Chapter 80: I Hope You Cooperate
“For safety reasons, hand over all your weapons. I’ll check them, and I’ll return any that I believe won’t pose a threat to our camp.”
Fang Xiaocao crossed her arms and spoke to Ye Lingchen.
“Ah, still lacking experience.“
Fang Xiaocao muttered inwardly.
“When I tied them up earlier, I should have searched them first. I was too focused on questioning them. Now it’s awkward.”
She silently reflected on her mistake.
Hearing Fang Xiaocao’s request, Ye Lingchen and his two companions exchanged looks, sensing that something about this process felt off.
But since Fang Xiaocao had already asked, they had no reason to refuse. They could only comply.
Not cooperating…
Well, Aquarius already had her gun out…
They couldn’t exactly bet that her gun was empty, right?
Beyond seven steps, the gun is faster.
Within seven steps, the gun is both faster and more accurate.
At a distance, Lin Meng and Qian Xia might have had a chance to dodge.
At this close range…
Even a god wouldn’t escape two bullets.
Ye Lingchen pulled a silver handgun from his waistband.
Lin Meng and Qian Xia each pulled out two daggers.
Adding the machete on the ground, which made up all their weapons.
“You actually have a gun?”
Fang Xiaocao asked in surprise, staring at the silver pistol.
“My family issued it to me,” Ye Lingchen typed on his phone.
“Then why don’t they have guns?”
Fang Xiaocao raised an eyebrow.
“They’re not good at shooting,” Ye Lingchen replied via text.
“I don’t believe you!”
Fang Xiaocao smiled.
“Xiaozhou, search them!”
She ordered Wan Xiaozhou.
“Alright!”
Wan Xiaozhou nodded and stepped toward Ye Lingchen.
“Turn around!”
Ye Lingchen sighed and obediently turned around, hands on his head.
Right now, he was terrified of Wan Xiaozhou.
This little devil only punched faces!
Wan Xiaozhou patted Ye Lingchen down and then turned back to Fang Xiaocao, showing empty hands—no hidden weapons.
Fang Xiaocao nodded and then pointed at Lin Meng.
Wan Xiaozhou nodded and walked toward her.
“Do you have any hidden weapons?”
“If you do, just hand them over.”
“If I find them, that won’t be good for you.”
Wan Xiaozhou said in a serious tone.
Lin Meng glanced at Ye Lingchen, bit her lip, and pulled another dagger from her pocket.
“Just this one.”
She said in a low voice.
Wan Xiaozhou took the dagger and looked back at Fang Xiaocao.
“Search her!”
Fang Xiaocao said coldly.
She had a gut feeling.
And sure enough, they had hidden weapons.
Since they had been playing tricks and didn’t trust her, Fang Xiaocao saw no reason to trust them either.
Honestly, taking them in was already a huge risk.
If not for the fact that she knew Capricorn and the others were ambushing ahead and that she needed manpower—specifically Lin Meng and Qian Xia’s skills—she would never have taken them in.
Normally, it would be far too dangerous to take in strangers in this kind of situation.
Wan Xiaozhou nodded and began searching Lin Meng’s pockets.
“You—”
Lin Meng was annoyed but shut her mouth when Aquarius glared at her.
Frustrated, she clenched her fists but stayed silent.
Under another’s roof, she had no choice but to bow her head.
As a trained Ye family bodyguard, she understood that.
Wan Xiaozhou searched Lin Meng thoroughly and found another concealed folding claw knife hidden in her combat boot’s lining.
She glared at Lin Meng.
“You’re not very honest, are you?”
With that, she kicked Lin Meng in the stomach.
“You—”
Qian Xia, enraged, moved to attack.
But before he could act, Aquarius pointed her gun right at his face.
Staring into the black barrel, Qian Xia swallowed hard and froze.
“Stay put.”
Aquarius said coldly.
“Don’t misunderstand!”
Ye Lingchen panicked, his speech slurred.
“I…really didn’t know they hid extra weapons…“
He tried to explain but struggled to speak.
“Type it out. I can’t understand you.”
Fang Xiaocao frowned.
Ye Lingchen quickly nodded and typed.
“Don’t be impulsive! I really didn’t know what weapons they had. I’ll make them cooperate.”
He showed Fang Xiaocao his screen.
Fang Xiaocao nodded.
“I’ll give you another chance. You’d better not pull any more tricks.”
Ye Lingchen nodded frantically and then typed another message for Lin Meng and Qian Xia.
“Don’t act recklessly. Cooperate. No more sneaky moves.”
Seeing this, both nodded.
“We’ll cooperate. No more tricks.”
Lin Meng clutched her stomach and stood up, speaking calmly.
“You’d better.”
Fang Xiaocao said firmly.
“Aquarius!”
She called out.
Aquarius understood and lowered her gun.
“Hand them over.”
Aquarius looked at Qian Xia.
Qian Xia looked at Ye Lingchen, seeking approval.
Seeing this, Aquarius frowned and slowly raised her gun again.
In her mind, Blacklist teams never tolerated unstable elements.
Any unstable factor had to be eliminated immediately.
Otherwise, when push came to shove, they could jeopardize the entire team and get people killed.
Lin Meng and Qian Xia—who had resisted cooperating and played tricks—were unstable elements.
If not for Fang Xiaocao restraining her, Aquarius would have shot them both already.
Ye Lingchen, seeing Qian Xia hesitate, quickly nodded.
“Cooperate.”
Qian Xia nodded and spoke up.
“I have seven throwing knives in my belt and a folding claw knife in my boot.”
He raised his hands, signaling Aquarius to search him.
Aquarius smirked coldly and nodded at Wan Xiaozhou.
“You do it.”
Despite being under Fang Xiaocao’s control, Aquarius still had her own instincts.
She wasn’t stupid.
She let Wan Xiaozhou handle it to prevent Qian Xia from trying to grab her gun.
Wan Xiaozhou nodded, searched Qian Xia, and found exactly what he said.
But just in case, she searched him thoroughly again.
Once she was sure he had no other weapons, she turned to Fang Xiaocao and nodded.
“Good. Thanks for cooperating.”
“Now that you’ve earned a little of my trust, I’ll distribute these weapons back.”
Fang Xiaocao said with a smile.
Everyone stared at her, stunned.
“Then why the hell did you search us in the first place?“
Ye Lingchen screamed in his mind.
But he didn’t dare say it out loud.
He didn’t want another beating!
(End of Chapter 80)
