Chapter 642 – Bug Bites Hurt More

Gone!

It really disappeared right before his eyes, another one…

The other two also turned their heads back, suddenly dumbfounded.

Two of their companions had vanished, one after the other, and they were already feeling creeped out.

They had just caught a glimpse of someone’s figure, so how did they lose another member in the blink of an eye?

“Ai Feng said earlier he was right ahead…”

Ai Feng glanced again towards where the figure had appeared, but now the shadow was long gone, even though the direction was exactly as Luo Yulong had described.

But what about these dark hands reaching out from behind them?!

“Dammit!”

An angry Ai Feng suddenly kicked over a chair next to him; the noise clanged throughout the entire furniture store, quickly overshadowed by Ai Feng’s roar: “Come out! Want to fight? Come out, I’m right here! What’s the point of these sneaky tricks!”

He swung a furious punch into the void and turned to kick over another chair.

Meanwhile, the other two stood together, eyes darting around vigilantly.

Listening to the Boss’s cursing, they couldn’t help but exchange glances.

Though they didn’t want to admit it, this kind of attack was indeed more distressing…

They could handle a direct attack, but it was these sudden stabs that were both painful and frightening.

“You, move forward.”

Ai Feng suddenly turned, pointing at one of them.

His ranting hadn’t provoked a response, so Ai Feng had to think of something else.

“Me?” The one pointed at shuddered.

“What are you afraid of! I’m watching your back!” Ai Feng barked, eyes wide.

His facial muscles twitched, and the scar appeared to come to life, twisting and crawling across his face.

A fierce aura left the member breathless, fearfully glancing at Ai Feng and then at the knife in his hand.

“Boss, don’t get too worked up, he’s just playing this game to rile you up…” the member said cautiously.

“Move!” Ai Feng cut him off coldly.

The member saw a glint of murderous intent in Ai Feng’s eyes, clearly riled up to true anger.

It was either obey or be killed.

Ai Feng’s position as the head of this branch wasn’t just due to the branch having Number 0; this ruthless streak was one of the key reasons.

Usually, he could appear calm, but when his interests were threatened, he would sacrifice anything.

A trace of resentment flickered in the member’s eyes, but there was no choice but to turn and walk slowly into the darkness.

The other silent member felt a sense of relief and discreetly increased the distance from his unlucky comrade.

All he hoped was that this member would successfully lure out the hidden beast, sparing him a similar fate.

In fact, the best tactic at that moment would have been to retreat downstairs and firmly guard the entrance, waiting for reinforcements.

But retreating like a defeated dog, even if Ai Feng thought of it, was not an action he would take.

The unfortunate member was right; the opponent’s tactics were a complete provocation.

And Ai Feng was utterly infuriated.

The three of them moved slowly through the store, front to back, with the lead member breaking out in cold sweat.

He was clearly bait, Ai Feng’s response to the challenger’s provocation.

So arrogant, huh? Keep it up! To destroy the bait right in front of them, that would be truly impressive!

That was indeed what Ai Feng was thinking, eyes reddened, gaze locked tightly on the member moving ahead.

“Come out! Come out now!” Ai Feng roared inwardly.

Even including that rat hiding somewhere afar, there were only two of them…

Wait!

Ai Feng suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing he had overlooked something.

Right, there had been two of them!

Even though Luo Yulong hadn’t mentioned that insignificant insect before his disappearance, it was possible he had been torn apart by it.

“Right, that explains it. Use one person as a distraction in front of us while the other seems like just a hiding rat, but in reality, is ambus.h.i.+ng us from the shadows… The strong one as the bait, the weak one attacking by surprise—it’s truly unexpected…”

The more Ai Feng thought about it, the more he was convinced this was the case.

Both adversaries made no attempt to hide their presence, but it was precisely this brazenness that made them overlook the seemingly insignificant ‘insect’.

But who would have thought that an ‘insect’ could also bite?

“And to think, the strength was formidable… all due to insufficient intelligence!” A sense of having been played washed over Ai Feng, filling him with frustration and suspicion.

He had a feeling there was something he was still not seeing…

“No, this isn’t right,” that feeling of unease finally took over. Ai Feng called out to stop the bait in front, saying, “One person can’t cover that area. If they pull a diversion, we’re done for.”

The bait at the front immediately turned around, his heart finally seeming to settle back in place, letting out a long breath of relief.

