Ji Bodha's lips curled upward, his silent mouth movements seemingly forming words, while his right hand made a dismissive gesture.
As the heavy alloy doors clanged shut, Ji Bodha vanished from Xu Que's sight.
"Indeed, just as expected—very fitting!" Xu Que's lips curled into a sinister smile.
Instead of rushing to enter through the alloy door, Xu Que, intrigued, turned back to the first floor. He had heard someone making a call to Ji Bodha!
When Xu Que reached the first floor, he came face to face with Tang Xue, who had just descended the stairs.
The sensation was eerily familiar.
"Hahahaha..."
Xu Que's laughter echoed like that of a demon from the abyss, for he never anticipated that these two enemies were bound together in such a way!
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that these two were actually one!
Seeing Xu Que's wild, maniacal laughter, Tang Xue grew alarmed; she had never encountered such madness before.
Damn it, how did Xu Que find his way here?
"Little brother, I'm innocent. I was kidnapped by them. Please, save me!" Tang Xue feigned terror, gripping the stair railing.
Her tears, her performance… a masterpiece indeed!
Had it not been for the celestial calamity, Xu Que might have even awarded Tang Xue a golden statuette for her acting.
"Little brother, I'm so scared... would you take me away?" Tang Xue's voice cracked, as if on the verge of tears.
Had it not been for his past life, Xu Que might have believed her.
"President Tang, you and your team of researchers were behind the kidnappings, weren't you?" Xu Que asked with a hint of amusement.
Tang Xue's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly resumed her act, pleading with faux innocence: "What research camp? I'm not President Tang! My surname is Fang, and I was kidnapped by these little thugs."
Seeing the lengths this woman would go to for survival, Xu Que's smile widened, amused.
"Tang Xue, 29 years old, Chairwoman of Ford Technology Pharmaceuticals!"
The moment Xu Que spoke these words, Tang Xue's fake innocence evaporated like mist, and her demeanor transformed into something more poised, like a rose about to bloom. Her expression, her aura—she was an entirely different person.
"Fine, since you know everything, shall we talk?"
Xu Que found himself bemused, having heard that women could change faces as quickly as flipping a page of a book. Now, he was finally seeing it firsthand.
But he wasn't in a rush to torture Tang Xue; he wanted to see why she had risen so high in her past life.
Tang Xue, with Xu Que's calm gaze upon her, cursed her luck inwardly but maintained a façade of composure: "I've heard about your issues with Ji Bodha. But those are matters from before the disaster. There's no need to make a big fuss. With your abilities, why not collaborate with us?"
As Xu Que listened to Tang Xue speak so nonchalantly, he raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you can talk about collaboration? Are you relying on those dozen or so researchers? Or those useless security files?"
"We possess a method to crack bloodline injections. If you want to be the number one on the Bloodline Heaven Ranking, it's best you cooperate with us," Tang Xue said, her tone almost coaxing.
"Crack the bloodline injection?" Xu Que laughed bitterly. "You ignorant woman. You truly have no understanding of this world, do you?"
Tang Xue's face paled, sensing his disdain. She was about to explain when Xu Que's figure suddenly appeared right before her.
"What do you want?"
Xu Que leaned in close to her ear, his smile cold and unsettling. "Are you searching for the first place on all the Heaven Rankings?"
Tang Xue's pupils dilated. She looked at him in disbelief.
Damn it, who leaked the information? How does he know so much?
Xu Que pressed his left hand firmly on her head, his voice low and menacing. "Which country is backing you? If your answer doesn't satisfy me, I'll begin to clean up the trash!"
At his words, Tang Xue trembled. She knew he wasn't joking.
Looking at the thugs' bodies scattered around, she knew what was at stake.
Without thinking too much, she quickly blurted out, "I'm backed by the Chisfield family from Country Y. I'm one of Mael's people. As long as you cooperate with us, you can have anything you want!"
Xu Que's satisfaction was evident, and at that moment, he understood why they had been able to act so recklessly in Z country in his previous life.
"Good, your answer pleases me," Xu Que said with a chilling smile.
Hearing this, Tang Xue felt a glimmer of hope, a potential way to survive.
But before she could fully grasp the situation, Xu Que's finger pressed into her thigh, and she quickly flashed a seductive smile.
Yet, as her smile appeared, the next instant she screamed in agony.
"Crack!"
"Ahh… ahh!"
Xu Que had broken her right toe, and her screams sounded like the sweetest of melodies to him.
"Xu Que, what are you doing?" Tang Xue gritted her teeth through the pain, trying to maintain her composure.
"There was once a man who was tormented by a group of bullies. What do you think that man should have done?" Xu Que spoke in a twisted, almost feverish tone.
"No, that has nothing to do with me! It was all Liu Ruyan's doing!" Tang Xue, desperate, clung to what she thought was a lifeline. "Yes, you should go back and ask Liu Ruyan. She's a filthy woman, always crawling into other people's beds, and she's even put you in countless compromising positions."
Hearing this, Xu Que's amusement deepened. After all this time, they still didn't realize what was truly happening.
"Liu Ruyan said that as long as I kill you, she'll be entirely devoted to me." Xu Que's left hand slowly pressed down on her left toe.
Tang Xue's hysteria reached its peak as she realized what was happening. "She's lying! She's using you. If I die, she'll find a way to kill you too. The one she really loves is Ji Bodha."
Xu Que nodded with satisfaction, but as soon as she finished speaking, his fingers twisted her toe once more.
"Don't worry," he whispered. "I won't let you die alone. You'll join Ji Bodha in Hell."
"No, no, no, please! I'll give you money. I have plenty of money, and the Chisfield family is backing me. Just let me—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Que's hand clamped down on her pale arm.
"Crack!"
The sound of bones snapping rang out, and Tang Xue's scream pierced the air.
The sweat on her forehead was the clearest sign of her terror.
For the first time, she was truly afraid.
But this was only the beginning of Xu Que's torment.
Listening to her agonizing screams, Xu Que felt an eerie sense of exhilaration as he dragged the miserable woman to the door leading to the basement.
"President Tang, our game has just begun. Don't disappoint me!" Xu Que whispered in her ear.
Tang Xue was terrified. Just as she opened her mouth to beg, she saw Xu Que dragging the bodies of two unconscious thugs and throwing them into the basement.
Upon seeing this, Tang Xue realized exactly what Xu Que was planning.
"Xu Que, whatever you want, I can give it to you. Whatever kind of woman you want, I can find her for you," Tang Xue begged.
Xu Que ignored her pleas. He tossed the lifeless thugs into the basement and quickly made his exit.
Twenty minutes later, Xu Que had disposed of all the thugs from the neighboring villa into the basement.
As he surveyed his handiwork, a cold smile crept across his face. He glanced in the direction of the alloy doors.
"Now, it's your turn!" He turned and walked towards the alloy door.
With a rude gesture towards the camera on the door, Ji Bodha inside was about to witness an unforgettable scene.
Xu Que drew his sword and slashed at the alloy door.
"Clang! Clang!"
The alloy doors were cleaved open, and the researchers inside jumped in fright, scrambling to take cover.
"Hello! Ji Bodha!" Xu Que called out, his voice ringing through the air.