Chapter 26 The Counterfeit-Grabbing System is Really Fun

In front of the cell, on the dim floor, halos of light from the neighboring cells cast reflections. The overhead corridor lights came on, shining on the two women.

Qi Shuihan hugged one knee to his chest, leaned against the iron railing, opened his closed eyes, and glanced up at a corner of the ceiling.

"They're here? You've got fast news."

The person behind him remained silent.

She turned around and the first thing she saw was the woman's long legs encased in light gray suit trousers, with pointed-toe black leather shoes at the bottom of the trousers, which were seamlessly fitted.

Moving the gaze upwards, one sees a black low-cut suit vest fastened around a slender waist, and a long-sleeved, lightweight white silk shirt that gleams subtly under the light, complemented by loose, golden-brown curly hair.

Misi looked down at her, his deep, indifferent eyes meeting hers, as if gesturing for her to answer quickly.

Qi Shuihan wasn't buying it. She put her hand on the back of her neck and turned her head left and right.

After a while.

"Before I tell you where you're hiding, there's something we need to talk about."

He ruffled his long, uncombed bangs, and beneath his hand, his fox-like eyes secretly glanced at Misike. Nothing had changed; she remained as indifferent as ever.

As she expected.

She continued to comb through the tangled strands of hair with her five fingers, patient and with plenty of time, waiting for Missy to make a decision.

State your terms of exchange.

Her fingers, which were combing her hair, paused. A half-untangled, messy strand of hair hung over her shoulder. She glanced at Missy's expression, which was as calm as still water.

You've thought it through pretty quickly. That's efficient!

She sat upright, her eyes gleaming as she stared intently at Missyco.

"I need Lin Jingru to protect my life within the group as the heir."

Missy responded with a meaningful look.

"Let me finish." She raised her hand. "The reason I'm talking to you is because Lin Jingru listens to you the most. The original plan was for the group to have me cooperate with Sister Hong to destroy your base, and preferably eliminate you as well. But now I've been exposed, and it's only a matter of time before Sister Hong falls into your hands. So, the plan has failed. Even if I don't die here, I'll still be dead when I go back. Do you understand?"

Missy's eyes flickered, and he smiled slightly at her.

"You made three demands of me."

Qi Shuihan slightly composed himself and listened as the other person continued.

"One against three is not enough."

"One against three?" Qi Shuihan was genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"

"Finding Sister Hong's whereabouts is only enough to save you from being tortured to death by Merck. You just said you wanted Lin Jingru to protect your life, that's the second condition. As for the third condition..."

Missy pointed to her forehead.

Her eyelids twitched, and she immediately realized that their tracking device was embedded in the back of her head. If she dared to disobey, a thin chip the size of her little toenail, containing a miniature bomb, could kill her with a single electronic command.

"Oh dear, what should I do? This is the only chip I have."

Qi Shuihan supported himself on the ground with both hands, leaned back, and swung his crossed legs, exuding a helpless and listless air.

"It would be a real shame if someone as talented as you weren't put to my use."

"I am truly flattered to have your high regard."

Suddenly, she remembered what Li Nai had said to her. She tried to repeat it to Misi Ke. If Li Nai were there, she would definitely roll her eyes at her speechless tone and expression.

Thinking of this, a smile welled up in my eyes.

Missy noticed that the other person was in a good mood, and was slightly surprised, before getting back to the main topic.

"I have two things that can help you offset the other two conditions. Do you want to hear them?"

"Speak."

"First, you'll return to the group and become my inside man..."

Counter-espionage? Interesting. Qi Shuihan continued to wiggle her toes.

"Second, tell me all the information about the system."

Upon hearing the word "system," Qi Shuihan sat bolt upright, her beautiful eyes scanning Mi Xike intently.

"May I ask you, why do you want to know about the system?"

“Because you’re in my hands.” Missy looked down at him coldly.

Qi Shuihan raised an eyebrow, seemingly unwilling to tell.

"Hey, I've noticed that you two sisters are quite alike, both so cold and ruthless. She shows it outwardly, while you show it inwardly."

The index finger points to the heart.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Alright, I'll tell you about the system. It can give you immense power and help you fulfill your deepest desires. To obtain it, you must connect with it, that is, become a host. Unfortunately... it's already bound to a host."

"Then kill him."

"You're going to kill Li Nai?"

