Chapter 995: Red Heart 6's Empty City Stratagem

Lan Yu, the Thief Saint.

Still dressed in Ying Fu's clothes, she walked directly to Chi Tong's office and pushed the door open.

"How did it go?" Chi Tong's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I've tested him," Lan Yu replied calmly. "He really hasn't recovered his memory. The Twilight Society members probably haven't made contact with him yet... or rather, even the Four K's are powerless against the King's abilities."

Hearing this, Chi Tong finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Lan Yu's recent test wasn't unfounded. Traces of the Twilight Society's Four K's had indeed been discovered in the Wuji Domain last night, and their appearance was, as described, strange and unpredictable. Otherwise, Chi Tong wouldn't have been so nervous. He was well aware of the Twilight Society's strength, especially the rumored Four K's; each of them was an eighth-tier, and they typically didn't appear. If they truly came because of the Six of Hearts, it meant the Twilight Society was taking things very seriously... This also implied that the Gray King and the Red King might also descend.

Currently, the Wuji Domain has five Judgment Delegates. Even if the Four K's showed up at their doorstep, Chi Tong wouldn't be afraid, but if the Red King and Gray King intervened, everything would change. With the Silver King absent, their current forces—along with a Wuji Lord forcibly controlled by the Silver King—would absolutely be no match for the Red King and Gray King!

"It's a relief Chen Ling hasn't caused any trouble," Chi Tong said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "External enemies surrounding us is one thing, but if problems arise internally, everything will fall apart..."

"Still, I don't understand," Lan Yu asked, "why did you have me impersonate Ying Fu to test him?"

"Ying Fu and Chen Ling entered the Wuji Domain together. Moreover, their relationship seemed quite good during the previous banquet... If Chen Ling had truly recovered his memory and knew that all Four K's of the Twilight Society had arrived, he would inevitably let down his guard. At that point, if Ying Fu proposed that the two of them secretly join forces, Chen Ling would almost certainly not refuse. After all, two are better than one in a fight."

Chi Tong looked at the four K cards on the table, his temples throbbing with a sense of utter exhaustion. First the Queen of Diamonds, now the Four K's; he knew the Twilight Society's high-tier combatants were all converging here, and he was merely a minor Thief Saint... This level of pressure would have long since overwhelmed anyone else.

"What can we do... We find them!" Chi Tong gritted his teeth. "We have five Judgment Delegates. Even if all Four K's are here, we're not afraid of them... We'll dig three feet into the ground to find them!"

"Understood."

As Lan Yu was about to leave, she seemed to remember something and casually tossed a document onto Chi Tong's desk.

"What's this?" Chi Tong now got a headache just seeing a document.

"My subordinates delivered this when I was just outside the door," Lan Yu explained. "Apparently, there was intense overtime at the dirty bomb factory recently, which led to worker error and the leakage of some radioactive elements... In any case, quite a few people must have fallen ill and need doctors."

"Just a few workers," Chi Tong replied, his attention clearly elsewhere, his tone extremely impatient. "If they're sick, they're sick. Where would we find so many doctors? Let them be."

"Oh."

Chen Ling once again set down his empty noodle bowl and burped contentedly. He turned his gaze toward the window, a faint light flickering in the depths of his eyes.

"Four K's..."

Ying Fu's words from moments ago echoed in Chen Ling's mind, his brain working at full speed.

Chen Ling didn't know that Ying Fu was an impersonation by Lan Yu. He was simply habitually cautious, and furthermore, he didn't trust Ying Fu at all... Ying Fu wasn't an ally, and rashly revealing his identity to join forces with him might not end well.

Of course, more importantly... Chen Ling didn't believe for a second that the Four K's had arrived in the Wuji Domain. It wasn't that Chen Ling doubted his senior siblings would come to rescue him; rather, he knew them too well. If they discovered he was trapped in Wuji, they would simply fight their way through and rescue him directly, not secretly scatter playing cards on the road in the middle of the night to create psychological pressure.

Chen Ling had only just fabricated a "Queen of Diamonds," and now, overnight, several more "K's" appeared. This familiar tactic immediately made Chen Ling guess the mastermind...

Fang Liangye.

"The 'empty fort strategy,' huh... It's not a bad method," Chen Ling mused. "However, it still lacks a bit of realism and impact..."

As Chen Ling walked out of the restaurant, he saw Hong Xiu, clad in an enforcer's trench coat, heading down the corridor. A thought sparked in his mind, and he smiled as he approached her:

"Miss Hong Xiu, where are you off to?"

Seeing Chen Ling deliberately stop her to speak, a peculiar expression appeared in Hong Xiu's eyes. She instinctively swept her gaze around with a quick glance, and after confirming they were alone, she nodded slightly:

"I'm going out for something..."

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling leaned close to her ear and whispered something.

"Hm?" Hong Xiu's expression was a bit odd. "Well... that's certainly possible..."

A smile spread across Chen Ling's face. "How far this play goes, Miss Hong Xiu, is entirely up to you."

Wuji Domain, Factory District.

Ordinary figures in factory uniforms shuffled slowly along the path to the mess hall. The vast procession resembled a horde of tired zombies, utterly devoid of energy.

Among the crowd, over a dozen individuals, sporting thick dark circles under their eyes, exchanged glances before silently beginning to move in the same direction. As the main group entered the mess hall, they slipped out from the side and quickly hurried towards a warehouse located at the back.

*Knock, knock, knock—*

Someone knocked on the warehouse's roll-up door.

"Who's there?"

The leading worker paused, thought for a moment, then spoke uncertainly: "I... uh... what was it again... Oh, I want to buy a sliver of hope."

As he spoke, the roll-up door opened a crack, and the group quickly slipped inside.

Under the dim light, Fang Liangye stood before a sealed window, turning to look at the dozen or so figures in work uniforms. They were all factory workers, but they also shared another identity: colleagues in the Human Rights Union. Like Fang Liangye, they had previously exhausted every means to contend with the Silver Government, striving to protect the human rights and safety of residents. They had tried every method: writing letters, petitioning, holding demonstrations, displaying banners. But, batch after batch, they had been imprisoned... The remaining individuals were mostly new members.

Under the Silver Government's intense oppression, there would always be those who remained clear-headed, and always those who dared to fight. Moreover, their numbers were growing.

"Mr. Fang! You're incredible!"

The leading worker, a dirty boy who looked no older than sixteen, gazed at Fang Liangye with immense excitement. "We followed your instructions, secretly pulled the main switch and then scattered a few playing cards on the road... Those dogs from the Silver Government were actually scared witless today! Hahahahaha!!!"