Li Dong stealthily made his way to Zhao Ziran's research lab.
It was the core of the entire base. He knew the place well, but besides the base's protection, Zhao Ziran had implemented numerous additional security measures, all of which were now under someone else's control. Cracking them would take some time.
He didn't want to alert the enemy, since Zhao Hao had already left. If he wanted to obtain intelligence, he would have to find the Russian or Tang Lin.
Time ticked by...
In the midst of the tension, a helicopter suddenly took off from the core of the base. From its takeoff posture, he could tell that the helicopter was heavily loaded.
Li Dong's heart tightened. Had he finally been too late?
In his haste, he could no longer care about concealment. He activated his Dragon-Step Tiger-Step technique, achieving an almost instantaneous effect. "Whoosh!" The wind howled as he transformed into a dragon-and-tiger-like figure, rushing straight towards the helicopter.
...
At the same time...
Tang Lin strolled through Zhao Ziran's room, casually picking up a nearly translucent, extremely fine lace panty, his face somewhat gloomy.
He had searched every nook and cranny, but still hadn't found what he was looking for.
As a member of the Tang family, he naturally knew that "Star" was a member of this base. This included the great battle involving the Seven Sins Sect years ago, where three members died and one was injured; later, there were ambushes targeting Star, with over six strategic-level agents from Shikido, Annam, North Korea, and the Fjord ambushing Star, more than four of whom died on the spot, and Choi Won-hyun from North Korea disappearing.
"Star's" immense power filled him with covetousness.
Ever since learning from Zhao Ziran that Luo Shaowen was Greed, an uncontrollable thought had taken root in his mind.
Star seemed to have appeared suddenly a few years ago. He had already concluded that Star's rise to become a powerful Martial God was definitely related to Zhao Ziran, which was why he had rushed here so eagerly. He yearned to discover the secret to how "Star" could become a powerful Martial God.
Tang Lin knew how terrifying Luo Shaowen was. He had deeply corrupted the upper echelons of the country, from the Tang family to the Zhao family, subtly weaving a vast web by exploiting human greed.
Moreover, as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed was the earliest active member of the Seven Deadly Sins, rumored to have been active since the colonial era in the Americas, hiding countless forces.
Combined with Luo Shaowen's power, it was unfathomable and terrifying.
But the more he knew this, the harder it was for him to suppress the desire surging within him. Tang Lanyan, Zhao Zhiran, even the Luo sisters, the Queen of Shanghai… these women were so alluring. If he replaced Luo Shaowen…
Tang Lin sat on the sofa, unconsciously fiddling with the thin pair of underwear in his hand.
He pondered carefully, trying to figure out where he might have overlooked. Zhao Ziran's research lab wasn't large; in fact, if you ignored the clearly research-oriented equipment, it was more like a woman's residence functioning as a research lab, yet it was tastefully decorated with a touch of cozy warmth.
The only thing that stood out was the room's somewhat messy state. Even underwear was casually hung on a chair. The elegant arrangement, contrasting with the scattered clothes, seemed to exude an air of languid elegance.
Even this room had been thoroughly searched, and everything else clearly related to research had been packed up and shipped to the helicopter, including the most conspicuous life support tank—the one the Martial God had once used.
Only this small woman's room remained, searched again and again, making the possibility of hidden secrets increasingly slim.
But so far, he still hadn't discovered where the secret with the Martial God lay hidden.
Tang Lin knew that with Andrei leaving by helicopter, he couldn't stay any longer, but he was still somewhat unwilling, so he returned to this room that seemed least likely to hold any secrets.
Tang Lin looked around. Because it had been ransacked, the room was quite messy. Besides a white lab coat, stockings, and pajamas, the floor and bed were mostly covered with various thin, transparent underwear adorned with lace patterns.
There were many of them, and most seemed barely worn.
He felt inexplicably strange, especially when his gaze fell on a proper, completely unrevealing white lab coat on the floor, draped haphazardly with a small, alluring thong—the crotch no bigger than a palm, and the crucial area deliberately made transparent, making one blush just looking at it.
This sense of incongruity reached its peak.
Would anyone normally wear underwear that barely covered half of their pubic area daily?
And the most crucial part was even transparent.
—It was as if it were deliberately designed to entice him to look.
He subconsciously glanced at the pair of underwear he was fiddling with and immediately noticed that some of the patterns on them seemed to be arranged in a certain pattern.
Tang Lin's eyes widened as he picked up the other pair from the ground, finding similar patterns, almost like some kind of code. He continued searching; some underwear had the pattern, some didn't.
And those that did were almost all exceptionally alluring.
Tang Lin couldn't understand this pattern, but if Li Dong were here, he would probably immediately recognize that all the underwear with that pattern was… something Sister Zhi Ran had deliberately placed near him.
At the time, he had been so aroused that he dared not look too closely, yet he couldn't forget that unforgettable memory.
A hint of excitement appeared on Tang Lin's face. Why would Zhao Zhi Ran go to such lengths to leave such patterns on worn underwear?
Could it be that the secret to the Martial God's power was hidden inside?
…
Li Dong chased after the helicopter, maintaining a nearly constant speed on the ground until it was more than ten kilometers away from the base, no longer likely to alert anyone else.
Then he suddenly stopped, channeling unparalleled true energy into his legs. The ground instantly cracked and sank like a spiderweb, using the powerful recoil to propel him straight into the sky.
Pure Yang true energy, mixed with wisps of lightning, surged forth. His Dragon-Step Tiger-Step technique was pushed to its limit, and in an instant, he seemed to transform into a pale golden dragon-shaped lightning bolt, shooting straight into the helicopter.
Inside the helicopter cabin, crammed with equipment salvaged from Zhao Ziran's research lab, sat a burly white male alone in a corner. He was Andrei, a Level 5 powerhouse.
In his hand, he held a small glass jar containing a pale red, viscous-looking substance that subtly changed shape with the angle of his gaze.
But upon closer inspection, it resembled countless tiny, invisible particles clustered together, like a school of sardines in the ocean, only thousands of times smaller.
It was both a mechanical construct and microorganisms, giving it a strange and magnificent appearance.
This was indeed nanomechanical, capable of repairing irreparable injuries and even reconnecting muscles, meridians, and other tissues.
This was likely what Luo Shaowen wanted—something related to the God of War.
However, Zhao Hao and Tang Lin never imagined that what they couldn't find would be in Andre's hands.
Andre couldn't help but recall a message he received shortly after leaving Shen City. Judging by the time, it was sent while he was still at the Luo family base, meaning it was sent by someone within the base.
Because communication with the outside world was impossible within that base.
The message explained the location of this object, the safe method of retrieving it, and ultimately instructed him to give it to the "God of War," stating that it was the only chance to defeat greed.
Although unsigned, Andrei could guess who had sent him the message.
Zhao Zhiran.
Thinking of this beautiful woman, he felt a pang of unease. She, too, was in adversity, controlled by others, her situation even worse than his, yet Zhao Zhiran had never given up.
The night he spent with Zhao Zhiran was the most peaceful night he had experienced since his frenzied rape of his mother, a peace that even his God couldn't provide.
"She entrusted everything to someone..."
"Can I trust him?"
Lost in thought, he saw the clump of sticky substance inside the glass suddenly vibrate violently, clinging to the glass facing the outside of the helicopter, as if trying to break free, emitting a faint golden glow.
Andrei suddenly understood—he'd come!
Through the porthole, a golden lightning bolt seemed to be shooting straight towards the ground from the opposite direction, a sight that sent a burning, stimulating sensation through the mere sight.