"You're worried about Lian, aren't you?" Xia Xue asked softly. She had never wanted to face this question, but now she desperately wanted to know Lian's place in Xiao Lin's heart. A woman's intuition made her a bit scared to confront it, and the harsh reality made her hesitate.

"I don't want to lose either of you, understand?" Xiao Lin looked seriously at Xia Xue, emphasizing every word. "You and Lian are both women I love. I never want to lose either of you at any time. I hope you can understand my guilt and urgency."

Xia Xue had never seen the vulnerable side of Xiao Lin, and she didn't know how to process his words. From a woman's perspective, was she supposed to share this love with another woman?

But Xiao Lin's determination showed her the hopelessness of exclusive possession. She suddenly wanted to tell Xiao Lin not to look for Lian; she didn't want to share this man with another woman. However, the words couldn't escape her lips; she couldn't do it. Because there was a look of anguish on this man's face, a heartache for Lian.

Xiao Lin was somewhat afraid of seeing Xia Xue's tears, which were welled up in her eyes. He knew Xia Xue was hurting, but this was something that had to be faced eventually; Lian's disappearance only brought the issue to the forefront sooner.

Gently closing the door, Xiao Lin descended into the basement, where Chu Fangxiu was still chattering incessantly, making Hua Qingyi very irritable. Threats and intimidation seemed unable to silence the timid man.

Xiao Lin didn't like using violence, but he did. He punched the equipment panel next to Chu Fangxiu, breaking it in two. It effectively stopped the man's whining and pleading.

"Stop pretending in front of me, Chu Fangxiu." Xiao Lin dragged over a chair and sat in front of him, murder evident in his eyes. "You should realize that the fake documents for 'inone's' product testing have been exposed. Do you think Fatty Wang will let you go?" Chu Fangxiu raised his head to gaze at the young man in front of him. "You think I'm useless, but I can save you for a while, not a lifetime, understand?"

"I've taken his money, enough to kill me several times over." Chu Fangxiu lowered his eyes, fully aware of the repercussions of taking bribes. The amount from Fatty Wang was more than just a life sentence could cover; he was as good as dead. His primary thought now was to make sure his family had a better life.

"You don't naively think Fatty Wang will spare your family, do you?" Xiao Lin seemed to see through his thoughts, lighting a cigarette and handing it to Chu Fangxiu. "Either you cooperate with me, or I let you go back, and you find your own way out."

"How do we cooperate?"

"Tell me how things happened!" Chu Fangxiu hesitated, but finally, after finishing a cigarette, he confessed everything.

"It's all been recorded," Hua Qingyi said, closing the recording pen.

"Miao Shaoqing, stay here and watch him. Qingyi, let's go out and stretch our muscles; we have guests." Xiao Lin swiftly ascended from the basement, discerning from the silent night what was wind and what was the sound of clothes slicing through the air.

Chasing the subtle differences, Xiao Lin wanted to sneak to the back of the farm, while Hua Qingyi went in another direction. After exchanging glances to confirm the number of enemies, they each sought their opponent.

The guards around the farm, upon discovering the intruders and preparing to act, saw two figures pass by and returned to their positions, keeping an eye on the farm's internal movements. With those two there, they needn't worry.

Elder Guo sat in the car, the cigarette between his fingers intermittently glowing. He sent the people brought from Southeast Asia to the brink of death. Knowing full well that there was no chance of survival, he still didn't bat an eye.

"You head back first!"

The driver in the front seat was stunned momentarily as Elder Guo exited the car and headed into the farm.

Miao Shaoqing, guarding the basement, was the first to sense the killing intent. He immediately stood up from in front of Chu Fangxiu, warily searching for the source of the murderous aura. "Find a place to hide yourself."

Miao Shaoqing stealthily approached the hallway entrance, while Chu Fangxiu, after searching for a while, crawled behind the boxing ring, next to a cabinet. It was a dark spot, and from the hallway entrance, it was impossible to see this corner. Miao Shaoqing confirmed his position before starting to move upwards.

The killing intent was strong; these were opponents he had never encountered before, and without his usual weapons, he cautiously ascended step by step, trying not to make a sound.

As soon as Elder Guo entered, he sensed different auras emanating from above and below; the layout of the farmhouse was easily discernible, with residents upstairs and the basement likely being a storage space. Elder Guo hesitated at the junction between upstairs and downstairs, shuffling his steps.

Xiao Lang gestured for Xia Xue to be silent. From the moment Elder Guo entered, he felt the pressure. He quietly went to Xia Xue's room, instructed her to get dressed and stay by the door. If someone came up, she should seize the opportunity to find Xiao Lin while he distracted them.

