Chapter 174: Chief Yang's Phone Call

Xu Jiaojiao was skeptical, but she didn't continue to dwell on it,

At that moment, a sudden crackling, hair‑raising sound erupted behind her.

"Ah!" Xu Jiaojiao whirled around, letting out a loud scream.

She clutched Chu Tiannan's photo tightly and threw herself into Jiangnan's arms.

In the picture, Chu Tiannan's smile remained unchanged, forming a stark contrast to the terrifying scene before them.

The hulking man whose Heavenly Spirit Cover had been shattered by Jiangnan's palm surprisingly stood up again.

He staggered, like a soulless walking corpse, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

"What... what is going on?"

Xu Jiaojiao's body quivered, her voice carrying a crying tone.

She clutched Jiangnan tightly, as if only this could give her a sliver of safety.

Jiangnan could clearly feel two soft pressures against his chest, and his heart gave a slight flutter.

But he quickly composed himself, his gaze blazing like a torch, fixed on the hulking man before him. Xu Jiaojiao's voice trembled, laced with fear.

"He... how can he still be alive?"

"Could it be... that he's a ghost?"

"No, he's not a ghost."

Jiangnan shook his head, his tone calm, a disdainful curl forming at the corner of his mouth.

"It's merely a contrived mystery," he said.

"A contrived mystery?"

Xu Jiaojiao was puzzled, her eyes full of doubt.

"Look."

Jiangnan pointed at the hulking man.

The man's head was only half intact, yet no blood seeped from the wound.

Instead, a bizarre black substance writhed continuously, as if it were alive.

"What is this?"

Xu Jiaojiao gasped, her voice trembling slightly.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a kind of parasite."

"A parasite?"

Her complexion grew even paler; she'd never seen such a bizarre sight, and fear filled her heart.

This type of worm can control its host's corpse, making it move like a living person.

"Control a corpse?"

Xu Jiaojiao inhaled a cold breath, a chill running down her back. What unfolded before her had already surpassed her imagination.

"Exactly," Jiangnan nodded,

"It seems the one behind this is no ordinary foe."

"Then... what should we do now?"

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Jiangnan whispered soothingly, his voice steady.

He gently patted Xu Jiaojiao's back; a faint warmth emanated from his palm, dispelling the chill.

Heh heh heh...

At that moment, a cold, sinister laugh echoed through the villa once more.

"You... all must die!"

The hulking man suddenly spoke, his hoarse voice sounding as if from hell.

He took step after step toward Jiangnan and Xu Jiaojiao, each footfall heavy with oppression.

"Hmph, playing god and ghost!"

Jiangnan let out a cold snort, a flash of icy light passing through his eyes.

He shielded Xu Jiaojiao behind him, his gaze scanning the surroundings warily.

"You think this can scare me?"

Heh heh heh... you'll see how powerful I am.

The hulking man let out a strange laugh. He suddenly surged forward, charging at Jiangnan with astonishing speed.

"Watch out!"

Xu Jiaojiao shouted in alarm, her voice full of worry.

Jiangnan neither dodged nor evaded, a flash of keen light flickering in his eyes.

He inhaled deeply, his inner true Qi raging wildly.

"Break!" Jiangnan roared, unleashing a powerful punch.

"Bang!" A muffled thud sounded as the hulking man's body was blasted outward.

He slammed into the wall, a deafening crash echoing as cracks spidered across the surface.

"This..."

Xu Jiaojiao stared dumbfounded, clearly terrified by the previous scene.

"It's fine, it's already dealt with,"

Jiangnan spoke softly, his voice gentle.

"Did he... die?"

Xu Jiaojiao's voice trembled, with a hint of disbelief.

"Hmm, this time it should really be dead."

Jiangnan nodded and walked over to the burly man.

He crouched down, examined carefully, and found that the black substance inside the burly man's body had vanished.

"It seems this bug also has a weakness."

He stood up, turned to look at Xu Jiaojiao, and saw that she was staring at him with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" Jiangnan asked, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"You... why aren't you scared at all?"

Xu Jiaojiao widened her eyes, her face full of confusion.

"Even a martial practitioner would probably not stay so calm after that thing just now, right?"

"Fear?" Jiangnan's mouth curved into a slight smile.

"Why would one be afraid?"

His gaze was deep, as if he could see through everything.

"There are far more terrifying things in this world than this."

"But..."

Xu Jiaojiao was about to say something, but Jiangnan cut her off.

"Do you know the origin of this puppet?"

Jiangnan shifted the topic, his eyes landing on the broken corpse.

Xu Jiaojiao came to herself, shook her head, a trace of bewilderment flashing in her eyes.

"I don't know."

Suddenly, as if recalling something, she jerked her head up. Her voice trembled, tinged with fear.

"I remember!"

"Chu Tiannan hired a bodyguard not long ago, and it seems that was this person!"

Jiangnan's gaze hardened, and he thought to himself:

It appears Chu Tiannan has long been targeted by Zhao Wuji.

But what exactly does Zhao Wuji intend? He can't figure it out.

"Do you know Zhao Wuji's purpose?"

Jiangnan asked, hoping to get some clues from Xu Jiaojiao.

Xu Jiaojiao shook her head again, her eyes full of emptiness. Her voice was low, tinged with sorrow.

"I really don't know."

"Chu Tiannan never tells me these things either."

Jiangnan fell silent for a moment, as if pondering something.

"It seems we can only act against Zhao Wuji himself."

"Do you know where Zhao Wuji is? Whether he's inside the Black Tiger Gang?"

Xu Jiaojiao shook her head and said:

"Zhao Wuji's identity is secret; the Black Tiger Gang is just a small toy he tossed together."

"His true power lies hidden in the shadows, unfathomable."

"It seems Zhao Wuji is more complicated than I imagined."

Jiangnan muttered to himself, his brows slightly furrowed.

He had originally thought Zhao Wuji was just an ordinary gang leader, but now it seemed the matter was far from simple.

"What else do you know?"

Jiangnan pressed further, hoping to get more information from Xu Jiaojiao.

Xu Jiaojiao gave a wry smile and shook her head:

"I really don't know; Chu Tiannan never tells me these things."

"He only told me that Zhao Wuji is dangerous and to keep my distance as much as possible."

Jiangnan fell silent, realizing that no more valuable clues could be obtained from Xu Jiaojiao.

Just then, Jiangnan's phone rang, breaking the silence.

He picked it up; the screen displayed the words "Yang Ju".

"Hello, Yang Ju," Jiangnan answered, his tone calm.

On the other end, Yang Ju's voice sounded a bit urgent:

"Jiangnan, something's happened!"

"Chen Ying was taken away by the Inspection Department above!"

"What?"

Jiangnan was startled, a foreboding feeling rising in his heart. He asked further, his voice edged with anxiety.

"What's going on?"

Yang Ju's voice was low, carrying a deep weariness.

"I don't know the details either; I only know they came in force and took the person away outright."

"They didn't even give a warning; it's clear they had premeditated it."

Jiangnan's brows tightened; Chen Ying being taken away was certainly no small matter.

"I understand, I'll find a way."

Jiangnan answered in a deep voice and hung up the phone.

His mind was a whirl of thoughts; how could Chen Ying have suddenly been taken away by the Inspection Department?

Could it be related to Zhao Wuji?