Chapter 167: One Wave After Another
Fang Xiaocao returned to Room 507, sat on the bed, and waited for news from Tom.
After thinking for a moment, she picked up her phone and sent a message to “Hot Noodles.”
“Has the future timeline changed?”
By asking Scalding Hot Noodles now, she could get an early glimpse of Han Xue’s fate.
[Hot Noodles: No changes for now.]
[Hot Noodles: You need to capture Han Xue on your end before the timeline shifts.]
[Hot Noodles: In my memory, things still stop at Tom chasing after Han Xue.]
Receiving the quick response, Fang Xiaocao sighed.
“I see… then I’ll just have to wait.”
She replied with a helpless message.
“Looks like… capturing Han Xue is still an uncertain matter.”
Fang Xiaocao muttered to herself.
[Hot Noodles: Compared to Han Xue, you might have a new problem now!]
Just then, another message from Hot Noodles arrived.
Hearing this, Fang Xiaocao immediately jumped off the bed.
“A new problem? Don’t tell me there’s more danger!”
She muttered nervously.
“What new trouble? Is someone trying to kill me again?”
She quickly sent another message to Hot Noodles.
[Hot Noodles: Congratulations, you guessed right!]
Hot Noodles added a rare touch of humor.
But Fang Xiaocao only felt like biting someone.
“You’re joking at a time like this?!”
She rolled her eyes and sent a message complaining.
[Hot Noodles: Friendly reminder—you have ten minutes to escape.]
Upon seeing this message, Fang Xiaocao gasped.
“Ten minutes?! That’s way too short!”
Danger was already closing in!
Without hesitation, she grabbed her bag, dashed out the door, and ran towards the elevator.
If Hot Noodles was telling her to run, then staying put was simply not an option.
Like a startled rabbit, she jumped into the elevator and pressed the button for the hotel lobby.
—Inside the Elevator—
“Tell me quickly—who’s trying to kill me?”
She sent another urgent message.
[Hot Noodles: It’s someone from the Blacklist.]
Hot Noodles didn’t keep her in suspense.
“Blacklist!”
Fang Xiaocao’s heart pounded.
“How did I forget about them?!”
She had already attracted the attention of the Blacklist.
“Which one of them? Is it Capricorn? Or the hidden Thousand Faces?”
Forcing herself to stay calm, she continued asking.
The elevator reached the lobby, and as soon as the doors opened, she rushed out, heading for the exit.
Tom was still chasing Han Xue, and she had no backup. Now that the Blacklist was after her, staying in the hotel was too risky.
This assassin they sent had to be extremely dangerous—otherwise, Hot Noodles wouldn’t have warned her ten minutes in advance.
She quickened her pace.
[Hot Noodles: I don’t know the codename, but he’s just as dangerous as Capricorn.]
[Hot Noodles: When I encountered him in my timeline, I was killed instantly.]
Reading this, Fang Xiaocao froze mid-step, her expression full of horror.
She had confidence in her own combat skills.
She had throwing knives for ranged attacks and hypnosis for close combat.
Even against top-tier assassins, she should have been able to hold her ground.
But she was killed instantly?
“Him? So it’s a man?”
She typed while picking up her pace again.
She reached the roadside, hesitated to hail a cab—what if the driver was from the Blacklist? Instead, she unlocked a shared bicycle and rode toward another nearby hotel.
She needed to find a temporary place to stay, but not too far away—traveling too far alone was just as dangerous.
A nearby hotel would be ideal.
As long as the Blacklist assassin wasn’t already staking out the area, she could buy herself some time.
[Hot Noodles: Yes, he’s a man.]
[Hot Noodles: A tall man.]
After scanning her card at the new hotel’s front desk, Fang Xiaocao quickly glanced at the message.
“Am I safe here for now?”
She texted while checking in.
[Hot Noodles: For now, yes.]
She exhaled in relief, grabbed her room key, and headed straight for the elevator.
Room 306. Third floor.
As the elevator ascended, she sent another message.
“How exactly did he get close and kill me?”
She still refused to believe she’d be taken out so easily.
Even if she was caught off guard, her instincts should have given her a fighting chance.
[Hot Noodles: He broke down the door. The moment I stood up, he was already in front of me. I didn’t even get a chance to use hypnosis—he grabbed my neck and snapped it in one move.]
Fang Xiaocao shuddered.
“Overwhelming strength?”
“A brute-force fighter?”
She murmured, her mind racing.
She could already picture the scene—
A massive man silently approaching her door.
With a single kick, the door bursts open.
The moment she gets up, he charges in, slams into her, and before she can react, he grips her neck—
“Crack.”
Her body goes limp.
The image made her shiver.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
She swiped her room key, stepped inside, and locked the door.
“At least he shouldn’t find me too soon.”
She leaned against the door, still rattled.
[Hot Noodles: Don’t get too comfortable. The Blacklist has plenty of ways to track you down—it’s only a matter of time.]
Fang Xiaocao: …
She sighed in frustration but knew Hot Noodles was right.
(End of Chapter 167)
