NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67: Crimson Night (31)
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Suddenly, applause echoed from the corridor beyond the door.
Bai Lian and Jian Ran turned simultaneously toward the sound.
An exceptionally handsome man approached them slowly. Dressed in a black suit, his jet-black hair was meticulously styled, save for a disheveled lock dangling over his forehead. His deep-set eyes, hidden beneath sharp brows, fixed intently on Bai Lian and Jian Ran.
Several men in suits followed him, each exuding a sinister aura. Their smirks dripped with mockery, like predators eyeing prey.
Even Bai Lian couldn’t resist remarking, “Elegant, so elegant!”
That appearance, that aura… If not for being slightly inferior to Bai Lian himself, he might’ve mistaken the man for the ultimate villain!
“You’re complimenting them?” Jian Ran curled her lips, baffled by Bai Lian’s thought process.
These were enemies!
Bai Lian glanced at her with a faint smile. “You don’t understand. Competent villains are rare. This one deserves praise.”If he guessed correctly, this man was the mastermind behind the corporate coup—Yu Haoming, president of Phantom Corporation!
He’d come because they had unlocked the archive door he couldn’t open.
The moment Bai Lian and Jian Ran entered the building, Yu Haoming had decided to manipulate them into accessing the archives. A classic “mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind” ploy!
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Yu Haoming applauded as he neared, his tone dripping with mock admiration:
“As expected of you, Jian Ran. Your methods are truly formidable.”
“Even that monstrosity couldn’t stop you. What surprises me most is that you actually opened the archive door!”
“All my efforts to let you ‘succeed’ weren’t in vain!”
His voice carried irony and a hint of astonishment.
When Jian Ran and Bai Lian had first ascended the stairs, he’d noticed them but dismissed their threat, focusing on coercing board members to reveal secrets.
Only when his own men failed to breach the archives did he take the duo seriously—luring them into opening the door so he could swoop in and claim victory.
“Thank you for unlocking this door for me!” Yu Haoming waved a hand, signaling his subordinates to eliminate the pair. “As gratitude, I’ll ensure your deaths are swift and painless.”
“Uh… Boss, do we kill Jian Ran too?” asked Zhu Hongshe hesitantly.
After all, Yu Haoming had pursued her for a decade.
Licked her boots this long, only to kill her now?
As a subordinate, Zhu Hongshe had to confirm—lest Yu Haoming later regret it and blame him.
Yu Haoming shot him a frigid glare: “Did I stutter? Kill them both.”
His calm tone made Zhu Hongshe shudder.
Not daring to argue, Zhu Hongshe’s body bloated grotesquely, flesh rotting as he transformed into a monstrosity!
“DIE!”
A massive, stench-filled maw burst from his chest, sharp teeth raining down toward Bai Lian and Jian Ran!
“You brought this on yourself. Don’t blame me,” Yu Haoming muttered, eyelids fluttering shut to hide his turmoil.
Though resolved, watching her die pained him.
“Better not look. Let her live on in my memories.”
Thud!
The sound of tearing flesh made Yu Haoming flinch—yet a strange smile crept onto his face.
Haaah…
He inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly. It was over.
He opened his eyes.
And froze.
What? Zhu Hongshe was dead?!
Yu Haoming stared at his subordinate’s severed head, then at Bai Lian and Jian Ran—completely unharmed. His smile vanished!
No, it didn’t vanish.
It simply migrated to Bai Lian’s face.
“Did you celebrate too soon?” Bai Lian taunted, eyeing the stunned Yu Haoming.
Hearing this, Yu Haoming jolted back to reality, glaring hatefully at Zhu Hongshe’s corpse.
How could a key third-tier minister lose to a mere captain and a rookie?
“Useless trash!” he roared at his remaining four subordinates. “What are you gawking at? Kill them together!”
The four exchanged terrified glances.
Yu Haoming hadn’t seen what happened—but they had!
Zhu Hongshe, unleashing full power, had been annihilated instantly by that “rookie”!
A violet beam from Bai Lian’s eye had obliterated even a third-tier minister!
They stared at Yu Haoming as if he were insane.
“Together”? Do you even know what we’re facing?!
This… thing isn’t human!
“Cowards! All of you!” Yu Haoming snarled as his men hesitated.
Suddenly—
He grabbed two subordinates and hurled them at Bai Lian and Jian Ran!
The remaining man tried fleeing, but as he turned, a cold light flashed—severing his legs!
“AAAAHHH!!” His scream echoed through the archives.
Having sacrificed his underlings, Yu Haoming spun and fled without hesitation!
Only a fool wouldn’t run!
Anyone who could obliterate Zhu Hongshe instantly meant one of these two possessed terrifying power!
Staying meant suicide!
As the saying went: “Better others die than me.” Survival demanded sacrifices.
Live, and there’s always another path. Die, and it’s over!
“I underestimated him. Had he not met me, he might’ve succeeded!” Bai Lian mused, impressed by Yu Haoming’s ruthlessness.
But brilliance alone wasn’t enough.
Bai Lian activated his Dead Eye, unleashing an annihilation beam at the fleeing Yu Haoming—now nearly at the archive exit!
Sensing imminent doom, Yu Haoming glanced back just as the violet light struck.
“NO!!!” He screamed, raising his suit like a shield—uselessly.
The beam pierced through fabric and flesh alike, reducing both to dust.