"How many people do you have? Where are the others? What tasks do they have?"

"Everyone has their own tasks. I’m an assassin and a seeker. Some are finding people, others are preparing to assassinate Mr. Gu. Some are inciting trouble among Jiangnan disaster victims. That’s it."

At this moment, he deeply regretted it; he should have been firm in his thinking and found more helpers.

Damn it, that authority figure didn’t assign reinforcements. Relying on him alone to spearhead the mission—wasn’t this sending him to his death?

Isn’t the lesson with Heba and Map Master enough? That authority figure doesn’t regard his life as important!

"Finding people? Who are you looking for?" Lu Chen asked eagerly.

The man shook his head, "I don’t know! With my status, I can’t interfere in others’ affairs."

"Oh? Truly don’t know, or just won’t say?" Gu Chengyu wouldn’t believe the man’s words; he felt there was much reservation in them.

"It seems you’ve recovered enough. Want to try the tiger bench again?"

Gu Chengyu sneered and gestured the government official to prepare the bricks.

"No! No! No!" The person hurriedly stopped them, sounding much more anxious than before.

If he had persisted, that would be one thing. But he had felt somewhat comfortable earlier; now having to feel that extreme pain again, how could he not fear?

"We each handle our own tasks. Their missions I can’t interfere with. Someone accidentally leaked that they’re looking for the Young Master! As for who the Young Master is, I truly don’t know."

He tried to appear sincere, fearing Gu Chengyu and the rest wouldn’t believe him.

"Young Master? Haven’t you heard a word about the Young Master? Who’s the authority figure you mentioned? Did you have anything to do with that farmer’s murder case from some time ago? Is Map Master one of your men?"

Gu Chengyu suspected this person held a significant position among those people.

"No, they haven’t found the Young Master. Recently, there’s been a lead, but I don’t know the details. As for the authority figure, I know even less. He’s always in a black cloak when connecting with us; we never saw his true face!" The man in black said with a bitter smile.

Knowing Map Master didn’t surprise the man in black.

When Heba and Map Master fought with this man, Heba had once called out Map Master’s name, as Map Master admitted.

Seeing the man in black stop again, Gu Chengyu advised, "You’ve already said your piece, so if you don’t share the rest, that’s considered betrayal. So, why not be straightforward?"

"That farmer, I killed him with another person because I needed to find another and eliminate them. However, during the search, there was a mistake; that farmer wasn’t who we intended to kill. As for why they wanted to find and kill that person, I don’t know. Map Master is one of us; his martial arts are strong, holding a high position before the authority figure."

Perhaps resigned to his fate, after hearing Gu Chengyu’s words, this man didn’t need further threats from Gu Chengyu, cooperating well.

Gu Chengyu secretly felt it a pity. Last time letting Map Master escape was truly a mistake.

He should have pursued Map Master then, as Map Master seemed to know much more than this man.

"Why do you want to kill that person? You don’t know? What’s your name? Where is the person who was with you now?"

"We only know to search for this person; we have a picture, and that farmer slightly resembled the person in the picture, which led to the mistake. As for why, I’m not qualified to know."

"My name is Man Niu, and my partner has already been killed by you."

At this point, Man Niu both feared and resented Gu Chengyu’s cold ruthlessness.

"Why did they send you to kill me? Because of the disaster victims?" Gu Chengyu felt these people were determined to kill him.

If they continued with intermittent sneak attacks, once or twice could be manageable, but the frequency would wear them out.

Even tigers have momentary lapses, and Gu Chengyu couldn’t guarantee he’d always spot danger.

"This I do know; the authority figure instructed to eradicate you at all costs. He believes your existence threatens us. So even if I fail today, others will continue coming to kill you until you’re eliminated."

Perhaps as revenge for Gu Chengyu’s coldness, the person’s face held nothing but a mocking smile as he spoke.

With blood at his lips, he smiled with self-satisfaction. But such a smile seemed foolish to Gu Chengyu.

"You should worry about yourself! Whether I die isn’t clear yet, but if I leak news of your betrayal, even if I don’t kill you, you won’t meet a good end. You surely know their authority figure’s methods better than I do."

The man’s face turned deathly pale, seemingly struck by reality, fear evident in his eyes.

"Who else is coming to kill me? Where are all of you? How do you usually communicate?" Gu Chengyu decided to take the initiative; being passive wasn’t his style.

"Many people, not all determined. Only upon my mission failure will someone take over. Normally, we rely on the authority figure contacting us; we can’t reach him. I’ve worked with Map Master on a mission; we’re somewhat familiar. Previously, Map Master accidentally revealed the Young Master’s news."

"Do you have a way to contact Map Master?" Gu Chengyu was very interested in Map Master, suspecting Map Master knew quite a bit.

"No, since arriving in Jiangnan, we’ve met only once, initiated by him. Map Master is a veteran, highly regarded by the authority figure—far ahead of me."

"So, you’re of no use anymore? Ignorant of things, what’s your worth?"

Gu Chengyu’s sharp gaze looked at the man like frost, making him shudder.

The man opened and closed his lips, uncertain.

"One final question: where’s the picture?" This news about the Young Master is unavailable, but wasn’t there a picture of the person they previously wanted dead?

"I don’t have it on me; the task was handed to someone else."

Since his task now was to assassinate Gu Chengyu, that matter naturally became unrelated to him.

"Can you recall the face on the picture? If you describe it in detail to my satisfaction, perhaps I’ll consider letting you go and help you leave that place. What do you think?"

Gu Chengyu’s tempting words stirred the man in black’s heart.

"You—you keep to your word?" the man said, breathless.

Who wishes to die? If it meant leaving that dark, brutal place for a leisurely life, then all this would be worthwhile.

"Certainly!" Gu Chengyu nodded, smiling confidently.

"I remember the face on that image." The man looked at Gu Chengyu with hope, eyes filled with tension.