Chapter 220: Sinister Intentions
When Su Tao saw him, the anxiety in her heart immediately settled.
Black Sesame, upon spotting Su Tao, instantly lost its aloof and dignified demeanor. It let out a sweet cry, leaped forward, climbed up her pant leg in just a few steps, and nestled into her arms, meowing incessantly.
Su Tao’s heart softened at its cries. She had missed it dearly after being apart for so long and couldn’t stop stroking its fur.
She noticed that the little creature had become much more muscular—not like White Sesame, who was all soft, squishy flesh.
Shi Zijin sensed that something was off in the atmosphere. He lowered his gaze and carefully examined Su Tao from head to toe. “Are you alright?”
Cen Tianjiao felt a sour pang in his teeth. Shouldn’t he be asking what happened first?
Su Tao shook her head, but Lei Xing stepped in first, summarizing the situation in just a few sentences.
Shi Zijin stared at him for two seconds without speaking, then swept his gaze around the scene.
His eyes seemed to pierce through all illusions and deceptions.
Then, he strode over to the nearby wall, extended his long fingers, and tapped the air.
The surrounding space shattered like a broken mirror, revealing the hidden van.
Inside, the occupants were all stunned. Meanwhile, Zhuang Wan, who had been tied up in the back seat, was struggling and muffling cries through her gag.
Zhong Gaoyi immediately tried to rush forward, but Lei Xing grabbed him.
In the blink of an eye, Shi Zijin raised his gun and, without so much as blinking, shot three of them dead.
Only one short man was left alive.
Seeing his companions fall, the man trembled violently, wiped his hand through the air, and vanished instantly.
Everyone realized at once—he was the psychic.
Shi Zijin remained unfazed. He lightly tapped the air, and the short man reappeared, looking utterly bewildered.
“You—you—”
Without turning his head, Shi Zijin ordered Cen Tianjiao, “Tie him up.”
Cen Tianjiao eagerly led his men to bind the captive tightly, wrapping him up like a dumpling before tossing him into the vehicle.
Zhong Gaoyi hurried to untie Zhuang Wan and cradled his crying wife, comforting her with heartache for a long time.
Chen Xi and Chen Yang were also terrified, and their family of four clung to each other.
Seeing the scratches on Zhuang Wan’s body, Su Tao felt immense guilt and pressed her lips together without speaking.
Shi Zijin noticed and placed a large hand on her head, gently stroking it.
“I’ll handle this. You should go back and rest.”
Lei Xing narrowed his eyes slightly at the scene.
Five minutes later, Cen Tianjiao dragged the captive into Shi Zijin’s room and shut the door to begin the interrogation.
“What’s your name?” Shi Zijin asked coolly, yet there was an inexplicable pressure in his tone.
The short man kept his mouth shut.
Cen Tianjiao tied one of his hands to a chair, palm facing up.
“What are you—AHHH—”
Before he could finish speaking, Shi Zijin stabbed a small dagger into his palm, nailing it to the chair.
“We’ll play a game. I’ll ask a question. If you answer incorrectly or refuse to answer, I’ll turn the handle of the knife.”
Cold sweat broke out on the short man’s face. Enduring the pain, he stammered, “I—I’m Lu Sheng…”
“Who were you originally planning to capture today?”
Lu Sheng trembled but said nothing.
Shi Zijin emotionlessly twisted the knife slightly.
Lu Sheng let out a piercing scream, his body convulsing uncontrollably.
“I’ll ask again—who were you planning to capture?”
“S-Su Tao… But—but we didn’t expect her to be so capable! And there was a mysterious man with her, s-so we had to settle for capturing her subordinate, hoping to use that woman to lure her in…”
Shi Zijin resisted the urge to destroy the man’s entire arm and asked again,
“Why were you after her?”
Tears and snot streamed down Lu Sheng’s face. “The higher-ups said… they wanted to teach her a lesson! Please, spare me! I was just following orders!”
“Be specific. Who are the higher-ups? What kind of lesson?”
Lu Sheng could feel the blade scraping against his knuckles. The pain drove him to the brink of insanity, and he blurted out everything in a panic:
“Boss He heard she had the power to raise skyscrapers and possessed endless supplies. He wanted to take advantage of this situation to capture her and bring her to the North—to keep her as his own and make her build him a paradise… to serve him for life…”
Cen Tianjiao erupted in anger. “Boss, this He bastard must be looking to get wiped out in the South!”
“Kill him. Take his crystal core for me, and leave a sample of his blood.”
Lu Sheng screamed in terror. “I told you everything! Why are you still killing me?!”
Shi Zijin gave him a cold look. “I don’t need a reason.”
Cen Tianjiao had long been desensitized to bloodshed. He finished the job cleanly and swiftly, handing the washed crystal core to his boss moments later.
Shi Zijin pocketed it and headed to Building Three, knocking on Su Tao’s door.
Su Tao opened it, saw him, and her heart trembled. Images of last night’s dream flashed through her mind.
Luckily… it was just a dream.
The man before her was whole—uninjured, not bleeding—real.
She stared at him, unmoving.
Shi Zijin’s peripheral vision caught sight of Lei Xing coming upstairs. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, pushed her inside, and shut the door behind him.
Lei Xing: “……”
Su Tao stumbled into his arms, dazed.
Shi Zijin steadied her, then pulled away slightly, breaking the momentary intimacy.
He took out Lu Sheng’s crystal core. “This is for you.”
Before Su Tao could react, he placed it in her hand. At the same time, an image of a description seemed to appear in her mind:
Name: Invisibility
Level: 1
Ability Overview: Can render people or objects within a ten-meter radius invisible, blending them seamlessly into their surroundings.
Remaining Energy Duration: 3 days
Her eyes widened. “This is… that guy’s crystal core?”
Shi Zijin nodded. “Yes. It’s a useful ability. If you ever find yourself in danger or trouble you can’t avoid, use it.”
Su Tao grew serious and tried to return it to him. “You need it more than I do.”
Shi Zijin chuckled. “Did you forget?”
Su Tao blinked. Then it hit her—his ability didn’t require crystal cores. He could absorb powers completely just by using blood…
Realizing that, she accepted it without hesitation and asked why they had been after her.
Shi Zijin explained everything he had learned from the interrogation.
Su Tao was utterly dumbfounded. “They think I was seducing that worthless idiot, Ji Caizhe?”
Shi Zijin’s gaze darkened.
Su Tao immediately defended herself:
“Heaven and earth can bear witness! He was harassing me! I even punched him! Do you think I have such terrible taste? You’re standing right in front of me, and I haven’t even tried to make a move on you—why would I go after him?”
Shi Zijin had only intended to tease her, but hearing that, he suddenly asked on impulse,
“Not even a little?”
“What?”
“Not even the thought of making a move on me?”