Xia Xue was so nervous that she didn't dare to breathe loudly, covering her mouth with her hand. This was her first time being so close to an assassin, and with Xiao Lin not by her side, fear overwhelmed her in waves.

Footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs, which were naturally unclear to Xia Xue. However, for someone like Xiao Lang, who had professional training, his ear nerves were exceptionally sensitive. He pushed Xia Xue into the room, followed her in, and closed the door behind him.

Someone was approaching them, the clicking of heels on the floor was like knocking on Xia Xue's heart. She wanted to scream, but Xiao Lang covered her mouth, hiding behind the door and holding their breath.

The footsteps stopped, Elder Guo's hand pressed on the doorknob. There were two different scents here, one strong and the other weak. Could it be here? He pulled a silenced pistol from the pocket of his coat and slowly turned the doorknob.

"Who's there?" Miao Shaoqing appeared at the stairway. Not finding any intruders below, he went up to the second floor. Xiao Lang was no longer at his guard post; he was in the shadows, seeing a dark figure in front of Xia Xue, radiating an aura of menace.

Without asking a second question, he launched himself forward, targeting the gun in the person's hand.

Elder Guo, a man of his stature, anticipated this move. He released the gun with his right hand and caught it with his left, firing a bullet straight at Miao Shaoqing.

"Not good!" Xiao Lang heard the bullet being fired, pushed Xia Xue into the wardrobe, then kicked the door open and aimed a kick at his shoulder. The external impact made Elder Guo lose his aim, and the bullet hit the window frame.

Seeing another person, Elder Guo stepped back. Xiao Lang wasn't suited for such direct confrontations, so he hid. The newcomer vanished suddenly, making Elder Guo frown. This fighting style was rare, and he needed to be more careful.

Miao Shaoqing took advantage of his hesitation, rolled forward, and swept a leg at Elder Guo's legs. The latter spun. The sound of the wind cutting through surrounded him, attacking both sides, leaving him with no way to retreat. In a clever maneuver, he grabbed the door frame and flew horizontally into Xia Xue's room.

Xiao Lang grimaced. Miao Shaoqing knew this was one of the worst places to be. He quickly flipped in after him into Xia Xue's room.

Elder Guo looked around, indeed sensing two auras from the room ahead. It seemed there was another person in that room. Xia Xue was hiding in the wardrobe, wrapping herself in clothes, trying not to tremble, but it was useless. She felt her teeth chattering uncontrollably, her heart pounding in her throat, ready to jump out.

Elder Guo yanked open the wardrobe, and a piercing scream echoed through the sky. After dealing with the last assassin, Xiao Lin heard Xia Xue's scream. He almost crushed his opponent's skull. Discarding the corpse, he swiftly moved toward the farmhouse. The defenders had already rushed in, and Xiao Lang and Miao Shaoqing were not in the basement. He vaulted over the defenders, entered the second floor, and saw Miao Shaoqing retreating step by step, Xiao Lang nowhere in sight. In response, he jumped from the staircase to the window, climbed onto the roof, calculated his position, and leaped in from the corridor's end.

Xia Xue was being held at gunpoint, walking slowly out of her room. Xiao Lin hid in the shadows, holding his breath.

Miao Shaoqing didn't see Xiao Lin; Xia Xue didn't see him either, but Elder Guo was aware of a stronger presence nearby. The pressure made him want to give up. The invisible pressure was slowly eroding his heart. It was a momentum, an essential momentum on the battlefield, and Elder Guo considered himself not lacking, but at this moment, he couldn't find his presence under such pressure.

Could it be that Fatty Wang was hiding this person from him, treating him like a fool? Such a figure had never appeared in any reports. The only time he felt this oppression was on the day Zhang Teng died, from the man standing silently in the corner. Now, experiencing it again, it was even stronger. Who was this person beside Xiao Lin? Was it their oversight?

His hand holding the gun didn't hesitate. As he felt the pressure, he unlocked the safety, ready to end the woman's life at any moment. At the same time, he realized something absurd: Poison Dragon had caught the wrong person.

"Put the gun down!" A voice from Hell whispered behind Elder Guo. He turned with Xia Xue, aiming the gun at where the voice came from, but there was only darkness, no trace of a person.

"Put the gun down!" The voice came from behind him again. This time Elder Guo didn't turn, nor did he move. Instead, he pressed the gun against Xia Xue's head, the barrel pushing into her tender temple with his force.

"You deserve this!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please support me by voting for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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