The dense night was silent in the woods, and occasionally a breeze would blow through, rustling the surrounding branches. Bathed in moonlight, the scene was eerie. On the ground of the forest lay a man dressed in black, already lifeless and quiet, with no one aware of what had happened.
When Wang Jianwen awoke from his unconsciousness once more, he found himself lying in the courtyard of the Thirteen Blood Generals Mansion.
The weather in March was still very cold, chilling him to the bone as he lay on the icy concrete, slowly coming to his senses from a stupor.
He felt a biting cold from head to toe, as though he had been soaked in a tub of cold water.
What happened to him? Where was he? Was he dead? Was this Hell? Many thoughts sprang up in Wang Jianwen’s mind, a bizarre fear that deterred him from opening his eyes to look around.
Just then, a gruff voice sounded: "Stop pretending to be asleep, get up!"
Wang Jianwen’s eyelids twitched, but he still did not open his eyes.
At that moment, the ferocious voice spoke again.
"If you keep your eyes closed, I’ll gouge out both of your eyeballs! Get up!"
Wang Jianwen dared not feign sleep any longer. With a jolt, he slowly opened his eyes, and around him, several burly men in black were glaring down at him, watching him like tigers eyeing their prey.
"Who are you? What do you want with me? Do you know who I am? I have powerful connections!" Wang Jianwen said with a forced bravado, fear lurking beneath.
"Hmph, connections? Wasn’t that the person just now who was trying to kill you your powerful connection? Do you really think you are still of any use?" An Zhifeng sneered disdainfully, "That person must have been sent by your ’connections,’ right? I think you know very well that you are currently besieged on all sides, and everyone wants you dead. Think about it—if you tell us what we want to know, you might have a chance to live. But if you refuse, I’ll throw you onto the street right now and let you fend for yourself."
The harsh reality turned Wang Jianwen’s face even paler, his whole face as white as his lips, paper-white. He had always suspected that the black-clothed man pursuing him was sent by the mysterious figure behind the scenes, but he had clung to a faint hope that it was just an accident. However, An Zhifeng’s words forced him to confront the truth. That person had engineered his escape from prison to prevent him from talking. It seemed that he had indeed become expendable.
Seeing Wang Jianwen’s ashen face, An Zhifeng knew the timing was right and softly asked, "Well? You understand your situation, don’t you? Do you still want to keep anything hidden?"
"I... I... Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you everything! But you have to promise me, let me leave alive," Wang Jianwen had given up struggling; now penniless and powerless, anyone could easily kill him. Better to gamble, to divulge everything he knew to these people, and then perhaps he would have a chance at survival.
"Rest assured, as long as you tell us everything you know, I will definitely ensure you a way out and make sure no one can find you," An Zhifeng nodded and asked, "Who is the person behind you?"
"The person behind me? I... I don’t really know who he is. Every time I saw him, the room was pitch-dark, but he seemed to be quite old by his appearance. Judging by his voice, this person must be extremely sinister and cunning. Every time I faced him, I felt an icy chill throughout my body," Wang Jianwen recalled the times he had met with the mysterious person, shivering involuntarily at the memory.