Chapter 31: A Sudden Turn of Events

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: A Sudden Turn of Events

The crosswalk signal was still counting down.

Gu Qing casually glanced to the side, his eyes locking onto the man.

’Is he following him, or is this just a coincidence?’

The man followed unhurriedly behind Zhou Yuan, always maintaining a distance of about five meters.

Zhou Yuan was completely oblivious. He was still looking down at his phone as his brisk footsteps carried him toward a small alley on the right.

The man followed close behind, turning into the same alley.

’So he *is* after Zhou Yuan!’

His suspicion was confirmed.

Gu Qing didn’t dare to delay. He immediately turned and followed them, moving without a sound.

Zhou Yuan was supposed to take him into the lab tomorrow; he was the key to obtaining a new Attribute.

’I can’t let anything happen to him.’

The moment he stepped into the alley, Gu Qing’s Lightning Reflexes Attribute activated. Everything in his vision seemed to slow to a crawl.

The weeds in the corner swayed gently in the breeze. The sound of distant footsteps was infinitely amplified. He could even see the dust motes floating in the air with perfect clarity.

Gu Qing lightened his steps, hiding in the shadows like a stalking panther, his cold gaze fixed on the depths of the alley.

’I’ll see for myself just what this mysterious Assassin wants with Zhou Yuan.’

A few discarded cardboard boxes were piled up in the alley. The walls were peeling, and the light was much dimmer than outside, which was perfect for concealing his presence.

About ten meters ahead.

Zhou Yuan was still scrolling through his phone, grinning from time to time, utterly oblivious to the man closing in behind him.

And similarly, the man was unaware of Gu Qing shadowing him.

Gu Qing held a marble-sized rock in his hand, his fingertips tight around it. His eyes remained fixed on the man, the would-be Assassin, ready to throw it at a moment’s notice.

After a few more minutes of walking.

Zhou Yuan stopped in front of an old, dilapidated house and fumbled for his keys to open the door.

The instant he went to open the door.

The man behind him lunged forward, clamped a hand firmly over his mouth, and began to drag him inside.

Zhou Yuan: "???"

At the same time, Gu Qing, who was right behind the man, shot forward in a flash. He clamped a hand firmly over the man’s mouth and pushed him into the house.

The man: "???"

And so.

The three men, pressed tightly against each other in a human train, all squeezed into the cramped rental house together.

...

Inside the rental house.

The light was dim, and the furnishings were simple.

A quick glance around revealed test tubes everywhere, all filled with liquids of various colors.

Zhou Yuan was bewildered.

’I just came over to my rental to squeeze in some human experiments my advisor won’t approve of. I haven’t provoked anyone, so how did I end up getting grabbed and gagged?’

’Besides, my junior said he was heading back to school. How did he suddenly show up out of nowhere and save me?’

The man was even more bewildered.

’I’m one of the country’s top Assassins. How could someone sneak up behind me and ambush me without me noticing?’

"Brother Yuan, lock the door, quick!"

Gu Qing slammed the man against the wall and shouted to the newly freed Zhou Yuan without turning his head.

Zhou Yuan didn’t overthink it. He immediately went and locked the door.

Although he had no idea what was going on.

He could at least tell who was trying to harm him and who was trying to save him.

"Got any rope?"

"No."

"Hangers will do."

"I have hangers."

Zhou Yuan nodded and rushed into the bedroom.

A moment later, he ran back out with a pile of metal hangers and handed them to Gu Qing.

Gu Qing took the hangers and violently twisted them into metal strips, using them to tightly bind the man’s hands and feet.

Then he found a chair and used the remaining strips to tie the man’s entire body to it.

"Junior, I have a bottle of biotoxin here that can make a person’s entire body weak and powerless but also abnormally sensitive to external stimuli. You want to give him a taste?"

Zhou Yuan held up a small glass vial containing a purple liquid and offered it to Gu Qing.

’Makes the body weak and powerless? But also makes it abnormally sensitive to external stimuli?’

