Ch. 1601..1610
Chapter 1601: 1600 very strong person
“Go forth, my Dawn Guard!” Gand’s voice was a bit hoarse, but his tone was very excited, as if the place he was in wasn’t a basement but an illegal boxing stage with two boxers on it.
Before the fight began, Tan Rou spoke, “Mr. Dawn Guard, our purpose in fighting today is not to kill each other but to test each other’s strength, so let’s just touch base.”
The Dawn Guard didn’t speak; his eyes were firmly fixed on Tan Rou, as if waiting for some command.
Tan Rou found it strange; now was not the time to be distracted; she’d ask her question later.
Gand clapped his hands then commanded the tall guard, “Go!”
The guard, like a commanded robot, quickly charged at Tan Rou. She knew she couldn’t be hit by this punch; if it connected, several of her ribs would break.
Thus, she dodged to the side before the punch reached her and took advantage of the moment when the opponent wasn’t looking to move behind him and kick him. Putting thirty percent of her power into the kick, it had no effect on him, much like kicking a mountain; he didn’t budge.
“Impressive!” Tan Rou couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered such a strong opponent.”
At the same time, she felt worried for Samiyi; though the number of Dawn Guards was small, their strength was formidable—one could probably fight dozens—and if they faced the royal guards, it might not be the guards who would lose.
She guessed that even the King’s own guard squad might not be able to defeat these people.
After her kick failed to move him, Tan Rou quickly retreated, keeping her eyes fixed on the man throwing punches, and before his next punch arrived, she switched places again.
“Miss Zhuang Rou, why are you just dodging?” Gand asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted to test strength?”
Tan Rou didn’t have time to reply; she continued to watch the bulky man, who despite his muscular body, was not slow but unexpectedly agile.
If Tan Rou wanted to win, she would need to be even faster. She clenched her fists, looking for an opportunity to strike.
They stalemated for several minutes, neither side gaining an advantage.
Gand, growing impatient, said to the bulky man, “My warrior, unleash your greatest strength and defeat the enemy before you!”
The bulky man seemed to receive some signal, instantly becoming ferocious, his punches speeding up a bit.
Tan Rou realized she didn’t have time to keep this up; if it continued, she feared her strength would be depleted. If only the place were bigger, she could probably win quickly, but it was too small to move freely.
“No offense!” said Tan Rou and then swiftly dashed past the table, snatching something from it.
When the bulky man got close, Tan Rou suddenly plunged the sharp object into his body. He screamed, then fell to the ground.
Tan Rou tossed away the spike and said to Gand, “I’m really sorry, your warrior’s strength was so great, I had to resort to some tricks, or I might have lost.”
Gand, who hadn’t seen Tan Rou’s actions clearly, asked when the bulky man fell, “What did you just do to him?”
Tan Rou replied, “Just a little trick; it won’t cause much harm to his body, but he does need to sleep for a while. He’ll wake up tomorrow morning.”
“How did you do it?” Gand still pressed the issue.
“All I can say is it’s a unique little trick of mine that I can’t reveal to just anyone.”
“Is that so?” Gand’s eyes shifted briefly, “What if I really want to know?”
Tan Rou, unafraid, responded, “Mr. Gand, if you insist on knowing, then I’ll tell you.” She picked up the spike from the ground, “If you wish to learn, I can teach you, but I’ve studied it for over twenty years. I hope you’ll be patient enough to spend twenty years as well.”
Hearing it required twenty years of learning, Gand hesitated, “Let’s discuss something else for now.”
Chapter 1602: 1601 confirm identity
“Miss Zhuang Rou, I think your shooting skills are impressive; that’s why I have asked you to come here today to demonstrate your marksmanship,” Gand said. “Do you practice any techniques that could quickly turn someone into a sharpshooter?”
Tan Rou honestly replied to him, “My shooting skills were honed in dangerous situations, where if I couldn’t win, I would die. Moreover, it took me many years to reach this level, so I don’t think I can turn your warriors into sharpshooters in a short period of time.”
Gand’s expression was displeased, his brow furrowed as he seemed lost in thought.
Suddenly, Tan Rou thought of the black-clad assassins who had appeared that night; she was still unsure if those gunmen were members of the Dawn Society, but now an opportunity had arrived for her to find out.
“Mr. Gand, don’t worry. Although I can’t immediately turn them into sharpshooters, I can create the most suitable training plans based on their characteristics,” Tan Rou began to bluff Gand. “In my country, there is an educational concept called ‘teaching according to one’s aptitude.’ I have always been educated this way; surely no one could know better than me how to make a training plan.”
Gand was really taken in by her bluff. He didn’t understand the situation in Country C or what ‘teaching according to one’s aptitude’ meant, but he felt the term was very sophisticated.
