radicalducati Page 113
Page 113
Humiliation, anger, shock, resentment... and a sliver of ambition ignited by that "creator's" blueprint, an ambition even he himself refused to acknowledge...
He remained silent for a long time, so long that Ma Xianhong on the other end of the phone did not urge him, as if he was certain that he could not resist.
Finally, Zhuge Qing spoke slowly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger, only a calm as deep as the cold current of the sea:
"Where is Biyou Village?"
.........
Behind the dazzling neon lights of Beijing's nights, countless deep wrinkles are always hidden.
Wang Ye strolled leisurely down a back alley, his hands tucked into the pockets of his crumpled windbreaker.
The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow, stretching his long, thin shadow out of shape on the mottled wall.
Having just seen Zhuge Qing off, he was annoyed by his father's roundabout "concern" over the phone, and all he wanted was to find a quiet place to smoke a cigarette.
Deep in the alley, the stench of rotting garbage cans mingled with the damp, musty smell.
The moment he pulled out his cigarette case—
A towering figure emerged from the darkness around the corner without warning, blocking the way!
The man was nearly two meters tall, and his shiny bald head gleamed with a cold, bluish light under the dim streetlights, like polished metal.
His neck was as thick as a bull's, and his muscular arms stretched a plain black tank top so tight it looked like it would burst. His face was expressionless; his features were like rocks sculpted with an axe, except for his eyes, which were empty, cold, and devoid of any human emotion.
As he stood there, the air in the alley seemed to freeze instantly, becoming ten times heavier!
Wang Ye, with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, paused.
The usual laziness in his narrowed eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a deep, unwavering vigilance and solemnity.
The Qi flowed silently, and the hard cement ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble slightly—the Feng Hou Qi Men technique had been quietly unfolding invisibly!
The pressure emanating from the other person was inhuman and pure, unlike that of an ordinary superhuman!
The bald, burly man didn't waste any words, or even make eye contact.
With a flick of his large, fan-like hand, he handed Wang Ye an old-fashioned, heavy, brick-like black satellite phone.
The movements were stiff and direct, carrying an undeniable air of command.
Wang Ye looked at the conspicuous phone, then glanced at the silent "stone statue" in front of him, his brows furrowing.
He hesitated for a second, but finally reached out and took the cold metal lump.
As soon as I brought the receiver close to my ear, a young, gentle voice, yet possessing a rock-solid calm and insightful quality, clearly entered my ears:
"Master Wang, it's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for disturbing you so late at night."
His voice was as calm as an old friend exchanging pleasantries, but Wang Ye's muscles tensed up instantly!
The moment the sound traveled through the radio waves, a strong sense of crisis, as if he were shrouded in an invisible giant net and stared at by an abyss, suddenly seized him!
Behind this voice lies an unknown, vast, and highly purposeful force!
"Who are you?" Wang Ye's voice deepened, and he took the cigarette out of his mouth, unconsciously twirling it between his fingers.
“Biyou Village, Ma Xianhong”
The other party introduced himself, his tone still gentle, yet carrying an air of self-righteous control: "It is truly out of necessity to contact you in this way. Master Wang's whereabouts are elusive and his thoughts are unpredictable, so I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. I hope you will understand."
He remained calm and asked, "Village Chief Ma, is something the matter?"
"Let's get straight to the point, Master Wang." Ma Xianhong's voice carried just the right amount of sincerity. "I know you've been troubled lately. The entire Wang family has been targeted by those 'hyenas' in the circle who come for the smell of blood. Your father, your mother, and your brother Wang Yi are all ordinary people. These days of living in fear are not easy."
Wang Ye's fingers, which were grinding cigarettes, suddenly stopped! His pupils contracted slightly! He had never told anyone outside the family that his family was being watched! The intelligence gathering capabilities of the other party were terrifyingly accurate!
Wang Ye's voice grew even colder, a hint of malice gathering in his eyes. Family was his absolute Achilles' heel!
“So,” Ma Xianhong’s voice carried a calming composure, “I’ll help you clean up all that rubbish that doesn’t know what’s good for you.”
"..."
A deathly silence fell over both ends of the phone call.
The only sounds in the alley were the night wind whistling through the trash and the rushing of Wang Ye's own blood.
Those various factions, like maggots clinging to a bone, lurking in the shadows and coveting the Wang family... were just... "cleaned up" like that? So casually! So... domineeringly powerful!
“From 3 p.m. yesterday until the last group of people was ‘asked’ to leave Beijing ten minutes ago,” Ma Xianhong added, his tone as calm as if he were reciting a menu. “A total of seven groups, thirty-one people.”
There were spies from Quanxing, informants from Shuzimen, and a few small businesses trying to take advantage of the chaos.
Now, the road from Wangfujing to Xishan Villas is clean.
He even revealed the code names of several extremely secretive stalkers that Wang Ye had secretly investigated!
This is not helping.
It's a blatant display of strength!
Using the Wang family crisis as a stage, a thunderous "clearing" show was staged!
Silent and unexpected, yet earth-shattering!
This method, this efficiency, this control over the undercurrents of Beijing... it's chilling!
