Chapter 23: Rising Tempest
The ruins lay silent once more, save for the occasional crackle of dying embers from Feng Yao's fire. The bodies of the Black Veil Assassins were strewn across the broken landscape, the once-silent night now tainted with the scent of burnt flesh and blood. Bai Yuan exhaled, steadying his racing pulse as he wiped his blade clean.
Ling Xi crouched beside their unconscious captive, her sharp eyes assessing him. "He'll wake soon. What do we do with him?"
Bai Yuan sheathed his sword. "We need answers."
Feng Yao stretched, his expression lazy yet amused. "Torture? Or something more refined?"
Bai Yuan smirked. "We won't need to go that far."
With a flick of his wrist, Bai Yuan pressed two fingers against the assassin's forehead. The nanobots within him stirred, reacting to his intent. A thin silver thread of energy extended from his fingers, seeping into the captive's mind. The assassin groaned, body convulsing as the foreign presence invaded his consciousness.
"Memory extraction?" Ling Xi raised a brow. "I thought that was a lost art."
Bai Yuan didn't answer immediately. His brows furrowed as images flooded his mind—a hooded figure issuing orders in a dimly lit chamber, the insignia of the Black Veil flickering in candlelight. Murmured words echoed in the depths of his consciousness.
"…ensure Bai Yuan doesn't leave the ruins alive. If he does, Plan B will commence."
Bai Yuan's eyes snapped open. "They have contingencies."
Feng Yao let out a low whistle. "Of course they do. Kill squads always have backup plans. The real question is—who's pulling the strings?"
Ling Xi frowned. "You saw something?"
"A leader, but their identity was obscured." Bai Yuan's voice was cold. "They were certain I wouldn't survive."
The assassin groaned, his eyelids fluttering open. Before he could move, Bai Yuan's fingers pressed against his temple once more, forcing his body into paralysis.
"Who sent you?" Bai Yuan's voice was deathly quiet.
The assassin's lips curled into a sneer. "You think I'll talk?"
Bai Yuan smiled—a chilling, emotionless expression. "You already have."
The man's face paled. "You—"
With a sudden twist of his wrist, Bai Yuan struck the man's pressure point, rendering him unconscious once more. He stood, his mind already calculating their next move.
"We need to leave," he said. "They'll realize their squad has failed soon. If Plan B is in motion, we can't stay here."
Ling Xi nodded. "Where to?"
"The Fallen Star Gorge." Bai Yuan's eyes gleamed. "If they want to hunt me, let's turn the battlefield to our advantage."
Feng Yao chuckled. "You really are a demon strategist, aren't you?"
Bai Yuan didn't respond. Instead, he turned his gaze to the moonlit horizon, his thoughts churning. The Black Veil's true mastermind was still lurking in the shadows. But he would find them.
And when he did, there would be no escape.
With silent determination, the trio disappeared into the night, the ruins behind them now nothing more than a bloodstained memory.