Start with push-ups to gain experience

The bustling Jiangdong commercial district.

Skyscrapers stand tall, and the traffic flows like colorful beetles, crawling forward head to tail.

Inside the top-floor office of one of the high-end office buildings.

The central air conditioning vents emitted a low hum and exhaled bursts of cold air.

The slats of the Venetian blinds cut the sunlight into horizontal stripes, casting it obliquely onto the expensive carpet.

On the large leather sofa in the office, a very obese man was slumped in.

Despite the already low indoor temperature, his chubby face was still covered in sweat.

He clutched a crumpled handkerchief in his hand, wiping his forehead and thick neck incessantly.

His tie was pulled crookedly, rising and falling with his heavy breathing.

Sitting opposite him was a handsome young man with gloomy eyes.

He held an empty glass in his hand, his lips pressed tightly into a straight line.

The two occasionally looked up, their eyes meeting briefly in mid-air before immediately looking away as if electrocuted.

No one spoke; the only sound in the spacious office was their breathing.

The two were Feng Jincai and Zhuo Feng, who had survived the Noah Building catastrophe and disappeared for many days.

This place is the newly opened base of the Noah Organization's Eastern Capital branch.

The experience of escaping from the ruins of that building that night was like a nightmare that I could never shake off.

As long as Feng Jincai closes his eyes, he can almost see the fierce battle, smell the strong stench of blood and the dust of burning concrete.

After the laboratory was destroyed, the special search team, like a pack of wolves, searched the entire city for members of the Noah Organization.

Many strongholds were raided in succession, and a large number of cadres and peripheral leaders were arrested.

If it weren't for the Xiao family extending an olive branch at a crucial moment, providing assistance and covert channels...

As the branch station chief, he would probably have been arrested by the special search team long ago and imprisoned in that infamous black jail.

Although the losses have been heavy, the Dongdu branch has managed to retain a sliver of vitality thanks to the protection of the Xiao family.

A week ago, the Noah board of directors finally issued its accountability measures.

Deduct Feng Jincai's three years of performance bonuses and cut off all supply of high-grade medicines.

The punishment may seem insignificant, but Feng Jincai knew exactly what was going on.

The Eastern Capital is now a complete mess, a storm's eye.

Highly capable officials avoid it like the plague, fearing they might get tainted by its scandal.

Those who lack ability, even if they want to take over, can't control the situation.

In the end, they still had to keep him, this veteran of the branch, to atone for his crimes.

The instructions from above were very clear.

Apart from desperately protecting a few core assets such as Noah Pharmaceuticals, the company must undergo a comprehensive downsizing within at least one year, awaiting further instructions from headquarters.

Feng Jincai raised his hand, grabbed his collar, wiped his sweat, and let out a long breath.

He knew very well that once the situation had completely calmed down, the board's final punishment would come sooner or later.

But he couldn't care less about that anymore.

My only thought now is to weather this storm and find a quiet retirement home to live a peaceful life.

As for promotions, titles, and family honors, to hell with them all.

Feng Jincai looked exhausted, his obese body shrank into the sofa, and a hint of hope flashed in his eyes.

Since I still have value to the organization, it means that my life can be saved for the time being.

As for how things will develop in the future, we can only wait and see.

Zhuo Feng, sitting opposite him, picked up his empty water glass, about to take a sip, but found it was empty and put it back in frustration.

His gaze went past Feng Jincai's shoulder and fixed on the wall clock.

The ticking of the second hand seemed to constantly pound on his nerves.

The scene from that night kept flashing through Zhuo Feng's mind.

That demon god whose body was engulfed in crimson flames and who wore a demon mask.

That devastating, overwhelming power, capable of smashing buildings with a single punch, shattered all his pride as a genius newcomer to Noah.

During this period, he used all his connections to send more than a dozen secret letters to his backers at headquarters, requesting to be transferred from the Dongdu branch.

The result was like a stone sinking into the sea; not even a punctuation mark of rejection was received.

Zhuo Feng irritably tugged at his tightly tied tie, cursing inwardly:
"This is absolutely terrible luck!"

I came to Dongdu to gain prestige after listening to others, but now I haven't gained any benefits and have become a pawn that could be crushed at any time.

The two men were not sitting here idly; they were waiting for a powerful figure who could determine their future.

"Why haven't they arrived yet?"

Zhuo Feng poured himself a glass of water, gulped it down, and then slammed the glass down heavily on the coffee table.

The glass made a crisp sound when it collided.

"Stay calm."

Feng Jincai struggled to shift his obese body, and the leather sofa creaked in protest.

He lowered his voice, his eyes gleaming as he gave his instructions:

"When they arrive, keep your eyes peeled. Remember the story we went over before?"

