Chapter 350: Woman in Black
Xiao Luo’s tremendous kick had sent Ren Maohua’s body soaring toward them like a speeding car. Caught unawares and rooted where they stood, several NSA members braced themselves, keeping their hands ready to cus.h.i.+on the impact. But when Ren Maohua’s body smashed into the NSA soldiers, they were thrown off in several directions like a bowling ball cras.h.i.+ng into tenpins.
After plowing through like a cannonball, Ren Maohua hit the ground and continued to tumble out of control for another three to four meters before coming to a halt. The hard, bare surface of the field was unforgiving, and Ren Maohua’s clothes were tattered, suffering lacerations all over his body. He looked a sorry sight as he lay slumped on the ground and panting hard.
Ren Maohua was a highly trained Grade-A agent, and he was tough and hardy. Had it been any other average fighter, Xiao Luo’s blow would have sent them to kingdom come.
The onlookers, all trained NSA fighters themselves, could not believe what they had just seen and were stupefied. Only moments ago, Ren Maohua clearly had the upper hand and had Xiao Luo on the defensive. Ren Maohua was about to deliver the coup de grace with a powerful strike to Xiao Luo’s chest when suddenly, a single kick to Ren Maohua’s neck threw him more than ten meters away.
How did the tide turn so abruptly? Who was this guy? Was he also a Grade-S Soldier?
All eyes were on the motionless figure standing alone in the ground. Everyone was still in a state of shock for Ren Maohua was a notable Grade-A Soldier, and fighters like him did not get beaten easily. Doubtlessly, this man was a Grade-A Soldier, what else could he be?
Watching intently from the fourth floor of the office building, Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu were staggered.
Behind them, another man, well-built and rippling with muscles, stood watching the fight silently. He had short hair, eyes that brimmed with self-confidence, and a healthy glow to his skin, which had the color of yellow jade. His physique was intimidating, and he emanated the unmistakable aura of a man who feared nothing.
“Mr. Gu, Mr. Dongfang, where did this man come from? He’s quite impressive—being able to send that fool, Ren Maohua, flying through the air in that way is no mean feat. Although Ren Maohua isn’t really a full-fledged Grade-A Soldier, he has already been fully trained as one. So, for this man to deal with Ren Maohua in such a way means he’s no common person.”
The well-built man spoke unhurriedly in a deep, hoa.r.s.e voice. There was innate confidence in the way he spoke—a slurred, monotonous speech that made it seem like he wasn’t trying to be heard—but expected to be listened to.
“He is Mie!”
Gu Zhanguo said while keeping his gaze at Xiao Luo in the ground below, his eyes filled with uncontained excitement. Xiao Luo, yet again, surprised him with another incredible performance. From Ji Siying’s field report, Gu Zhanguo had long speculated that Xiao Luo could belong to the Grade-S category. From what he had just witnessed, Xiao Luo had entirely proven that he was indeed a Grade-S operator, which implied that the NSA had now found themselves another top-ranked soldier. This was an extremely welcoming piece of news.
“What… he is ‘Mie?"”
The well-built man had a look of surprise in his eyes as he nodded appreciatively. Being one of the NSA’s top agents, he was, naturally, privy to highly sensitive information that was not disseminated to the other ranks. In fact, “Mie” was known only to a select few, and Gu Zhanguo had only mentioned this name to him on his return to headquarters last year. He was briefed on Mie’s impressive combat capabilities in dispatching Long Sankui, of Jiangcheng City. Mie had single-handedly slaughtered the notorious crime boss and an army of his bodyguards in a horrific ma.s.sacre.
A smile broke on the well-built man’s face, and he said, “How interesting… I’ve been looking forward to meeting him for some time. Now, I finally get to see his true form.”
“King Kong, get down there and do not let the situation spiral out of control,” Dongfang Shuoyu said to the well-built man.
“Got it!”
King Kong acknowledged Dongfang Shuoyu and turned to leave immediately, giving Gu Zhanguo a nod as he did so.