“Alright, let’s proceed with your plan then,” Gand said.
Tan Rou walked around them and then spoke, “Before we start making plans, I need to see their current shooting level.”
Gand had no objections; he had the Dawn guards dress in training uniforms, and then each demonstrated for Tan Rou.
When they took out their guns, Tan Rou knew she had found the right people because the guns they used were the same as the ones Hamillen used that night.
Now it was certain—the black-clad people were Hamillen, the black-clad assassins were members of the Dawn Society, and the zombies were also created by the Dawn Society.
Although Tan Rou’s purpose was to see them using guns, as she had already spoken, she couldn’t just leave without doing anything. If she did, Gand would likely not let her go.
She randomly picked one person and pointed at his gun, “Your hand is trembling, a fine warrior should not tremble.”
The Dawn guard didn’t respond to Tan Rou’s comment; his eyes glued to the target as if he hadn’t heard her.
Tan Rou was puzzled and repeated, “Hey, your hand is trembling. You can’t tremble while shooting.”
“No… don’t want to…” the Dawn guard mumbled unclearly, “Don’t want to… kill…”
Tan Rou didn’t hear his articulation clearly and asked again, “What are you saying?”
Gand walked up to him, speaking sternly, “As a warrior, all you need to do is obey orders!”
The Dawn guard quickly adjusted his emotions, his hands stopped trembling, and he stopped speaking, only fixing his gaze on the target.
Tan Rou didn’t show any surprise; she continued, “That’s better. As warriors, you can’t be afraid. If you were afraid, who would protect your family and friends?”
Gand was very pleased with Tan Rou’s reply, “Miss Zhuang Rou is right, so next, we’ll trouble Miss Zhuang Rou to make a training plan for them.”
Tan Rou nodded, “Okay, I will do as Mr. Gand requests.”
Next, Tan Rou gave some brief guidance to these Dawn guards. She noticed that these people rarely spoke or listened to her, only moving according to Gand’s commands when he was present.
Tan Rou wasn’t blind; she had already realized that these people were not normal, probably controlled like those zombies. But they were different from the zombies, they still had at least a little bit of their own awareness, and they knew pain when hit.
As dawn was nearly breaking, Tan Rou planned to end the training for tonight, “Mr. Gand, I will leave now; let’s continue training next time.”
However, Gand stopped her, “Miss Zhuang Rou, since you have become a member of the Dawn Society, we must offer you the greatest benefits.”
Tan Rou asked without changing her expression, “What benefits?”
Gand replied with a smile, “Naturally, the benefits of staying here.”
Chapter 1603: 1602 catches live ones
Tan Rou gently shook her head, “I still won’t stay here, because my friend is waiting for me to return.”
Gand once again invited her, “Miss Zhuang Rou, after joining the Dawn Society, you’ll have an extremely beautiful life, endless food, countless money, and numerous subordinates at your command. Are you sure you don’t want to join the Dawn Society?”
Tan Rou was uninterested in these offers. She gestured with her hand, “I’ll be returning to my country soon. Once I leave this nation, everything here will cease to relate to me, so I would rather not stay here.” After finishing her statement, Tan Rou took off her coat. “Here’s your stuff back, I’m leaving now.”
“Do you think you can leave?” A sinister smile appeared on Gand’s face, which, combined with his hoarse voice, became even more frightening.
“Ha ha ha.” Tan Rou pretended not to understand what Gand was implying, “Mr. Gand won’t let me leave? Perhaps you want to invite me for breakfast? Well, that won’t be necessary. I have plans with my friend today, so let’s have breakfast together some other time.”
“Miss Zhuang Rou, you’re a smart person.” Gand closed all the doors, “Surely, you must understand what I’m implying?”
Tan Rou stopped smiling and confronted him, “Mr. Gand, what do you mean by this? I’ve completed today’s training, and now I’m leaving. Didn’t you understand what I said?”
“What if I don’t want you to leave?” Gand asked.
Tan Rou showed no sign of weakness, replying angrily, “If you don’t want me to leave, then I’ll have no choice but to resort to violence.”
Gand clapped his hands and the Dawn guards who had been standing behind him quickly sprang into action. They circled around Gand and then started advancing towards Tan Rou step by step.
Tan Rou crossed her arms and stood still, “Mr. Gand, is this how you treat your guests?”
Gand felt no shame; he said with a smile, “I certainly follow the rules for my guests, but you are not my guest.”
“What do you plan to do?” Tan Rou asked calmly.
Gand raised his hand and said softly, “Catch her, keep her alive.”
Aha, Tan Rou finally understood why Gand insisted on her joining the Dawn Society. It turned out that all the other reasons were just excuses—the real purpose of Gand was to capture people for live experiments.
Indeed, Tan Rou’s fighting skills were far superior to Samiyi’s. Anyone would choose her.
