Capítulo 46: The Storm is Coming
Facing General Xue's inquiry, Tieshan nodded solemnly and said, "This is the only explanation! As far as I know, Yin Hu and Li Bao, Sun Yimao, Qian Xu, Wang Qianlie, and others have had some conflicts. Who actually made the move will probably only be clear after finding Yin Hu's trail."
General Xue said indifferently, "Yin Hu was one of the first batch of subordinates I recruited, and he was even rewarded with Bloodline Gu, which makes his life force close to that of an advanced awakened. Do you think anyone has the ability to silently attack him in my territory?"
Tieshan paused for a moment and said, "Perhaps... more than one person made the move?"
Tieshan knew Yin Hu's strength. Compared to himself, Yin Hu was only slightly weaker. It would be impossible for any other awakened individual in the territory to make a move against Yin Hu without causing any disturbance, unless it was meticulously planned and carried out by two or three awakened individuals working together.
His only doubt now was, why did these people disregard General Xue's existence and join forces against Yin Hu?
"Alright, speculations without evidence are meaningless," General Xue's eyes flashed with a menacing light, and a cruel smile filled with the scent of blood appeared on his lips. "To attack Yin Hu right under my nose is a challenge to my authority. It seems that someone is being dishonest and has completely forgotten how to fear!"
Tieshan's eyelids twitched slightly, and he cautiously asked, "General, what should we...?"
"Tieshan, I'll give you just one night," General Xue lightly tapped the armrest, his tone filled with killing intent. "If there's no accurate result tomorrow morning, gather everyone except the laborers in the open space. I will personally preside over a special investigation meeting and find out the reason behind Yin Hu's disappearance using my methods!"
Tieshan's face twitched involuntarily, and he lowered his head and said, "Yes."
General Xue waved his hand and said, "You may go now."
After Tieshan left, General Xue remained seated on the tiger skin chair, motionless, seemingly deep in thought.
Yin Hu's death was far from simple. For him, Yin Hu's disappearance also revealed a problem, which was the flaw in controlling other awakened individuals with Bloodline Gu!
His Bloodline Gu required his own blood and long-term nurturing to establish a mysterious life connection, allowing him to control the Bloodline Gu. Once he made up his mind, the Bloodline Gu would bite into the heart's blood vessels of the host, or even pierce the heart. It was a very sharp and bizarre method of control.
However, there was a distance limitation between him and the Bloodline Gu, which was 100 meters. Within this range, he could sense the presence of the Bloodline Gu and control it. However, once it exceeded this distance, the Bloodline Gu became an ordinary parasite, maintaining a symbiotic relationship with the host until death.
This was a secret known only to himself. All the awakened individuals in the territory were controlled by his Bloodline Gu, but no one knew about this distance limitation.
However, General Xue's ability to rule the entire Crimson Territory with a bloody approach relied not on the Bloodline Gu, but on his own immense power. What he valued more was the silent challenge to his authority behind Yin Hu's mysterious death, which was an absolute taboo for him!
Sitting still, General Xue's face showed a faint smile as he murmured, "Who could it be? Tomorrow, I will expose you..."
...
"Hey kid, do you know about Yin Hu's disappearance?"
As the night deepened and it was time for the night watch, Chen Chong had just arrived at the power station when Old Xu mysteriously approached him, as if he had discovered some big news.
"Some people say that Yin Hu went missing and defected. Have you heard about it?"
Chen Chong chuckled and said, "Of course I know. It has been the talk of the night. I just saw the guards searching around, but I don't know if they will find anything. But as for the defection, I'm not sure."
Until now, the numerous lackeys in the territory had not calmed down. They were still searching and inquiring everywhere, as if digging three feet underground.
"They have come to the power station three times already," Old Xu said, not knowing that he was currently sharing a room with Yin Hu's ashes. He sighed, "It doesn't seem like defection to me. Yin Hu is an awakened individual, and he pledged allegiance to the general early on. He has been living comfortably in the territory. How could he defect?"
Chen Chong casually asked, "Then what do you think could be the reason?"
Old Xu shook his head like a rattle drum and sighed, "How would an old man like me know? But if an awakened individual goes missing, the general won't just let it go. I think something big is going to happen in the territory soon."
