Chapter Sixteen: The Battlefield of Carnage, Hidden Ambitions

Early the next morning, Liao Zhong led Lao Meng along with a large group of company employees to Baise. Following a method similar to Xia Ye’s, he first had the other employees lie in ambush within the city, then used the captured peripheral member as bait, hoping to lure out the contact person.

Yet strangely, long past the scheduled time, no one appeared. Liao Zhong frowned and wondered aloud, “Could it be that they were discovered?”

Without hesitation, he immediately dispatched a squad deep into the forest. These were elite operatives trained by the company, highly skilled in tracking and concealment.

Soon, a report crackled over the radio: the squad had found a body about ten kilometers from the rendezvous point. The corpse was gruesomely torn in half, its death agonizing beyond words.

“Hmm?”

Seeing the returned photo, Liao Zhong’s eyes narrowed. The clothing unmistakably belonged to the Medicine Immortal Sect, and scattered around were remains of various venomous insects.

“There are no bite marks; it doesn’t look like the work of wild beasts. This must be human...” After brief analysis, he quickly formed a grim conclusion.

Undoubtedly, the Medicine Immortal Sect would never kill their own members. Even if they did, they would never leave a body behind for outsiders to find.

That left only one possibility—

“Someone beat the company to the Medicine Immortal Sect’s trail and struck first? Damn!”

Alarmed, he ordered at once:

“Everyone, listen up! Full mobilization—search the mountains!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Liao Zhong and Lao Meng charged into the forest. If his suspicion was correct, this was a case of disturbing the nest, and those slippery devils could have already fled.

There was no time to waste. He threw everything into the search efforts and called upon forces from nearby cities to help seal off the forest.

In no time, hundreds of personnel moved in coordinated squads deep into the woods, while backup teams secured the periphery, forming a vast tightening encirclement.

Not long after, about ten kilometers from the first body, they discovered a second corpse, its condition eerily similar. Liao Zhong’s doubts deepened.

From his experience twelve years ago, he knew well that if these people lost one member, the rest would be swiftly alerted and evacuate immediately. But two bodies in succession defied reason.

“Could it be that the enemy acted too quickly, leaving no time to escape?”

He pondered, yet across the entire realm of supernatural beings in China, only a handful possessed such speed and capability—and those were already under company surveillance.

Clutching this uncertainty, Liao Zhong pressed forward. Another ten kilometers in, a third corpse appeared, killed in the same brutal manner.

“This isn’t right...”

If the first two could be excused for surprise, the third was inexplicable. Sensing something was seriously wrong, he ordered an even faster advance deeper into the woods.

Over the next three hours, the company’s forces uncovered a total of twelve bodies. Following the line they formed further inward, a cave entrance came into view, flanked by two more corpses. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

Without hesitation, everyone stormed inside—and was immediately stunned by the horrifying scene within.

“What on earth is going on?!”

Staring at the carnage strewn across the floor, they stood frozen.

Meanwhile, aboard the train bound for Hangzhou, in a first-class soft sleeper cabin, Xia Ye wore a smile.

Beside him sat Chen Duo, while Xiao Zizai rested across from them, eyes closed, savoring the pleasures of the previous day.

Yesterday morning, after Xiao Zizai brought Chen Duo back, the two had taken a detour straight to the train station. Since real-name registration wasn’t yet required, they left no trace.

Thus concluded this bloody journey—swift and decisive, with a gratifying outcome.

After a full day’s observation, Xia Ye noted that Xiao Zizai’s physical form had improved considerably, his overall strength increasing by about fifty percent—a remarkable gain.

He also confirmed that the enhancement in Xiao Zizai’s body correlated directly with the strength of the victims slain; the stronger the opponent, the greater the growth. This was precisely the design Xia Ye had intended from the start.

In Xia Ye’s eyes, Xiao Zizai’s development could not rely solely on the quantity of kills—the quality mattered just as much. After all, challenging formidable foes was the very nature of an Asura: to grow stronger through battle and to become mightier when facing the powerful was the true path.

A thorough examination revealed no abnormalities in Xiao Zizai’s body; his condition was stable, internal systems harmonious, and functions balanced. There should be no problems in the short term.

Smiling softly at this, Xia Ye turned to Chen Duo, who sat quietly beside him, expressionless and motionless.

“Heh…”

Though she tried hard to maintain calm, the tension and fear within her were unmistakable. After all, she had never left that cave since childhood; the outside world was completely unknown.

Xia Ye understood clearly. Although the Medicine Immortal Sect sought to erase the humanity of the Gu Children, these were still individuals with independent thought. Without special methods, mere beating and scolding could only force the children to suppress their nature out of fear.

Such repression could hold while under control, but once freed, their true selves would grow wildly like untamed weeds. Even if their outward appearance remained unchanged, their inner world would upheave in a short time.

In Xia Ye’s memory, the original Chen Duo was just like this. After being rescued by Liao Zhong and Lao Meng and brought into the secret base, she came to understand the real world, began to shape her worldview, and thoughts blossomed within her.

These were all contrary to the Medicine Immortal Sect’s “teachings,” showing that Chen Duo was not beyond saving. Rather, due to company restrictions, Liao Zhong’s helplessness, and some self-righteousness, her mindset had ultimately veered into extremism and an irredeemable end.

Now, none of that had yet occurred. Everything could start anew.

Xia Ye had already devised a treatment plan and follow-up arrangements for Chen Duo.

In fact, not only for Xiao Zizai and Chen Duo, but also for the first batch of experimental subjects, he had long since identified candidates. Once they were located, progress could continue.

Of course, that was for later. The whereabouts of the others remained unknown, though a trustworthy agent was investigating. News would not come quickly.

Therefore, Xia Ye’s immediate focus was to continue recording Xiao Zizai’s data and prepare tailored “prescriptions” for Chen Duo. Psychological counseling and worldview reconstruction for her would take time, so there was no rush.

“Take it slow…”