29. The Seventh Young Master Ning, Peerless in Beauty

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The rescue plan had failed. There was no choice but to carry out the extermination plan.

Seeing that everyone was still holding up well, Rong Xianxian took advantage of the others keeping the monster occupied and searched through the ruins near the gas station’s tool shed. She found a hand-operated oil pump and siphoned a considerable amount of fuel into the oil bladder. They would need it shortly.

Rong Xianxian went to Wang Qirui’s side and whispered something to him, then ran over to Cui Lie and Jiang Jie and gave them their instructions. Rong Xianxian and Jiang Jie leaped over the compound wall and ran toward the entrance to the underground parking garage. Wang Qirui vaulted over the wall and ran in the opposite direction. The giant lizard monster pursued him relentlessly, while the sturdy walls collapsed one after another as though they were made of paper. The others ran after Wang Qirui.

“Captain Cui, what did Sister Rong say to you just now?” Wang Lin asked as he drew closer to Cui Lie.

“Nothing. You’ll find out soon enough.” Cui Lie smiled.

Rong Xianxian and Jiang Jie ran to the underground garage to set the trap. Once there, they dragged a prepared black sack out from a corner. Inside were sharp spikes ground from animal bones, along with several discarded steel reinforcing bars. The two had worked together many times before, and they arranged the trap with practiced ease and perfect understanding.

“Most wild beasts have keen instincts. If we want to lure it into the trap, we’ll still have to provoke it.” Rong Xianxian explained the general plan to Jiang Jie, Cui Lie, and Wang Qirui. Wang Qirui would serve as bait, Jiang Jie would wait beside the trap to deliver the finishing blow, Rong Xianxian would pour the oil, and Cui Lie would set it alight.

Everything proceeded according to plan. Wherever the giant lizard went, the earth shook. Oil was splashed over it, then ignited. Driven into a frenzy, the monster chased Cui Lie toward the predetermined location.

When Cui Lie reached the designated spot, he planted his feet firmly. The giant lizard stopped and swung its heavy tail in a sweeping strike. With its entire weight pressing down on its two feet, the monster’s burden suddenly increased. There was a sharp crack, and its massive body plunged downward.

A shrill, anguished howl rang out. Rong Xianxian, Cui Lie, and the others jumped through the enormous hole the giant lizard had crashed into.

Jiang Jie was standing there stupidly, staring at them. Seeing that the monster had fallen into the trap, Rong Xianxian, finally able to relax, called out, “Why are you just standing there? Weren’t you supposed to deliver the finishing blow?”

“Sister Rong, I think it’s already over.” Xia Kai turned toward her with a bewildered expression.

“Uh…”

As three glowing spheres slowly rose above the giant lizard, Rong Xianxian was so pleasantly surprised that she hardly knew how to react. Just moments earlier, she had still been considering how they would work together to finish it off, what they would do if the monster escaped from the pit, and what they would need to watch out for if the previous trap had failed to break through its defenses and they had to set up another one elsewhere.

Besides its extraordinarily powerful defenses, the giant lizard also possessed terrifying regenerative abilities. It seemed that the trap had struck a vital point.

The fact that Ren Tian and the others had been able to make use of this monster suggested that the military had already fought it. Since the military had failed to eliminate it, they absolutely could not let the soldiers discover that it had died at their hands.

Rong Xianxian silently calculated the risks.

Three glowing spheres meant three treasures. The treasures monsters dropped were generally linked directly to their combat strength. It seemed that this giant lizard was relatively high-level; it had actually dropped three items.

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The trap Rong Xianxian had arranged was quite simple. The place where the giant lizard had fallen was the glass roof above the underground garage entrance, which had been designed to let in more light. After the heavy rain, mud had plastered the glass, and with no one to clean it, the surface looked just like solid ground.

The glass was sturdy enough to support any number of people, but the monster was enormous. There was no way the glass roof could bear its weight.

Rong Xianxian jumped beneath the giant lizard. They had used the underground garage’s drainage pipes to set the trap. She switched on her flashlight and located the position of the monster’s heart. A slender animal bone, sharpened to a fine point, had pierced through the hard scales on its chest and straight through its heart.

Rong Xianxian took a dagger gleaming with cold light from her sachet. It was especially useful for skinning. Following the path of the bone and tracking the faint, peculiar scent, she dug out a core about the size of an egg and placed it inside the sachet.

