Still Lacking

“Exactly.”

Cheng Shuili kicked the car door open and immediately spotted the man lying inside the cabin. One hand was clutched over his wound, his face smeared with tears and snot. Upon seeing Cheng Shuili enter, he struggled, trying to grip his gun again.

But he was right-handed, and that was exactly where Cheng Shuili had shot him.

The man's struggle not only failed to secure the weapon, but it also made him grimace in agony.

Cheng Shuili sneered, walking over unhurriedly to press the muzzle of her gun against his forehead.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, her words laced with undisguised mockery. “Surrender when you can't win, and threaten to expose us when you can't surrender? You’re quite proficient at this routine. Doesn't look like your first time doing this.”

“N-no... that’s not it.”

The man’s voice trembled, his injured hand still struggling to reach for something.

This pathetic display left Cheng Shuili speechless. She simply put away her rifle and swapped it for Night Hunt, pressing the blade against his neck.

Perhaps she didn't control her strength well, or perhaps Cheng Shuili simply intended to give him a show of force, but the blade sliced through the skin of his neck, sinking into the flesh.

One more inch, and his life would be over.

The man finally felt true fear. His body went rigid, his eyes darting downward, trying to get a clear look at his own neck.

Even his pleas for mercy grew faint. “D-don't... don't kill me. I won't expose you anymore! Please, don't kill me!”

By the end, his voice was choked with sobs. Because he didn't dare move with the blade at his throat, his facial expression remained stiff.

But the problem was...

Was this really the point?

Cheng Shuili pressed the blade in a bit further without hesitation. This terrified the man so much that he squeezed his eyes shut, thinking he was about to meet his end.

The pain persisted, but so did his consciousness. When he tremblingly opened his eyes, he realized he was still alive.

The woman controlling the blade looked at him coldly, her lips parting to utter: “Start talking.”

“Talk?” Tu Dou Bro’s eyes widened. Realizing he was still alive, his confidence returned. “Talk about what? It was wrong of me to fire first, but you still attacked me after I surrendered! That makes it your fault! I already said I wouldn't expose you, so what else is there to talk about?”

He was hysterical and felt completely justified.

Cheng Shuili really couldn't tell if he was pretending to be stupid or if his brain was just wired that way!

When Su Rui entered, she heard exactly that.

The veins on her forehead throbbed. She stared fiercely at the man for a moment before meeting Cheng Shuili’s gaze.

Whether he was truly stupid or faking it didn't matter! Use force!

...

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Please, stop! I’ll tell you... I’ll tell you everything,” Tu Dou Bro’s voice was weak and feeble, barely managing to muster the energy to answer Su Rui’s questions.

“It was my boss who sent me. He... he just gave me a card and told me that once I used it, I could enter Black Feather’s faction channel. He told me it was very safe... that nothing would go wrong... and that even if you guys tracked me down, we could just discuss it properly. Why did you have to attack me?”

Truly hopeless.

Cheng Shuili watched his struggles with cold eyes.

From his initial unprovoked attack to his refusal to repent even now.

Cheng Shuili now believed he was genuinely stupid.

People like this probably couldn't understand what everyone else considered common sense in their entire lives. To put it plainly, he was missing a few screws.

Seeing that he hadn't reached the root of the matter yet, Su Rui decided to turn up the heat.

Tu Dou Bro let out a shriek, finally losing the will to resist. “I’m from Dark Star... my boss... he just gave me a card. He told me to go check what Black Feather’s intel was. I really don't know anything else, I really don't!”

From Dark Star?

Cheng Shuili narrowed her eyes. She had said all along that Broken Iron was a double-dealer.

But she hadn't expected his skill at playing both sides to be this good.

She asked coldly, “What are the specific effects of that card? Aside from infiltrating the channel, what other functions does it have?”

Tu Dou Bro no longer had the capacity to think; he was answering purely on instinct.

But because of that, what he said now was highly credible!

“It... it’s just a special card. They said it allows for untraceable infiltration... I trusted my boss too much. I didn't even look at it carefully, I just used it directly.”

“After using it, you can designate a faction to gain 24-hour temporary access to their faction channel. My boss said it was very stealthy and wouldn't be easily detected... the function... that’s all there is to it, I really don't know anything else!” Tu Dou Bro was practically crying as he shouted. “There are so many people in the channel and messages move so fast, I thought no one would notice... who knew... who knew you’d find me so quickly... and that you’d actually attack!”

“I didn't even do anything! Why treat me like this!”

He seemed genuinely aggrieved, his voice growing louder with every word until Su Rui kicked him, finally making him behave.

“How many people did Dark Star send in using this card?” Su Rui pressed.

“I don't know... I really don't know! My boss approached me privately and said this matter had to be kept secret... maybe there are others, but I really don't know...” Tu Dou Bro’s voice was now filled with despair. “Two big sisters... no, two bosses! My ancestors! I’ve told you everything I know, let me go! I’m just a small fry doing what I’m paid to do, I’ll never dare to do it again!”

Cheng Shuili looked at his tear-streaked, unsightly appearance, a flicker of disgust crossing her eyes.

This kind of idiot, being used as a pawn without even realizing it, and only knowing how to beg for mercy when things hit the fan.

She put away Night Hunt and stood up.

Seeing this, Tu Dou Bro’s face instantly broke into a ecstatic expression of having escaped death. “Thank you! Thank you, bosses, for sparing my life! I promise to quit Dark Star immediately and never go against Black Feather again! I...”

His words came to an abrupt halt.

Because Cheng Shuili had pulled out a handgun, its dark muzzle aimed directly at his brow.

“Y-you said you wouldn't kill...” Tu Dou Bro’s eyes widened in terror.

“When did I ever say that?”

Cheng Shuili’s tone was flat, laced with a hint of mockery.

Her finger pulled the trigger.

From the very beginning, the stupidest thing about this man was thinking he could actually survive.

Even if he had survived Cheng Shuili today, could Broken Iron have let him off after he returned to Dark Star?

Broken Iron wouldn't dare create a direct rift with Cheng Shuili, but keeping this guy alive was a liability!

Broken Iron had calculated quite well, using empty promises to fool a fool into stealing Black Feather’s internal intel.

If the fool succeeded, all the better; if he failed, he only wasted a single card.

But he probably hadn't expected that the fool’s emotional intelligence would be so terrifyingly low that he’d actually let Cheng Shuili catch him red-handed!

Retaliation was inevitable.

It was just that the members of Black Feather were all new recruits, unfamiliar with one another and lacking any real bonds.

Declaring war now... was still lacking a bit of heat.