Chapter Forty-Eight: Assassination Again

"What on earth is the Dark Web?" Xu Yi asked.

"The Dark Web is a mysterious organization. No one knows who its organizer is, who founded it, or where its headquarters are located. The only thing known is that this organization is extraordinarily massive, arguably spanning the entire globe. At the same time, its members possess formidable abilities while maintaining intensely concealed identities."

Crazy Zhang's voice grew increasingly solemn.

"According to rumors, the Dark Web provides all sorts of illegal services, such as hiring hitmen, assassinations, buying and selling intelligence, trading in artworks and antiques, drug trafficking, providing bodyguards, and so on."

"Among them, the most famous aspect of the Dark Web is its assassins! Rumor has it that as long as you can afford the price, they would even accept a contract targeting the president of the Beautiful Country."

"That powerful?" Xu Yi frowned.

Crazy Zhang sighed and said, "That's not even the most terrifying part. The most terrifying thing is that the Dark Web organization only offers its services to its members."

"This means that if you want to conduct transactions on the Dark Web, you must become a member. Yet, how one becomes a member remains an absolute mystery to this day. At the very least, I have no clue whatsoever."

Xu Yi said in a deep voice, "Then, if Luo Hao was able to hire an assassin from the Dark Web, does that make Luo Hao a member?"

Crazy Zhang negated the idea. "Not necessarily. Perhaps there are individuals who found it inconvenient to act personally and thus leveraged the power of the Dark Web."

"Moreover, there is another piece of bad news. During the cleanup operation by my people, we discovered that the individuals the Zhao family sent to kill you the other day were recruited through the Dark Web. However, those people were merely low-tier members of the organization."

"Still, you had better be careful moving forward! It cannot be ruled out that they might seek out others from the Dark Web to kill you."

"Alright, I understand!" Xu Yi hung up the phone, looking rather helpless.

Just as one wave subsided, another rose.

Old Gu's call came through at this very moment.

"Xu Yi, I have already looked into it. It is indeed true that someone within the black market leaked your intelligence. To express our apologies, the black market organization has elevated your confidentiality clearance to the highest level. Aside from the top-tier members of the organization, no one is permitted to access your information."

"However, the situation is somewhat complicated. We haven't yet uncovered the mastermind behind the scenes, and the person who leaked the information is now dead."

"Dead?"

Xu Yi frowned. The mastermind was undoubtedly the Zhao family, but the moment Zhao Jian's assassination attempt against him failed, the Zhao family immediately eliminated their own operative.

This meant the Zhao family desperately wanted to avoid exposing themselves at this juncture.

It seemed the significance of that bronze artifact far exceeded his initial estimations.

Hearing no response from Xu Yi for a long while, Old Gu continued.

"Of course, this incident was a failure of management on the black market's part. To compensate you, they are willing to offer you one unconditional favor—any condition you choose."

Curious, Xu Yi asked, "Old Gu! Is there any way to know how the person who leaked the information in the black market died?"

On the other end of the line, Old Gu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Xu Yi, strictly speaking, I shouldn't be telling you about this. This is not a matter within your sphere of interaction. However, I can share a few things with you in my personal capacity."

"That person who leaked the information was assassinated by agents from a mysterious organization."

A jolt ran through Xu Yi's heart!

Damn it! Surely it couldn't be such a coincidence.

"Old Gu! The organization you're referring to... could it be the Dark Web?"

Old Gu was visibly startled. After a long pause, he said, "Xu Yi! Since you are already aware of the Dark Web, I won't elaborate further on the organization. When Dark Web assassins are dispatched, they are nearly impossible to guard against."

"Therefore, I suggest you use the black market's favor to protect your own safety."

Old Gu's words sparked a train of thought in Xu Yi's mind.

Although Old Gu hadn't said much, the subtext contained a wealth of information.

First, why was it that matters concerning the black market were explained to him by Old Gu, and why had Old Gu initially spoken entirely from the perspective of the black market administration?

This indicated that Old Gu was actually one of the high-ranking figures within the black market.

However, the black market organization seemed to operate more like a council of elders rather than a dictatorship; otherwise, Old Gu wouldn't have had to resort to sharing information about the Dark Web in his personal capacity later on.

Second, Old Gu's suggestion to use the black market's compensation for self-protection implied that Old Gu possessed immense confidence—the black market was confident in its ability to fend off Dark Web assassins.

That being the case, Xu Yi would certainly not squander this favor on such a defensive measure.

Finishing his contemplation, Xu Yi shifted the topic. "Old Gu! Lily went to the black market with me that day as well. Is she alright?"

"Who would dare? Hmph! Let me see which blind fool dares to lay a hand on my disciple. She is in my shop, perfectly safe!" Old Gu said unceremoniously.

"Disciple?" Xu Yi was dumbfounded.

"What? Is that a problem? Although Lily's talent isn't quite up to par with yours, she is far more diligent than you are. I am very satisfied with her. From now on, she is my disciple. As her boss, if you dare to bully her, I'll make you pay!" Old Gu's tone suddenly turned resentful.

