Chapter 112: News from Hot Noodles
Just as Fang Xiaocao was secretly anxious, wondering whether she should call the police, a sudden “whoosh” sound broke the silence—Wuling Hongguang’s headlights suddenly turned on without warning.
In Xiaocao’s stunned gaze, Wuling Hongguang roared to life and sped off from its parking spot at an alarming speed, racing towards the exit of the underground parking lot.
“Someone was in the car the whole time!”
Seeing this, Xiaocao gasped in shock.
She had never expected that someone had been hiding inside the Wuling Hongguang all along.
At the same time, she felt a deep sense of relief.
Thankfully, she had been cautious enough not to turn off her car and wait like before. Instead, she pretended to be on a phone call, avoiding any direct exposure.
Otherwise, everything about her—her movements, her identity—would have been laid bare to the hidden person in Wuling Hongguang.
This would have been equivalent to complete exposure.
“Phew…”
“That was close…”
Xiaocao muttered under her breath in relief.
Lowering her phone, she hesitated for a moment before stepping on the gas to chase after Wuling Hongguang.
Even though she had been delayed by a few minutes and the car had likely vanished, she still wanted to give it a try.
She needed to confirm if the person inside the vehicle was Tom.
If it wasn’t Tom, she could call the police.
If it was, then she wouldn’t.
Even though the chances of it being him were practically zero.
As she drove past Wuling Hongguang’s parking spot, she glanced over.
There was a puddle of liquid on the ground.
With the dim lighting of the underground parking lot and the tinted windows blocking her view, Xiaocao couldn’t determine the color of the liquid.
She couldn’t be sure whether it was blood.
But she strongly suspected it was.
She had checked the rental car earlier—there was no possibility of oil or water leaks.
She hadn’t stored any liquids in the vehicle either.
So apart from blood, she couldn’t think of anything else the liquid could be.
There had been a body in the car.
That was Xiaocao’s first thought.
“Whose body?”
“Tom’s?”
“Or one of the three assassins’?”
She pondered silently.
Either was possible.
But the amount of blood suggested a major injury.
It probably wasn’t just one person.
It seemed likely that Tom had killed one of the assassins but was then killed by the remaining ones. Their bodies were both taken away in Wuling Hongguang.
Xiaocao reasoned through the situation in her mind.
By the time she exited the underground parking lot, Wuling Hongguang was long gone, just as expected.
Under the bright daylight outside, Xiaocao sharply noticed irregular, intermittent red stains on the ground.
“As expected—blood.”
She murmured to herself.
“If I call the police now, and they manage to catch the perpetrators, I still won’t be able to explain Tom’s identity.”
Holding her phone, Xiaocao frowned in frustration.
“Sigh…”
“I’ll wait a little longer before calling the police…”
She sighed, putting her phone away.
Letting the assassins drive the Wuling Hongguang further away would increase their chances of escape.
“How troublesome…”
Xiaocao grumbled.
Following the trail of bloodstains, she tried to track Wuling Hongguang’s route.
But after driving for a few dozen meters, the path was wiped clean by a street-cleaning truck, erasing any usable blood trails.
“Perfect timing…”
Xiaocao sighed.
She pulled over, got out of the car, and walked into a small restaurant.
Ordering a simple bowl of ramen, she took out her phone while eating and sent a message to “Hot Noodles”:
“Are you there?”
This time, the message actually went through!
Seeing this, Xiaocao was overjoyed.
Hot Noodles was finally back!
This was great news for her.
[Hot Noodles: Here!]
Xiaocao’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as a quick reply came through.
“Phew…”
Receiving a response, she let out a breath of relief and immediately began typing, afraid that if she hesitated, Hot Noodles might disappear again.
“What happened on your end?”
“Why wasn’t there an early warning for this crisis?”
She voiced her biggest doubts.
[Hot Noodles: I was ambushed. I couldn’t send a warning in time.]
[Hot Noodles: After escaping danger, I was pulled into the timeline before I could update you.]
[Hot Noodles: That being said, your performance was impressive. I’d give you 90 points. The last 10 are withheld—for now—so you don’t get cocky.]
Hot Noodles answered her question and even complimented her efforts.
Her explanation aligned with her suspicions.
Indeed, someone was waging a dual attack—targeting both her in the present and Hot Noodles in the future.
That was why he had gone silent for so long and failed to send a preemptive warning.
Seeing the praise, Xiaocao smirked with satisfaction.
But she didn’t let it get to her head. She quickly continued the conversation to exchange intel.
“What’s the situation now?”
“Can you confirm who’s behind this?”
“Things are feeling off on my end.”
“The list of suspects has grown—from just Zhi Qi to now including Su Wanqing.”
“Can you confirm which of them is responsible?”
She pressed for more details.
[Hot Noodles: Can’t confirm yet.]
[Hot Noodles: But I made a discovery you should know about.]
“What discovery?”
Xiaocao frowned, immediately asking.
[Hot Noodles: There’s been a Blacklist member hiding among us this whole time—someone who infiltrated after we returned from the mountains.]
[Hot Noodles: My theory is that during our time in the mountains, one of four people—Zhi Qi, Su Wanqing, Wen Shi, or Yun Luoshu—died. Now, one of them has been replaced by a Blacklist member.]
Xiaocao’s expression turned horrified as she read the message.
“Are you sure?”
“Is this information reliable?”
She quickly followed up.
[Hot Noodles: Absolutely.]
[Hot Noodles: I got this straight from the mouth of a Blacklist member.]
Xiaocao felt a chill run down her spine.
Someone in her circle had already been killed and replaced—without anyone noticing.
But she hadn’t sensed anything unusual at all.
“No, that can’t be right…”
“The Blacklist’s disguise methods—I’ve seen them before.”
“They use silicone masks. If you look closely, there are always flaws in their expressions.”
“I haven’t noticed anything unnatural in any of the four.”
She frowned as she typed her thoughts.
[Hot Noodles: This time, it’s Thousand Faces at work. His disguise technique isn’t just a mask—it’s a complete facial replacement. He’s infamous for it.]
[Hot Noodles: Once, he impersonated the CEO of a major corporation, lived with the CEO’s family for a whole month, and wasn’t exposed until he had completely emptied the company’s assets.]
Reading the message, Xiaocao’s blood ran cold.
If it was Thousand Faces… then detecting the disguise would be nearly impossible.
(End of Chapter 112)