Tan Rou took a defensive stance, “Mr. Gand, I don’t want to fight with you guys here, but you’ve angered me, so I must make a move to teach you a lesson.”
Gand laughed heartily, “Miss Zhuang Rou… oh, I mean Miss Tan Rou-, I did initially want you to become their instructor to help improve their shooting skills. But as you’ve said, becoming a Sharpshooter requires many years of training, and I can’t wait that long.”
Tan Rou did not show surprise at his form of address, “I don’t have the ability to instantly turn them into Sharpshooters, so even if you capture me now, I can’t rapidly improve their shooting skills.”
“That’s not necessary.” Gand shook his head with a smile, “Right in front of me is a suitable warrior. Once I transform her, she will become the strongest guard of the Dawn Society.”
Tan Rou understood what Gand meant—it seemed that he wanted to turn her into a Dawn guard as well.
Having a strong and obedient tool was indeed a great asset to the Dawn Society. Gand did not have time to cultivate new Dawn guards, so he had to capture skilled individuals for his experiments.
“What if I refuse?” Tan Rou looked at Gand, “Do you think you can capture me?”
Gand replied with utmost confidence, “I already know your abilities, and without the help of gadgets, you can’t possibly defeat my warriors. So, you might as well stop struggling and surrender.”
The word “surrender” was not in Tan Rou’s dictionary. Even though she knew the odds of defeating them were slim, she would not surrender easily.
“You want to capture me?” Tan Rou smiled mockingly, “You must be dreaming!”
Gand retreated to the wall, instructing the Dawn guards, “Capture her for me, alive!”
The thoughtless Dawn guards rushed towards Tan Rou with their bare hands, apparently hoping to outnumber her with a flood of warriors.
Chapter 1604: 1603 Negotiations
Tan Rou was surrounded by those Dawn Guardians, but this time they didn’t rush to attack her. Instead, they circled around her, as if they wanted to intimidate her.
“Miss Rou,” Gand said from the side, “you still have the chance to change your mind. I don’t want to hurt you, as it would pain me if you were injured.”
“Heh!” Tan Rou sneered. “From the tone of your voice, I thought you were going to send me on vacation.”
Gand smiled and said, “I could send you to the operating table for a three-day tour.”
“Keep that treat for yourself.” Tan Rou declined. “I’ll be leaving first.”
Gand didn’t believe Tan Rou could escape. “If you can defeat them, I’ll let you leave safely.”
Tan Rou didn’t need Gand’s reminder—she was absolutely going to knock these people down. They were just individuals controlled by drugs; there was no way she would lose to them!
“Let’s see how tough you all are!” Tan Rou roared, pinpointing a Dawn Guardian and charging at him like lightning.
This time, Tan Rou didn’t hold back. She used all her strength to attack the Dawn Guardians, and those sinister-looking guards were no match for her. She quickly took one of them down.
After felling a Dawn Guardian, a gap opened up, and she dashed through it, heading straight for the shooting training platform.
“Stop her!” Gand was a bit unsettled now. “If you don’t take her down, you’re all dead!”
The Dawn Guardians, having received the order, charged at Tan Rou like madmen. They were incredibly fast, but at that moment, Tan Rou was not slow either; she managed to grab a handgun before they could catch up to her.
“Don’t move!” Tan Rou held a gun in one hand. “I’ve just checked this gun, and it’s fully loaded. With my shooting skills, I can take you all out before you reach me!”
Faced with death, those Dawn Guardians who were still conscious didn’t dare to advance further. They looked at each other, then finally turned their gaze back to Gand.
Gand was nearly fuming with anger. He had spent so much time training these Dawn Guardians, and yet they couldn’t even defeat a young girl—what use were they to him? On the other hand, from another perspective, his judgment was still pretty good—Tan Rou indeed had not let him down.
“Miss Rou, let’s all calm down. If you have anything to say, we can sit down and talk about it slowly,” Gand said with a smile.
Tan Rou didn’t dare let her guard down for a second, as these Dawn Guardians were far more formidable than the patrolmen. “Mr. Gand, there seems to be nothing left for us to discuss. However, I am rather curious about one thing—why do you know my real name?”
“Someone told me, of course.” Gand said, sitting down quite relaxed. “Do you want to guess how you all got here? You and that noble princess.”
“Indeed, you knew our identities from the start,” Tan Rou said. “From the beginning, I felt that many things were not logical, like you never asked where we lived or about our family situations. I doubt the Dawn Society would be that careless.”
“Yes, your arrival was indeed planned by us,” Gand responded. “From the moment you entered that room, you were under our surveillance.”
“Were the patrolmen deliberately drawn there by you?” Tan Rou asked.