Uncomprehending, Xu Yi said, "In that case, Old Gu, I'll leave Lily's safety in your hands."

After finishing both calls, Xu Yi pondered for a moment and decided he needed to pay a visit to Huang Dabao first.

He still knew far too little about the Zhao family.

Xu Yi casually hailed a taxi on the street.

However, a few minutes later, Xu Yi suddenly felt something was amiss.

The taxi's route had completely deviated from the expected path and was instead heading toward a desolate, remote area.

Xu Yi's muscles instantly tensed up, his hand gripping the door handle.

Right at that moment!

"Don't move!"

A cold, emotionless voice rang out.

Following that, Xu Yi saw the driver holding the steering wheel with his right hand while his left hand reached across his chest, raising a pistol with its dark, hollow barrel pointed squarely at Xu Yi's head.

Xu Yi's heart plummeted.

The assassin's hand holding the gun was exceptionally steady. Even though the vehicle was in motion, the muzzle remained locked onto its target without a single millimeter of deviation. This signified that the person was a seasoned firearms expert.

Was this a Dark Web assassin?

This person was clearly not Zhao Jian. Xu Yi was certain that the moment he made even the slightest movement, the man would pull the trigger without hesitation.

"Brother, how much did they pay you to kill me? I'll double the price," Xu Yi said in a deep voice.

However, the suspected Dark Web assassin did not answer Xu Yi. Instead, he maintained his focus, driving the car deep into an uninhabited, desolate stretch of road.

Only then did the man turn around. He was wearing a fisherman's hat, a black face mask, and dark sunglasses, completely obscuring his features.

"Now, I ask, you answer!" the man stated flatly.

Xu Yi's eyes narrowed slightly. Upon hearing those words, he sensed a dense, suffocating intent to kill radiating from the man. There was no doubt this person was a genuine professional assassin.

"What do you want to ask?" Xu Yi said.

"First. Over half a month ago, you attended a black market transaction. Did you acquire a bronze artifact during that event?" the assassin asked.

Xu Yi replied calmly, "That's correct."

"Where is the bronze artifact?"

"At home."

"Very well! You're quite cooperative," the assassin said with a hint of satisfaction. "Second question. Half a month ago, was it you who killed the second young master of the Zhao family?"

A faint smile touched the corner of Xu Yi's lips. "That's right. I killed him."

The assassin raised the gun abruptly, tilting his head up. "Don't smile! Tell me how you killed him. According to the records from that time, the Zhao family's second young master had eight bodyguards hired from the Dark Web protecting him. Don't tell me you took them all down by yourself. How did you pull it off, and who is backing you?"

Xu Yi looked at the assassin with mild curiosity. "It's strange. If your mission is to recover the bronze artifact while also taking my life, why are you asking such foolish questions? Are you truly a qualified assassin?"

The assassin sneered. "To tell you the truth, you are nothing more than a fish on a chopping board right now, and killing you would take me mere seconds. Naturally, I have no personal interest in these questions; the employer simply wants to know."

Xu Yi nodded. "In that case, I can tell you."

With that, Xu Yi lifted his head, fixing the assassin with a cruel, chilling smile.

A sudden sense of foreboding gripped the assassin's heart as a freezing chill surged straight from the soles of his feet.

Without a moment's hesitation, the assassin prepared to pull the trigger, but Xu Yi moved with lightning speed.

With a swift motion, Xu Yi thrust his thumb directly into the trigger guard behind the trigger, blocking it completely.

"Hmph!" Letting out a cold grunt, the assassin drew a dagger from his waist, attempting to lunge and stab Xu Yi.

However, a sudden rush of wind from a heavy fist assaulted his right side.

In the next instant, the assassin's entire face took a devastating blow. The sheer force sent him crashing violently against the driver's side door, shattering it, before he spilled out onto the ground.

Xu Yi rolled his neck, stepped out of the vehicle, and walked over to the fallen assassin.

The assassin's face was deathly pale. He looked at Xu Yi in utter disbelief and gasped, "Who are you? How do you have such martial prowess? I investigated you—you were supposed to be an ordinary person! How can you be this strong? And since you're this strong, why did you play along with me earlier?"

Xu Yi said indifferently, "Otherwise? Since you wanted to bring me to a deserted place to finish things in secret on the streets earlier, I naturally wanted the exact same thing. Since our objectives aligned, I just played along with you for a bit."

"Alright! It's my turn now. I ask, you answer!" Xu Yi stated calmly.

However, the assassin suddenly offered a bizarre, eerie smile toward Xu Yi.

Xu Yi froze, realizing something was terribly wrong. He instantly activated his [Mind Insight] skill, but it was too late!

The assassin's inner thoughts communicated clearly to him that he had just ingested a fatal poison and would die within three seconds.

Xu Yi's expression turned ashen. He hadn't expected the man to commit suicide the moment a slip-up occurred, leaving him with nothing to question.

"You won't be able to get anything out of him. Once a Dark Web assassin fails a mission, they take their own lives immediately."

A voice suddenly echoed from the side.

Xu Yi's expression shifted drastically.

"Who's there?"