The room reeked of blood. Xiao Lin closed the door and sat down on the sofa. He habitually turned on the TV, which was playing a war movie. He stared at the screen, his mind still tense, unable to relax.

"Injured?" Xiao Lin inquired to the empty room. He sometimes wondered how Consort Ling managed to be like a shadow; such a skill should really be taught to Night Eagle and his team in the information department since it would be incredibly useful. Recently, there was no news from Dragon Soul at all, as if the world had suddenly become peaceful.

"Surface wounds!" Consort Ling's voice also had a fatigued undertone. Following the direction of the voice, it seemed to be coming from near the door—no wonder the smell of blood was noticeable upon entering.

"It's just the two of us now, no need to hide." Xiao Lin beckoned toward the entrance, "Come here, let me take a look at you."

Footsteps sounded, and Consort Ling emerged from the darkness. Under the light reflected from the screen, both of his arms were covered in bloodstains.

"How did this happen?" Disinfectant was used to clean the wounds, which showed signs of serious infection. Though simple treatment had been applied, it wasn't effective.

"Are you looking to cripple your own hands?" Xiao Lin's tone grew heavier, "As an assassin, without your hands, how do you plan to kill anyone?"

Consort Ling rarely smiled, but at this moment, his smile was quite subtle.

"Is a military doctor's scolding always so childish?"

"Stop babbling!" Xiao Lin picked up a scalpel. Back in the Middle East, when his previous set was lost, Hua Qingyi had provided him with a complete and lightweight set, the lack of heft still unfamiliar, yet it didn't affect the finesse of his hands.

"There's no anesthetic. It's going to hurt a bit."

"Mm!" Consort Ling nodded, his delicate face watching Xiao Lin, who appeared more exhausted than he did.

"When do you plan to strike Liger City?" Trying to find something to talk about, Consort Ling gasped after a sharp pain.

"If it hurts, just scream. It's not that embarrassing." Xiao Lin swiftly cut away the necrotic tissue around the wound surface, which could alleviate Consort Ling's pain.

Then he added, "Planning for the next few days, see how things pan out with Qing Yi."

"You went to the Underground City today." Consort Ling couldn't help but clench his fist.

"Relax, I can't stitch your wound like this." Xiao Lin looked up at Consort Ling, "How did you know I went there?"

"You have the scent of death on you."

Ah! It's the second time he'd heard that. The first was at the entrance of the Underground City when an old woman said the same thing.

"You're not the first to say that." After cutting the thread, he wrapped the wound with gauze, "Unfortunately, I missed the person I was looking for then."

"The person you're looking for is a master of disguise." Consort Ling looked at his bandaged arm, the pretty bow making him feel conflicted.

"Anyone ever tell you you look like a girl?" Checking his right arm, where the wound was more complicated, with some areas deep enough to show bone.

"Yes! And you tied a bow for that reason?" Consort Ling really didn't know his client had such a quirky taste.

"Ah! There happened to be some extra, so I didn't want to waste it." Xiao Lin put on glasses, examining the wound on the right arm through a micro-focus lens: "This isn't inflicted by a typical knife. What kind of person came after you?"

"Mm, it's a weapon called a spike."

"Spike?" Xiao Lin had never heard of a weapon with that name. His curiosity piqued due to his love for cold weapons, making him eager to witness the thing.

"It's about thirty centimeters long, with a barbed tail, slender in shape."

"A fascinating weapon." The weapon had caused ragged edges on the wound, with the barbs tearing away muscle tissue, which would require time to heal. Thus, Xiao Lin calmly said, "If you want to keep your hands, stop wandering around. Go rest in a farmhouse."

"I'll find a place myself." Consort Ling pondered, as pain surged through his arm.

"That's not up to you. If you're worried about causing trouble for them, you're overthinking it." Xiao Lin furrowed his brows in annoyance, the large wound posed difficulties for stitching. "Did you know the gates to the Underground City were closed?"

"I'm not sure!"

"Tell me more about the connection between 'Black Crow' and the Underground City."

Consort Ling fell silent, apparently reluctant to talk much about 'Black Crow'. His lips remained tightly sealed as Xiao Lin helplessly regarded him: "Fine, you are a professional with principles."

"Nightmare was killed by you, wasn't it?" After a long silence, Consort Ling suddenly spoke up, receiving a nod from Xiao Lin, who was carefully aligning the muscle fibers and layers.

"Is there a problem?"

"Nightmare belonged to the Underground City," Consort Ling said lightly.

"I guessed it. Normally, people living in the underground enclave wouldn't have that capability. Is it 'Black Crow' who wants my life?"

"Let's hope not."

"'Black Crow's' targets are impossible to evade, right?" Xiao Lin began stitching up the wound. "Your life is very valuable, too. Killing you could earn someone a place in your salvation position."