Mishiko's gaze deepened as he stared at a certain point: "Whoever blocks my path, I will eliminate them without yielding an inch."

"Heh, Li Nai risked her life for you and even died for you once. Now that you know she's getting in your way, you don't hesitate to eliminate her. Tsk, she really is a heartless woman, cold to the bone."

"There are plenty of people who are good to me, and there are also those who are good to me who have died because of me."

"Like Sister Hong's daughter?"

Misiq's sharp gaze swept over Qi Shuihan, who was smiling with her eyes narrowed. Far from being intimidated by Misiq's gaze, Qi Shuihan dared to continue her comments.

"You killed your daughter, shattering a mother's heart. You should have known she would seek revenge sooner or later, yet you planted this threat right beside you and trusted her so implicitly. Did you really think you'd covered your tracks perfectly? If I had raised such an ungrateful wretch, I would have betrayed you and tried to kill you too. Oh, wait a minute." She put her finger to her mouth, pretending to remember, "How could you betray me? You were the one who betrayed me first."

Instead of getting angry, Missy laughed, stepping closer to the iron bars, her eyes gradually fixing on Qi Shuihan's open collar: "Since we're talking about Sister Hong, let's get back to the point. Tell me their whereabouts, or else..."

Caught off guard, Missyko reached her hand into the iron bars, her fingernails quickly scratching at the stitched wound exposed on her chest.

"I'll send you back to the lab so you can slowly enjoy the rest of your life."

The spot where the woman touched stung slightly; her fingertips gently traced it, feeling a dampness. Upon closer inspection, she realized she had indeed torn open the tender, healing flesh.

She put her finger in her mouth and sucked on it, her bright eyes smilingly beckoning to Missy.

Being an undercover agent can be promising, especially for a skilled one who knows many secrets that Missy wants to know.

Changing the leadership doesn't mean the service is bad either.

“They’re beneath this base. I can wipe them all out for you without lifting a finger.”

She confidently observed Mishiko's face, only to find that after learning of the enemy's whereabouts, the other party did not show any intention of launching a vigorous attack. Instead, he appeared to be deep in thought, as if he was making a decision.

His fox-like eyes darted around, and he quickly made a connection to something.

"If you really kill Li Nai, it won't be good for you," she said deliberately.

Missy snapped out of his daze and glanced at her sideways.

So that's what happened.

Guessing what Misikko was thinking actually made her less happy.

"Suppose you kill the host and forcibly unbind the system, the system will be damaged and will automatically go into hibernation. As for when it will wake up and search for the bound host again, nobody knows."

"So what do you mean?"

"How about letting the system automatically unbind them, or severing the connection between them and letting the system choose a new host? I really don't know the specifics of how to do it. Go back and ask your genius Mr. Merck."

He glanced at Misico's face.

Misike chuckled: "You know quite a lot. You're definitely a useful talent."

After saying that, the person turned around to leave.

"Hey, aren't you going to keep asking Sister Hong where exactly it is? The basement is huge."

The woman didn't stop.

"Or how about we talk about you wanting me to be an inside man for the group?"

The woman is about to walk away.

She shouted relentlessly, "Is it all for revenge against Lin Zhijun?!"

The clicking sound of low heels stopped.

"Being too clever but unable to keep quiet is not wisdom."

After leaving a message, Missy left the cell without looking back.

midnight.

To ensure the laboratory functions properly, every night at 10 p.m., the cells shut down all electrical equipment except the alarm system.

In the pitch-black prison corridor, a long, white-haired figure drifted eerily, stopping in front of a solitary cell and gazing at the woman on the bed through the iron bars.

In the darkness of his solitary cell, Qi Shuihan opened his sharp eyes. Years of life as an assassin had made him alert the moment the uninvited guest appeared.

He pretended to be asleep with his eyes open for about ten minutes, and the person neither moved nor stood up.

As he turned over, he caught a glimpse of the other person's conspicuous white hair.

"I thought it was someone else, but it's you." Qi Shuihan sat up. "Did you two sisters plan this out? You're determined not to let me sleep, aren't you?"

She leaned against the wall, her wrist resting on one of her raised knees, and looked at Lin Jingru listlessly.

The other person had disheveled hair tonight, a somber expression, and only two points of light in their eyes were fixed intently on her.

It's a pity Li Nai wasn't there; she would definitely have screamed in terror that there was a female ghost. And when she found out it was Lin Jingru, she would have been even more furious, cursing her for being crazy to scare people in the middle of the night.

