Translator: CinderTL
Even the muscular man had succumbed to the rhythm. Perhaps due to his dance training, his movements were surprisingly more seductive than the women's.
Watching her two strongest allies start dancing, Xia Meng pressed herself against the wall, fear finally surfacing on her face.
She hadn't yet fallen under the rhythm's spell, not because she was strong, but because the cowboy didn't want her to.
Clutching her phone, she immediately dialed a number, her heart pounding in her throat as she waited for the call to connect.
"Uncle Gong, please pick up!"
To Xia Meng's surprise, the cowboy made no move to stop her. Instead, he sauntered over to the chair she had been sitting in, settled down, and waved dismissively, as if assuring her he wouldn't interfere.
The call disconnected automatically after ringing repeatedly.
Xia Meng's hand fell limply to her side. She understood now: something must have happened to Gong Zhe. Otherwise, Uncle Gong, who had always protected her, would never ignore her call, especially in such an emergency.
"What have you done to Uncle Gong?" Xia Meng demanded. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she added, "No, wait... how could you possibly harm him?"
Xia Meng had unwavering faith in Gong Zhe's abilities. This pillar of strength for the Xia Family, a man who served as their anchor, was virtually unbeatable.
"Miss Xia, don't overthink this. To be frank, defeating him won't be easy, but delaying him—preventing him from arriving on time—that we can manage." The cowboy adjusted his hat and pulled a brown paper bag from his coat. "And this time, we've come with genuine sincerity."
He opened the bag and emptied its contents onto the table: a thick stack of papers clipped together like a file.
"This contains detailed information on the Night Watchers' sleeper agents within the Xia Family, including their communication channels with headquarters and meeting times and locations."
"Of course, I mentioned all this before. Now, please take a look at this." The cowboy tore open the second brown paper bag he had brought.
Xia Meng's pupils constricted sharply.
Taped to the inside of the bag was a single sheet of crimson paper.
"We've heard the Xia Family is desperately searching for a Gate that has been completely corrupted. We suspect Gong Zhe's body is in serious trouble," the cowboy said.
With considerable effort, Xia Meng tore her gaze from the Red Paper and studied the man before her. After a moment, she whispered, "What do you want us to do?"
The cowboy raised a finger and pointed toward the window. "We need to extract someone from there."
Xia Meng followed the cowboy's gesture, her gaze settling on the lush, untouched forest behind the villa, where few, if any, had ever ventured.
Her expression grew troubled. She was weighing the consequences, mindful that she now represented the Xia Family. Once this deal was struck, there would be no turning back for either party.
But Uncle Gong...
Biting her lip, Xia Meng finally raised her head, her eyes hardening with resolve. She nodded firmly at the cowboy. "Alright, it's a deal!"
Though only a handful within the Xia Family truly knew the mountain's secrets, Xia Meng, as its heir, was undoubtedly among them. She had only recently learned the truth from Uncle Gong.
Hidden deep in the mountain was a stone structure known as the Stone House. Within its walls resided the Xia Family's most crucial prisoner—Xia Meng's own relative.
To be precise, it was her uncle, Xia Tan.
Unfortunately, Xia Tan had been completely corrupted, transformed into a cursed, animated corpse burdened with a Gate, his body radiating a potent curse.
According to the ancient pact among the Night Watcher families, any member, regardless of status, who succumbed to total corruption, must be unconditionally eliminated.
The pact itself was sound, but the problem lay with the people who upheld it.
His uncle's transformation was entirely due to a conspiracy orchestrated by other Night Watcher families, simply because he opposed the Abyss Plan.
Decades ago, when the Abyss Plan was first proposed, Xia Tan was its most vehement opponent.
In his view, exploring the Abyss was merely a pretext for a select few to indulge their ambitions. They sought to wield the Power of the Door without facing the consequences.
If they truly opened that Gate, allowing the Abyss to erode the fabric of reality and ultimately merge the two worlds, what would happen?
In this new world, the Disciples of the Door would wield its power unchecked, free from the fear of backlash. The entire world would fall under the control of these Gate-bearers, shattering the existing order as they established new rules.
No longer would those who possessed the Gate be seen as short-lived, uncontrollable anomalies, simultaneously exploited and feared by ordinary people.
Instead, they would stand atop the highest towers of the cities, gazing down upon the masses—the sole gods of this world!
Moreover, blessed by the Gate, these gods would possess lifespans beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.
The Abyss Plan was everything to the Night Watchers.
That made sense. What right did a group of ordinary, defenseless people have to criticize the gods? They deserved only to cower on the ground, trembling, and kneel to kiss the gods' feet.
His thoughts seemed to fragment into countless pieces. When the Cowboy mentioned Xia Tan, he uncharacteristically abandoned his usual playful demeanor, his expression turning solemn.
"Uncle has been completely corrupted," Xia Meng said, looking at the Cowboy. "He's lost all consciousness and can't remember anyone or anything. He won't last much longer."
The Cowboy straightened his collar, stood up, and gazed down at Xia Meng. "A lion should die in the bloody hunting grounds, not in a cage."
Only after the Cowboy had left the villa grounds did Xia Meng snap out of her reverie.
Her attention had been so focused on the Cowboy that she hadn't fully grasped the horror the perpetually dancing guards had endured.
Some had already fainted, their eyes rolled back, heads lolling limply to the side, drool still trickling from their mouths. Yet their limbs continued to twitch and sway to some unseen, unheard rhythm, like living zombies.
The moment the Cowboy stepped outside the villa's perimeter, the dancing figures seemed to receive a simultaneous command. They collapsed instantly, their bodies going limp.
The corridor was littered with bodies, lying motionless like corpses.
Beep—
The call was answered almost instantly. The Cowboy walked alone down the path, an earpiece clipped to his left ear.
"No. 2," a lazy voice drawled from the other end of the line, though the timbre suggested it belonged to a child. "Is the job done?"
The Cowboy narrowed his eyes, exhaled, and replied, "Just as you predicted, Xia Meng had a backup plan. Fortunately, we intercepted Gong Zhe in time."
"Hehe, don't be so tense, okay? You need to trust my abilities," the lazy voice chuckled, with the faint sound of cards shuffling in the background.
(End of the Chapter)
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