He knew well that even with just a quick glance, he felt the power of that guy.
Even if he gave it his all, he feared only a seventy percent chance of winning. And now, that person held the advantage of terrain...
Lin Beichen shook his head, unwilling to dwell on it further. He spoke with some regret, "It's a pity we used the talisman at a critical moment, otherwise we could have seen more information."
Xia Luyao nodded in agreement.
"Should we go in too?" she asked.
Lin Beichen thought through it briefly; although he wasn't sure if Joel was working for the mysterious man, their greater concern at the moment was the safety of Flying Eagle and the others. Therefore, he decided to take the risk.
He raised his hand and released three talismans—defense, anti-air, invisibility—to gradually conceal their forms.
Thanks to the same invisibility talisman, they could still clearly see each other.
Lin Beichen gestured silently to Xia Luyao, and the two cautiously stepped into the base.
Not long after they left, another group slowly emerged from the bushes.
Leading the group was an attractive young man who complained bitterly, "What kind of missions are these that the master has assigned to us? That ugly guy, the mysterious individual, and finally that pair—none of those are ones we can deal with."
The soldiers beside him remained silent, acutely aware that the master's power might indeed be less than those individuals, but his methods were terrifying.
The master's top-notch invasion skills... sent chills down their spines.
Just then, the young man looked at the screen of his monitor, surprised, "Joel, why are you here?"
Joel, leading his group over, looked scornfully at the young man, his voice brimming with murderous intent, "Asia, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Asia, maintaining his integrity, replied, "I, Asia, have always acted aboveboard. Since when do I need to give others explanations?"
Upon hearing this, Joel immediately signaled his entourage to aim at Asia. Yet, Asia remained unfazed and continued, "Joel, you must know you have no inheritance rights, do you?"
His voice gradually turned cold, "Do you think you still have use for your father's ways now?"
Joel was stunned to silence, glaring at Asia, desperate to know his true identity.
Asia just chuckled and opened the photo album on his phone, displaying Joel's pictures before his plastic surgery.
"Whatever you care about, hate, every past secret—none of it escapes me," Asia's smile filled Joel with real fear.
As Joel struggled internally, suddenly a cold voice behind him announced, "Let's go, stop following this guy."
Joel's hard-won team was on the brink of disbanding after two unsuccessful attempts.
Sweat broke out on his forehead as he stared at Asia, who knew all his secrets, filled with hatred.
That cold statement was from the guy who survived a clash with Lin Beichen and was ranked number one in stealth operations.
"Wait!" Joel gritted his teeth, his face a sickly flush and obsessive. Yet, before he could finish, the top-ranked stealth agent fired—not at Asia, but at Joel.
Joel looked at him, incredulous, trembling, "Why..."
The man watched Joel die quietly, then turned to others and said, "These people don't have to die."
As soon as these words were spoken, the rest suddenly fell to the ground.
Asia seemed to have anticipated this scene long ago, standing aside with his arms folded, watching the drama unfold.
The soldiers behind him dared not move—fully aware that this constantly smiling General Asia was not someone they could afford to provoke.
Besides the Muay Thai master, the cold-faced man and Asia were both his foster sons.
Asia had once been a piece in his strategic game, now revealing his edge.
Initially, the cold-faced man was meant for assassination, but events took an unexpected course.
The cold-faced man was captivated by Joseph's charisma; even Li Congjing regarded him as Joel's undercover agent.
After explaining, Asia teased, "It sounds like you don't intend to join me, your brother, in sharing Joseph's treasures?"
The cold-faced man looked steadily at Asia and shook his head slightly, "I have to go pick someone up according to Joseph's instructions. If you're still not finished afterward, I might come back."
"Joseph is gone already," Asia said, pained, "but your brother, I'm still here, and yet you'd rather help Joseph than me."
The corners of the cold-faced man's mouth seemed to lift slightly but quickly returned to normal.
"Be wary of that Xia Country commando, Lin Beichen," he calmly reminded, "the cards he holds are hard to predict."
Asia frowned, nodding, while the cold-faced man turned away to leave.
…
Flying Eagle and the others, cloth-covered, followed those mysterious leaders.
Truth be told, those mysterious figures were indeed exceptional.
Even though they had perished, the games they set in motion were still in play.
This alone was enough to highlight their tactics.
However, they hadn't anticipated that Joseph had almost managed to turn one of their Deadpools with just one visit.
Dr. Zhou was utterly stunned at the moment. Originally seized by a group of regular mercenaries, he hadn't imagined things would escalate this way.
He gazed bewilderedly at Flying Eagle and the others, even questioning if he was on some drama shoot.
Flying Eagle restrained his pain, asking the escort, "Where are we being taken?"
The lead remained silent, while their guard replied, "We should follow the master's instructions, but now..."
"Silence," the lead interrupted coldly.
The speaker immediately quieted, appearing deeply intimidated by the escort.
Wild Ox, sensing the oppressive atmosphere, attempted small talk, "Hey, buddy, want to make a friend? I'm Wild Ox, and you?"
The guide stopped, his voice distant, as if recalling, "I'm called Joe, or you can call me Li Qiao."
"Joe?" The name surprised Wild Ox, reminding him of the Joe working for Li Congjing.
Unable to hide his curiosity, Wild Ox pressed further, "What's your relation to Li Congjing's Joe?"
Yet Li Qiao fell into a prolonged silence.
Meanwhile, in another tunnel, Ma Yi watched intently at the hooked-nosed man beside him, enveloped in stillness.
Only Lin Beichen and Xia Luyao's footsteps echoed in the tunnel.
The hooked-nosed man pondered briefly, choosing not to confront Ma Yi here to avoid benefiting the two behind.
He had no clues about those two's true strength—if each matched his own, considering teaming up with Ma Yi to eliminate them first might be wise.
Ma Yi himself had concerns. Those major figures' sent people must possess extraordinary powers, at least surpassing a significant threshold.
Generally, such masters, even under the big figures, wouldn't be many.
In doubt, Ma Yi proceeded. He had suspected Lin Beichen and Xia Luyao, given their peculiar techniques, but ultimately chose to dismiss such possibilities.
Lin Beichen and Xia Luyao listened to their footsteps echoing through the tunnel, regretting entering too soon.
Lin Beichen contemplated, next time he'd improve, ensuring silent movement and communication.
They hadn't realized how the pair ahead muffled their steps—the tunnel was waterlogged, creating sounds with every step.
As time slipped by, the space before the hooked-nosed man widened—he entered the first room, the hall.
Despite the outside passage losing power from the explosion, every room inside the base had its own power source, so the hall remained bright.