“That’s right,” Gand laughed. “Faler’s abode is not on a major route—why would patrolmen pass by there? At that time, our goal was not you, but the noble princess. We originally intended to use her as a hostage, but during that battle, we discovered someone even more valuable.”
“I guess I’m rather unlucky then,” Tan Rou said self-deprecatingly. “If I had run away directly, I probably wouldn’t have all this trouble today.”
“Miss Rou, I advise you to stop resisting,” Gand said. “This is my turf, and you won’t be able to escape.”
“I think I can escape,” Tan Rou’s finger rested on the trigger of the gun. “As long as I take you all out, I can easily leave this place.”
Gand’s expression became very serious. “Miss Rou, I think we can still negotiate.”
Chapter 1605: 1604 hypocrisy
“What’s there to discuss?” Tan Rou asked with a smile, “Discuss how you’re going to get me on the operating table? Or do you want to turn me into a Dawn Guard as well?”
Gand said, “Perhaps we can go back to the way things were at the beginning, I ask you to come as a coach, and you help me train these Dawn Guards.”
“Your jokes are not funny at all,” Tan Rou mocked, “but your lies are quite interesting. What made you change your mind? It couldn’t have been what I said, could it? It must be these two guns in my hands, right?”
Gand still remembered the fate of that apple and knew very well that Tan Rou’s shooting skills were formidable; if she decided to pull the trigger, few of them would escape. Besides, as the president of the Dawn Society, if Tan Rou started shooting, he reckoned he would be the first to be hit.
“What are your demands?” Gand asked, “I can agree to all your demands.”
“You dissolve your Dawn Society,” Tan Rou said offhandedly, “and destroy all these Dawn Guards.”
“That’s impossible,” Gand replied, “the Dawn Society is the work of my life; I cannot dissolve it.”
“Then tell me the purpose of establishing the Dawn Society,” Tan Rou asked again, “Is it to overthrow the dynasty’s rule?”
“I do not wish to overthrow the dynasty’s rule,” Gand said boldly, “I just want to lead everyone to live in the dawn.”
“Ridiculous,” Tan Rou criticized, “Aren’t these people human? You’ve turned them into this ghastly state, is this leading them to the dawn, living in the dawn?”
Gand answered, “The path to the dawn requires sacrifice. Sacrificing a few to bring a better life for everyone, isn’t that worth it?”
“Did you ask for their opinions?” Tan Rou said, “I don’t think they’d want to sacrifice themselves.”
“They have already dedicated their souls to the God of Dawn, so they need not have any other thoughts and just obey the commands of the God of Dawn,” Gand stated.
“You’re truly shameless!” Tan Rou seldom cursed people, but she couldn’t hold back now, “Hypocritical man, do you think you are a god?”
“I am the messenger of God…” Gand hadn’t finished speaking when Tan Rou interrupted him.
“A messenger of God should bring beauty and joy to people, not use his status to do evil!” Tan Rou continued to scold, “You’re no messenger, just a selfish jerk, a villain. With you around, dawn will never come!”
Gand’s good temper vanished at that moment, and he shouted, “Shut up! I am the messenger of God, I am the God of Dawn!”
“I think your brain’s been kicked by a donkey!” Tan Rou said rudely, “If you are a messenger of God, then pigs can be gods too!”
“Kill her, kill her!” an infuriated Gand ordered, “Go on, I don’t want her alive!”
The Dawn Guards were initially fearful of the guns in Tan Rou’s hands, but upon hearing Gand’s command, they suddenly became fearless.
“Catch her… catch her…” the Dawn Guards muttered this command under their breath.
Tan Rou was unceremonious; if she didn’t act, she would be the one to die today.
“Bang, bang, bang…” Several shots rang out, and two Dawn Guards fell to the ground.
But Tan Rou had not harmed their lives; she merely shot their legs to prevent them from advancing.
Seeing this scene, the last shred of humanity in the remaining Dawn Guards surfaced, “No… no… I don’t want to die…”
“I… I want to go home…”
Some Dawn Guards, cradling their heads, squatted on the ground, “Mom, mom…”
Others were calling out for their loved ones, “My wife… my daughter…”
Tan Rou fired again, this time aiming her gun at Gand.
But Gand was prepared. He ducked behind the Dawn Guards, using their bulky bodies to shield himself. If Tan Rou wanted to shoot him, she would have to shoot through the others first.
“Damn it!” Tan Rou exclaimed angrily, “If you’re so brave, come out here! Aren’t you the messenger of the God of Dawn? What kind of messenger hides behind humans?”
Gand hid among the crowd, quietly retreating backward, planning to escape.
Chapter 1606: Invalid 1605
Tan Rou fired another shot, not at a person this time but at a target nearby. The gunshot startled the noisy Dawn guards; they seemed to revert to their initial state, as if the control over them had been lifted.
