Chapter 63: Zhan Lan: Why Do You Think You

Undoubtedly, although these new recruits weren’t ordinary people, their physical strength and life grade were still far inferior to the seasoned members all enhanced to B-class—even Zhao Ying, whose essence was Fourth-Level Gene Lock, was no exception.

After all, a blank Fourth-Level beginner with a dormant personality couldn’t possibly defeat a First-Level who had been enhanced with a B-class bloodline.

“Huh? Only five new recruits this time? That’s a twelve-person difficulty—did the Master God finally show mercy?”

Looking at the number of figures on the ground, Zheng Zha said with slight surprise, drawing the attention of the seasoned members.

But Wu Xian rolled his eyes, thinking these five new recruits were all dragons and phoenixes (not derogatory)—each one stronger than five.

If the Master God calculated difficulty by combat power, this one might be even harder than a standard twenty-person difficulty.

“Hm?”

At that moment, Zhan Lan let out a soft exclamation, looking down at Zhao Ying and Cheng Xiao lying on the ground, and smiled: “This girl and that dyed-haired man have already woken up—and they don’t seem ordinary either…”

Before she finished speaking, Zhao Ying, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly vanished.

The next instant, a faint whoosh sounded, and Zhao Ying’s petite figure appeared before Zhan Lan, her five fingers reaching for her throat—as if trying to seize her as a hostage.

Undoubtedly, as an excellent assassin, Zhao Ying’s speed was astonishing—indistinguishable from teleportation to ordinary eyes.

Unfortunately, she had encountered the Zhongzhou Team—any seasoned member here could stop her before she succeeded.

Yet none of them moved; they simply watched silently, eyes filled with amusement.

Indeed, just as Zhao Ying believed she had successfully captured Zhan Lan, her world plunged into utter darkness—as if trapped in a bottomless abyss where sight, hearing, smell, and all senses vanished, filling her heart with overwhelming terror.

【Wrong! This is an illusion!】

As a trained assassin, Zhao Ying quickly understood what was happening; in an instant, she calmed down, and her real eyes went blank—she had entered First-Level Gene Lock.

The black world shattered violently, revealing Zhan Lan’s incredulous face before her.

Zhao Ying didn’t hesitate—she seized Zhan Lan’s throat, pulled her close, then flashed away, putting distance between herself and the Zhongzhou Team, before coldly speaking:

“Who are you? Where is this place? How did you bring me here?”

No one answered. Everyone stared at her with strange expressions; Zheng Zha even twitched his lips, wearing the look of “I’ve had professional training—I won’t laugh out loud”—making Zhao Ying frown and tighten her grip on Zhan Lan’s throat slightly.

“Answer my questions honestly, or I won’t mind hurting your companion.”

“Is that so?”

A man’s voice came from behind, startling Zhao Ying; by the time she reacted, a strong hand had already pressed against her shoulder.

“Before threatening others, first see what exactly you’re holding.”

Zhao Ying’s body trembled slightly—not from fear, but because when she tried to shake off the hand on her shoulder, she found her body utterly immobilized, even with her First-Level Gene Lock fully activated.

It felt like an insect trapped in amber—immense pressure crushing her from all directions, binding her tightly with no room to resist.

At the same time, upon hearing the man’s words, she turned her gaze to what was before her—and her pupils contracted.

There, in her hand, was no Zhan Lan at all—only a blue pillow. The real Zhan Lan still stood where she had been, two fingers pressed near her temple, smiling faintly at her.

So she had never escaped the illusion…

“Calm down, girl. No one here means you harm—if they did, your earlier move would’ve earned you ten thousand executions.”

Wu Xian smiled softly, but his hand remained on the girl’s shoulder.

After all, she was a hidden bomb capable of activating Fourth-Level at any moment—even if she was a blank—better safe than sorry.

“Who… exactly are you?”

“No rush. Wait until the others wake up, then we’ll talk. Besides, think carefully—don’t you remember something already?”

Wu Xian spoke, glancing at Cheng Xiao still pretending to be unconscious on the ground, his tone laced with mockery: “Get up, kid. You’ve been exposed—still acting? Want us to help you wake up?”

At once, Zheng Zha and the others understood. In unison, they pulled weapons from their space bags, black gun muzzles aimed at the dyed-haired youth—as if ready to turn him into pixelated mush in the next second.

“Wait! Wait! Don’t shoot! We’re on the same side!!”

At that moment, the dyed-haired youth shuddered slightly, wriggling like an eel.

Then, under Zheng Zha and the others’ astonished stares, the youth slid gracefully to his knees, raised both hands, and executed a flawless French military salute—clearly practiced.

On the other side, Zheng Zha and the others’ gazes toward the youth had changed.

True, the previous scene had been comical—but the fluid motion and lightning reflexes clearly showed this youth was no ordinary man; one couldn’t help but think of kung fu masters from martial arts films… though perhaps from the comedic variety.

“Cheng Xiao, 25, from an ancient martial family—the young patriarch of the Cheng Clan. Naturally born with all meridians unblocked, he mastered internal energy from birth.”

Besides having a martial alliance leader as his father, his mother was the current King of Miao Poisonous Insects. They trained him relentlessly since childhood, soaking him in medicinal baths—his strength was formidable.

If this were still the previous horror film, no one in the Zhongzhou Team except Wu Xian and Zheng Zha could be certain of defeating him.”

A calm, detached voice spoke—Chu Xuan explained Cheng Xiao’s identity, and the details startled everyone; their gazes toward Cheng Xiao grew even more curious.

Cheng Xiao, however, upon hearing that familiar voice, froze his ingratiating smile, then turned to Chu Xuan with a look of reverence mixed with wounded resentment.

“Chu Major, I risked never returning to come here—and you just sold me out so easily, and so thoroughly.”

“No need to hide. Everyone here is one of us. Also, in this place, forget your outside identity—just call me Chu Xuan.”

Chu Xuan spoke, then explained the full situation to the group.

————

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