously very small."

"If it's the first one, it just explains why the Smiling Demon discovered their identities and tracked them down to silence them."

"That is secondary; the most crucial part is..."

The eyes behind Zhuo Feng's lenses flashed with a gleam of absolute confidence, like a hunter catching the tracks of his prey.

"The three people whom Jia Liang dispatched on missions were merely street thugs; even after undergoing one strengthening, their strength remained minuscule."

"Therefore, the target they investigated was highly unlikely to be powerful cadre members within the organization."

"That way, many suspicious targets on the list can be filtered out."

"We only need to compare the social backgrounds and interpersonal relationships of the remaining personnel with that batch of cadres who attended the action meeting back then, looking for the intersection between them, and that hidden mole will naturally surface."

"Mm..."

Hearing this, Minister Luo Lie's eyes couldn't help but light up as he slightly nodded.

Expressing appreciation for Zhuo Feng's meticulous logical reasoning.

"After significantly narrowing down the scope of the list, your subordinate is fully confident in following the vine to find the melon and ultimately locating the hiding place of the Smiling Demon!"

Seeing this, Zhuo Feng said with even more confidence:

"Right now, I already have a preliminary plan, just waiting for a suitable opportunity to lure that mole out..."

Speaking of this, before his words finished.

"Woo——woo——"

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sound rang out from the corridor.

This alarm came without warning, its dense sound waves echoing and instantly reverberating throughout the entire skyscraper.

"What is going on?"

Minister Luo Lie's face sank.

"Someone must have tried to open the access control of the experimental zone, triggering the alarm!"

Zhuo Feng immediately reacted.

Both of their expressions changed slightly at the same time.

Jia Liang, the organization's resident cadre in the company, had just been killed, and someone secretly sneaked in tonight, attempting to forcefully break into the experimental zone.

No matter how one thought about it, this did not look like a coincidence!

You must know that inside the experimental zone of Noah Pharmaceuticals, countless unspeakable secrets were hidden.

Especially those top-secret human experimentation materials, which must absolutely not be leaked out.

Minister Luo Lie walked briskly to the desk, picked up the remote control, and pressed it.

With a "hum", a huge projection screen slowly descended on the opposite wall.

Dozens of surveillance screens instantly lit up, appearing simultaneously on the screen.

Corridors, aisles, and stairwells were everywhere filled with armed guards running quickly.

Their actions were swift and their coordination tacit; a portion of them Advanced toward the experimental zone in a combat formation, while another portion quickly blockaded all exits and passageways.

"Minister, rest assured, the security measures of Noah Pharmaceuticals are impregnable. Even if the Special Investigation Team attacks, we can promptly initiate the self-destruction program to destroy all data."

Zhuo Feng explained from the side, also to comfort him.

Minister Luo Lie gave a cold snort, his gaze scanning every surveillance screen like a falcon.

"I want to see who has such guts to dare to forcefully break into this den of tigers and dragons."

In his speech, he involuntarily clenched his fists, his joints producing a series of "crackling" explosions.

In his heart, there was even a trace of anticipation.

Anticipating that the man wearing the white ghost mask would appear in the surveillance footage.

As long as the other party dared to show up, tonight would be his death date.

However, the figure of the person in his imagination did not appear.

Let alone the Smiling Demon, aside from those fully armed guards and security personnel, not even a single irrelevant person could be seen in the surveillance footage.

A few minutes later, the alarm was lifted and gradually subsided.

After experiencing a brief commotion, the entire skyscraper seemed to restore its surface order.

Once again shrouded in the darkness and silence of the late night.

At this time of night, basically no civilian personnel remained in the building, so it didn't stir up much of a ripple.

As if everything just now was merely a misunderstanding, just someone accidentally touching the alarm device.

Minister Luo Lie's brows, however, inevitably knitted into the shape of the character "chuan".

Clearly, he did not feel this was truly just a misunderstanding.

Listening to the voices of the security personnel continuously coming from the walkie-talkies, reporting that everything was fine inside the experimental zone.

Zhuo Feng's expression also became solemn.

"Perhaps... someone is probing our bottom line?"

"However, how on earth did he sneak in, and how did he suddenly vanish from the encirclement on all sides?"

"Even if he has stealth capabilities, he shouldn't be able to escape the monitoring System. You must know that all cameras in the skyscraper adopt the most Advanced thermal imaging technology..."

Zhuo Feng muttered to himself, somewhat baffled.

Minister Luo Lie fell silent for a moment, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the glitzy city below his feet.

With his thoughts surging, he was also deep in thought.

"If it is the Smiling Demon, why would he be interested in Noah Pharmaceuticals?"

"Could it be... there is something he needs here?"

"Or perhaps... he has teamed up with the Special Investigation Team?"

A deeper question emerged in his heart.

...

Under the city's night veil, the lights were dazzling.

Opposite the Noah Group Building, on the rooftop of a high-rise.

Two figures stood in the darkness, looking at each other.

Separated from each other by a distance of tens of meters.

One was tall and robust, wearing a black trench coat, with thick eyebrows tightly knitted and a solemn expression.

The other was wearing casual clothes, also quite tall, but slightly slender in build, and wearing a ghastly pale white mask on his face.

The night wind whistled past, continuously blowing the corners of their clothes and strands of hair.

On the street at the bottom of the skyscraper, the sound of police sirens faintly came over.

The Masked Man took the lead in breaking the silence, his voice carrying a trace of playfulness:

"Officer Gao, it's an honor to meet here..."