Chapter 188: The Assassins Arrive
“Could it be that Tom has also been exposed?”
“That doesn’t make sense!”
“How did the Blacklist find out that Tom is one of my people?”
“Even if they knew, how did they obtain his identity information?”
Fang Xiaocao’s mind was filled with doubts. She couldn’t figure out how the Blacklist had tracked them down.
“Your Highness, everything is set up,” Tom walked over and reported in a low voice.
“Good. The short-handled axe on the table is for you,” Fang Xiaocao said.
“We should avoid using the black dagger and the gun unless absolutely necessary. Any fight with the Blacklist might attract the police. If the short axe gets confiscated, it’s not a big deal, but the dagger and the gun absolutely cannot fall into police hands.”
“I understand,” Tom nodded, picking up the short-handled axe and testing its edge.
“Tom, how do you think the Blacklist found us so quickly?” Fang Xiaocao voiced her concern.
“Your Highness, I believe there are two possibilities,” Tom analyzed.
“One, this hotel might already belong to the Blacklist. Since you’ve been internally blacklisted, all Blacklist members could have been informed about your appearance.”
“Two, we were spotted by a Blacklist member when we checked in.”
Fang Xiaocao nodded in agreement. Tom’s reasoning made sense.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. She quickly got up and rushed to the table, picking up the list of names. Her eyes scanned the densely packed names at high speed.
She remembered seeing a familiar name on this list.
“Tom, check which company or group owns this hotel,” Fang Xiaocao instructed as she searched her memory.
“Understood!” Tom responded immediately, pulling out his laptop and typing rapidly to gather information.
“Your Highness, I found it. This hotel is owned by the Zhi Group in Tang City,” Tom reported after a brief moment.
“As expected…” Fang Xiaocao murmured, setting down the list.
She flipped through the pages again, searching for names with the surname Zhi. Soon, she found the name she was looking for.
Zhi Linfeng!
The head of the Zhi Group!
Father of Zhi Qi!
Connecting this to Tom’s analysis, a chilling thought echoed in Fang Xiaocao’s mind.
“The Zhi family… could they be part of the Blacklist?” she muttered.
“Tom, I think you’re right! This hotel is most likely Blacklist property. The name of the Zhi family leader appears on this list,” Fang Xiaocao explained.
“If this is a record of Blacklist members or affiliates, then everything makes sense.”
Tom thought for a moment, then nodded. “Your Highness, if that’s true, we are in even greater danger.”
“Then we face it head-on!” Fang Xiaocao declared.
“The Blacklist won’t risk exposing the Zhi Group, their golden goose.”
She folded the list and tucked it into her pocket.
“Your Highness, as long as I’m alive, no one will harm you,” Tom promised firmly.
“I trust you,” Fang Xiaocao smiled.
At the same time, she was already planning ahead—she needed to find the right targets to use her hypnosis ability and recruit more reliable subordinates like Tom.
Fang Xiaocao took out her phone and sent a message to Hot Noodles:
“Follow this lead and investigate the connection between the Zhi Group, Zhi Linfeng, and the Blacklist.”
Hot Noodles quickly replied:
“Got it. I’ll start immediately.”
“Let me know as soon as you find anything!” Fang Xiaocao messaged back.
“Don’t worry, I’ll inform you the moment I get results. Now that we have a lead, it will be much easier to investigate.”
“By the way,” Hot Noodles continued, “you and Tom will be attacked soon. But as long as you’re cautious, with Tom by your side, you won’t be in serious danger. Whether to retreat or not is up to you.”
Fang Xiaocao’s eyes flickered with understanding.
She typed back: “How many attackers? What weapons do they have?”
“A dozen or so. They only have melee weapons, no firearms.”
“Got it!” Fang Xiaocao replied before setting her phone down.
She was about to speak when—
Knock, knock, knock…
A sudden knocking at the door interrupted her.
She and Tom exchanged glances and instinctively gripped their axes, eyes locked on the door.
“They should be asleep by now,” a hushed voice murmured from outside.
“It’s late. They must be sleeping,” another voice replied.
“Use the keycard to open the door.”
Beep, beep!
The electronic lock emitted two soft chimes.
Click.
The lock disengaged.
Fang Xiaocao and Tom held their breath, quietly getting into position for battle.
Fang Xiaocao gripped her short-handled axe in one hand and a few steel nails in the other.
According to Hot Noodles’ intel, there were around ten assassins outside. She was confident she could take out at least half with a few well-placed steel nails.
With fewer enemies, she and Tom would have the upper hand.
Creak…
The door slowly opened, and a shadowy figure slipped inside.
Fang Xiaocao frowned.
These assassins were more cautious than she expected. Instead of storming in together, they had sent one person ahead to scout.
Much smarter than those previous assassins.
Tom looked at Fang Xiaocao, silently asking if he should take action.
She shook her head slightly, signaling him to wait.
Taking down one was easy, but there were more outside. If they attacked now, they would alert the rest.
The assassin inched further inside, scanning the room but failing to notice them hiding behind the sofa.
He glanced toward the closed bedroom door. Seeing no light inside, he whispered to his comrades outside:
“They’re asleep. Come in.”
(End of Chapter 188)
