ASER – Chapter 19

When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it will first fill his heart with suffering, toil his sinews and bones, starve…

To kill someone, making them scan a QR code first didn’t seem too outrageous.

The clerk widened her cute eyes, looking back and forth between the two, finally fixing her gaze on Zhang Cheng while reaching for the store’s emergency phone.

Zhang Cheng, noticing her movement, forced a smile and took out his phone, making a “beep” sound.

The money’s paid. She will pay the price for her greed.

“Alright, baby, we can go now.”

The clerk and the others indeed believed him and had no intention of stopping Zhang Cheng. Just then, Jiang Chun also came in.

Before Zhang Cheng could grab her and pull her out of the store, A’Diao pointed at Jiang Chun and said, “Fine, I forgive you. But you have to promise me you’ll break up with him and never sleep with him behind my back again, unless I agree.”

“If you want to have it both ways, playing the field, you’ll have to pay extra.”

Jiang Chun: “?”

Zhang Cheng: “…”

People in the store: “!!!”

No, wait, for someone so young, don’t you know a bit too much?

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He had never seen such a shameless person spout nonsense so naturally, sincerely, and flawlessly.

Zhang Cheng’s heart skipped a beat; he suddenly had a bad feeling, but it was too late to stop anything.

Jiang Chun: “A’Diao, what nonsense are you talking!”

Indeed, even though Jiang Chun already considered A’Diao very important, it was only because this “prey” was quite plump—important in terms of value, not because she herself was difficult to deal with.

Deep down, Jiang Chun, as a rich young master who hadn’t suffered major setbacks or been trained in the jungle of survival, still held onto his stereotypical impression of A’Diao. Plus, with Zhang Cheng present and only clerks and customers around, he didn’t hide his emotions.

And by revealing himself like this, he essentially linked himself to A’Diao. What was even more terrifying—this convenience store had surveillance cameras.

Zhang Cheng had kept his baseball cap on, avoiding the camera angles whether speaking or buying things. But Jiang Chun… he was too young, had already come in, and even spoken, revealing he knew A’Diao.

It was over.

If her death were investigated in the future, Jiang Chun would find it hard to extricate himself, and he would implicate Zhang Cheng as well.

Zhang Cheng was furious at Jiang Chun’s stupidity, but things had come to this. Since he had already paid fifty-two thousand, he couldn’t just let it go. Regardless of whether Jiang Chun was exposed, he himself would eventually…

“Alright, stop making a scene. People are trying to do business here. Let’s go outside and talk.”

Zhang Cheng suddenly grabbed A’Diao’s wrist, using a skillful grip that made it impossible for her to break free, and tried to pull her out the door.

A’Diao was actually surprised and suspicious at this moment: Something’s wrong. Are these people from the Prefectural Governor’s Office just useless? If they were worried about delaying important matters, with all this commotion, they should have subdued us and dragged us into the back to deal with us. Why are they observing for so long?

Don’t they know that the longer this drags on, the more it will delay their actual business?

Fortunately, while A’Diao was suspicious, the female clerk finally reacted and said seriously, “Excuse me, sirs, this girl cannot go with you. Unless you all go to our backyard meeting room to discuss and resolve this, or you two can leave.”

A’Diao finally felt relieved. “Okay, I agree.”

She didn’t know if Zhang Cheng and the other man wanted to take the risk or just leave.

Logically, since Jiang Chun had already been exposed, they should…

Zhang Cheng suddenly smiled. “Alright, let’s go inside and talk then.”

He gave A’Diao a deep look: This wretched girl probably doesn’t know I can kill her directly inside, take the Spiritual Vessel, and escape. As for the Jiang Family’s affairs… Spiritual Energy has revived. What does the Jiang Family count for? The imperial court can barely manage itself, so why would it waste energy investigating an insignificant girl like her?

A’Diao also gave him a deep look: Idiot, don’t you know the people from the Prefectural Governor’s Office are luring you into a trap? You want to go to the backyard, assassinate me, take the Spiritual Vessel, and then escape? Just wait to be captured by these experts!

Both their gazes were full of meaning. Jiang Chun had actually realized his mistake. He wanted to retreat and protect himself, but seeing Zhang Cheng’s attitude, he guessed the latter might have other intentions. Feeling unwilling to back down, he also agreed.

So, the three of them, led by the female clerk, went to the backyard. As they passed the kitchen, A’Diao’s gaze swept over it, and her expression suddenly froze. If one observed closely, they could see her pupils tremble.