But just as Ai Feng and another member turned their heads towards the entrance, a scream suddenly pierced the air from that direction.

“d.a.m.n it! Just as I thought!” Ai Feng took off running towards the sound.

The bait yelled, “Don’t go, it might be a trap!”

The other member halted, hesitantly glancing at Ai Feng.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Ai Feng considered the possibility of a trap, despite his reluctance to accept it.

This series of ambushes had successfully made them cautious and hesitant…

Ai Feng suddenly realized that the initiative had completely s.h.i.+fted into their opponent’s hands.

His every decision was a step slower than the adversary’s actions.

Whatever he intended to do seemed like willingly jumping into the traps set by the enemy.

“What’s that noise?” A m.u.f.fled shout came from outside.

Ai Feng paused, about to shout back, when another scream echoed through the area.

Then a series of “thuds” followed, and the three men stood still, as if they could visually trace the corpse tumbling down the stairs.

By the time the last “thump” sounded, the expressions on the faces of the three men had turned utterly grim.

The individual they had just encountered was undoubtedly a member of Niepan, and their tactics had clearly reduced them to mere bait…

Ai Feng’s face darkened as he stared into the shadows, suddenly raising his hand to pinch the center of his brow.

“It was supposed to be sufficient to have Number 0 join in, but now, we must have Number 0 truly enter the fray…”

The glint in Ai Feng’s eyes flickered, his smile twisted: “Impressed by mental abilities? You’re about to see what real mental abilities are!”

“Boss, the rules state that Number 0 cannot directly engage in combat…” another member started to speak but was immediately cut off by the previous bait.

“I suggest you shut your mouth right now,” the bait said with evident irritation.

Meanwhile, in an underground laboratory in Dongming City, a room brightly lit by lamps was suddenly filled with the sharp cries of a baby.

The crying became more piercing, soon resembling a chilling scream that resonated throughout the room.

Ai Feng, standing inside this furniture store, suddenly widened his eyes, bloodshot with strain.

He breathed rapidly, clawing at his scalp in agony, his body shaking violently.

The pulsing at his temples seemed as if something was burrowing into his brain, a sight that startled the two men beside him.

They had never witnessed such a thing before.

Weren’t they just talking about Number 0? How had it suddenly turned into what seemed like an episode…

“Ah!”

The cry that Ai Feng let out shocked the two men once more.

This sound… why did it resemble the crying of a baby…

It took several seconds before Ai Feng gradually calmed down, slowly straightening his body, then lifted his eyelids with a sinister gaze.

The two men shuddered under the intensity of Ai Feng’s stare.

His deep eyes held a mix of coldness and chaos…

“Boss?” one of them asked tentatively.

Ai Feng glanced at him, then twisted his neck and suddenly cracked a smile: “Hehe.”

This laugh raised gooseb.u.mps on the two men.

Their Boss… it was as if he had suddenly become a different person…

“Come out… I see you…” Ai Feng suddenly looked in one direction, his words trailing off intermittently.

“That kind of bluff won’t work, will it?” one member said, unable to bear looking directly.

Another nodded in agreement, thinking it was too amateurish…

To their astonishment, however, footsteps really did echo from a corner.

As the sound sharpened from a blur into clarity, a foot stepped out from behind a cabinet, followed by a figure.

Illuminated by the light seeping in from outside the window, the two men saw the face they both feared and despised, the face they desperately wanted to crush.

Yet their first reaction was disbelief: how could it be this person?!

The young man had bright eyes and a hint of a smile on his lips.

And after he stepped out, as if he had b.u.mped into a few acquaintances on the street, he even casually raised his hand in greeting: “Nice to meet you.”

“…”

The two men were left speechless.

And as they came out of their stupor, it felt as if a stampede of mythical beasts was rampaging through their minds!

“Nice to meet you, my foot! What’s next, ‘please take care of me’?!”

“He’s clearly the enemy, why be so friendly! All the anger built up just vanished!”

Regardless, the young man’s response was far beyond their expectations, leaving them at a loss for how to react.

“Crack…”

Ai Feng tilted his neck to one side, eyeing the young man from a strange angle, then struggled to open his mouth: “I… I recognize…”

“Let me introduce myself, Ling Mo,” said Ling Mo, his interest piqued as he looked at Ai Feng. “But should I call you Ai Feng, or Number 0?”