Chapter 265: Crap, this pot really seems to be Co‑Absorption

He paused, his voice trembling with anger.

"When the chaos was at its worst last night, a group of assassins took advantage of the guards being drawn to the outside commotion, slipped into the Chen Family residence, and headed straight for the eldest miss's bedroom!"

"Eldest miss?"

Meng Kexin frowned at the words; the eldest miss Zhao Bo mentioned is the current head of the Chen Family, Chen Xiaoshuang, Chen Mo Zhi's sister, the actual leader of the Chen Family, a woman whose capability and skill are both exceptionally outstanding.

Although Meng Kexin has never met Chen Mo Zhi's sister, she has heard of her many deeds, and after Meng Kexin completely severed ties with the Zhao Family, she tacitly allowed Chen Mo Zhi to protect her.

"She is the young master's sister, the eldest miss Chen Xiaoshuang. That group of assassins used extremely vicious methods; although the guards arrived in time and repelled them, the eldest miss was still poisoned! She is now in critical condition!"

"What?!"

She gasped, "The family head of the Chen Family poisoned and in critical condition? How could that be!"

Under the leadership of the current head Chen Xiaoshuang, the Chen Family is a colossal force in the medical field throughout Tianmian City and the entire Church's sphere of influence.

The Chen Family's cooperation with the Church is very close, possessing the most advanced drug development techniques and purification rites.

Moreover, Chen Xiaoshuang herself is the opposite extreme of Chen Mo Zhi; she has developed her own healing Aberrant Arts to an astonishing degree, even with a slight purification attribute.

Ordinary toxins, curses, and even the erosion of Mutation have no effect before her.

"Zhao Bo." Meng Kexin's voice remained gentle yet very calm.

"The Chen Family's medical resources, plus the head's own abilities… ordinary toxins could never harm her, let alone put her in critical condition. What kind of poison did she actually ingest?"

In front of the screen, Yang Yixie controlled Ying Duo, standing silently beside him; his golden eyes watched the two interlocutors, recording every word into the game system.

It should be noted that the people on this side of Tianmian City don't dabble in poison, and Co-Absorption isn't some scapegoat for everything!

A hint of bitterness appeared on Zhao Bo's wrinkled face.

"You don't know, that poison is extremely insidious! It's not a pure toxin; it incorporates highly active Mutation factors, which bind tightly with the toxin, catalyzing each other."

"The Church's physicians and our Chen Family's alchemists used every method, but could only barely delay the toxin's spread; they cannot eradicate it."

"Mutation combined with toxin?"

Meng Kexin's brows tightened at the words; no wonder Zhao Bo said Co-Absorption was behind it—the madmen excel at applying Mutation to all sorts of unfathomable fields, then using it to create chaos.

"It was definitely the work of the 'Bee Queen,'" Zhao Bo snarled, seeming to despise that codename.

"'Bee Queen'?" Meng Kexin asked further, she seemed to recall the name, perhaps from a Church‑issued wanted notice?

"She is one of Co‑Absorption's most dangerous pillars, moving covertly and rarely appearing."

"Rumor has it her Mutation type is linked to a certain highly toxic bee species; the 'Bone‑Eating Bee Venom' that poisoned the eldest miss this time is her signature method, blending the corrosive Mutation energy with the neuro‑paralysis, blood‑destroying and other toxicities of bee venom."

"It's said that crafting a dose of this level of toxin takes a great amount of time; this time she likely used everything in her reserves, aiming squarely to eliminate the eldest miss."

Meng Kexin's heart sank.

If, as Zhao Bo says, that "Poison Bee" personally concocted the toxin, Chen Xiaoshuang's situation is indeed extremely perilous.

"So… this attack was carried out by the Bee Queen's men?"

Zhao Bo shook his head, "No, she herself likely didn't appear; the attackers were trained assassins, their operation clean and swift—if a strike missed, they retreated immediately. Clearly they are death soldiers."

"It's just that the poison bore such a distinct Bee Queen signature that we and the Church pinpointed the source immediately."

Using her signature toxin doesn't necessarily mean the Bee Queen herself acted.

"Isn't it possible someone bought the toxin from the Bee Queen and used it here?"

Ying Duo suddenly asked, "Since that Bee Queen only handles toxin production, anyone should be able to use it, right? Why pin the blame on Co‑Absorption again?"

"No, they definitely did it," Zhao Bo said with absolute certainty.

"Last night they triggered Mutations all over Tianmian City; perhaps after that they split into two groups—one to bomb the Air Train, the other to attack the eldest miss."

"Given the scattered nature of the Mutation outbreaks, they must have sent many people!"

In reality, all the Mutation outbreaks were caused solely by Ying Duo; the only one here who can be called a 'person' is Ying Duo.

After all, the other 'people' are either Aberrant Species or Ying Duo's robots.

There are indeed quite a few robots.

Huh, could it really be Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu behind it?

They both seem to think their Blood Bar isn't dangerous enough, so they even went to the Chen Family for another stroll?

No wonder Zhao Bo immediately blamed Co‑Absorption; Yang Yixie now also suspects this pot is indeed Co‑Absorption's.

With Ying Duo once again falling silent, Zhao Bo continued.

"The Pope himself arrived at the Chen Family this morning, and after examining the eldest miss's condition, he froze her time, which can slow the toxin's deterioration and buy time to search for an antidote."

"But the Pope also said this is only a stopgap; we must find a cure as soon as possible, otherwise…"

He didn't finish the rest, but everyone understood the meaning:

Otherwise Chen Xiaoshuang will have to stay in the frozen time, slowly waiting for the final moment, or, once the freeze is lifted, rapidly succumb to the poison and die.

"So that's why the young master rushed back to the Chen Family…" Meng Kexin seemed to suddenly understand.

"Yes." Zhao Bo nodded, "With the family head down, the Chen Family cannot be without a leader for a day; the young master is the rightful heir to the headship, actually…"

He lowered his voice, "According to tradition, the head position was always meant for the young master."

"It just so happened that during the Church's reforms, women gained inheritance rights; the eldest miss is a few years older, exceptionally capable, which caused many elders in the family to voice objections, but now it's back on track."

He seemed to have absolute confidence in Chen Mo Zhi, even hinting that "it should have been this way all along."

"Miss, you need not worry excessively; the elders have always intended for the young master to succeed. Previously, the young master's ambitions lay elsewhere, but with his abilities, he'll manage the Chen Family even better, never inferior to the eldest miss."

Zhao Bo's gaze toward Meng Kexin carried a few more layers of meaning.