That person was Serena, the CEO of Serena Group.Ozark remembered clearly that Serena was in the lab when they began their operation. They had timed their plan to coincide with her presence, just in case.If he could not get the hard drive, he could at least capture Serena. That would still count as completing the mission.After all, Serena Group would not ignore Serena's fate, and she surely knew the password.Ozark recalled seeing Serena's position before the chaos erupted. She should be nearby, probably still in this lab.He had not seen her outside when he slipped in during the confusion.Typically, in a lab emergency, security would prioritize protecting Serena. The guards searching during the chaos must have been looking for someone.The answer was obvious.Furious, Ozark kicked the safe hard, venting his frustration. His eyes coldly scanned the surroundings.The smoke in the lab had mostly cleared, visibility improving to about four or five meters and continuing to get better.S
"The Flame King?"Serena frowned as worry consumed her.The Flame King was supposed to be dead.She didn't know what was going on."Hurry up! Or I'll kill you right now!"Ozark knew that taking Serena hostage was a scare tactic. Kidnapping her would make it too obvious, and he would likely get caught before they even left the lab.Time was pressing. He had to force the password out of her quickly, or the situation could worsen for him.Ozark had no intention of showing mercy. His strong hands clamped around Serena's neck, his teeth gritted in a menacing snarl, "Tell me! If you don't, you’ll die!"Serena struggled to breathe as Ozark's grip tightened around her neck, her pale face turning bright red.His brutal handling made Serena feel the imminent threat of death. She wanted to breathe but couldn't."One last chance. Tell me, or I'll strangle you right now!"Ozark's grip tightened. In the worst-case scenario, he would kill her and then blow up the entire underground lab. Ev
It was not over yet.Xayne's iron fist landed squarely on Ozark's chest.With just one punch, Ozark's chest caved in completely, blood gushing out uncontrollably.Then, the second punch followed.The third punch came right after, collapsing Ozark's chest entirely.Ozark opened his mouth and spewed a mouthful of blood.Xayne showed no mercy, his body covered in blood splatters.After three punches, Ozark's ribs were all shattered, his internal organs pulverized. No divine intervention could save him now.Serena slumped on the ground and gasped for air, her vision blurry. She saw Xayne furiously venting his rage as the lab filled with the stench of blood.Ozark lay in a pool of blood, lifeless, his eyes wide open in death.Xayne walked over to Serena, observing her flushed face. "How are you? Are you okay?"Serena took a deep breath, holding her neck. She looked at Xayne and shook her head. "I'm fine. How is he?""Dead," Xayne replied coldly, glancing at Ozark's body.Serena
"There's smoke everywhere! It must be on fire! You all need to get in there and save people!"The researcher fled in panic, not even glancing back to see what was happening inside the lab. All he saw was billowing smoke, and then everyone started running out. Nobody knew what was going on inside.Hearing about the fire, Dinko broke out in a cold sweat. Usually, he and his buddies just lazed around and collected their paychecks, but the emergency today was a wake-up call.Grabbing the researcher by the collar, Dinko shouted, "Where's the CEO?! Did anyone see the CEO?""I don’t know! Everyone was busy running, the smoke was too thick to see anything! I have no idea where the CEO is!" The researcher replied helplessly, his face pale from shock."Cowards," Dinko muttered. Though he usually slacked off, just earning a paycheck, he was not afraid of a crisis like this. He knew that if something happened to the CEO, he would be the first to get fired. He had finally climbed up to the pos
Serena sat on the couch, gently touching her neck. Her mind was filled with the image of Xayne covered in blood. She could not help but zone out.When she recalled the scene in the lab, especially the critical moment when Xayne appeared, her eyes sparkled with a sense of happiness.In no time, Xayne returned, holding a small medicine bottle. He held up the red bottle and said, "Stay still."Serena immediately straightened up, obediently sitting like a well-behaved child. Upon closer inspection, her neck was as fair as snow, with bruises starkly visible, some even seeping blood."This medicine will heal the scars and regenerate the skin. It's very effective," Xayne said as he poured some of the liquid into his hand and rubbed his palms together to warm it up. "My wife is so beautiful, it wouldn’t be right for her neck to have scars."Hearing this, Serena looked up at Xayne, her eyes shining brightly."It might sting a bit at first, but then it'll feel cool. Just bear with it," Xay
"I'll go with you." Serena insisted as she stood up. She knew what Xayne was about to do and wanted to see it for herself.Xayne shook his head, looking at Serena with a gentle yet firm gaze. "No, you can't go. Stay here and wait."Xayne knew Serena was smart, and his eyes showed a hint of tenderness as he looked at her. However, this tenderness was coupled with an undeniable resolve. "The scene will be pretty gruesome. You're a woman, and it might leave you with nightmares," he explained.After all, there was one person severely injured and another dead. Xayne intended to use some brutal methods to uncover the mastermind behind the attack. Bringing Serena along would not be appropriate and could complicate his plans."But they came here to kill me," Serena stubbornly insisted. She walked up to Xayne, looking into his eyes with determination. "This is related to me. I have to go!"Xayne frowned, feeling helpless. "All right, but I'm warning you, it's going to be bloody. If you can
Xayne did not pay attention to how Serena was reacting. Instead, he crouched beside Ozark's corpse. Sometimes, corpses tell the underlying truth. He ripped open Ozark's lab coat, exposing his entire body. Pale skin, some bruising, and a completely collapsed chest that felt soft and squishy like cotton.Serena frowned with a nauseating urge, but she stood her ground. Xayne examined the body thoroughly. Aside from some wounds, there were no other distinguishing marks or identifiers.'No tattoos or marks to indicate his affiliation with a killer organization?'Xayne shook his head and walked to the unconscious Ziglar, giving him a few kicks. Ziglar awoke in pain, gasping as the agony in his knees and shoulders hit him.Opening his eyes, he saw Xayne's smiling face and instinctively assumed a defensive posture. However, moving aggravated his wounds, causing blood to gush out."I advise you not to move. It'll speed up your blood loss and lead to shock," Xayne said while grinning. His k
"Ask away. I'll tell you everything I know."Ziglar hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage to agree. He could not afford to gamble. He did not know what this man in front of him would do to him. For him, time equaled life. He hoped that by being forthright, he might gain some mercy.However, Ziglar was wrong. From the start, Xayne had no intention of letting him go."Who are you? Or rather, where are you from?" Xayne asked, thinking of the first question."We're from Deathly Stingers, a nationwide assassin organization," Ziglar replied, hoping the name of his organization would intimidate Xayne. But to his surprise, Xayne did not even flinch, not even a slight change in his expression.Ziglar assumed Xayne was not familiar with assassin organizations, so he exaggerated further. "Assassin organizations are nothing like street gangs. We're worlds apart. Street fights are child's play compared to us. Ozark and I are top-tier assassins in Deathly Stingers, which ranks among