A figure slowly emerged from the forest, revealing her true appearance. She was a woman with fiery red hair, with a well-proportioned body and fluid muscle lines. The tattoos on her arms added a touch of exotic beauty.
She walked up to Asia, her voice tinged with self-mockery, "Asia, that lord doesn't lack people of our level, you know that."
Cold sweat involuntarily ran down Asia's body. Even at his peak, he wasn't confident he could defeat this woman, let alone now, in his heavily injured state.
"You always have something special, don't you?" Asia tried to keep his tone calm, attempting to extract more information from this woman.
"Special?" The woman sneered, her eyes flashing coldly, "For someone like that, what could possibly be special?"
After saying this, her expression returned to its usual state—charming yet wild, making people feel both tempted and terrified.
"There's actually a lot, isn't there?" Asia's tone was as if he were chatting with an old friend, but his fingers remained tightly on the trigger, ready to fire a deadly bullet at any moment.
"Money, fame, and endless longevity." These were the things that people like them pursued, but in front of this woman, Asia felt an indescribable sense of oppression.
"Just a bunch of emotionless people." Siphet's voice carried a hint of grievance, as if expressing the bitterness in her heart.
"Honestly, Asia, you're really handsome." Her voice suddenly turned gentle, with a hint of flirtation, but Asia remained unmoved.
He looked coldly at the woman, his heart filled with vigilance and hostility.
"I can't afford your compliments." Asia's voice gradually turned cold. He did not want to continue entangling with this woman; he needed to leave here quickly, find the cold-faced man, and discuss countermeasures together. Siphet looked at Asia's indifferent expression, and a trace of regret flashed in her eyes. She shook her head and said, "Tsk, Asia, I thought we could be together."
Asia was silent for a moment. He wasn't considering Siphet's words, but recalling the past. Indeed, there were people who once compared the two of them, but that was a long time ago.
Now, all he had in mind was the mission and the death of his adoptive father, these things weighing heavily on him.
"Are you going to make a move?" Asia's voice was still cold, but with a hint of complexity. He was testing Siphet's attitude while also searching for a sliver of hope for himself.
Siphet's eyes flashed with a crafty smile. She turned her back unguardedly, completely exposing herself to Asia's gun, and only then did Asia notice that in this perilous mission, Siphet was still wearing rather revealing clothing. Her slender yet powerful waist appeared exceptionally alluring in the night. Asia's heart was stirred, and he naturally wouldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
However, just as his bullet was about to be fired, a strong sense of crisis suddenly enveloped his heart. He instinctively released the trigger, and at the same time, Siphet turned around, revealing a mysterious and unpredictable smile, "What a pity, Asia. The you who could once stand shoulder to shoulder with me has now been surpassed."
In her heart, there was only a faint sorrow. She had liked Asia once, perhaps still liked him, but this feeling, she could not utter.
She walked away, leaving the stunned Asia.
He chuckled bitterly. Today, he had encountered two people stronger than himself in a row, and they were both of the same age. There were many in the world who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, but very few who could surpass him. Every step forward was so difficult.
Asia lowered his head to look at the tablet in his hand. The screen was a bit dirty. He took out a tissue to wipe it, only to find that the tissue had two words written on it: "Run fast."
It was Siphet's handwriting, filled with panic and urgency.
Asia was puzzled; why run?
Meanwhile, Lin Beichen and Xia Luyao were in the workshop, exclaiming in amazement. They had never seen an underground arms production base of such scale, surrounded by unfinished weapon shells that left them speechless.
"Does our country have such underground bases?" Lin Beichen asked, touching the spherical wall.
"We do!" Xia Luyao answered confidently, but then hesitated, "But we probably haven't seen any this big." She said with forced courage, noting that such underground constructions must have strict access qualifications. Even her father's high status couldn't grant her entry.
Elsewhere, Li Congjing calmly faced the blocking person in front of her, with a sports car behind her. The person wore sunglasses with an arrogant demeanor, yet Li Congjing remained fearless, simply waiting for what was to come.
"What business do you have? My time is precious." Despite being significantly shorter than the man, Li Congjing's tone was uncompromising.
The man gently removed his sunglasses, revealing a face that never failed in the realm of romance. He tried to squeeze out a charming smile and said gracefully, "Miss Li, I must clarify first that I'm just a messenger."
He felt a mix of emotions. Had he known earlier that this seemingly petite and newly widowed woman was so formidable, he would never have accepted this job.
Who would have thought she wasn't a weak woman relying on her late husband to gain high status?
Li Congjing was unmoved by the man's handsome appearance. She never judged people by their looks. "Get to the point quickly, or I'll see you off right away." Her words carried an impatient tone.
If it weren't for the forces behind him, she would have acted long ago.
"My master said…" Upon mentioning "master," the man's expression changed dramatically, becoming solemn.
What kind of person could make a passerby so completely loyal?
Li Congjing's impatience became more pronounced, even drawing her gun: "Speak!"
Under her cold questioning, the man slowly uttered two words. Li Congjing remained silent but did not change her initial decision.
"In the past, I might have considered it," she said indifferently, her gaze fixed on the man, "Relay the exact words to your master, then, please move aside."
The man felt like he was in an ice cave, suffocated. Although Li Congjing's mind was made up, her emotions had wavered.
He didn't dare to say more. This unfathomable woman was beyond his handling. He hurriedly got into his car and fled awkwardly.
Li Congjing stood there, silently watching the car drive away. Her unique voice remained, but the tone she used earlier was filled with murderous intent, chilling to the bone.
Watching the vehicle disappear, she suddenly took a deep breath, "Times have changed; even time has aged by ten years, hasn't it?" Her words carried an unspeakable sorrow.
This was something Joseph once whispered in her ear...
On the other hand, a man with a hooked nose was fiddling with a corpse. He clearly knew the identity of this corpse—Li Congjing's father, also Joseph's father-in-law.
Rumor had it that this father-in-law was tortured by two unfilial descendants, living a life worse than death. He didn't believe this former hero would endure silently; there must be some scheme.
After fruitless searches, he cut open the old man's abdomen. It's a common method for spies to send messages. After death, as long as the body returns to the country, there's still a chance to transmit intelligence.
This method of preserving information could remain valuable even twenty or thirty years later. But the drawback is that it requires a skilled doctor to find a suitable death method within five hours.
Theoretically, this old man didn't possess these conditions, but the hooked-nose man didn't mind desecrating the body, even taking pleasure in it. In his rummaging, a small mechanical device fell out.
He picked it up and fiddled with it, discovering only one button. He tried pressing it. After all, his teammates might have perished, and he didn't understand mechanics.
"Listen, child." An old voice came from the recorder.
"A person succeeds and fails, called the cycle." The old man said, "I won't talk about past successes and revenge pains, guessing you know quite a bit. I won't specifically explain the method; you have to guess it yourself."