"I remember."

Zhuo Feng took two deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the anxiety in his heart, and repeated word by word:

"Jiasangyi went mad while trying to reach S-rank and completely lost his mind. He and Luo Lie colluded in secret, trying to conceal the progress of the experiment, embezzle the Scarlet Eye, and also provoked Bai Xiao's revenge, which ultimately led to the collapse of the inner world... All these disasters were caused by the two of them."

Feng Jincai nodded in satisfaction, a slight smile curving his thick lips.

The dead cannot speak, and Jasanyi, who has gone mad, is even less likely to argue.

As long as he sticks to this story, even if that important person personally questions him about what happened before, he can still clear himself of all wrongdoing.

Knock, knock.

Two short knocks suddenly sounded, like heavy hammer blows to their hearts.

As if powered by a spring, Feng Jincai's bulky body instantly sprang up from the sofa.

Zhuo Feng also stood up abruptly and quickly straightened the hem of his suit jacket.

"Please come in!"

Feng Jincai shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes instantly filled with a fawning smile.

With a creak, the heavy solid wood door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man with a thin frame, wearing a black trench coat, strode in.

His eyes were deep-set, and his nose was high and straight like an eagle's beak.

Two sharp eyes swept across the room, and the person exuded a chilling aura of someone who had spent years wandering among corpses.

"Lord Night Owl, you must be tired from your journey!"

Feng Jincai immediately stepped forward, bending his body into a shrimp-like shape and gesturing with his hands to invite him.

Night Owl gave him a cold glance and let out a soft snort.

He completely ignored Feng Jincai's polite words, walked straight to the large executive chair behind the desk, sat down with an air of arrogance.

Feng Jincai showed no anger on his face; instead, he bent his back even lower.

You must understand that the man before you is one of the leaders of the internationally renowned assassin organization "Black Shark," and also an honorary director registered on the Noah Board of Directors. In this vast chain of interests, even if Luo Lie were to come back from the dead, he wouldn't dare to be negligent towards this person and would have to treat him with utmost courtesy.

"Lord Night Owl."

Feng Jincai rubbed his hands together, mustered his courage, and peeked into the corridor outside the door. Then, he cautiously approached the desk.

"That important person you mentioned before... hasn't he arrived in Dongdu yet?"

Night Owl's eyes suddenly turned cold, staring intently at Feng Jincai like a venomous snake:
"Is it something you can just ask about what's going on up there?"

"Yes, yes, I was too talkative, I deserve to be punished!"

Sweat beaded on Feng Jincai's forehead. He quickly raised his hand and pretended to slap his fat face twice, then retreated to the side with an embarrassed smile.

Night Owl withdrew his gaze, his eyes passing over the desk and landing on Zhuo Feng, who stood there like a wooden stake:
"Have you made any progress on those people I asked you to investigate last time?"

Zhuo Feng was startled, quickly stepped forward, and bowed slightly in reply:

"Reporting to you, sir, we used our internal police network to investigate the household registration database. Through comparison of body shape and facial features, we have temporarily identified several suspects."

"but……"

He paused here, then hesitated slightly before saying:
"These individuals are either elusive or of ordinary background, and we have yet to find conclusive evidence to confirm that they are Bai Xiao's accomplices."

Upon hearing this, Night Owl frowned, his impatience becoming increasingly apparent.

"but!"

Zhuo Feng's speech suddenly quickened, and fearing he might offend the other party, he quickly added:
"Two of them are indeed highly suspicious. We sent people to keep watch on them secretly and found a young female teacher named 'Lin Chuqiao' and a rich young man named 'Pan Wendi' whose characteristics closely match the intelligence."

"Moreover, they have all been in close contact with that key target named 'Fang Cheng' recently!"

"Pan Wendi? Young master?"

Night Owl slightly raised his eyelids and asked in confusion, "Could it be someone from the Pan family?"

Zhuo Feng nodded heavily:
"They are indeed members of the Pan family."

Feng Jincai, standing to the side, couldn't help but interject:
"If these two are indeed Bai Xiao's accomplices, could it be that the Aristocratic Alliance is secretly plotting to cause trouble for Noah?"

Night Owl didn't answer, his thin arm resting on the armrest of the seat as he fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Zhuo Feng continued his report:

"Sir, we've also found out about that key target named Fang Cheng. He recently signed up for the Special Search Team's spring recruitment selection exam."

"It is said that his performance in all assessments was outstanding, and he has already attracted the attention of the high-ranking officers of the Special Search Team, who consider him a promising talent."

"Another special investigation team? Heh..."

Night Owl paused slightly upon hearing this, then a mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth:

"It seems my guess was right. That masked white owl is definitely Fang Shijie, who defected back then."

