Chapter 14: Distinguished Guest on the Island
The Realm Severing Thread contracted, and Stussy immediately crouched down, her golden short hair flying as a few severed strands drifted in midair.
As soon as Stussy crouched, Banishment suddenly appeared before her. She could only turn her head with all her strength, the violent motion causing her to clearly hear a crisp crack from her neck.
With a tearing sound, a hole appeared in the wall behind Stussy.
Bang!
The door to the steam room was kicked open, and over a dozen black-suited agents rushed in.
"Don't come..."
Stussy raised her hand, intending to stop these CP department personnel, but it was already too late.
A large spray of blood splattered as countless blade fragments pierced through their bodies, riddling them like sieves. These dozen or so agents didn't even let out a groan before collapsing one after another in the corridor outside the door, the walls covered in warm blood.
Banishment reassembled, its target Stussy.
Su Xiao's eyes flickered with blue light, and Banishment's speed suddenly increased significantly, shooting toward Stussy's face.
Stussy leaned back, her body appearing very flexible, but just as Banishment flew past her face, it suddenly disappeared.
Just as Stussy dodged Banishment, she covered her throat with both hands, falling to the ground in agony. The remaining two-thirds of Banishment converged together, while the remaining third had transformed into extremely fine blade fragments that entered her respiratory system through her breathing.
"Haah, haah, haah..."
Stussy seemed on the verge of suffocation, her body limp and powerless on the ground. With each breath, her lungs felt as if tens of thousands of blades were cutting them.
Su Xiao approached Stussy, making a fist with one hand as he began to manipulate the blade fragments inside her body.
"Ahh!!"
Stussy screamed, blood flowing from the corner of her mouth.
"I ask, you answer."
Su Xiao released his hand as he spoke.
"Heh, heh, heh. Do you think you know who I am?"
Stussy's bath towel had long since fallen off somewhere. Lying on the ground, she looked up at Su Xiao, not a trace of fear in her eyes. After all, she was a CP0 agent.
"It won't require you to betray the World Government. Otherwise, you'd already be in the darkness."
"..."
Although Stussy didn't understand what Su Xiao meant, she knew she was likely going to die.
"Of the three who chased me last time, who was the tallest? Have him come to this island. No, have all three of them come. Tell them I'm here."
Su Xiao signaled Bubu Wang to bring the Den Den Mushi from the vanity and place it beside Stussy.
"Call them. Notify the World Government. Have those three come. Right now."
"?"
Stussy stared at Su Xiao in disbelief, feeling he might have gone mad.
"You have two minutes to consider."
With a click, the Endless Darkness collar in Su Xiao's hand opened, its blue indicator light not yet lit.
Although Stussy didn't know what Su Xiao was planning, she still picked up the Den Den Mushi. This was an opportunity—a chance to escape.
Su Xiao intended to lure the CP0 members who had once hunted him to the island, then fight three against one? Of course not. Su Xiao wanted to draw out another faction. If his plan succeeded, he would gain a substantial reward.
The Den Den Mushi connected quickly. Stussy tried to sit up from the ground but found her body had lost all sensation.
The other end of the Den Den Mushi remained silent. This was a habit of the CP0 department—the initiating party must state the code corresponding to the current time, otherwise the contact on the other end would deem the communication suspicious.
"How long until they arrive?"
Stussy spoke.
"At least three hours."
"Make it fast. Kukulin Bai Ye is already on the island."
"Do your best to stall him."
The Den Den Mushi was hung up. Stussy looked at Su Xiao.
"Three hours..."
Su Xiao pulled the receiver off the Den Den Mushi, rendering it unable to communicate.
"At least three more hours. Our intelligence won't be wrong. If you want to retaliate against them, you'll have to wait here."
"Oh?"
Su Xiao crouched in front of Stussy, pondering the previous conversation. After a moment, he spoke:
"Calculating the time, Eddie K will arrive in at most fifteen minutes. Considering the distance between the Red Line and Dantao Island, if their intelligence personnel were mobilized, it would take at least an hour. You're really conservative, giving yourselves three hours."
"..."
Stussy showed no change in expression, but her heart was unsettled. However, she soon thought of Bubu Wang, who had suddenly appeared earlier.
"And why are you so desperate to stall me? Or rather, what are you afraid of? To stall me, you'd even contact CP0, which could expose many underground intelligence agents. Those should be the fruits of years, even decades, of your work."
"..."
Stussy continued to remain silent, struggling to control her emotional fluctuations.
"I can also interpret it as: you're very afraid of me leaving here. Or perhaps, you're hiding something in this hotel. Or maybe, you're buying time for someone you must protect. A lover? Impossible. An intelligence agent like you wouldn't abandon an intelligence channel for so-called love. That means it's someone you must protect. For him, you or all of you can die, but you must help him buy time to escape this island.
I've been on this island for two days. With your caution, you would have already sent that protected target away, not waited until now. That means you need to protect that person, but he won't listen to your advice. You have no way to deal with it, so he's still on the island enjoying himself."
Su Xiao's eyes grew brighter, while Stussy's face turned increasingly pale. An Admiral-level combatant was terrifying enough, but if that person was also an old schemer, it was even more frightening.
"I'm curious, which Celestial Dragon family is on the island? Which direction will he, or they, evacuate from?"
"You wouldn't dare do that..."
"Are you sure?"
Su Xiao's words seemed to provoke Stussy. Su Xiao wouldn't dare kill a Celestial Dragon? Not a chance.
"You bastard!"
Stussy glared at Su Xiao. If looks could kill, Su Xiao would have died dozens of times.
"Thank you for the information."
Su Xiao curled his finger, and countless blade fragments pierced through Stussy's heart. After detaching from her body, Banishment reassembled into its complete form.
[You have killed Stussy.]
[Stussy is a CP0 member. You gain 7.5% World Source. Current World Source: 10.7%.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has been activated. Permanently increase 26 Mana Points.]
[You have obtained a Treasure Chest: Gold (Gold Set Chest).]
...
After confirming the intelligence, Su Xiao killed Stussy without hesitation. This had always been his habit, to prevent the enemy from having any chance to turn the tables.
There was a Celestial Dragon on the island. Without a doubt, this was good news for Su Xiao.
Su Xiao pulled open the heavy curtains, gazing at the large residential area ahead. When he left this island last time, he had seen CP department members with flight abilities. Whether those arrogant Celestial Dragons would accept this method of escape was unknown.
Just as Su Xiao was pondering how the Celestial Dragon would leave Dantao Island, Bubu Wang sent a message: a large bird had flown over the beach area.