Chapter 062: The One Named Tang
Not only did Kou Xiaohui fall victim, but Tang Mubai, taking advantage of the bar’s dim lighting, flicked a wisp of poison into the glasses of each of the others as well. After obtaining the “Poison Control” ability, Tang Mubai had extracted seven wisps of poison from the tainted food he’d eaten at lunch. Kou Xiaohui and his gang numbered only six. Having slipped a wisp into each of their drinks, Tang Mubai still had one left. This final wisp, he reserved for Kou Xiaohui’s brother-in-law, Du Yuankui, the captain of the Mighty Yuan Mercenary Group.
If all went as expected, Kou Xiaohui’s sudden death would likely drive Du Yuankui mad with rage. The captain, failing to quickly find the murderer, would almost certainly turn his wrath toward Tang Mubai and his little cousin. Having already risked danger once, Tang Mubai would not allow a second incident. Du Yuankui had to die.
Once the poison had been deployed, Tang Mubai walked away from Kou Xiaohui’s corner, moving toward the door at a leisurely pace. Behind him, Kou Xiaohui’s boisterous voice rang out, clear and loud.
“Alright, it’s settled! Bottoms up!”
“Best wishes for Brother Hui’s success!”
The clinking of glasses echoed from their corner. Then—
“Brother Hui, what's wrong?”
“Brother Ma, you… what’s happening… ah!”
A piercing scream from the hostess suddenly split the air, overpowering even the loud music. The crowd stirred.
“What’s going on?”
“Who the hell screamed so loud? Scared the crap out of me.”
“Looks like someone over there got drunk…”
People stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Kou Xiaohui’s group. Aside from the hostess, everyone else was either collapsed on the floor or slumped over the table, motionless, like dead pigs.
“Is this a mass blackout?” someone joked.
“No... They're not drunk...” the hostess stammered, trembling where she stood. “They’re dead! They’re dead!”
What?
The bar fell silent for a moment, then chaos erupted as the crowd rushed over to check. The manager, flustered, switched on the overhead lights, illuminating the whole bar. Under the glare, the scene became clear: each face bore a dark purple hue, white foam gathered at their lips, their mouths black as pitch, bodies twisted unnaturally, curled up like shrimp, rigid and contorted.
A hand reached out to check for breath…
“They’re really dead!”
“They’re really dead!”
Shrieks and screams echoed, and the vast bar was thrown into turmoil. Tang Mubai, already at the door, slipped out unnoticed.
[Detected loss of life force. Recycle?]
“Yes.”
[Life force +67]
[Life force +81]
[Life force +59]
[Life force +73]
[Life force +66]
[Life force +70]
Six lives, six notifications. In some twisted way, Tang Mubai owed “thanks” to Kou Xiaohui for sourcing such potent poison. A single wisp mixed into their drinks had sent all six straight to the afterlife.
The bar belonged to the Mighty Yuan Mercenary Group, so Kou Xiaohui’s death was immediately reported to their captain, Du Yuankui. He arrived in a rush. Tang Mubai blended in with the onlookers, lingering near the entrance, swaying his head as he peered inside. Du Yuankui barged in with his mercenaries, forcing through the crowd.
As they passed, Tang Mubai prepared to flick the final wisp of poison directly at Du Yuankui’s face—less than a meter away, there was no way he’d dodge, and he’d inevitably inhale some. Even a trace would be enough to bring him down, if not kill him outright.
But just as Tang Mubai was about to act, he suddenly heard an unusual, yet familiar, heartbeat. He’d only ever heard such a heartbeat from a half-beast. Its source was the burly man following closely behind Du Yuankui.
Instinctively, Tang Mubai halted, instead flicking a listening device into Du Yuankui’s pocket. He watched as Du Yuankui led his men into the bar, ordering his mercenaries to disperse the crowd.
Moving with the departing throng, Tang Mubai slipped across the street into a narrow alley, pulled out his phone, plugged in his earbuds, and listened to the bar’s happenings.
...
“What the hell happened here? Why did Xiaohui die of poisoning? And six dead at once!” Du Yuankui growled, barely containing his fury as he stared at the corpses.
“I... I don’t know,” the bar manager replied shakily. “No one saw how Brother Hui and the others got poisoned. The only witness is this Miss Zheng.” He gestured toward the trembling hostess.
“Speak!” Du Yuankui’s face was dark, his voice low and menacing. “Tell me exactly how Xiaohui and the others died, every detail!”
“Yes… yes.” The hostess, pale and quivering, stammered, “I… I was drinking with Brother Hui and his friends. They were celebrating… raised their glasses together, drank, and then… then they collapsed.”
“That’s it?” Du Yuankui pressed. “They took a sip and dropped dead?”
“Yes… yes,” the hostess whimpered. “Everything was fine before. After drinking, they just… just fell over.”
Du Yuankui sneered coldly. “Which bottle were they drinking?”
“This… this one,” the manager said, handing over a nearly empty bottle.
Du Yuankui shook the bottle, then abruptly thrust it toward the hostess. His expression was blank. “Drink it.”
With a thud, the hostess dropped to her knees, trembling as she kowtowed before Du Yuankui, sobbing and pleading, “No… it wasn’t me… I didn’t hurt Brother Hui… I didn’t…”
“Make her drink it,” Du Yuankui ordered, expressionless.
“Yes.”
Two burly men stepped forward, seized the hostess, and forced the remaining liquor down her throat.
“Mmm… mmm… cough cough!”
She struggled in vain, spitting out half and swallowing half, then collapsed, pale and shaking, eyes filled with despair.
But… nothing happened.
Du Yuankui waited, but her complexion remained unchanged; no purple tinge, no foaming at the mouth, and certainly not death.
His face grew even darker, while the manager quietly breathed a sigh of relief—it wasn’t the liquor. If the poison didn’t come from the drinks, then it had nothing to do with him.
Du Yuankui realized this as well. But if not the drinks, how did Kou Xiaohui get poisoned?
“You said they were celebrating—what were they celebrating?” Du Yuankui, simmering with anger, turned his cold gaze on the hostess.
“They… they were plotting to kill… kill someone,” she replied, voice trembling as if she’d just escaped death.
“Who?” Du Yuankui demanded icily.
“A… a cousin with the surname Tang…”