"Where are you going?" Consort Ling stood up after treating the wound, and Xiao Lin hurriedly asked.

"Where I am is very dangerous."

"It's just as dangerous wherever you're not." Xiao Lin pressed down Consort Ling. "I need to find the person who does these human-skin jobs, they shouldn't kill innocent people."

"I can only give you a possible location, I can't help you beyond that."

"Alright!" Through contact with Consort Ling, Xiao Lin gradually understood his personality, which was completely contrary to his face. "Don't you have any family?"

"You're quite talkative today." Consort Ling was somewhat helpless.

"I'm just afraid I might not even have the chance to talk in the future." A ray of light shone in from the balcony, hinting at a nice day ahead. Xiao Lin blinked his slightly sore eyes and asked Consort Ling, "I need a healthy kidney source, is there a shortcut to get one?"

"I don't think taking risks for that mother and daughter is a sensible thing." Consort Ling sat beside Xiao Lin, always staying close like a shadow.

"Going through conventional channels leaves less room for gossip."

"The conventional way is too slow, can't wait." Xiao Lin was always troubled by this issue. Given Dan Qing's health condition, the chance of holding out until a fresh kidney source becomes available was slim; he wasn't confident he could ensure successful treatment then, after all, he wasn't a god.

"In a week's time there will be news, but I still don't think you should take such risks."

"Haha!" Xiao Lin lazily turned over on the couch, feeling very tired. "Don't you ever sleep?"

Everyone needs sleep, alright! Consort Ling rolled his eyes at Xiao Lin before he fell asleep. Did he really think he was a machine, not needing rest? Unwillingly, he cradled Xiao Lin horizontally onto the bed. After treating the arm, it didn't hurt as much, and he sat by Xiao Lin's bedside. He didn't tell Xiao Lin one thing, feeling it unnecessary.

The death of Nightmare caused a sensation in the assassin realm. To know that up to now, not to mention a full-scale move by Nightmare, but even a single one going out, the hope of escape seemed dim, let alone five.

Consort Ling glanced at the person sound asleep on the bed. Killing Nightmare meant even higher-level experts would appear. This was no longer just a business, but a rivalry. Although he had never met the real 'Black Crow', he could foresee by their style of doing things that their future days would be lived in bloodshed.

"Xiang Fei, do you regret it?" The supposedly sleeping person suddenly opened his eyes, looking at Consort Ling. "Without me, maybe you'd still be killing assassins, living an easy and free life."

"I regret it!" Consort Ling's answer made Xiao Lin chuckle.

"Regretting is useless, there's no medicine for regret in this world." Comfortably turning his head the other way, the half-empty bed beside him made Xiao Lin start missing his little enchantress.

"Someone's here!" Consort Ling jumped up from the ground, disappearing in a blink before Xiao Lin's eyes.

"Remember to lend me that Invisibility Cloak next time!" At close range, Xiao Lin easily found Consort Ling's magical treasure, it was a good item, perfect for research once taken back.

There was a sparse rustling at the door, Xiao Lin sneakily approached the door, peeking through the peephole to find nobody in the hallway. He exchanged a glance with Consort Ling, who also seemed confused.

"Shh!" Xiao Lin stopped Consort Ling's inquiry, entering the bathroom to fetch some thick towels, cradling them in his arms.

The sparse rustling sounded like insect crawling if he wasn't mistaken. Pressing his ear to the ground, the sound of claws scratching walls vividly reached his ears, prompting Xiao Lin to immediately block the door with the towel in hand.

Because the professor's building was constructed earlier, the housing design stuck to the old layout, with large gaps between doors and windows, particularly at the bottom of the door, leaving about a finger-width distance.

"Your 'Black Crow' really has all kinds of talents." As soon as he plugged the door with the thick towel, something started to push from outside, trying to enter.

"Not 'Black Crow'." Consort Ling confidently told Xiao Lin, it was a kind of insect exorcism technique. In his memory, there was no such member in the organization.

"Not?" Xiao Lin raised an eyebrow, just as Wu Shuang said last night, how many people had he offended, all sorts seemed endless.

"Do you have some kind of incense?"

"I think so!" Xiao Lin ran into Xia Xue's room, thinking women liked to use such things for beauty treatments. They often brought assortment of these items from the beauty store.

"Will these work?"

"I don't know!" Seeing the whitening, slimming aromatherapy things in Xiao Lin's hands, Consort Ling felt a sense of despair. "Light the incense and place it in a ventilated area. I'll go find the insect exorcist."

"Wait! Stay here." Xiao Lin pulled Consort Ling back. "If you don't want to end up crippled, then stay here obediently." Having said this, he opened the balcony door. The old-style buildings had one benefit: dividing walls between neighbors were close. He easily climbed the wall into the neighboring room. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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