“A small token of our sincerity, Master Wang.” Ma Xianhong’s voice remained gentle. “We hope this ‘tranquility’ will allow you to feel the goodwill of Biyou Village.”
Wang Ye remained silent for a long time.
The cigarette between his fingers had been crushed, and fine tobacco dust fell to the ground.
Shock, vigilance, anger at being offended, and a complex sense of relief at the temporary safety of his family... all these emotions clashed violently in his chest.
Finally, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his voice hoarse with an extreme sense of suppression:
"Ma Xianhong...who exactly are you?"
"Who is it?" A very soft laugh, seemingly filled with endless emotion, came from the other end of the phone.
As the laughter subsided, Ma Xianhong's voice suddenly became deep and solemn:
"If I had to say, Master Wang..."
"We are the same kind."
The words "same kind" struck Wang Ye like a thunderclap!
He clenched his fist tightly!
This title, like a cold needle, pierced the deepest secret he was trying to hide!
"The Jia Shen Rebellion, Eight Extraordinary Skills".
Ma Xianhong's voice was like a whisper that transcended time and space, carrying the weight of destiny, "Feng Hou Qi Men... Divine Mechanism Refined... all are born of Heaven's will, and also bear a curse. You and I are both inheritors of this 'Heaven's will' and 'curse'. The world covets us, fears us, wants to control us, or destroy us. We... were born to stand at the center of the vortex, destined not to be able to remain unscathed."
Divine craftsmanship honed through countless trials! As expected!
Wang Ye's heart sank.
Another one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills!
And they appeared before him in such a forceful and aggressive manner!
When Ma Xianhong uttered these words, they carried a sticky, unsettling sense of being bound by fate!
"I am Ma Xianhong, the village chief of Biyou Village." He confirmed his identity again, his tone carrying the air of someone who had founded a new school of thought. "Biyou Village is not a place to hide from the world, but a place where like-minded people gather. We study, explore, protect, and try to... master the power bestowed upon us by fate, rather than be devoured by it."
His words revealed an absolute confidence in his power and a desire for control.
"Master Wang," Ma Xianhong's voice suddenly rose, filled with an undeniable invitation and fervor, "I truly hope you can come to Biyou Village! Feng Hou Qi Men, you control the pattern of heaven and earth, the changes of time and space! Divine mechanisms refined a hundredfold, creating all things and endowing them with spirituality! If you and I join forces, with the assistance of other fellow practitioners in the village... this pattern of constraints, this worldly shackles, this so-called shackles of fate... can all be broken!"
The blueprint he painted was grand and alluring: a "new world" that transcended worldly rules and was led by the inheritors of the Eight Extraordinary Skills!
“Oh, right,” just as Wang Ye was deeply shaken and fell silent, Ma Xianhong seemed to casually toss out the last and most significant piece of the bargaining chip, his voice carrying a hint of knowing a thing or two:
"Mr. Zhuge Qing... has accepted my invitation and will be setting off for Biyou Village soon."
It was as if a string in Wang Ye's mind was plucked hard by these words, producing a deafening roar!
That proud and arrogant Zhuge Qing, who was obsessed with Feng Hou Qi Men and had just parted ways with me.
He actually... agreed?!
Shock overwhelmed Wang Ye like a tsunami!
He knows Zhuge Qing too well!
That deep-seated pride, that unwavering dedication to the Zhuge family tradition, that yearning to "surpass"...
How could he so easily agree to join an organization led by another successor of the Eight Extraordinary Skills?
What exactly did Ma Xianhong show him? What did he promise? Or rather... what did he threaten him with?
Countless thoughts flashed wildly through Wang Ye's mind: Zhuge Qing's resentment after being outmatched by technology?
A yearning for the name of "Creator"?
Or... was he coerced by some means?
Is Ma Xianhong's statement true or false?
If true, what does Zhuge Qing's choice mean?
What kind of place is Biyou Village?
Wang Ye gripped the cold satellite phone, his knuckles making a slight "click" sound from the force.
The wind in the alley suddenly became as sharp as a knife, blowing his hair wildly and his clothes fluttering.
The dim streetlights cast flickering shadows on his face, and deep within those eyes that always seemed weary, an unprecedented storm was churning!
Shock, doubt, worry, anger, weighing the safety of his family, instinctive rejection of the "same kind" argument, disbelief at Zhuge Qing's choice... all sorts of emotions collided violently, almost breaking through the calm he was forcibly maintaining.
The Feng Hou Qi Men technique operated silently to its limit beneath his feet, and the surrounding space and time seemed to be slightly distorted by his violently fluctuating Qi.
He remained silent, as silent as a cold stone in an alley.
Only his violently heaving chest and the icy flames burning in his eyes revealed the raging storm within him.
On the other end of the phone, Ma Xianhong didn't urge him. It was as if he could see clearly through the silent radio waves, across thousands of miles, the turbulent emotions churning within Wang Ye's heart. It was a calm waiting born of control over the game and insight into human nature.
The night wind howled, swirling up cigarette butt fragments from the ground, sending them flying into the deeper darkness of the alley.
A storm is brewing, and the winds are blowing through the capital.