When he said this, his voice was sharp and hurried, as if he were claiming credit, or perhaps trying to save his own life.
Jiang Cheng's gaze moved past him, landing on the tough-looking woman behind him.
Snake Woman was tied to a wooden post, her hands bound behind her back. The rope was pulled very tight, chafing her wrists until they bled, the blood having dried into dark red scabs.
Her hair was a messy tangle against her cheeks, her face bore several abrasions, and her clothes were stained with mud and blood.
But her eyes were bright.
It wasn't the look a captive should have.
She was looking at Jiang Cheng.
With wariness, scrutiny, and a sort of... evaluative quality.
She was trying to figure out who this man was.
Judging whether she had moved from one cage to another, or if she truly had been saved.
Wang Sheng stepped forward and walked up to Snake Woman.
He crouched down to check the ropes on her.
The ropes were tied very tightly in military sailor's knots.
This kind of knot only gets tighter the more one struggles.
After checking her physical condition, he stood up and nodded to Jiang Cheng.
"Young Master Jiang, she's clean."
Kun Tui was still kneeling there; since no one told him to get up, he didn't dare move.
Wang Sheng grinned at him. "Go kneel outside. Young Master Jiang has business to attend to."
Kun Tui nodded hurriedly. "Yes, yes, yes. Rest assured, Young Master Jiang, I'll keep watch while kneeling outside..."
After Kun Tui led his people out, Zhou Guanshan also took the initiative to leave.
In an instant, only Jiang Cheng, Wang Sheng, Xia Li, and the rarely seen Qing Zhong remained in the room.
Wang Sheng turned and walked quickly to the corner. From the inside of the jacket he had taken off while searching Kun Tui earlier, he pulled out a black metal tag the size of a fingernail.
"Young Master Jiang, I found this in a hidden pocket of his lapel during the search. It was small and hidden deep, so the others missed it, but I managed to find it. It doesn't look like an ordinary object."
Jiang Cheng looked up, his fingertips rolling the small metal tag.
A cold sensation traveled up from his fingertips. Though the tag was small, its surface was polished extremely smooth, with a miniature but ferocious skull engraved in the center.
The eye sockets were deep, the teeth exposed, and the lines were sharp, exuding a sinister aura of violence.
"Xia Li."
As soon as he spoke, Xia Li's figure slowly emerged from the shadows. The dim light fell just right on her face, which held no extra expression, only a cold calm.
The moment the skull badge in Jiang Cheng's hand was exposed to the light and Xia Li appeared, Snake Woman's expression underwent a drastic change.
Her face, which had been feigning composure with a mocking smile just a moment ago, instantly turned pale.
It was replaced by a sudden panic, which was then quickly overtaken by extreme malice and ruthlessness.
Killing intent surged in her eyes, and she struggled desperately even though the ropes were painful against her wrists. The scabs tore open again, and fresh blood slid down her wrists, dripping onto the floor and blooming into small red spots.
Jiang Cheng lowered his eyes to look at the badge in his hand, then looked back up at Snake Woman.
"I remember you telling me before that Snake Woman has a skull-shaped badge on her."
...
It isn't terrifying for a mercenary to be handed over to someone else.
Because it means she is still useful and hasn't been sentenced to death yet.
Even if the other party tortures her for information, she still has a chance to escape.
But the moment she saw Xia Li, Snake Woman felt she no longer had a chance...
Although she didn't know who this young man before her was.
She had heard the commotion of those people storming in clearly.
With such weaponry, this man was definitely not as simple as a common gangster.
She looked up, glanced at Jiang Cheng, and then stared at Xia Li.
A forced smile appeared on her lips. "Is this your boss? He's the one who dug me out of the Middle East, isn't he? Xia Li, you're quite capable. Your new master is quite powerful."
Her gaze was fixed intensely on Jiang Cheng, her eyes full of venom. "You shouldn't have poked your nose into other people's business. You shouldn't have touched this badge. Today, all of you will pay for your curiosity!"
Wang Sheng frowned and took a step forward. With a hint of confusion in his voice, he looked at Jiang Cheng. "Young Master Jiang, I've heard some rumors. Could this skull badge be the symbol of that legendary top-tier international secret organization—the Skull Society?"
"Xia Li, the person is here. Is there anything you want to ask?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Xia Li didn't move. She had thought she would go crazy or kill Snake Woman immediately.
But seeing Snake Woman captured now, her heart was unusually calm.
Xia Li slowly pulled out a sharp knife from behind her. "Long time no see... Do you still remember this knife? The last time I used it was when we were on a mission together. I gave it to you, and you turned around and stabbed it into my chest..."
One actually becomes calm when facing death, Xia Li.
Snake Woman tilted her head to look at her, her eyes slowly scanning her from top to bottom. "That scar on your chest... does it still hurt?"
Xia Li's shoulder twitched.
Snake Woman saw that twitch, and the smile on her lips deepened.
"I did indeed stab you," she said, her tone devoid of guilt, even holding a hint of... pride. "The third rib from the left, two inches up. When the tip of the knife hit the bone, there was a click, and then it slid past. Blood gushed from the wound, flowing down the handle and onto my hand. It was warm."
She looked up into Xia Li's eyes.
"You were looking at me then, your eyes wide. You wanted to scream, but you couldn't."
These words instantly triggered Xia Li's emotions. In the next second, before Jiang Cheng could react, Xia Li had lunged forward and plunged the knife into Snake Woman's chest...
The knife tip entered quickly. The blood didn't spray out but instead flowed down slowly.
Xia Li's expression shifted from coldness to something a bit crazed.
"I've spent two years thinking about it, but I couldn't understand why you did it."
Snake Woman let out a muffled groan and lowered her head, her voice getting softer. "You were my closest person. We were together for seven years. You took blades for me, you took the fall for me... Why did I do it? I had no choice..."
She looked up, her eyes turning red.
"Xia Li, I regret it."
Xia Li looked at those reddened eyes and laughed.
It was a soft, cold laugh.
"You regret it?" Xia Li crouched down to look her in the eye. "Then tell me, what about that fifty thousand dollars?"
Snake Woman's expression faltered, her voice sounding very sincere. "I didn't spend a single cent. I sat on the pier all night, and the next day—"
"You spent it."
Xia Li interrupted her, her voice as calm as if she were reading a report.
"You took fifty thousand dollars and bought a used Toyota in Pattaya within three days. The rest of the money was all thrown onto the gambling tables. You lost it all within two weeks. Then you took a new job with a sixty-thousand-dollar commission; the target was a middleman in Malaysia."
Seeing that playing the victim was useless, Snake Woman's expression changed.
"You investigated me? Then why did you even ask..." Snake Woman asked.
Xia Li said, "Every cent, every job, every man you've slept with—I know it all now. I just wanted to hear the reason for your betrayal from your own mouth..."