Chapter 59

Zhang Tie was carried back to the bed in the bedroom by Hacker and Sneider. As Sneider pressed on Zhang Tie's arterial vessels, Hacker fetched a clean strip of cloth and a small bottle. He opened the bottle and sprinkled some grayish-white powder from it onto the wound on Zhang Tie's right hand. Then, he quickly and skillfully bandaged the wound, stopping the bleeding and treating it while discussing the next day's plans with Sneider.

"This kid seems to be telling the truth. What should we do when he wakes up tomorrow?" Hacker asked, somewhat troubled. He hadn't expected both of them to misjudge the situation. Thinking about how close they had come to killing the kid, Hacker felt a bit scared. If the kid died, there would be no hope of retrieving the meeting token, and he and Sneider would be in real trouble.

Sneider looked at Zhang Tie, who was now pale and unconscious, and frowned deeply. "We definitely can't enter that residential area; it's a hundred times more dangerous than the Black Hand Gang. If we go in, as long as this kid shouts, we're done for. Not to mention, his brother, Du Shaofeng, is a lieutenant colonel in the Black Flame City military, and his strength is definitely above ours. We're no match for him. According to the Black Flame City military tradition, only experts of at least level 8 or 9 can become lieutenant colonels. We definitely can't face his family. We can only let this kid go home and get the item for us..."

"But this kid is too cunning. Once he leaves us, I'm sure he'll turn us in right away!"

Sneider sneered, "No matter how cunning he is, he has to listen to us..."

"What do you have in mind?"

"The only way is to poison this kid and make him trade the token for the antidote. If he's smart, he'll know what to choose..."

"Good plan, but will you really give him the antidote?"

"Hehe, as long as we get the token and confirm he hasn't told anyone, we'll find an opportunity to get rid of him. This kid has seen us. If he tells his brother about this after getting the antidote, our mission will be ruined. So, he absolutely can't live..."

"If this kid dies, we might also be in trouble. Someone in this inn might have seen us with him, and his family isn't ordinary!"

"So, once we get the token, we need to quickly connect with the New Moon Trading Company in Black Flame City and have them prepare for the operation in the city. After confirming the time and details of the operation, we'll leave Black Flame City immediately. As long as this kid disappears for a day, it will be enough for us to complete the mission. His family won't have time to react. As for the future... hehe... do we need to worry about the future?"

"As long as this operation succeeds and Black Flame City falls into our hands, we must have the boss find a reason to get rid of his brother, Du Shaowu, to eliminate any future threats..." Hacker said cruelly.

After bandaging Zhang Tie's wound, the two checked again and found that the bleeding had stopped. Zhang Tie's life was temporarily saved. Hacker's stomach growled, and they remembered that they hadn't had dinner after all the commotion. Even the strongest and most skilled people can't go without food.

"You go to the inn and order some food. I'll go outside and prepare some things..."

"What about this kid?"

"We'll be quick..." Sneider stood up, looked at the motionless Zhang Tie on the bed, pressed his heart a couple of times, felt it, and smiled. "This kid, don't worry. If he can get out of bed from hypovolemic shock by tomorrow morning, that would be quite an achievement!"

Then the two left the bedroom, closing the door behind them...

As soon as they left, Zhang Tie, who should have been in a state of hypovolemic shock according to Sneider, opened his eyes. In fact, when the two had just carried him from the bathroom to the bed, Zhang Tie's consciousness had already returned. Although his body was still immobile, his senses had returned. Therefore, he had heard every word Sneider and Hacker had said.

New Moon Trading Company... support... operation... Black Flame City... the boss...

These contents made Zhang Tie shiver. He knew that he had been caught up in a massive conspiracy targeting Black Flame City. Hacker and Sneider were just small figures sent by a certain force or organization to connect with the New Moon Trading Company in Black Flame City and pass on messages. The piece of red thunder pine wood he had found was the token for this meeting...