A massive earthquake.

In an instant, A’Diao suddenly turned and proactively took Zhang Cheng’s arm, her body close to his. In an extremely soft, cute, and clingy tone, she said, “Big Brother, I suddenly feel so shy. How can we discuss our private matters, the three of us, in someone else’s store? Why don’t we go home and handle it?”

“Besides, I suddenly think… three people is quite nice too. The bed will be warmer.”

The prey suddenly wants to go home with the hunter?

Zhang Cheng’s first reaction was that she was up to something. But when he turned and met A’Diao’s eyes, he saw what she was trying to convey: panic, a warning.

What?

Zhang Cheng’s reaction was incredibly sharp. He quickly realized that the little girl seemed to have changed her tune after looking at a certain spot. So… he also glanced in that direction.

His blood suddenly ran cold. Damn it!

In his sight, the kitchen had several large freezers, but there were many flies in the gaps of the freezer lids and on the ground beside the freezer chests.

But this convenience store was a chain, selling only packaged snacks, drinks, and the like. The only cooked food was oden. However, as everyone knew, the ingredients for this kind of oden were mostly frozen. From freezing to thawing, everything was easily handled within the equipment, not exposed. Moreover, because it was a well-known chain in a second-tier city, quality inspections were very strict. It was unlikely to have such hygiene issues.

Therefore, so many flies being attracted could only mean that the place where they were resting had recently been bloody.

For example, fresh blood.

Then the question arose: what bloody things were inside the freezers?

Thinking about what had recently happened in the Jiannan Community, he knew—this convenience store was sinister, and the clerks and customers outside were all problematic!

Killed, replaced.

Zhang Cheng’s thoughts connected. He immediately put his arm around A’Diao and said joyfully, “Alright, baby, you’re so understanding. Let’s go home right now.”

The acting of the “despicable couple” was flawless. But as soon as they turned, they saw Jiang Chun behind them with a “WTF” expression. His brain wasn’t quick enough—at least not compared to these two schemers—so he couldn’t follow the act. However, he wasn’t a complete idiot or a terrible teammate. So, in that moment, he just froze, looking confused, and subconsciously asked, “You guys…”

His voice stopped abruptly.

Because a line of blood appeared on his neck, cut from behind, perfectly sliced like a cake. His head and neck weren’t separated, only a cut mark. A hand reached out from behind, grabbed his hair, and lifted.

The head was lifted up.

The so-called “bringing a head to meet”—a profound interpretation.

Jiang Chun’s face still wore a puzzled expression.

One of the “customers,” holding the head, stood on the steps and smiled faintly at them. Behind him was the clean, bright light of the convenience store; in front was the dim, obscure warm light of the kitchen.

His smile, amidst the mixed light and shadow, appeared extremely eerie.

Splat~~~ Blood spurted wildly from the vessels in his neck. Zhang Cheng and A’Diao, in their shock, simultaneously let go of each other. One rolled on the ground, the other dodged to the side.

After A’Diao dodged, the stun pen in the hand of the female clerk who had been leading the way missed. But she immediately did a backflip, dodging Zhang Cheng’s attacking nail clippers, avoiding having her throat cut. She landed on the wall, clinging like a spider. But Zhang Cheng didn’t pursue, instead darting towards the back door, wanting to escape.

Swish! A person appeared at the backyard entrance and kicked fiercely at him.

Zhang Cheng dodged backward nimbly but was met with a swift “Plum Blossom Breaking Hand” from the man on the stairs.

Zhang Cheng, dodging with agile footwork, his eyes turning fierce, pressed a button on his wristwatch.

In an instant, the watch emitted a scorching light, momentarily blinding everyone in the kitchen. In this white glare, Zhang Cheng took the opportunity to dart towards the exit. A’Diao, who had been hiding on the side, also closed her eyes, crawled on the ground, and headed for the exit… Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her neck, instantly paralyzing her entire body.

Thud, thud. Two sounds.

The white glare quickly faded. Zhang Cheng had been kicked against the wall, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.

And A’Diao was already being held by the neck, a stun pen pressed against it. Electric current continuously surged into her body. The powerful current was frantically draining her life force; once it reached a certain level, she would be killed.

Sharing her misfortune was Zhang Cheng. His head was held, and a thin blade was pressed against his neck.

“Wait.”

