Chapter 100: S-Rank Mission, Reward of Five Hundred Thousand

"Why should I be jealous? I am someone destined never to be a wife. Since I cannot solve your physiological needs myself, I can't just occupy the position without fulfilling the duties, leaving you to stifle to death..."

"Not necessarily. You yourself said you are researching an antidote, and my cultivation is rising steadily. One day, I will be able to break through your demonic barriers." Lin Xiaosu took her small hand and teased her.

Chang Ye sighed softly, "Having a pursuit is a good thing; at least we both have the motivation to strive... but you have overlooked a problem. My genetic rejection day is approaching. Each rejection is a rebirth. By the time your cultivation catches up, my poison will have evolved again, and you'll be chasing after me once more... Forget it, I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm. Tell me, on what basis did you judge that Ding Lizhong is unlikely to be the mastermind?"

"It's because of the man who died at their hands last night."

"Zhou Yibo?"

"Yes!" Lin Xiaosu said, "I'm thinking about something. Zhou Yibo's skull was cracked open on the spot, and there was no chip in his brain. It’s evident that what controlled him wasn't a chip, but some kind of benefit someone gave him... What kind of benefit could it be?"

Chang Ye pondered, "Usually, it's money, but as a scientist for the Longevity Group, he didn't lack money. Money would hardly sway him."

"Exactly!"

"You saw his physique; he's just an ordinary man. Even if he liked beauties, he probably couldn't handle much, so women wouldn't be very effective at swaying him either."

"You may not be good at the 'practical application' of matters between men and women, but your analysis and judgment are quite precise!" Lin Xiaosu gave a thumbs-up.

Chang Ye rolled her eyes at him, "People in scientific research have another weakness: they always hope their value will be recognized. For instance, he likely wanted to be the Chief Scientist of the Longevity Group."

Lin Xiaosu said, "Then the question arises: can Huang Chengwang fulfill his dream? What about Ding Lizhong? Can he?"

Chang Ye felt a jolt...

This was another topic most people wouldn't think of...

Zhou Yibo was already Ding Lizhong's deputy; his scientific status was already very high...

Could Ding Lizhong give him a higher position?

Obviously not, unless he stepped down and yielded the position!

For scientific talents like them, money is not an issue, and status cannot be granted. Why would he risk his life for you?

Unless someone painted a big picture for him: "You take out Ding Lizhong, and I'll let you take his place!"

This person could not be Ding Lizhong himself; it could only be...

"Longevity Group Chairman Li Changsheng?"

Regarding this legendary name, Lin Xiaosu neither affirmed nor denied it, but smiled gently, "For a star enterprise in the province, an enterprise that had countless mysterious assists during its rise, the head of the family isn't so easy to touch. If this matter were put up for a bid, may I ask what price the Hidden Dragon is willing to pay?"

Chang Ye shot him a side-glance, "What price? Isn't this the very task from last time? I originally thought the ringleader was Huang Chengwang, but after your analysis, I also feel it's indeed too early for us to settle the payment... Better wait until you find the real ringleader before we pay. The hundred thousand won't be a penny short!"

Lin Xiaosu looked at her blankly and slapped his own mouth, "My mouth is my own worst enemy. Why did I have to analyze it? I should have just kept my head down, taken the money, and let it be..."

Chang Ye chuckled, "I just can't stand how much you love money. Fine, I'll give you a new task. If you complete it, I'll reward you with 500,000! How about that?"

"500,000? To those billionaires, that's just the price of a bottle of wine, but for a stingy bird like the Hidden Dragon, that's an unprecedentedly generous offer... What level is the task?"

"S-level!"

Hidden Dragon tasks go up to SSS, then SS. S-level belongs to the third tier; to an ordinary person, it might not seem particularly difficult.

It's only the third tier, after all.

However, Lin Xiaosu was someone who had spent time in 101; he knew exactly what an S-level task meant.

In the dictionary of the Hidden Dragon, ordinary murder cases don't even enter their line of sight. Cases with hundreds of casualties might only warrant a glance. Anything that makes it onto the Hidden Dragon task list, even a C-level task, is an earth-shattering event to ordinary people, let alone a task that transcends A-level directly to S-level.

"Tell me, what is the specific task?"

Chang Ye softly spat out five words: "Eliminate Huang Chengwang!"

Eliminate Huang Chengwang...

Why must he be eliminated?

Because Huang Chengwang has been classified by the Hidden Dragon as a ringleader.

Anyone who is a ringleader must be executed!

This is the iron rule of the Hidden Dragon!

Why so ruthless?

Because the Hidden Dragon needs to intimidate both domestic and foreign enemies!

You have blood on your hands within the Great Xia territory, and you think you can just walk away? There is no such easy path! Even if you run to the ends of the earth, the Hidden Dragon will hunt you down!

Only in this way can the monsters and demons within the country be suppressed!

Furthermore, Huang Chengwang truly deserves to die. In the cases confirmed so far, he directly silenced thirty-seven genetically modified humans. Each of these thirty-seven people had at least seven or eight lives on their conscience, adding up to nearly a thousand innocent lives. The true mastermind behind these innocent lives was Huang Chengwang.

Moreover, this is not just about lives. Among these thousands, there were many scientists, elites from various fronts, and even children. Great Xia suffered immeasurable damage because of this venomous snake...

Such a person must be killed to appease public anger, to restore the balance of the world!

Therefore, the Hidden Dragon issued a red kill order for Huang Chengwang, set at the S-level standard.

The S-level standard is determined by the comprehensive difficulty of various factors.