Old Xu's voice sounded desolate, with a sense of tension and unease as if a storm was brewing. Chen Chong's gaze flickered as he said, "Enough, Old Xu. You are the backbone of the power station. Whatever happens, it has nothing to do with you."
Old Xu perked up and laughed spiritedly, "You're right. I'll just take care of my little corner here."
The two continued to chat for a while, and when the night grew deeper, Old Xu couldn't resist his sleepiness anymore and went back to his room to rest. Only Chen Chong remained alone in the roaring boiler room.
Even though it was late at night, scattered flashlights and oil lamps still flickered in the darkness. Many lackeys seemed to have not given up on searching for Yin Hu's traces.
Chen Chong didn't engage in any training. He sat calmly across from the boiler, silently waiting for daybreak.
...
The pitch-black night gradually became white as dawn approached. For most people in the territory, it was a tough night that had passed, and daylight was about to break.
Tieshan had stayed awake all night. Before dawn, he hurriedly made his way to the General's mansion. However, when he was about to send servants to deliver the message, he found that General Xue was already waiting in the living room.
Seated on the tiger skin chair, General Xue looked at Tieshan, who had a weary expression, walking into the living room and said indifferently, "How is it?"
Tieshan's face looked unpleasant as he helplessly replied, "I'm sorry, General. Over a hundred people under my command searched throughout the night, going through every nook and cranny, but Yin Hu seems to have evaporated from the face of the earth. There is no trace left!"
As soon as Tieshan finished speaking, the atmosphere in the living room turned icy. General Xue's crimson eyes coldly stared at Tieshan, making him break out in a cold sweat.
"You...have disappointed me," General Xue stood up slowly, emanating an indescribable aura of danger.
"Now, aside from the laborers, I want you to gather all the relevant people in the territory and bring them to the **. I will personally conduct an investigation!"
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Just as the sky was getting light, the silence in the Crimson Territory was broken by the loud and piercing sound of copper gongs. Groups of lackeys suddenly appeared on every street, holding copper gongs and banging them while shouting at the top of their lungs:
"General's orders! All personnel with territorial authority, including guards, foremen, and team leaders, apart from laborers, gather immediately at the open ground near the gate! No mistakes allowed!"
"Repeat again, General's orders! Everyone except laborers and useless individuals without jobs, gather immediately at the open ground! Those who arrive late or absent will bear the consequences!"
The notification echoed throughout every corner of the territory, startling all the laborers who looked through their windows at the teams of lackeys delivering the message, wondering what was going on.
In other houses, many lackeys who had searched tirelessly through the night were awakened by the piercing sound of the copper gongs. Although they were now overcome with weariness and their eyelids felt heavy, the notification jolted them awake, and they hurriedly got out of bed, ignoring the dark circles under their eyes, and rushed out of their rooms.
If they missed the Blood General's command by falling back to sleep and it was reported, getting skinned alive would be considered a light punishment. Nobody dared to joke with their own lives.
"Oh no, the General must be furious."
"What bad luck. After working so hard all night, I can barely keep my eyes open now."
"Stop talking nonsense. If you have the guts, pretend not to have heard it and go back to sleep."
"** it, I don't want to die."
In the midst of the clamor, numerous lackeys emerged from all directions, running along the streets and hastily making their way to the open ground.
At the same time, Chen Chong, who had just returned to his room, stood by the window, furrowing his brows as he observed the chaos outside.
Chen Chong had heard the repeated notifications echoing through the streets and alleys. However, the gathering of all personnel, except laborers, at the order of the Blood General was not what he had anticipated.
He had always kept a low profile, avoiding contact with others. This command was undoubtedly detrimental to him, considering his significantly changed appearance. But Chen Chong understood that as an awakened individual in the eyes of others, he had to go; otherwise, it would be like confessing without being asked.
With a fleeting thought, Chen Chong quickly assessed the situation. His eyes seemed to flicker with electricity, and he pushed open the door, walked downstairs, and followed behind the last group of lackeys heading towards the open ground.