What to do? First, try to recover and save his life!

Zhang Tie smiled bitterly, then closed his eyes again, feeling the strange sensations in his body. First, it was his head, then his spine, and then his heart and liver. A warm, comforting sensation was slowly rising in these areas...

The warmth in his head was the first to restore his consciousness, and the warmth in his spine gradually allowed him to control his body, allowing him to open his eyes. The warmth in his heart and liver spread throughout his organs, making him feel his vitality rapidly returning...

Is this the effect of the No-Leak Fruit's reverse energy flow and blood replenishment? Zhang Tie tried to move his fingers and found that he could.

Perhaps this is my only chance for survival tonight. Hacker and Sneider think I'm still in a state of hypovolemic shock, but I'm actually recovering quickly...

I need to recover before they come back and then escape from this inn!

Zhang Tie's heart was filled with anxiety...

In less than ten minutes, as Zhang Tie felt he could sit up from the bed, heavy footsteps and the sound of the door opening came from outside. Hearing this, Zhang Tie knew Hacker had returned, and his plan to recover and escape while they were gone was ruined.

Zhang Tie's heart sank again.

Patience, patience, patience... Zhang Tie kept reminding himself. As long as he was patient, he would find a new opportunity. He closed his eyes again, leaving only a tiny sliver of light to discreetly observe the room...

"Here, the food is here. I'll take it in myself, you can leave..."

"Okay, take your time..."

Then came the sound of the food cart being slowly pushed away. The bedroom door opened, and Hacker entered with a tray of food. The smell of food began to fill the room. After placing the food on the table, Hacker walked over to the bed. Zhang Tie completely closed his eyes and relaxed his body. Hacker placed a finger under Zhang Tie's nose, felt his breathing, and relaxed. When Hacker turned around, Zhang Tie's eyes opened slightly, using his peripheral vision to observe the room.

Zhang Tie saw Hacker rubbing his hands and approaching the food on the plates, about to pick something up to taste it. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something, put the food down, muttered something to himself, and began pacing around the room restlessly.

"Damn, I'll never do this job again..." Hacker cursed.

Hacker hadn't waited two minutes when Sneider returned.

"How's it going?"

"Everything's ready. We'll use it on this kid when he wakes up!"

"Good, let's eat. I'm starving!"

The two walked to the table. Zhang Tie, using the tiny sliver of his peripheral vision, saw Sneider take something from his pocket and poke it into the food and the wine bottle on the table. After a few seconds, he said, "No poison, it's safe to eat!"

However, before they had eaten for two minutes, there was a knock on the door, and a voice called out from outside, "Black Flame City security routine inspection. All registered guests, please come out..."

Immediately, the sound of doors opening and people complaining could be heard from outside.

"Why are they checking so late? Can't I sleep?"

"Exactly, what's this about?" There were voices of dissatisfaction.

"Everyone, sorry, but due to some incidents in Black Flame City over the past few days, the security checks have been stricter. You've probably heard about the fire at the train station after curfew, where dozens of people died. The higher-ups are very angry, and the security officers are under a lot of pressure. It's almost curfew time, and any registered guests not in their rooms will have a lot of trouble. So, please cooperate. All registered guests, just come out and show your faces..." The inn staff explained loudly, and the complaining voices gradually quieted down. Although the pioneers were often rebellious, no one was foolish enough to argue over such a trivial matter with the uniformed officers of Black Flame City.

"Damn..." After cursing, Hacker and Sneider stood up and walked towards the door.

Hearing the outer door close, Zhang Tie immediately opened his eyes and looked at the food and drinks left by the two men. A wild idea instantly formed in his mind. Damn, you bastards, I'm going all out...

I need to act fast!

Zhang Tie closed his eyes and instantly focused on the archway in his mind. In a moment, he disappeared from the room and appeared in the Black Iron Castle...

— Welcome, noble and handsome lord, to the Black Iron Castle!