But Tan Rou did not let her guard down. She edged along the wall, making her way outside. Seeing the Dawn guards motionless, she quickened her pace.
The door at the very inside opened, and Gand fled through it. Tan Rou tried to chase after him, but he had locked the door from the outside.
It was lucky that when she had first come in, Tan Rou had stolen a glance at Gand’s password, or else she would have been really stuck now.
She discarded a gun that was out of bullets and took a few cold weapons from the wall beside her—she was more comfortable with cold weapons.
Once Gand exited the door, he disappeared. Tan Rou wanted to open the second door, but the password had been changed by Gand; she was trapped between two doors.
“Damn it!” Tan Rou hit the wall in frustration, “Don’t let me catch you, because if I do, I’ll turn you into a sieve!”
“Miss Rou, I would advise you not to be so violent,” Gand’s voice came through the speakers in the wall, “If you had just followed my instructions nicely, I might not have resorted to this method.”
“Don’t hide over there; come out and fight me if you dare!” Tan Rou taunted, “Is the messenger of God really such a coward?”
Gand was not about to be provoked by her. He was no match for Tan Rou, so naturally, he wouldn’t go out and become a target for Tan Rou. But neither would he let her leave without a scratch.
“Miss Rou, do you know how I control them?” Gand asked.
Tan Rou did not want to answer.
Gand continued, “I gave them a drug, and once they take it, they obediently do as I say. Do you think I might have given you that drug too?”
Tan Rou hadn’t ingested anything from the Dawn Society, but she pretended she had, “What substance? Was there poison in that glass of water?” She hurriedly squatted in the corner and started to gag herself with her finger, “Ugh—”
“You can’t vomit out the drug, because it’s already spread throughout your body. Just one command from me, and you’ll be obedient,” Gand was pleased with Tan Rou’s performance, “Miss Rou, now enjoy the music I’ve prepared for you!”
The drowsy sound of a flute flowed out from the speakers. It had to be said, the Dawn Society’s equipment was of good quality; the music played out flawlessly without a hint of static.
Tan Rou had already heard this flute piece. It was the same tune she and Zhuang Liu had first heard that night, and after hearing it, it seemed a person’s movements would become incredibly slow.
So Tan Rou pretended to be controlled. She slowly stood up and put on a bewildered face, “Who am I… Where is this…”
Gand, watching Tan Rou’s expression from behind the monitors, excitedly said to Bata, “Success, I’ve finally got her under control!”
Bata was a bit worried though, “Sir, her behavior seems to be different from the rest.”
“Maybe it’s because her constitution is different from the others,” Gand, absorbed in his joy, didn’t take Bata’s words seriously, “As long as I control her, I will be invincible!”
“But sir, we don’t really need to control this foreign lady, especially since she is a foreigner. If something happens to her in our country, it could cause international issues,” Bata said.
Gand responded carelessly, “So what? If an international problem arises, let the princess handle it!”
They spoke into microphones, so Tan Rou could hear everything they said.
“Mr. Gand’s quite bold, isn’t he?” Tan Rou stopped her act, chuckling as she spoke to the speaker, “If something happens to me here, it will indeed cause an international problem.”
TR has significant popularity and status within Country C. Even though TR is currently in cooperation with private businesses, they were once a government-appointed company.
Even now, the government has many projects in collaboration with TR. If the boss of TR ran into trouble abroad, the government of Country C would not take it lightly.
“What’s going on?” Gand increased the music output, “Why isn’t it working?”
Chapter 1607: 1606 don’t believe in ghost stories
“Impossible, how could there be no effect?” Gand didn’t believe their drug couldn’t control Tan Rou, “I clearly gave you the strongest medicine, and I watched you drink the water. How could it have no effect?”
Tan Rou leisurely spun her gun, then looked up at the speaker and said, “Yeah, how could it have no effect? Could your medicine have expired? Or is it that your music doesn’t affect me?”
Immediately, Gand said, “Turn up the volume, turn it to the maximum!”
When the volume was turned up, Tan Rou indeed felt a headache, but it wasn’t because she was being manipulated; it was because the music was so loud, it was giving her a headache.
Tan Rou pressed her temples and shouted, “Hey, don’t waste your effort or electricity, these things don’t work on me!”
Bata said, “Sir, could she also be a special person?”
The last person who didn’t react to the drugs was Ina. However, Ina’s mind wasn’t normal, and with a little coaxing, she would do as they commanded.
Gand clenched his fist, “No, we must keep her here!”
But Bata tried to dissuade him, “Sir, this woman is formidable, we shouldn’t provoke her. Since she hasn’t blown up yet, let’s quickly let her leave.”