If Huang Chengwang were still in the country, it wouldn't be a kill order, but an arrest, with a task standard of at most C-level. But he has already fled, and he has fled to the Fusang nation.

The situation in the Fusang nation is extremely complex. Although the island nation is small in area, it has a population of over a hundred million. Its technological level is quite advanced, and genetic modification is more rampant there than in any other country. Executing a mission in this island nation carries a very high risk. There is also a special factor: this island nation has long been hostile to Great Xia. Their elite secret training is designed with the Hidden Dragon as the imaginary enemy. They know the Hidden Dragon inside and out. For the Hidden Dragon to enter Fusang is to walk into a void of life and death.

Chang Ye took on this task; she applied for it voluntarily.

It was also a gesture of care from the organization toward her.

Why?

Because among the people Huang Chengwang killed, there was someone with a very special relationship with her: Qu Taiqing.

Chang Ye was an orphan. In the orphanage, she was on the verge of dying when Qu Taiqing held an umbrella and walked up to her in the cold, gloomy autumn rain.

From that day on, Qu Taiqing was like a grandfather to Chang Ye.

Although the Hidden Dragon does not encourage members to seek private revenge, as long as it does not affect official duties, personal feelings can be balanced...

"Fine, I'll go with you!" Lin Xiaosu said.

"That's the spirit!" Chang Ye was very happy. "With you, a super detective, coming along, my biggest difficulty is solved: finding the target in the vast sea of people."

This was the real reason Chang Ye chose Lin Xiaosu.

With her methods, killing was never the hard part.

The real difficulty was finding the person.

Huang Chengwang fled to Fusang, entering the vast sea of people there. Finding him was, in itself, an extremely difficult task.

But who is Lin Xiaosu?

He is the man who can find a bird across eight hundred miles of void!

Lin Xiaosu got out of the car and returned to the teahouse. Ding Ruoshui was sitting under the sunset, holding a teacup, lost in thought...

As Lin Xiaosu approached, Ding Ruoshui seemed to wake from a dream. She turned her head abruptly and flashed a brilliant, slightly charming smile at him, "Is my cousin gone?"

"Not yet, she's waiting for me to leave together."

Ding Ruoshui was a little disappointed, "You're really leaving?"

"Yeah, this cooperation was pleasant. See you next time!"

"Next time? Will you still charge money next time?"

"Of course! In consideration of this pleasant cooperation, I won't raise the price next time!" Lin Xiaosu waved and said goodbye.

Ding Ruoshui bit her lip, "If I wanted to find you to watch a movie, you'd charge me 400,000 too? Oh heaven and earth, is there any justice left?"

Her voice was definitely not loud.

But Lin Xiaosu could definitely hear it...

Lin Xiaosu pretended he didn't.

He got into Chang Ye's car.

"Straight to the airport or..." Lin Xiaosu paused slightly, "What's wrong?"

He noticed that Chang Ye seemed distracted.

Chang Ye exhaled softly, "There's a new development!"

"What?"

"Huang Chengwang took something with him, something extraordinary..."

"What is it?"

Chang Ye said, "Put on the Dragon Eyes, I'll transmit it to you."

Lin Xiaosu put on the Dragon Eyes, and an image opened...

It was a purple stone, alongside various parameters. Upon seeing these parameters, Lin Xiaosu was shocked. These clearly did not belong to any minerals on Earth; the parameters were extremely absurd.

Of course, only those who had undergone professional training like them could understand these parameters.

"Where did this come from?"

"Mount Lao!" Chang Ye said, "This stone contains a mysterious energy. Huang Chengwang relied on it to make a breakthrough in the field of 'neutrinos.' Yesterday afternoon, when he planned to flee, he didn't take anything else. He ran to the dedicated laboratory and stole this stone. If this stone falls into the hands of the Fusang scientific community, they are very likely to break through neutrino technology, thereby overtaking our country in the field of communications!"

"So, does this mission of ours need an additional task: to bring this stone back? Is that it?" Lin Xiaosu asked.

"If we want to bring the stone back, the difficulty isn't S-level, it's SS-level! Because Huang Chengwang has already used the stone as a gift to the Fusang Royal Research Institute." Chang Ye sighed long and hard, "This traitor and turncoat truly deserves to die!"

Lin Xiaosu said, "SS-level, does that mean the bonus doubles?"

"You're still thinking about money?" Chang Ye shot him a look, "That's not our mission. A ragtag team like ours, assembled temporarily, can't handle SS-level tasks. There are specialists responsible for that..."

She pressed the accelerator, drove through the streets of Jiangcheng, and headed straight for Xinhe Airport.

Xinhe Airport, located east of Jiangcheng, thirty miles from the main city, was extremely grand.

Walking into the terminal, Chang Ye took out the passports, ID cards, and tickets that had already been prepared.

Lin Xiaosu took the passport. The photo on it was, of course, him, but the name was Su Zhe. His occupation: an employee of a scientific trading company in Fusang. Home address: Half-Street Community, Tieqiu Town, Xiyang County, Xiaoxiang Province, door number 103-207.

Lin Xiaosu frowned slightly, "Is the address that detailed?"

"They're all that detailed."

"If someone has nothing better to do and insists on verifying this, coming to 103 to find this person, won't my cover be blown?"

"Don't worry. If someone checks, there really is a person like you at this door number. It's just that outsiders don't know he has already sacrificed himself!"

"A fallen comrade, and I'm here to take his identity? This... isn't this really a desecration?"

"In the tradition of the Hidden Dragon, this is not called desecration; this is called inheriting the will of a fallen comrade! Following in the footsteps of the martyrs and continuing the journey!"

I'm impressed!