Lu Chen was startled, his alertness rising instantly. He immediately connected the dots to last night's attack. Weren't several of the assassins who saved him incredibly slender? Young beauties, and he'd even felt a sense of familiarity at the time!
Now, with Jiang Yu calling and asking this, he realized—weren't they her mermaid subordinates?
He asked in a low voice, "Sister Jiang Yu, last night… were those assassins you sent?"
Xu Jiaqi, lying beside him, was also startled.
Yang Jiang Yu said in a low voice, "Is it convenient to talk?"
This question, though not directly answering Lu Chen's question, was tantamount to an answer.
Lu Chen glanced at Xu Jiaqi, then put a middle finger to his lips and said into the phone, "Yes, it's convenient."
Yang Jiang Yu then began to speak. Yesterday, news came from an organization in Yunzhou City that specialized in monitoring secret gangs across the country: a triad-affiliated assassin group from Taiwan had infiltrated Yunzhou City. This organization, called the Wind Assassins, consisted of about twenty people. Behind these Wind Assassins was another secret family from distant Australia.
Last night's assassination attempt was carried out by the Wind Assassins targeting Lu Chen. As for the later group of assassins, they were Yang Jiangyu's subordinates. When she learned the latest news that the Wind Assassins were actually going to assassinate Lu Chen, she definitely had to send someone to stop them.
"That mysterious family in Australia is called the John Wen family. This family has produced many important figures and wealthy people throughout history. However, they also have a strange genetic condition: their hearts have a very low capacity for stress. When their energy is depleted to a certain extent, they will experience a sudden heart failure and die at any time."
Lu Chen listened and glanced at Xu Jiaqi.
Clearly, that was also the Australian family she was referring to.
"However, over two hundred years ago, a remarkable person emerged from their family who researched a strange method combining scientific cryopreservation and heart freezing, allowing those suffering from heart attacks to temporarily enter a state of suspended animation. And this method has already been put into use. In the Johnvin family, approximately forty outstanding individuals have been cryopreserved."
Lu Chen was startled and blurted out, "Are they waiting to find a cure for that heart condition before reviving them?"
Yang Jiangyu's tone carried a slight wry smile: "Not only that, they have an even grander goal. After reviving and curing these people, they can infinitely strengthen their family, perhaps even becoming a world hegemon. You must understand, those forty-odd individuals were all elites of their time. Finance, politics, war, business… they were involved in everything. The Johnvin family's power is sufficient to propel them forward, thus ensuring they become a formidable force of immense importance throughout the world!"
If the Johnvin family so desperately wanted a doctor or method to cure heart disease, why send assassins after him? However, Lu Chen immediately understood: "Damn it, could it be that someone in that John Wen family doesn't want those dead people to be brought back to life, so they're sending assassins to kill me?"
Yang Jiangyu's tone was grave: "That's right. According to what I know, the most powerful figure in the third generation of the John Wen family is Miss Ryusei. She doesn't want to see her ancestors resurrected. She has a strong desire for control and is worried that if these guys are resurrected, it will cause a lot of chaos. So, she secretly sent assassins to kill you."
"The second most powerful figure is Frank, the eldest grandson of the family. This guy is a playboy, incompetent, and lacks common sense. He only gets the support of his elders because of his status. He strongly supports resurrecting his ancestors. He feels that this will give him more support and allow him to oppose his sister."
Lu Chen felt quite innocent: "Holy crap, that damn woman named Ryusei, how did she know I could bring her ancestors back to life? She sent so many assassins to kill me! This is utterly reckless!"
"Ryuse is ruthless and has always been known as a vicious female demon in Australia. The assassins she hired, the Wind Killers, are specifically tasked with assassinating those in the Asia-Pacific region who might be able to revive the patriarch of the John Wen family, and thus revive all those who are seemingly dead. You are just one of them. Better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free. That's her order. So, it's not just you."
"Moreover, Chen, you are the one she most believes can bring back the lives of those seemingly dead. Because she has also heard of the Seven-Life Flower and knows that you are its inheritor. Therefore, she will inevitably kill you."
Lu Chen's mind went blank.
He wasn't confused that Ryuse wanted to kill him, but that she actually knew he was the inheritor of the Seven-Life Flower? Someone so far away, in Australia!
Following this logic, it seems Yang Jiangyu was right; there are countless people secretly eyeing him!
Yang Jiangyu seemed to sense his frustration and said calmly, "Achen, that's your fate, so accept it. But now isn't the time for you to worry about these things. Those people in the shadows are still keeping each other in check and watching you closely, so you won't be in danger for the time being. You should think about how you're going to handle things now."
Keeping each other in check and watching closely?
Damn, why do I feel like a pig being fattened up to be slaughtered?