For Gand, Tan Rou was like meat that had arrived at his mouth; he couldn’t possibly let her leave. “No, she can’t leave! She is a guest of the royals, and if we let her leave here safely, it will definitely cause trouble for us. To keep her, I have already lost a lot, and if we can’t keep her, who will compensate for my losses?”
Seeing he couldn’t persuade Gand, Bata could only let Gand do as he wished, “Sir, I hope you won’t regret your decision now.”
Gand was now single-mindedly determined to keep Tan Rou; he wouldn’t listen to anything else, “I won’t regret it!”
Tan Rou was waiting for a chance to get out. It was already 6:30 in the morning, and she had just discovered that the signal on her watch had disappeared. This meant her signal would also disappear on Zhuang Liu’s watch. Seeing this, Zhuang Liu would definitely be very anxious, and he might have already barged in.
“Come out and fight me if you dare, Gand!” Tan Rou taunted, “Oh, I forgot, you’re just a coward who hides behind others. You couldn’t possibly stand up and fight me.”
Gand responded, “You don’t need to provoke me. I admit I can’t beat you, so I won’t come down and fight you. But I can lock you inside for three days and nights without food or drink. I don’t believe you still have the energy to fight us!”
Tan Rou frowned slightly. Although Gand’s tactics were damaging, they were indeed effective. Not eating for a long time would indeed make her lose her fighting strength, and then Gand could easily beat her.
“Hmph!” Tan Rou snorted coldly, “Then let’s see who can last longer!”
Just then, an alarm sounded from the control room, and a member of the Dawn Society reported, “Mr. Gand, someone has broken in. He is causing a commotion in the hall now and has already damaged many things.”
Tan Rou also heard the other party’s voice from the speaker. She guessed that the person causing trouble was Zhuang Liu. Zhuang Liu must have come looking for her. She was touched but also very worried. If Zhuang Liu also fell into the Dawn Society’s trap, they were both doomed.
Gand’s voice disappeared from the speaker; Tan Rou guessed he had gone to deal with the troublemaker.
“Hey, Gand, you old thief, are you still there?” Tan Rou deliberately asked, “What, did I scare you witless? Too scared to talk now?”
After a dozen seconds, Bata spoke, “I’m sorry, Miss Rou, it’s not our intention to keep you this way. But if you cooperate with us, I assure you, we won’t harm you.”
Tan Rou gestured toward the surveillance camera, “Come on down; I promise I won’t beat you to death.”
Bata hesitated, then apologized again, “Miss Rou, sir had no choice but to lock you here. If you follow our arrangements, I can assure you that you’ll safely return to your country.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Tan Rou said. “Do you think I would believe such crap? If I believed what you were saying, I would already be on your operating table by now.”
Chapter 1608: 1607 making trouble
Bata wasn’t good at speaking, what he said was his truest thoughts, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt his words indeed weren’t so credible.
“So be it, then you continue to stay here.” Bata stopped talking as well.
Tan Rou sat by the wall, she planned to regain some strength before figuring out how to rush outside later.
On the other hand, Zhuang Liu had already broken into the villa’s hallway, and despite Tan Rou usually being the one getting into fights, great CEO Zhuang wasn’t weak either, his marksmanship was also very precise.
“Bang!”
Zhuang Liu fired a shot and shattered the painting hanging on the wall, then shouted, “Hand over my friend, or else I’ll trash this place into a mess!”
Gand’s lackeys were nearly scared faint, they usually just followed Gand around listening to speeches and dealt with his domestic issues, where had they ever seen such a situation?
“Sir… sir…” an elderly female steward raised her hands in surrender, “We’re all good people, we’ve never done anything bad, please don’t hurt us. And who is the friend you’re talking about? You need to tell us your friend’s name, else how can we help you find them?”
Another older man said, “Mr. Gand hasn’t come back yet, if you have something to say to him, then wait for his return.”
Zhuang Liu definitely wouldn’t listen to them, he kept shooting with his gun in the living room, even blasting the expensive chandelier on the ceiling, causing the chandelier to fall and its fragments to scatter everywhere.
“Ah!”
“Help!”
“It’s a murder!”
The hall was filled with screams, as if Zhuang Liu was really about to kill them, but from the beginning to the end, Zhuang Liu never aimed his gun at people.
Moreover, he also realized that these people truly weren’t the stewards of the Dawn Society, their ages were too advanced, they couldn’t possibly be involved in the Dawns Society’s affairs, so they must be servants hired by the Dawn Society.
“Call your chairman out for me!” Zhuang Liu said, “I’ll give you ten minutes, if he doesn’t show up by then, I’ll set this place on fire!”
The female steward said, “Mr. Gand went out last night, we don’t know where he went.”
Zhuang Liu threatened, “Shut up, I don’t want to hear your excuses! Either you bring Gand to me right now, or I’ll blow your head off!”
