64. Total Victory (Please Follow and Read~)

A sleek, silver-white SUV was parked by the roadside in the suburbs.

Ren Shizhi rested his hands on the steering wheel, gazing down the long road stretching toward the city center, letting his thoughts drift away into the empty scenery.

He had done similar things dozens of times before, but for some reason, he still felt somewhat uneasy. Perhaps it was due to the threat Marr had made back then—those words carried an unusual weight of credibility when spoken by him.

Moreover, the entire affair handed to him by Huang Qingfeng reeked of strangeness. He did not believe Huang Qingfeng had told him the whole truth, though that was to be expected. If he were Huang Qingfeng, he certainly would not spill truly vital information to a subordinate.

In fact, he would likely use even more ruthless methods to control his subordinates, giving them no opportunity to climb higher. Yet, Huang Qingfeng had still left him a considerable amount of leeway.

However, Ren Shizhi dared to think this way precisely because he possessed the ability to influence other people's physiological activities through speech.

Click.

The rear door was pulled open.

He looked into the rearview mirror with a puzzled frown:

"You guys should have been more..."

Marr was looking at him calmly.

He felt a chill crawl up his spine, which then seeped into every inch of flesh and blood in his body. The arms gripping the steering wheel began to tremble involuntarily.

This was an emotion born purely of instinct—the fear of death.

His appearance here could only prove one thing.

"Remember what I said?" Marr calmly asked.

"You said..." Ren Shizhi gripped the steering wheel tightly, his palms slick with cold sweat as he spoke, "that if we caused you any more trouble, you would kill me and Huang Qingfeng."

Marr nodded slightly, indicating that he had guessed correctly.

Clutching at a final shred of hope, Ren Shizhi asked:

"You killed them?"

Marr nodded:

"Yes, and no one will remember them. Tell me, apart from you and Huang Qingfeng, who else knows about this?"

Calm down, calm down!

Ren Shizhi feigned composure and said:

"I can help you take care of all of them, as long as you let me live. Once I'm done, you can even erase my memory; no one will ever know your secret.

"If they investigate, the only person they'll ever find is me.

"Doing this is entirely beneficial to you with no drawbacks whatsoever."

Instead of begging for mercy, he proposed a plan that would benefit Marr, knowing that in this world, only interests remained eternal.

Marr leaned back leisurely in his seat and looked at Ren Shizhi:

"Why does an Esper like you work for Huang Qingfeng?"

Ren Shizhi widened his eyes, staring in disbelief at Marr in the rearview mirror. Then, all the information related to him flashed through his mind, sketching out the outline of a terrifying truth.

Marr was actually far less relaxed than he appeared. Although he could kill Huang Qingfeng and Ren Shizhi by inducing cardiac arrest, doing so would leave too many loose ends—three people with grudges against him dying in succession by the exact same method.

And if he were to kill them both outright and turn their corpses to dust, it would likely prompt the Bureau of Coordination to investigate. Following that, they would uncover Huang Qingfeng's dealings with the demon worshippers and eventually trace the trail back to him.

On the other hand, if he simply ignored them for the time being—even without considering what further trouble they might cause—it could very well expose the fact that Marr possessed terrifying combat capabilities. And if that news reached those in the know...

"You're the Wingless, aren't you!" Ren Shizhi forced down his panic and said with difficulty, "It all makes sense now. Why your formidable combat power wasn't exposed, and why what found the Saint wasn't a demon at all."

He had his own motives for saying this out loud.

Ren Shizhi continued:

"I can deduce this because I previously looked into your background and even met Dr. Liu Yujun at the hospital. If you wipe away all these memories, I certainly won't be able to piece this together."

His aim was to prevent Marr from killing him over this. Ren Shizhi could not fathom the other party allowing someone who knew his secret to stay alive; thus, the best approach was to destroy the very possibility of suspicion.

Marr said appreciatively:

"You are a smart man."

At this point, although Ren Shizhi was still terrified of death, he regained a sliver of confidence.

There had to be a reason Marr hadn't killed him immediately.

Ren Shizhi thought for a moment and said:

"Marr, we are the same kind of people. We aren't fools like Qin Luan, nor are we mortals like Huang Qingfeng. We are gods, and we understand our place far better than most Espers.

"My ability can be used to interrogate criminals, act as a negotiator, or climb steadily within the Federal political system to gain power and status. I feel no loyalty whatsoever toward Huang Qingfeng.

"I also know why he wanted to target you. The evidence I've gathered over the years is already enough to drag him down. Of course, I'll be subjected to an investigation too, but as long as you let me leave alive..."

Marr looked into his eyes and asked:

"What does he want?"

Ren Shizhi began bargaining for leverage:

"I will tell you, but you must promise not to kill me the moment you hear it. I have some blank contracts prepared; just give me a little time—"

"No," Marr refused. "Because you're bound to tell me anyway.

"You're a smart man."

Hearing those words now, Ren Shizhi no longer felt flattered.

It was pure, unadulterated mockery.

Ren Shizhi was adept at negotiating favorable conditions, offering terms the other party could accept, asking only for what he needed, and playing his cards well—which, in his current situation, meant leveraging the problems he could handle.

Yet Marr knew very well that he only needed to play a single card.

Death.

Marr had seen through his fear of death.

It was obvious, but once Marr realized it, the implications changed entirely.

When Marr called him smart, he actually meant that Ren Shizhi was smart enough to realize what Marr was currently thinking—since both parties knew that death was Ren Shizhi's absolute limit, as long as Marr held his life in his hands, he didn't need to offer any extra conditions.

Because they both knew that, come what may, he would eventually kneel before the threat of death.

Ren Shizhi lowered his head in submission:

"What he wants is the thing you submitted to the Bureau of Coordination, and it seems to be a personal matter."

Marr narrowed his eyes.

Who could possibly want to acquire the second-generation mimetic bacteria?

He spoke up:

"I belong to a subordinate organization called the Infiltrators. I am going to invite you to become one of us, giving you a final retreat, while also reminding you that we can appear before you at any moment to take your life.

"I will take you to a stronghold outside of reality and show you what we are capable of.

"And what you must do is take a vial of poison and verify Huang Qingfeng's true race. If it is as I suspect, let the Bureau of Coordination take him down. If not, eliminate him yourself.

"At the same time, you must keep my existence completely detached from this affair.

"You will not remember the existence of the Infiltrators, nor will you remember ever visiting our stronghold.

"You will only remember my demand, and that we can take your life at any second. Once you have cleanly completed this task, you will even forget who it was that struck this deal with you.

"How does that sound?"

Ren Shizhi asked with lingering confusion:

"How can I be certain that you won't kill me to eliminate loose ends after I get rid of Huang Qingfeng?"

"You can't be certain," Marr shrugged. "It depends on my mood. Do you have any other objections?"

Ren Shizhi said despondently:

"None."

Just as Marr had said, he didn't need to promise anything at all.

His life and death now hinged entirely on Marr's will. He could only hope the other party still considered him useful, or pray that he was willing to bestow a shred of mercy.

He had no right to utter any other words.