39: You dare to lie to me!

At the same time, in a room at the Angel Hotel in Donghai.

Poker A sat cross-legged, opening a thin laptop. The screen was split, displaying surveillance footage from around Shanhai Manor, travel logs, and the final distress signal sent by Chi Taohua.

Her fingers slid rapidly across the touchpad, her brow slightly furrowed.

"Why did Poker 2 run off to the Dragon Kingdom?

Ling Xian's public itinerary has been cut short, and the Ling Group is being managed on his behalf by a secretary named Hu Yourong..." Poker A murmured to herself. "The news of his serious injury is being tightly suppressed, but being this tight makes it suspicious instead."

She pulled up the recent surveillance footage from the entrance of Shanhai Manor and saw a medical vehicle enter, leaving twenty minutes later.

The license plate was a fake; its ownership couldn't be traced.

"A medical vehicle..." Poker A paused for a moment. "Either he's seriously injured and needs professional medical equipment, or he's putting on an act."

Poker A closed her eyes and began to analyze. Last time, that Triangular Needle hit the upper right chest, a position close to the lungs. With the toxin on the needle, even a martial artist wouldn't last more than three days.

However, it was possible the Ling Family had invited a miraculous doctor with god-like skills.

She didn't dare jump to conclusions.

"His retreat speed and reactions at the time didn't seem like someone on the brink of death." Poker A opened her eyes, a flash of hesitation in them.

Logically, she wouldn't make a move now, but Poker 2 was in the opponent's hands, and the situation was unclear.

Just then, an encrypted communication window popped up in the corner of the laptop with a message.

Poker A recognized it at a glance: it was Poker 2.

The message was short, with a photo attached:

[Poker 2: Sister A, save me! That pervert Ling Xian has me imprisoned and forces me to wear a maid outfit to serve him every day!

He seems to be seriously injured now, coughing up blood constantly. This is a rare opportunity!

Tonight at ten, the side window is unlocked.]

The photo was taken secretly from a low angle, and the image was blurry.

Ling Xian was half-reclining on a large bed in the master bedroom, his face pale and his chest wrapped in bandages.

Poker A zoomed in on the photo, carefully observing every detail: the way the bandages were wrapped, the bloodstains, the medical equipment by the bedside... [Poker A: Is there any other evidence?]

Although Poker A could see that the image wasn't faked, she was still hesitant.

[Poker 2: (Sends a ten-second video)]

In the video, Poker 2 was wearing a maid outfit, standing barefoot in the center of a room. Her wrists were tied with rough hemp rope, her back was covered in blood, the whip marks were heavy, and her breathing was rapid.

"Ha... ah..."

She was starting to lose her composure.

Reason told her this was highly likely a trap, but emotionally, Poker 2 was someone she had brought into the organization, and the only person in the organization she could still share a few sincere words with.

She knew that last time, Poker 2 had failed while acting according to her own unfinished plan to fake her death.

She had felt guilty about it for a long time.

"Ling Xian, I'm going to skin you alive."

Shanhai Manor, Master Bedroom.

Ling Xian sat on the edge of the bed with his upper body bare, using Super Recovery to heal his injuries.

He was using a special lotion from the Living Dead to apply to Chi Taohua's wounds.

"Young Master Ling, you're really going all out with this self-harm ruse." Chi Taohua bared her teeth and howled in pain.

"Ah... it hurts, hurts, hurts..."

It was fortunate that Ling Xian had sent everyone else out.

Otherwise, these suggestive sounds would surely have been misunderstood.

Chi Taohua's back was almost entirely exposed. Combined with the maid outfit and her cries, the entire master bedroom felt incredibly ambiguous.

"While this lotion doesn't cause fundamental harm, the itching is unbearable. You're going to suffer for the next three days." Ling Xian gently explained the potency of the lotion.

Hearing this, Chi Taohua didn't get angry but instead said in a joking tone, "If it starts itching, I'll just rub against you to seduce you. Then I'll become the mistress of the Ling Family—a maid's total reversal. I'll eat whatever dessert I want.

It's much better than working for the organization like before."

"Haha, sure." Ling Xian laughed and stroked the little glutton in front of him.

Ling Xian looked in the mirror at the bruised and blackened wound on his chest, feeling a momentary daze.

"Next, it's your turn to act." He put on a loose bathrobe, the belt tied sloppily, revealing a portion of his "injury."

Ling Xian lay on the living room sofa. Chi Taohua walked over carrying a basin of hot water and a towel, her small face flushed bright red.

"Young... Young Master... do I really have to wipe your body?" Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Hurry up. She's about to hack into the villa's surveillance. If she sees me tending to your wounds while you're dazed on the sofa, the act will be blown."

Chi Taohua gritted her teeth, wrung out the towel, and reached her trembling hand toward Ling Xian's chest.

As the warm towel wiped across, her fingertips inevitably brushed against Ling Xian's skin.

This was the first time Chi Taohua had been this close to Ling Xian.

Aside from the time he carried her on his back.

Looking at Ling Xian's feigned weak appearance, her face turned even redder.

And this entire scene was transmitted to Poker A through the living room camera.

"Aaaaah! That hateful Ling Xian is actually bullying Poker 2 like this while she's incapacitated!" Poker A gritted her teeth.

Whether this was a trap or not, she had to go.

The Poker Organization already knew Poker 2 was alive. If she didn't go, the organization would send others to clean house.

By then, Poker 2 would truly have no way out in the Ling Family.

Only by taking her away and constantly evading the organization would they have a chance.

Thinking of this, she prepared various weapons and tools, testing every single one repeatedly to ensure nothing would go wrong.

Ten o'clock at night.

As expected, Poker A arrived at Villa No. 1 in Shanhai Manor.

"Sister A... I was bullied by that guy Poker 6." As soon as Poker 2 saw Poker A, she spoke with a slight sob, even though she kept her voice low.

Poker A didn't speak, but instead looked at Ling Xian lying on the sofa.

His eyes were tightly closed, his face was as pale as paper under the moonlight, and his breathing was so shallow it was almost inaudible.

He looked completely like someone with a serious injury.

Even Poker A wondered if she was being too paranoid.

"How is he?" Poker A asked, her hand already pressed against the Triangular Needle at her waist.

"It's very serious; he's had recurring fevers." Chi Taohua tried her best to describe symptoms that matched the toxins Poker A frequently used.

"All of his guards have been sent out to find a miraculous doctor.

Tonight, there's only one Rank 4 guard."

"You dare deceive me!" Poker A pulled out a Triangular Needle and pointed it at Chi Taohua. It was only an inch away from piercing her neck.

"Ah... Sister A, is there some kind of misunderstanding?" Chi Taohua raised her hands, trying her best to play dumb.

"The toxin I used this time wasn't Toxin No. 1, it was the Type VI Neuro-Composite Toxin.

The symptoms you described are all for Toxin No. 1..."

She stopped mid-sentence.

Because Ling Xian had already opened his eyes on the bed.

Those eyes were clear yet carried a hint of wickedness; there wasn't a trace of the cloudiness expected from someone seriously injured.

"Good evening, Miss Poker A!"

Poker A's entire body trembled. She tried to retreat almost instantly, but it was already too late.

Ling Xian flashed in front of her and grabbed her by the neck, making it difficult for her to breathe.

She had intended to attack with the Triangular Needle, but Ling Xian easily snatched it away.

Immediately after, a wave of drowsiness washed over her.