After King Kong stepped out, Gu Zhanguo smiled wryly and said, “Dongfang, can I a.s.sume that we don’t need to evaluate Mie anymore?”
“Yes, it isn’t necessary anymore… Mie will be rated a Grade-S soldier!”
Dongfang Shuoyi was already convinced, and there was simply no need to knock on an open door. He motioned to his a.s.sistant and said, “Pull out Mie’s file and update his profile as Grade-S.”
His a.s.sistant saluted him, then about-turned smartly, and left to execute his orders.
Gu Zhanguo sn.i.g.g.e.red and quipped, “There you go, Dongfang… I’ve already told you that is wasn’t necessary, and now you finally know that I’m right now, hahaha.”
“Well, you can’t say that… everything has to comply with rules and regulations. As an organization, we can’t accomplish much without standards. Don’t forget, we are the NSA, so we must pay even more attention to this,” Dongfang Shouyu responded.
Gu Zhanguo raised his eyebrows, nodding in concurrence, and deftly turned the topic of discussion to something more agreeable. “So, how many Level-S soldiers do you think we have in the country?”
“I don’t know, but with our population coming up to about 1.4 billion, I’d say definitely more than the three we have now in the NSA. With so large a population, there might be even more powerful fighters just waiting to be discovered. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we uncover quite a number of them,” Dongfang Shouyu said.
“I must agree with you. It would be wonderful if a good number of these talented people chose to join the NSA and serve the country,” Gu Zhanguo mused.
At the thought of such a scenario, both men drew in a deep breath, relis.h.i.+ng the possibility of expanding their elite fighter force.
As both men were pondering over the possibilities, a lingering waft of sweet fragrance suddenly carried through the air…
They glanced at each other, the expression on their faces immediately changed…
They both shouted out in unison, “Get the gas mask!”
Their staff in the room scrambled for the emergency, apparently well-drilled for the just such an eventuality, and they quickly handed gas masks over to their two directors. It wasn’t the first time such a situation had occurred, and they have had many opportunities to practice from the countless experiences from the past.
Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shouyu donned the gas mask, looking like the pea shooters in “Plants vs. Zombies,” except that, in this case, their gas masks were completely black in color.
“Directors, why, you are both just as adorable as always… you never fail to wear an ugly mask every time I come to visit!”
A slender woman, fully dressed in black, sauntered lightly in through the door. Her very fair complexion contrasted starkly with the dark hue of her clothing, and her hair was adorned with a dragon and phoenix hairpin made of jasper. She had a seductive smile on her lovely face, and dimples added to her sensuality. But her most captivating features were her alluring eyes, which captured one’s soul with an unfathomable enchantment.
She wore a pair of black silk gloves with her fingers bejeweled in stunning gemstones, and even concealed within the gloves, one could immediately tell that she had beautiful hands and long, slender fingers.
As she gracefully approached Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shouyu, they both appeared apprehensive, while several of the NSA staffers in the room who did not have their gas masks with them, had already moved some four to five meters away. Of course, she was none other than the Drug Lady—the Grade-A agent whose particular skill was poison. Every part of her body was toxic, including her scent, and just a sniff of her fragrance was deadly.
Anyone who unknowingly inhaled an excessive amount could die immediately if treatment wasn’t sought on time. Even inhaling small amounts over time could endanger one’s life, and one’s internal organs would slowly deteriorate, making one p.r.o.ne to various infections.
She was unique among the agents of the NSA, a freak of nature. At least a hundred people had already succ.u.mbed to poison-related afflictions through negligence, and hence, she was feared by every NSA member for a good reason.
“Drug Lady, when did you return?” Gu Zhanguo asked, coughing nervously, as he strived to maintain an appearance of calm.
The Drug Lady laughed softly and said, “Mr. Gu, it isn’t courteous to address someone by their code name.”
Suddenly, she reached out to touch Gu Zhanguo’s shoulder.
Gu Zhanguo was terrified and quickly jumped back several steps, reproaching her, “Drug Lady, what are you’re doing?!”
…