"Sincere Heart Association... is an underground Transcendent organization tacitly approved by the Da Du officials."
After calming down a bit, Gu Shen felt some cold sweat on his back.
Da Du is like a mirror, with a dazzling white on one side and pitch black on the other. If anyone unaware attempts to turn the mirror over to uncover the truth, they will find that the black and white are intertwined, a coexisting form... No wonder Hu Danian warned him not to provoke the Sincere Heart Association, because at the end of the investigation, it would lead to the officials themselves.
And the true situation might be far more complicated than he imagined.
Gu Shen noted that Cui Zhongcheng had just mentioned a name "Chen San" twice.
If Sincere Heart Association is established under the will of influential figures, then Chen San, who had wrested half the control from Mr. Zhao, must also be a dangerous person.
"The information about your arrival in Da Du was only given to a very few suspects, and Shi Li took the bait as expected,"
Cui Zhongcheng spoke calmly, "He still doesn’t know he has been exposed but should have received the news of the failed assassination by now. As expected, he will think that your escape was not merely due to luck, but because you actually have considerable potential, which could pose a significant threat in the future. Given some more time, he will surely plan another assassination attempt aimed at you."
Gu Shen quietly stared at the photo of Shi Li in the file: "What are you prepared to do?"
"Actually, considering Shi Li’s status, he can only be seen as a small fish; he is not the big fish I am after. Over the years, I have suspected that the Changjiu Foundation has planted a high-level official undercover in Da Du..."
"Perhaps this is just my illusion, but if I’m right, this person is like a bomb that could explode at any moment, posing a far greater threat than Shi Li," Cui Zhongcheng said unhurriedly, sipping his tea to moisten his dry lips. "It might be a pity to close in now."
"...You want to keep him around to flush out the big fish behind the scenes," Gu Shen said softly. "And as a price, I have to face the second assassination attempt arranged by Shi Li."
Cui Zhongcheng fell briefly silent.
He saw the dissatisfaction in Gu Shen’s eyes and asked softly, "Then... what are you prepared to do?"
"Before you speak, I think I need to remind you... the Transcendent believers of the Changjiu Foundation, once they realize they have been exposed, will not hesitate to terminate themselves. Before carrying out any missions, their minds are set with a ’high voltage line’; if anyone tries hypnosis, the Transcendent consciousness will explode... For them, turning themselves into an out-of-control individual is one form of a desperate counterattack," Cui Zhongcheng spoke slowly. "So... don’t attempt to use mental hypnosis, even if you bring in a Titled Transcendent of ’Heaven’s Eye’ level, you won’t get even a bit of information from a Death Soldier."
Is he guessing that I would ask my senior sister for help?
"Since it’s my own trouble... I won’t involve others," Gu Shen shook his head. "Like you, I also want to catch the big fish lurking in the shadows. But even a fool wouldn’t allow a target who has already made a move to continue planning assassinations against themselves."
"So, you want to kill Shi Li? You should know, the fire incident... and the self-destruction of the Sù Mù stone sculpture, the sources of these two assassination attempts aren’t him." Cui Zhongcheng held his teacup with interest, watching Gu Shen, waiting for more.
"Yes... killing him wouldn’t be useful."
"I just reviewed Shi Li’s file... a Strong Attack Type Transcendent, trial strength of Deep Sea Third Layer," Gu Shen said. "If yesterday at the Sleep Talker Clinic, he had personally come to kill me, the outcome might have been different... Deciding to kill me, yet only arranging for an ordinary person with an enchanted object to make a move, why is that? It’s completely inconsistent with the style of Changjiu Foundation."
In the Changjiu Foundation, they are all madmen who can easily sacrifice their own lives!
Cui Zhongcheng blew on the hot steam around the rim of his cup: "Continue."
"There is only one explanation I can think of... Shi Li, lurking within the Sincere Heart Association, has even higher tasks," Gu Shen spoke calmly. "The assassination was a message passed at the last moment by the big fish, but it wasn’t of higher priority than his previous task... so he chose this method to complete his mission, and failure doesn’t matter as the dead was just an untraceable ordinary person; he just needs to plan the next assassination. But he didn’t anticipate that this mission would expose his identity."
"So..." Cui Zhongcheng began speaking with a smile.
"So even if he dies, we can still track down the next clue from the higher-level task."
"Well said, but it brings us back to the initial question," Cui Zhongcheng slowly adjusted his sitting posture, looking at Gu Shen, asked slowly, "What are you prepared to do now?"
"Give me some time, I want to infiltrate the Sincere Heart Association to investigate," Gu Shen took a deep breath. "If I can find out about the mission Shi Li is on, then it might be possible to close in early."
Cui Zhongcheng did not object.
He just nodded and hummed softly, not showing much else afterward.
"You didn’t object?" Gu Shen raised an eyebrow.
"Why should I object?" Cui Zhongcheng looked up, speaking softly. "The target of the assassination isn’t me... If you are willing to risk your own time to try, what do I have to object to?"