The female steward nodded, “Alright… alright, I’ll call Mr. Gand right now…” Before she could make the call, Gand had returned and saw the foreign man in the living room, as well as the crystal shards on the floor, which triggered another idea in his mind.
“What’s your name, sir?” Gand asked very politely.
“Hand over my friend!” Zhuang Liu didn’t engage in pointless talk with Gand, instead he pointed the gun directly at him, “You have five minutes to bring her out, or else I’ll burn down your nest!”
Gand smiled and asked, “Which person might you be referring to, sir?”
“Cut the crap!” Zhuang Liu didn’t say anything superfluous, “Hand her over!”
Gand said, “Is sir referring to Miss Rou?”
Zhuang Liu didn’t reply, only repeatedly demanding Gand hand the person over, “Hurry up, or I’ll start shooting!”
“We have so many people here, your gun doesn’t seem to have that many bullets, does it?” Gand said with a smile.
Zhuang Liu smirked slightly, “Since I dared to come here alone to demand a person, I wouldn’t have come empty-handed.” He unlatched his coat button, first revealing a string of explosives around his waist, then pulling out several clips filled with bullets from his pocket.
Gand’s face changed slightly, “If you detonate that bomb, you’ll die too.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Zhuang Liu said, “If I can’t rescue my friend, I won’t be leaving either. But you’re different, you are the boss of the Dawn Society, if you die, your Dawn Society would be finished.”
Gand said, “The Dawn Society has many excellent talents, even if I die, they will lead the Dawn Society toward a bright future.”
“Since you say so, then I must kill you,” Zhuang Liu aimed his gun at Gand, “Although my marksmanship isn’t as good as hers, I can still take your life with one shot.”
Gand frowned slightly, then threatened, “If you dare to lay a hand on me, I will have your friend killed right now.”
Chapter 1609: 1608 was captured
Zhuang Liu hesitated; he couldn’t be sure if Tan Rou was safe, but he knew she must have gotten into trouble, otherwise her signal wouldn’t have disappeared.
Gand saw that he was distracted and realized the other party didn’t know Tan Rou’s situation, so he decided to deceive this foreign man first. If he could reform both him and Tan Rou, then the Dawn Society would welcome two formidable warriors.
“Miss Rou is our guest here,” Gand said, “If you want to meet her, you’ll have to listen to me. Otherwise, I will have to resort to some brutal methods on her.”
“How dare you!” Zhuang Liu ground his teeth and said, “If you dare to hurt her, I’ll have your Dawn Society torn down and turned into a restroom!”
Gand shrugged, “It doesn’t matter to me. If you want to demolish it, go ahead, just make sure you don’t accidentally harm Miss Rou while destroying the building.”
Zhuang Liu was at a disadvantage; he didn’t know whether Tan Rou was still safe or where she was—otherwise, he would have already rushed to find her. Knowing nothing, he could only resort to causing destruction in the living room.
“Where is she?” Zhuang Liu’s tone softened a lot as he reholstered his gun, “I just want to take her away. I don’t care about anything else. Hand her over, and we’ll leave right now.”
Seeing that Zhuang Liu had put away his gun, Gand knew his words had had an effect, so he continued to deceive, “Miss Rou is resting in the back. If you want to see her, I can take you to her.”
Zhuang Liu hesitated, as Tan Rou had told him about Gand. She said Gand was a very intelligent man and very good at brainwashing, so he should be careful not to entirely believe what Gand said.
“Call her over here,” Zhuang Liu refused to go and see, “Just say that the person who came with her last night is waiting outside for her.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go together?” Gand asked again, “It’s time for breakfast, and I assume you haven’t eaten yet. We can go find Miss Rou together and have breakfast at the same time.”
Zhuang Liu declined Gand’s offer, “No need, we’ll go out to eat on our own. Just call her out now.”
“Okay,” Gand agreed to Zhuang Liu’s demand, “I’ll have someone call her out now, but she hasn’t finished her breakfast yet, so you might have to wait a while.”
“Alright,” Zhuang Liu nodded, “I’ll wait for her here. I’ll leave when she comes out.”
Gand sent someone to call Tan Rou. During the wait, no matter what Gand asked, Zhuang Liu didn’t respond and remained on high alert, gripping his gun again and pressing his back against the wall.
Soon, Bata came, but he didn’t bring Tan Rou; he came alone.
Zhuang Liu ran out of patience and asked, “Where is my friend?”
Gand smiled, looked up, “Your friend will be here soon.”
After he spoke, a group of Dawn guards jumped down from upstairs, each of them holding spear-like weapons.
“What is the meaning of this?” Zhuang Liu raised his gun again, “Gand, where is Tan Rou?”
Gand replied, “You ask them; they are the ones who captured Tan Rou just now. Ah, that poor girl—so delicate, not durable at all. Just a few hits with a stick and she fell to the ground motionless.”