’What the fuck, did you make an aphrodisiac?’

Gu Qing complained internally as he took the small glass vial, his brow furrowed.

"This stuff won’t kill him, will it?"

"Don’t worry, it’s not lethal."

Zhou Yuan’s tone was utterly certain. "I’ve used it on myself many times. It’s completely fine."

Hearing that, Gu Qing cast aside his worries.

He pulled out the cork, pried open the man’s mouth, and poured the entire vial of biotoxin down his throat.

The man, forced to drink the biotoxin, had a taut, muscular body that went limp within seconds.

’What kind of biotoxin is this? It takes effect so fast! It’s almost as quick as surgical anesthetic...’

Gu Qing was inwardly surprised. He then looked away and turned to Zhou Yuan.

"Brother Yuan, do you know this guy?"

"Nope."

Zhou Yuan shook his head.

Gu Qing didn’t doubt him.

If Zhou Yuan had really known this mysterious Assassin, they wouldn’t have ignored each other back at the internet cafe.

"Brother Yuan, take his shoes off. We’re going to tickle a confession out of him."

"Huh?"

"Hurry up, don’t waste time."

"Oh, okay, okay."

Zhou Yuan went and pulled off one of the man’s shoes.

Gu Qing stared into the man’s eyes and asked, "What was your purpose in attacking him?"

"..."

The man’s lips were pressed into a thin line, his face grim. He remained silent, his eyes filled with disdain.

Seeing this, Gu Qing didn’t waste any more words and said directly to Zhou Yuan, "Brother Yuan, tickle his foot."

Zhou Yuan didn’t hesitate and immediately started tickling.

He also wanted to know who this man was.

And why he had attacked him.

The man’s body went rigid. He clenched his teeth, desperately trying to suppress his laughter and discomfort. His facial features contorted, but he still endured it without making a sound.

’He can really take it.’

Gu Qing smiled and spoke to Zhou Yuan again. "Brother Yuan, take off his other shoe. Tickle both his feet at the same time. Give him double the fun."

Zhou Yuan did as he was told, quickly removing the man’s other shoe and tickling both his soles simultaneously.

This time, the man completely lost it. The agony was too much, and he opened his mouth and screamed, letting out an unending string of "AHHHHS."

Gu Qing was afraid his screams would attract passersby.

He grabbed a pack of tissues from the table and roughly stuffed them into the man’s mouth to muffle the sound.

After nearly a minute of torture.

Seeing the man’s eyes go vacant and his face take on a look of utter despair, Gu Qing finally told Zhou Yuan to stop.

He pulled the wad of tissues from the man’s mouth.

Gu Qing began the interrogation again. "Talk. Who are you, and why did you attack him?"

The man gasped for air, but would rather die than speak.

Seeing how tight-lipped he was, not having uttered a single word from start to finish.

Gu Qing was out of options. He gave up on the interrogation and instead pulled out his phone to call the public security department, deciding to let the professionals handle it.

"Hello, yes, I’d like to report a crime. Someone was following and just attacked my senior. We’ve subdued him now. The location is..."

As soon as the call connected, Gu Qing immediately explained the situation to the operator.

In the brief moment he was speaking.

The man, who was bound motionlessly to the chair with metal strips, began to undergo a strange transformation.

The muscles on his body writhed madly, swelling at a visible rate. They grew abnormally thick, instantly stretching his clothes taut.

At the same time, the fine hairs on his skin began to rapidly thicken and darken, spreading from his neck up to his cheeks, giving him a feral and menacing appearance.

Zhou Yuan, standing right in front of him, was the first to notice the change. He quickly turned to Gu Qing, who was on the phone, and said urgently:

"Junior, something’s wrong with this guy, look..."

"AHHHH—!"

Before Zhou Yuan could finish, the man in front of him suddenly let out a roar. His body erupted with power, and he forcefully broke free of all his restraints, sending the thick metal strips scattering across the floor.

...