Lu Chen said sullenly, "So, what good suggestions do you have?"
Yang Jiangyu countered, "Achen, so, do you want to revive those faked dead, or not?"
Of course, Lu Chen didn't want to revive those guys. Who knows if they'd still be human after being revived? Maybe they'd still be those zombies from TV! How boring would it be if the world was ruled by forty-odd zombies?
However, that Liusha sent people to kill him without a word—that was truly hateful! Doing what she didn't want to happen would be the perfect revenge. Besides, he had already promised Xu Jiaqi he would rescue the clan chief; he had to keep his word, right?
He quickly made up his mind.
"I'll only rescue the clan chief. The rest is none of my business," Lu Chen said calmly.
Yang Jiangyu on the other end of the phone sighed softly, "If only it were as simple as you say. Ah Chen, do you think that Frank, who's so eager to bring back the clan's faked dead, will let you off the hook if you rescue the clan chief? He's the one who coerced your lover's father to rescue his grandfather, the clan chief. Rescuing his grandfather is just the first step; even his grandfather might just be a test subject."
Lu Chen was secretly alarmed. First, Sister Jiangyu seemed to know quite a bit; second, what she said made perfect sense. If he rescued Frank's grandfather, the man would definitely try to coerce him further.
"Damn it!" Lu Chen said angrily, "These guys are shameless! But even if they're powerful dragons, can they really suppress local bullies?"
Yang Jiangyu smiled, "Chen, don't underestimate them. The John Wen family's business is a very large venture capital group. They have around 5 billion yuan invested in venture capital in China, and 1.5 billion yuan in Fuhai Province alone. This powerful dragon has the support of many local bullies; even I don't dare to openly compete with them!"
Lu Chen scratched his head, looking troubled, "Damn it, I feel like this water is getting deeper and deeper! Even if I'm willing to save those dozens of fake dead people, I'll be exhausted to death!"
That's for sure. Lu Chen estimated that saving even one would be difficult enough; if he tried to save dozens at once, he'd either die or die young.
Yang Jiangyu chuckled and then shared some of her thoughts.
Last night, after her assassins intercepted the Wind Killers and continued their pursuit, Yang Jiangyu, through some secret connections, contacted the mastermind behind it all: Liusha, and essentially reached an agreement with her on one condition.
Liusha could abandon the pursuit of Lu Chen, but he had to appear to be struggling to fully heal the John Wen family patriarch. He couldn't be cured quickly; long-term treatment was required.
This way, if Frank and the others saw how difficult it was to cure even one person, they certainly wouldn't dare let Lu Chen easily save those seemingly dead people, lest he turn them into real deaths.
And the patriarch was also Liusha's grandfather. It wasn't that Liusha didn't want to heal her grandfather. However, to avoid affecting her control, she couldn't completely cure him all at once.
This treatment time, while ensuring his survival and alleviating his pain as much as possible, had to be as long as possible.
"As long as possible" meant making the recovery time for those seemingly dead people as indefinitely as possible.
"This was something I finally managed to negotiate with Ryusa. Besides the two powerful figures I invited, whom Ryusa had to do out of respect for, the assassins she sent were also disguised as being manipulated by the John Wen family's adversaries. But I discovered the mastermind behind it all. So, she was also coerced by me!"
Yang Jiangyu said with no small amount of pride.
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen was both amused and exasperated: "Sister Jiangyu, you're really something else! All that fuss! You've already got everything sorted out, and you've been scaring me for ages. Are you trying to make me grateful?"
"That's right!"
Yang Jiangyu actually admitted it honestly, smiling seductively: "I just wanted to tell you that some women bring you trouble. Some women solve your troubles. Your Sister Jiangyu is the latter. So, don't keep your mind on other women; put some of your attention on me. Don't you think I can't attract you?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen immediately recalled the ambiguous moment that night outside Yang Jiangyu's seawater pearl shop. She was completely naked, nestled against him.
And she even claimed to be a virgin, which was incredibly rare.
This thought fueled his excitement even more. Damn, he really wanted to one day possess this stunning beauty. He couldn't resist that night, but she just teased him and wouldn't give in.
Lu Chen gritted his teeth and said, "If you won't let me have any, all your allure is useless."
"Fine!" Yang Jiangyu smiled even more seductively, "Whenever you come, I'll let you have all of me, okay? But you have to be gentle, I'm still a virgin!"
At this, Lu Chen almost had a nosebleed.
"Alright, let's get serious." Yang Jiangyu suddenly became serious again: "Actually, the reason I've explained all this to you so clearly is because I have a very grand idea. That is, why can't we utilize the immense power of the John Wen family?"
"You mean...?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen felt a chill run down his spine.