“Impossible!” Zhuang Liu didn’t believe they could easily overpower Tan Rou, “You’re lying; Tan Rou couldn’t have been defeated by them!”
Gand agreed, “Miss Rou is indeed very formidable, but she’s just one person, how could she possibly stand against so many Dawn guards?”
Zhuang Liu’s mind buzzed anxiously, he couldn’t bear to think what would become of him if something had happened to Tan Rou.
“Tan Rou…” Zhuang Liu was lost in thought, his mind cluttered as he thought of their time together one moment, and Tan Rou’s injured form the next.
Seeing him distracted, Gand signaled the Dawn guards, who swarmed in front of Zhuang Liu. By the time Zhuang Liu reacted, he was already surrounded.
Someone struck him from behind and caused his eyes to see stars. Zhuang Liu shot and wounded one of the Dawn guards, but just as he prepared to fire a second shot, Gand spoke.
“I’ll kill that woman right now if you dare resist,” Gand shouted loudly.
Chapter 1610: 1609 this bit of skill
Zhuang Liu’s movements halted, and it was this brief pause that completely robbed him of his chance to win. Seven or eight Dawn guards rushed forward and pinned him to the ground.
Even in this disadvantageous situation, Zhuang Liu did not forget to ask about Tan Rou, “Where is Tan Rou?”
Gand laughed, “She may have died, or perhaps she has already escaped, but don’t worry, you two will soon be reunited. Then you can play your parts on this land and win a glorious future for our Dawn Society!”
“Dammit!” Zhuang Liu struggled twice more, but to no avail. Not only did he fail to break free, but the pressure on him was even tighter.
“How foolish,” Gand said, “a few words from me and your thoughts are in disarray. Such mental fortitude is ill-suited for achieving greatness. Let me help you, I’ll erase all the distracting thoughts in your mind, and from now on, you’ll have no more weaknesses.”
“Let me go!” Zhuang Liu cursed, “You despicable and shameless villain, Tan Rou isn’t even in your hands!”
“True,” Gand replied with a smile, “I don’t have her yet, but that might not be the case now. You’ve delivered yourself to my doorstep as a hostage, how could I not make good use of this?”
Zhuang Liu was extremely frustrated. He should have waited a bit longer; perhaps Tan Rou had already escaped and was outside looking for him.
“You are a brave man, and your marksmanship is very accurate,” Gand said with great satisfaction, “which is why you are perfect for serving our Dawn Society.”
“Who wants to take orders from your Dawn Society?” Zhuang Liu defiantly stated, “Even if I die, I won’t obey your commands!”
“That’s not up to you.” Gand tilted his chin, “Give him an injection, let him quiet down.”
A man resembling a doctor approached with a syringe filled with a transparent liquid.
Zhuang Liu knew it was nothing good, possibly a drug used to create zombies. If he were hit by that, there would be no going back. He did not want to become a test subject, much less a zombie.
“Bastards, let me go!” Zhuang Liu shouted.
Both his arms were pinned behind his back, and now three people were holding him down. No matter how much he struggled, he could not escape their grip.
Gand walked up to Zhuang Liu and signaled for the ones who captured him to lift him up, “You two are so hard to catch. I’ve exerted so much effort and still haven’t caught the woman Tan Rou, which has made me very angry. But no matter, I’ve trapped her, and in three days, she will obediently listen to us. As for you, you don’t need to wait three days; I can make you obedient right now.”
He personally picked up the syringe and said, “This contains our latest developed drug. Just one injection, and all your previous memories will vanish. From then on, you will follow our instructions, doing whatever we ask.”
“I would rather die than be manipulated by you,” Zhuang Liu fought back furiously but was beaten by Gand.
“Ugh… cough cough cough…” Zhuang Liu endured immense pain, “You… cough cough cough…”
Gand punched him in the stomach, a particularly vulnerable place, turning Zhuang Liu’s face pale from the blow.
“Quiet down, don’t bother me. My injection skills are very poor. If you keep moving, I might miss your vein,” Gand said.
As he spoke, he stuck the needle of the syringe into Zhuang Liu’s arm and was about to push the plunger when a gunshot exploded right by his ear. Suddenly, the syringe in his hand burst, and a bullet grazed his hand, immediately drawing blood.
Gand looked to the right, only to see someone crouching on the window sill. She held a gun, and her uncovered arm was still bleeding.
“Gand, is that all you’re capable of?” Tan Rou jumped down from the window; though her arm was injured, her hand was very steady, and the barrel of the gun pointed directly at Gand, unwavering.
Gand was extremely surprised, “How is this possible, how could you possibly have escaped?”
Tan Rou replied, “You’re a waste, but please don’t assume others are the same. A mere door is nothing more than a trick I’ve left for play.”