Ten minutes later, the sight of a crowd darkening the horizon came into view. Amidst the bustling voices, nearly three hundred lackeys from the Blood General's territory had gathered on the open ground, not far from the gate, filling the entire space.
In just a short ten minutes, almost all of the Blood General's subordinates had assembled!
The Blood General had yet to arrive, and the lackeys anxiously waited, eagerly looking forward. In the midst of their nervous anticipation, they seemed to be discussing something among themselves, creating a buzzing cacophony:
"What do you think the General has summoned us for?"
"What else could it be? Isn't it about Yin Hu's disappearance yesterday?"
"I heard that Yin Hu had quite a lot of things in his room, so he might not have gone missing but was ** by someone!"
"** is it true? Yin Hu is an awakened individual, defeating ten opponents would be a piece of cake. Who could silently ** him without leaving any trace?"
"Who knows? I think maybe the General has summoned us to find the culprit and set an example."
"Heh heh, whoever it is, they're in big trouble. Challenging the General's authority won't end well."
...
Chen Chong blended into the crowd, most of whom were malnourished lackeys. His tall figure stood out among the crowd, so he had to hunch over to avoid attracting attention. Nevertheless, he caught snippets of the discussion among the lackeys in front of him.
Taking advantage of his height, Chen Chong quickly surveyed the scene. At the forefront of the crowd, he could vaguely see Iron Mountain, Bone Army, Li Bao, Zhang Long, Sun Yimao, Wang Qianlie, and Qian Xu - seven awakened individuals he either knew or was unfamiliar with - standing and waiting. In front of them, several wooden crates had been arranged into a makeshift platform, but the main character, Blood General, hadn't arrived yet.
"Hey, kid!"
As Chen Chong silently observed, amidst the noise, he heard a familiar voice. He turned around and saw Old Xu, sweat pouring down his forehead, rushing towards him.
"These old bones are truly useless."
Joining Chen Chong's side, Old Xu panted heavily and looked around, unable to see anything clearly due to the sea of people in front of them. He then lowered his voice and asked Chen Chong:
"It hasn't started yet, right? Has the General arrived?"
Chen Chong chuckled and replied, "Not yet. But why did you come?"
"I didn't want to get involved," Old Xu sighed helplessly. "But didn't they say that even foremen have to be present?"
He tiptoed, trying to catch a glimpse of the wooden platform ahead, and muttered, "What could be the big deal behind all this fanfare?"
"The General has arrived!"
"Shut up!"
Before Chen Chong could speak, the previously noisy and bustling crowd suddenly fell silent. Each lackey abruptly closed their mouths and stood solemnly, saluting the front.
Chen Chong straightened his chest and looked up, only to see the Blood General, dressed in crimson military uniform, appearing in the midst of a group of lackeys holding crude spears. He then stepped onto the wooden platform under the gaze of hundreds of eyes.
The Blood General had arrived!
The Blood General scanned the crowd without uttering a word. The vast open space became silent and oppressive, as if it were the calm before a storm. Even the most flamboyant and unruly lackeys dared not breathe heavily, their eyes nervously fixed on this powerful and cruel ruler on the stage, as if they were facing a fearsome flood or beast.
Meanwhile, Chen Chong remained hidden at the back of the crowd, calmly observing everything.
"My soldiers..."
Soon after, the Blood General slowly approached the front of the stage, his crimson gaze sweeping over the sea of heads in front of him. He calmly began to speak:
"You should know that something very unpleasant happened in my territory yesterday."
"The supervising team leader, Yin Hu, whom I personally appointed, inexplicably disappeared without a trace until now. I have every reason to believe that he may have been ** and his body destroyed by certain individuals within the territory."
Boom!
The Blood General revealed this piece of news, causing a commotion among the lackeys below the stage.
"What!? Captain Yin Hu was **?"
"Damn, who could be so audacious?"
"That explains why we couldn't find Captain Yin Hu no matter how thoroughly we searched the territory!"
At the forefront of the crowd, Li Bao, Zhang Long, and the other awakened individuals exchanged shocked glances. Filled with righteous indignation, the lackeys belonging to the supervising team raised their arms in the crowd and shouted:
"Please, General, find the culprit and avenge Captain Yin Hu! revenge! revenge! revenge!..."
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