The man from the back door stepped out of the shadows, his aquiline nose revealed in the dim, obscure light. He was not one of the customers or clerks, clearly someone hiding in the store’s backyard who had come to handle the situation upon hearing the commotion.

Zhang Cheng was not weak; he could have escaped if facing any one of them. But he was up against two, and on his side… well, A’Diao had already been incapacitated by the female clerk’s stun pen.

“They should have both absorbed Spiritual Energy. They might have Spiritual Vessels in their bodies.”

“Then can’t we just kill them and get it? Why not kill them?” The female clerk, shedding her previous cute and docile demeanor, had a sinister look in her eyes.

“Are you stupid? At their level, they don’t even know how to use spiritual power. How could they hide a Spiritual Vessel inside their bodies? The Spiritual Vessel must be hidden elsewhere by them.”

The man was relatively knowledgeable and not desperate like Jiang Chun, who wouldn’t let go of A’Diao. However, his intention to keep them alive was also unusual.

“The boss has orders. The Authorities have guessed that we have a use for capturing these kids alive and have tightened surveillance on transportation. It’s impossible to transport these kids out now. According to Plan B, it starts tonight.”

“Tonight?”

The two were surprised but still looked at A’Diao and Zhang Cheng.

So that was it. No wonder these two were needed.

As A’Diao saw Zhang Cheng being knocked unconscious, the female clerk also increased the power of the stun pen…

Thump.

Both of them collapsed.

Before losing consciousness, A’Diao had one thought: This surveillance point of the Prefectural Governor’s Office was clearly slaughtered by those evil cultists first, and they even replaced their identities. How did I stumble right into this very point? It must be those two bastards, Jiang Chun and Zhang Cheng, who got me into this!

But I reported it to the authorities. Will that old dog Chen Ran be in time to save me?

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Lingcheng Training Regiment Office received the emergency report transferred from the Provincial Military Affairs Office and immediately took action.

Actually, the Training Regiment Office was in an awkward position. It wasn’t under the jurisdiction of the Authorities, nor did it belong to the military department. But if it had to intervene, it seemed it could get involved in anything. Generally, only people without connections were assigned here to do menial work, so it was understandable that Chen Ran had transferred the case to them.

The Head Trainer was a laid-back old man in his fifties or sixties, retired from the battlefield, long past into his retirement phase. He didn’t manage affairs and would delay things whenever possible. However, the newly arrived Deputy Trainer was in his prime, full of vigor. He raised an eyebrow after hearing the audio of the report.

Voice + text content = a little girl he had met not long ago.

Such a coincidence? How did she come to Lingcheng? The recommendation letter he gave her was for Jinling.

He guessed she either hit a wall at a high school in Jinling or had problems with the Ministry of Revenue.

Feng Ting didn’t dwell on it further and directly led his men out to handle the case. The aircraft quickly arrived at the scene.

The car was there, and so was the dilapidated bicycle.

No blood on the ground, and no people.

“Looks like she escaped. Someone was chasing her, two people.”

Feng Ting led his men in swift pursuit. Thanks to the aircraft, they could overlook the alleys from above and quickly reached a crossroads. A glance around showed that all the shops along the street were closed. Due to the recent cases, everyone was on edge. There were hardly any people out on the streets, so naturally, the shops were also closed.

Except for some convenience stores and supermarkets that were normally open 24 hours.

“Captain, the person’s gone. Did she escape somewhere else?”

“I’ll go check the surveillance footage and see…”

Feng Ting raised his hand. “No need. They went into the convenience store.”

The convenience store?

Everyone’s gaze fell on the already closed convenience store. Suddenly, someone realized, “This store was still open last night. I saw it during my patrol. This brand is corporate-owned and is supposed to be open 24 hours. Even if similar stores have been preparing to close at night recently to avoid risks, we haven’t heard any notice about this one.”

“I’ll contact their head office…”

The subordinate contacted the company, but Feng Ting contacted the Provincial Military Affairs Office. The person who answered was Chen Ran.

There was a difference in rank, yet Chen Ran actually spoke to him personally.

Tonight was no ordinary night.

Feng Ting explained the situation. Chen Ran frowned and reconfirmed the store’s location. “Something’s wrong! Officer Feng, this store should be a surveillance point for the Prefectural Governor’s Office. There’s been no word of any action from them tonight. The personnel at these surveillance points wouldn’t move easily, unless…”

Damn it! Feng Ting understood the severity of the situation and immediately kicked the main door.

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