Chapter 124: The Real Business Behind the Scenes

The girl currently held unconscious in the hands of Seventh Brother was the very same one I had watched him seize.

I blinked at him. If I allowed myself to be controlled by him now, it wouldn't just be me—the girl would also be in grave danger. Therefore, I chose to do the exact opposite.

I shrugged, one corner of my mouth curling up. "Go ahead and kill her. I'm not a police officer. What does your killing have to do with me? Saving her isn't my goal; my goal is either to capture you or to kill you."

"Of course," I added, pointing a finger at the girl in his arms, "you killing her just gives me a reason to execute you on the spot."

As I spoke, I scanned the room. Seeing a stool nearby, I picked it up and sat down. Then, I gestured for him to proceed. "Go ahead, do it. I’m watching. If you’re going to act, hurry up—I’m still waiting to go home for dinner."

Seventh Brother’s palms began to sweat, and beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead. He hesitated, his eyes locked on mine, trying to discern from my face whether I truly didn't care about the girl's life.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't read a thing. He swallowed hard, breathing heavily. The atmosphere was stifling for him. Although my Killing Intent Curse had a time limit, it was more than enough to deal with him, so I wasn't worried in the least.

Seeing that he remained motionless, I sighed deeply. As I stood up, I reached over and switched off the body camera on my chest.

"Since you won't do it, I'll take over. If you kill her and I’m too late to stop it, I’ll just have to avenge her by killing you."

I drew back a fist and slammed it into the wooden table in front of me. The table splintered and collapsed instantly. Seventh Brother froze; only then did he realize just how intense the murderous intent in my eyes truly was.

The killing was a bluff, but the intent was real. In that moment, I desperately wanted to vent all my rage upon him.

"I surrender! Spare me! Please, spare me!"

Seeing me approach step by step, Seventh Brother released the girl’s throat and fell to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.

I grinned. Truth be told, given Seventh Brother's skills, while I could capture him, a direct confrontation would have taken some effort. The reason things were playing out this way was because of my reputation. I wasn't a celebrity, but the name Jiang Huai had already spread through the Golden Cicada Society. Uncle Li, He Chuan, Wang Sheng, and Xiao Bei—all of them had fallen at my hands. Even Lin Feng hadn't been able to do anything to me.

The psychological fear caused Seventh Brother to abandon all resistance the moment he realized who I was, especially when faced with a choice between life and death. There are no people who aren't afraid of death; there are only those who are willing to face it. Unfortunately, Seventh Brother was not one of them.

I looked down at him and hoisted him up with one hand. "I ask, you answer. Don't waste my time."

He nodded frantically. "As long as you don't kill me, I'll say anything! I don't want to die!"

I sneered. "You know Qin Nian, right? His wife was taken by you people at your clothing store."

"I know, I know! I know him!"

"Where is his wife?"

"His wife is in the Corpse Pool! She’s been dead for years!"

Although I had already suspected as much, hearing it confirmed from his own lips still made me sigh. Qin Nian had searched so bitterly; if he found out the truth, what would become of him? The belief that Yu Hong was still alive was his only reason for living.

I pursed my lips. "Where is the Corpse Pool? What kind of place is it?"

"I... I don't know where it is exactly. I only know the Corpse Pool is where we discard useless bodies."

"Useless bodies?" I blinked and continued, "What is the Golden Cicada Society actually trying to achieve by kidnapping people like this?"

"Transferring karma!" Seventh Brother blurted out without hesitation. "Many people—many people seek us out. They want their next life to be better, so they pay us a fortune to cooperate with them. They want to transfer the karma from their own bodies so they can have a better reincarnation!"

"What?" I arched an eyebrow. "Is that the kind of business the Golden Cicada Society does?"

Seventh Brother nodded, then shook his head. "It's... no, no... it's... it's to achieve immortality!"

Immortality? A jarring word. I knew the Golden Cicada Society was composed of madmen, but I never imagined they had sunk to such a depraved level.