A slight smile played on his lips, and a hint of interest flickered in his eyes.

After a three-minute standoff, Qi Shuihan couldn't hold back any longer.

"What do you want from me? If it's to ask about the whereabouts of Sister Hong and the others on behalf of your sister, I'm sorry, I've already done that."

"You really aren't crazy," Lin Jingru said coldly.

Qi Shuihan raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing her with the look one would give someone who thought she was crazy. The future heir, the young lady, had a calm expression and didn't seem to have suffered any trauma.

What exactly are you trying to say?

Tell me about the system.

"Oh~~" she murmured, repeating what she had said to Misike to Lin Jingru.

Through the iron bars, she saw a glint of light flash in Lin Jingru's cold eyes, as bright as a cold firework exploding in the night sky.

"Just kill her."

Qi Shuihan gave him a knowing look.

"No, that won't do." Long fingernails lightly scratched the scalp.

"reason."

With a quick glance, the fox-like man lowered his hand from his yawn and asked, "Tell me first, what do you need the system for?"

"You have no right to make demands now!"

"Oh dear, that's fierce."

A pebble was flicked from her fingertip and hit Lin Jingru's excellent nose.

"You!" Lin Jingru blinked in disbelief.

"Fine, I won't tell you then. I don't want to hear it now. I'm so sleepy, I need to get some beauty sleep."

As she spoke, Qi Shuihan turned over and lay down on the bed.

After a moment of silence, the entire cell fell silent.

“S04, even if you manage to escape here, you can’t escape the group.”

The person on the bed did not move.

Lin Jingru continued, "I am the sole heir of the group. Although I have no inheritance, I still have the power to keep you alive. How about it? If you help me obtain the system, I can also set you free."

There was still no movement; it seemed to have truly fallen asleep.

"S04, I know you're not asleep. This is the last time. Do you want freedom, or to be controlled for the rest of your life until you die on some mission?"

Qi Shuihan opened her eyes with a start, her bright and energetic eyes showing no trace of sleepiness. She turned over and stretched.

"It's really noisy." He turned his head and glanced at Lin Jingru: "You always put on a cold face, it turns out it's all an act. Humph, you're even more of an actor than me."

"Tell me how to obtain the system." Lin Jingru remained calm, no longer provoked.

Qi Shuihan scratched his itchy scalp, quickly recalling the setting in the book: "Hmm... to become a new host, you absolutely cannot forcibly remove the old host."

What should I do?

"Don't rush. Since we can't kill the host, let's shut down the system for a while."

Lin Jingru frowned: "What do you mean?"

Qi Shuihan smiled back at her, his eyes terrifyingly deep: "Let Mimi stop breathing. That is, fake her death."

After Lin Jingru left, she thought she could finally get some sleep, but she had only been lying down for a minute.

Knock knock knock! —

The silent corridor was suddenly filled with the sound of running footsteps.

A familiar figure rushed over in a panic.

"Li Nai!"

She shouted.

The footsteps stopped, followed by the sound of running.

The newcomer saw Qi Shuihan as if he had grasped a lifeline, and shook the railing with both hands, making a loud clanging sound.

"Merck, Merck is dying!" Li Nai's face was pale, he was covered in sweat, and his eyes were full of fear as he stared at Qi Shuihan and repeatedly shouted, "Merck is dying, Merck is dying."

Qi Shuihan noticed with her sharp eyes that there was blood splattered on her chest and abdomen.

She lightly jumped off the bed and asked as she walked towards Li Nai, "Are you injured?"

Her hand slowly enveloped the trembling hand on the railing.

"Li Nai, didn't you go out? Or did you never leave?"

Feeling the warmth in her hands, Li Nai seemed to come back to her senses, her brows furrowed in thought, and told Qi Shuihan everything about how she had followed Merck and discovered that Merck was infected.

“Merck said he didn’t want to make a fuss and asked me to help him into the lab for treatment, but I never expected this.” Li Nai’s breathing became rapid: “It happened too fast, the illness progressed too quickly. He’s vomiting blood everywhere. No! I have to call someone to save him!”

He forcefully pulled his hands away and hurriedly ran away.

Qi Shuihan withdrew his gaze, pondered for a second, and then turned to the ventilation grille above his head.

"Hmph, looks like it's reacting."

Beneath her hand covering her nose, her lips curved into a smile.