Chapter 818: Targeting Me
Amidst incessant sobs, Wu Xiaoxiao recounted everything she knew to Yang Haoran and his two companions.
Just before Wu Xiaoxiao arrived here, a Spirit Medium appeared at their Wu Family Villa. This individual forcibly broke through the barrier protecting their villa and, without a word, began killing. Due to the immense disparity in strength, the Wu family was utterly powerless to resist. In a mere two minutes, their Wu family suffered devastating blows, and apart from Old Master Wu, who was not at the Wu Family Villa, only three people remained alive.
These three were Wu Senior, Wu Junior, and Wu Xiaoxiao. Wu Senior and Wu Junior were abducted by the perpetrator, and Wu Xiaoxiao's escape here was entirely by the perpetrator's design. Otherwise, with Wu Xiaoxiao's strength, it would have been impossible for her to survive at the hands of that individual, let alone successfully escape to this place.
Furthermore, Wu Xiaoxiao was able to get here so quickly because the perpetrator even tore through space to send her on her way; otherwise, she couldn't have arrived so swiftly.
However, the perpetrator did not send Wu Xiaoxiao directly to Yang Haoran's villa entrance but rather dropped her off at the foot of the mountain. As for why he did this—whether it was a provocation, an act of sheer redundancy, or held some other deeper meaning—Wu Xiaoxiao had no idea.
The perpetrator left Wu Xiaoxiao a detailed address and told her to prepare five Soul Pills within two hours and arrive at the given address. Only then could she redeem Wu Senior and Wu Junior. If she didn't arrive at the designated area within the stipulated time, or if she didn't prepare enough Soul Pills, then she should prepare to collect the bodies of Wu Senior and his brother.
"Two hours. . ."
Yang Haoran muttered to himself, then frowned and took a drag from his cigarette.
Leaving aside the time it took Wu Xiaoxiao to get here, even after she arrived, she'd been crying for a full ten minutes—that time was completely wasted.
Although time was pressing, things still needed to be clarified. Problems had to be handled with a plan and a strategy; blindly doing something out of internal urgency would only be counterproductive, failing to achieve the goal and potentially costing one's life.
Therefore, Yang Haoran did not rush to order a rescue but instead asked Wu Xiaoxiao,
"Didn't I give all of you Death God Pendants back then? Didn't any of you use them?"
Yang Haoran remembered that he had indeed given Death God Pendants to Old Master Wu's family members, and these Death God Pendants were artifacts empowered by his Spirit Power, possessing a certain degree of defense. Furthermore, he could sense when a pendant suffered a devastating blow.
But when the Wu family encountered trouble, he felt nothing, which left him perplexed, wondering if his Death God Pendants had malfunctioned or if the perpetrator had employed some other method.
"We had no chance to activate the Death God Pendants. That person's strength was simply too formidable. By the time we realized something was wrong, he had already used his Spiritual Art to seal the power within our bodies, and even our physical bodies were sealed, making us unable to move in the slightest. And he seemed to sense that our Death God Pendants were problematic; he then used a method to forcibly remove the Death God Pendants without activating them. So, we had no opportunity to call for your help through the Death God Pendants, Brother Yang."
Wu Xiaoxiao explained, her voice choked with sobs. Although Yang Haoran's confusion was resolved, his tightly furrowed brows did not relax.
"The perpetrator abducted Old Master Wu's family and sent Wu Xiaoxiao here. It seems he's targeting you, Brother Underworld Official."
Bai Xue thought for a moment, then voiced her opinion.
"You could say that with more certainty. He isn't 'seemingly' targeting me; he definitely is. I no longer have family; he can't threaten me through them. So, he's targeting those close to me. Old Master Wu's family is weak, making them not only safe to handle but also increasing his success rate."
At this point, Yang Haoran took a deep drag from his cigarette, then continued.
"My relationship with Old Master Wu isn't a secret in Lecheng; anyone in the circle could find out with a few inquiries. It's not surprising that he would use Old Master Wu's family to threaten me. However, the fact that he could sense that Old Master Wu's family members had Death God Pendants, didn't give them any chance to activate them, and even forcibly removed the Death God Pendants without activating them, makes me somewhat curious. It seems this fellow has done his homework."
The Death God Pendants empowered by Yang Haoran were not only given to Old Master Wu's family members; his Night Watchers also possessed such pendants. In previous missions, Night Watchers had used these Death God Pendants, and he had promptly rushed to the scene to provide support. So, this matter was not an absolute secret; anyone with a discerning mind could investigate it thoroughly with a bit of time and effort.
In Yang Haoran's view, the Spirit Medium who attacked the Wu family this time must have done his homework beforehand. That's why he used swift, decisive methods to control the Wu family and employed other means to forcibly remove the Death God Pendants without triggering them, all to prevent Yang Haoran from knowing about it immediately and rushing to disrupt his plan.
As for Wu Xiaoxiao's statement that the perpetrator seemed to sense their Death God Pendants, Yang Haoran found this possibility unlikely. Because, without being activated, the Death God Pendants could not emit any energy fluctuations, so, logically speaking, the perpetrator should not have been able to sense the Death God Pendants on them.
"Since the perpetrator has hostages, why didn't he come directly to find you instead of dropping Wu Xiaoxiao here and running off? Isn't that an act of sheer redundancy?"
Bai Xue asked, somewhat confused. Hearing Bai Xue's words, Yang Haoran shook his head gently.
"He's not being redundant; he's being cautious."
Yang Haoran's reply not only failed to dispel the confusion on Bai Xue's face but deepened it. Seeing this, Yang Haoran could only continue to explain to Bai Xue.
"First, although he knows my relationship with Old Master Wu is quite unusual, he can't be sure that I'll necessarily submit to his blackmail. If he had come directly here to find me, but I refused to be blackmailed, what would have been the outcome?"
Yang Haoran asked Bai Xue. Bai Xue thought for a moment, then responded.
"If you refused his blackmail, he would likely kill them to vent his anger, then directly target you to achieve his goal. This. . . this doesn't seem to make a difference; it doesn't conflict with him coming directly to you."
Bai Xue's words still conveyed confusion. Yang Haoran knew Bai Xue hadn't grasped his meaning, so he continued to explain.
"What if his strength is inferior to mine, and I refuse to be blackmailed?"
With Yang Haoran's question, Bai Xue finally understood, a look of sudden realization on her face.
"If his strength is inferior to yours, and you refuse to be blackmailed, then he might not only fail to achieve his goal but also lose his own life in the process."
Yang Haoran nodded; her analysis was precisely what he had been thinking.
"He couldn't be sure I'd submit to his blackmail, nor could he be sure of my strength—or perhaps he thought he knew my strength but found himself no match for me. That's why he wasn't willing to confront me directly. Instead, he sent Wu Xiaoxiao here, giving her an address and a time, hoping to use this method to lure me in."
At this point, Yang Haoran took a deep drag from his cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and then continued.
"It's obvious that the location he chose has already become a veritable dragon's pond and tiger's den, waiting for us to walk into it. If we don't go, he won't suffer any losses; he'll simply kill Wu Senior and Wu Junior, using that as revenge and also to sow discord between me and Old Master Wu. But if we go, it will perfectly suit his intentions. As for the Soul Pills, they're nothing but a gimmick. He doesn't want Soul Pills; he wants me to walk into this trap."
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