"He's trying to get his son to pass the exam and put on an official facade. This self-deceiving tactic can only fool ordinary people."

As he spoke, he suddenly straightened up, his gaze coldly fixed on Zhuo Feng:

"When your people went to investigate the target, did they arouse the other party's suspicion?"

A layer of cold sweat seeped out of Zhuo Feng's back, and he shook his head repeatedly:

“Absolutely not. Our people are very vigilant. They only dare to conduct clandestine visits under the guise of community screening. They have never dared to get within 500 meters of them while keeping watch.”

Upon hearing this, Night Owl nodded slightly and leaned back in his chair again.

Silence fell over the office.

The central air conditioning blew a cool breeze.

Despite his exceptional physical abilities, the Night Owl couldn't help but shiver.

In a daze, images of the unfinished buildings in the eastern suburbs flooded my mind again.

That dark red mushroom cloud that tore through the night, that terrifying figure that fell from the sky, engulfed in golden flames, and crashed onto the television tower.

Even Ghost Scythe, a killing machine with near-Super S-class strength and capable of unleashing an infinite explosion domain, was blasted into nothingness by that demon-like man.

The owl's heart skipped a beat.

With the remnants of Noah's organization's Eastern Capital branch, plus his few Black Shark assassins, going up against that monster would be a death sentence.

Unless Lord Claude is willing to take action personally, anyone who goes will face certain death.

But his boss was eccentric and mysterious, so he dumped this scouting mission on him, a mission that could cost him his life at any moment.

The owl rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.

I wonder where Lord Claude is now...

Time passed by, second by second.

Feng Jincai waited for a long time before quietly raising his head and cautiously glancing at Night Owl in the main seat.

Seeing the other person's uncertain expression and the deep apprehension hidden in their eyes, he finally couldn't hold back any longer. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked:
"Lord Night Owl, now that we've figured out the target's situation, has the higher-ups given any instructions... when do we plan to make our move?"

Night Owl's eyes snapped open, his gaze sweeping across Feng Jincai's face like a blade:
"Who told you I was going to make a move?!"

"Uh……"

Feng Jincai was so choked by this sudden outburst of rage that he opened his mouth speechlessly, his fat jiggling as he swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"Ling Shaofeng of the Special Investigation Team is a cunning old fox with a keen sense of smell, and Bai Xiao is an even more ruthless and cunning monster!"

Night Owl pressed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and shouted sternly:
"Acting rashly at this time will lead to the same disaster that your Dongdu branch caused before, where you were wiped out completely!"

Feng Jincai was scolded until his face turned red, and he could only nod and agree.

The owl sat up straight and gave the order in a chilling tone:

"Pass the order: cease all operations except for the ongoing intelligence investigation. Until the trouble with the Special Investigation Team and the Aristocratic Alliance is completely resolved, the Noah Organization's current principle is to keep a low profile and avoid trouble. Do you understand?"

"Understood, understood! We will resolutely carry out the instructions from above!"

Feng Jincai made repeated statements.

He agreed verbally with feigned trepidation, but inwardly he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he breathed a long sigh of relief.

He'd be happy to be scolded every day as long as he doesn't have to face that living devil who can demolish buildings with his bare hands.

After Night Owl finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhuo Feng:

"Now I'm giving you a new mission: send a few clean informants to infiltrate the special investigation team. Whether they work as clerks or cleaners, find opportunities to get close to that target named Fang Cheng. Remember, you are only allowed to observe, and you are not allowed to alert him."

Feng Jincai's eyes darted around, and he tentatively asked:
"You're preparing to..."

"It wasn't me who prepared it; it's just that the higher-ups are very interested in this person."

Night Owl coldly interrupted him, then warned:

"If you can't even handle this small matter properly, then you might as well find a place to slit your own throats."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Feng immediately straightened his chest and replied:
"Don't worry, Lord Night Owl. Our East Capital branch already had an infiltration plan and had sent several people with completely clean identities to participate in this special search team selection."

"With a little behind-the-scenes maneuvering, we can at least ensure that one or two people successfully join the Special Investigations Team and complete the mission to get closer to our target!"

"He's still quite sharp."

Upon hearing this, the owl's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little, and a rare hint of appreciation appeared on his face:
"You two do your best to handle this matter well, and I'll put in a good word for you with the Noah board of directors."

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Night Owl!"

"I am willing to die for you, sir!"

Feng Jincai and Zhuo Feng were immediately overjoyed, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.

"Ah."

Night Owl leaned back in the large executive chair, his eyes slightly closed, his fingers interlaced and resting on his abdomen.

While pondering Lord Claude's whereabouts, the image of that man who made his heart tremble also surfaced in his mind. (End of Chapter)