Wang Lin and the others had already collected the treasures. When they saw Rong Xianxian climb up from below, they shouted excitedly, “Sister Rong, come quickly and see the good things we got!”

“There’s no need to look at them yet. If you don’t want the military to force you into service, we need to leave immediately.” Cui Lie and the others had been conspicuous enough even before this. They had just been chased around the compound by the monster several times, so the residents were certain to remember them clearly. The military would soon arrive to rescue people in the compound. With the monster’s enormous body, the group had no way to transport it away, and it would be easy for the soldiers to determine that the monster had died at their hands.

Rong Xianxian had planned to visit the military eventually anyway, so she herself did not care. But if the military learned how capable Cui Lie and the others were, they might not let them leave easily.

“Arui, you three go upstairs and pack our things. Cui Lie, Wang Lin, come with me to the gas station.” Rong Xianxian was still thinking about the fact that her oil bladder was not yet full.

Rong Xianxian used the hand pump to siphon oil into the bladder while Cui Lie and Wang Lin stood guard nearby.

Rong Xianxian used an empty oil drum as cover. Having just won a great battle and obtained a rich haul, Wang Lin was feeling relaxed. He glanced in Rong Xianxian’s direction, nudged Cui Lie, and asked in a low voice, “Brother Cui, do you have feelings for Sister Rong?”

Cui Lie gave Wang Lin a cool look, as if to say, What does that have to do with you?

“You weren’t exactly talkative before, but you’d occasionally fool around with everyone else. Ever since you met Sister Rong, though, you’ve been stealing glances at her all the time and looking as though you have something weighing on your mind.” Wang Lin wore an expression that clearly said, You can’t fool me.

“She’s my senior from school. She doesn’t remember me, but she helped me once before.” Cui Lie continued surveying the surroundings as he spoke.

“So you took this security job because of her?” Wang Lin asked, eyes widening. Cui Lie had never mentioned anything like that before.

“No. I was on duty in the southern district. I only met her because I went looking for you.” Cui Lie’s expression was calm, and he did not look as though he was lying.

“Brother Cui, take my advice: don’t set your sights on Sister Rong. She’s been waiting all this time for news of her husband.” Wang Lin lowered his voice.

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“How do you know that? And in what capacity are you saying it?” Cui Lie turned to him.

“At this point, there’s no need to hide it from you. I’m a bodyguard sent by her husband’s family.” Wang Lin smiled, and there seemed to be something more to him than usual.

“If he’s really capable, why hasn’t he come to find her? He can actually rest easy knowing she’s alone in a world like this with two children? Or has he abandoned them?” There was a hint of anger in Cui Lie’s voice.

“Well…” Wang Lin was suddenly at a loss for words. From the importance Ning Qingyun had previously shown toward Sister Rong and her children, he should not have thought that way. But it had been nearly a month, and Young Master Ning Qi still had not returned with anyone.

“What kind of person is he?” Cui Lie asked. Seeing that Wang Lin had been silenced, he sounded slightly disinterested, yet curious.

For a moment, Wang Lin did not know how to answer. What kind of person was Young Master Ning Qi?

“Xuanxuan doesn’t look like Sister Rong. Does she take after him?” Cui Lie asked.

“Yes. To be honest, Sister Rong is quite attractive, but if we’re talking about looks alone, she really can’t compare with Young Master Ning Qi. He’s exceptionally talented and unmatched in beauty. He’s enormously popular among the noble young ladies of the capital. If those ladies found out that Young Master Ning Qi was already married, who knows how many of them would cry themselves unconscious in the bathroom?”

Wang Lin was speaking with great enthusiasm when someone suddenly smacked him on the shoulder.

“Ah!” Wang Lin cried out. When he turned around, he saw Rong Xianxian standing behind him with a bright smile.

“Go on,” Rong Xianxian said, patting his shoulder again.

“I only heard it from other people, Sister Rong. I only heard it from other people.” Wang Lin grimaced. Whatever his true identity might be, he was still dependent on Sister Rong for his livelihood.

“Exceptionally talented is one thing, but unmatched in beauty? Why do I feel that isn’t exactly a compliment?” Rong Xianxian could not help recalling that solitary figure, so lonely that it was painful to behold.