Chapter 10
The alley was dead silent, with only the rustling of scraps of paper on the ground as the wind blew them up, and the never-ending roar in the distance as background sound.
Chen Mengzhou held onto the cold hood, his spatial energy still trembling slightly from the impact. However, the newly absorbed, violent energy from the turbulent flow was being rapidly assimilated, transforming into a more refined force that settled down. The dizziness from the mental overdraft was also slowly fading.
She needed time to digest the gains from this adventure, and even more so, she needed an absolutely safe environment to deal with the changes that might follow - for example, the instability after her superpowers were enhanced, or... the fangs of the venomous snake beside her.
She could imagine Zhao Jun's face, hesitant but full of "concern," without even turning around. His greed was barely concealed, and his previous disguise was failing.
"We need a place to rest." Chen Mengzhou turned around, his face still pale, but his eyes had regained their usual calmness, even deeper than before, making it impossible to see through them. "Something secluded enough and absolutely safe. Do you know of such a place nearby?"
She asked the question directly, seemingly handing the choice to Zhao Jun. This was a test, but also an exploit. She was taking advantage of his familiarity with the terrain, but also testing whether he had any hidden, truly reliable bases.
Zhao Jun's eyes flashed, and he immediately understood what she meant. A thoughtful expression crossed his face, and he rubbed his fingers (still stained with dust from the previous moving) and said hesitantly, "A completely safe place...it's not easy to find. But..."
He deliberately prolonged his tone, observing Chen Mengzhou's reaction. Seeing that she was just looking at him calmly, he had no choice but to continue, "Leave this alley and go east for about a few hundred meters. There is a semi-underground private garage. It was built by a friend who used to play with modified cars. It's quite hidden. The door is a thick alloy roller shutter. There is also a small compartment inside with a separate ventilation vent. However, it is completely locked from the outside. You have to go through a special inspection port. Not many people know about it."
He described it in great detail, appearing sincere, but Chen Mengzhou caught a subtle pause and flicker in his words. That "friend" was probably in grave danger, and that garage was most likely one of his secret bases, secretly occupied by him.
"Lead the way." Chen Mengzhou did not expose it, but just gave a brief order.
"Oh, okay!" Zhao Jun nodded hurriedly, turned around and led the way, his attitude more "submissive" than before.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, moved swiftly and silently through the complex network of alleys. Zhao Jun knew this place like the back of his hand, always avoiding main roads and open areas, choosing the most secluded paths.
About ten minutes later, they stopped in front of a plain-looking cement wall covered with dead vines. At the base of the wall was an iron gate, half-hidden by debris and barely wide enough for one person to crawl through. The lock on the gate had been broken and was half-closed.
"This is it, the inspection entrance. It's a bit narrow in there, sorry to trouble Miss Shen." Zhao Jun took the lead in clearing away the debris and skillfully crawled in.
Chen Mengzhou did not follow immediately. She concentrated her mind again, and her perception of time ability extended deep into the cave.
Blurred double vision flashed: she "saw" a narrow, downward passage lined with pipes, ending in a relatively spacious space. There was no sign of life, only some piled boxes and the outline of a car covered with dust sheets. She had no sense of immediate danger.
Only then did she bend down and crawl in.
The passage was short, and once inside, I found myself in a garage of approximately 30 square meters. The air carried the unique coolness of underground living and a faint smell of engine oil, but it was still relatively clear. The alloy roller shutter door was tightly closed, shutting out all light and sound from the outside world. In the corner, there was a small workshop made of partitions, containing a simple camp bed, a toolbox, and even a small battery-powered desk lamp.
This place was obviously carefully arranged and was an excellent hiding place.
Zhao Jun turned around and re-closed the iron gate at the inspection entrance. Then, familiarly, he turned on the small desk lamp, its dim light dispelling some of the darkness. A look of relief crossed his face, and he plopped down on the cot, letting out a long sigh. "Finally, I can catch my breath. Miss Shen, you should get some rest. It was really..."
His words stopped abruptly.
Shen Mengzhou hadn't relaxed. She stood in the middle of the garage, her gaze coldly sweeping over the boxes piled in the corner before settling on the dust sheet covering the frame of the car. A corner of the dust sheet lifted slightly, revealing the modified car's rugged bumper and noticeably thickened tires.
Then, her gaze turned to Zhao Jun, or rather, to the place under the pillow of the camp bed where his hand had subconsciously pressed when he sat down just now.
There, there was a slightly raised outline of a long, hard object.
"Zhao Jun," Chen Mengzhou said, his voice remarkably clear in the closed garage, carrying a cold, penetrating force. "Your 'friend' left quite a few things for you."
Zhao Jun's body stiffened instantly, and the relaxation on his face froze.
"Not only this base, but also the modified car," her eyes scraped across his stiff face like a scalpel, finally settling on his hand pressing on the pillow, "and the loaded gun under the pillow, right?"
silence.
Deathly silence reigned in the garage.
Under the dim light, Zhao Jun's expression shifted from surprise to panic, then to a sinister and ruthless expression, his disguise completely exposed. He pressed his hands against the pillow, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.
How did she know that?! She even knew the model number?! This couldn't be explained by precognition! Could she be seeing through things?!
A huge fear and a desperate determination surged into my heart at the same time.
After a few seconds, he suddenly sneered, and the mask of honesty and obedience was completely torn off, and his eyes became cold and calculating.
"Miss Shen," he slowly released his hand that was pressing the gun and spread it out, indicating that he had no intention of taking action immediately, but his body muscles were already tense, like a venomous snake ready to strike, "It seems that I still underestimated you."
He dropped his pretense, his voice raspy and cold, "Let's be frank. This place and that gun are indeed my trump cards. I didn't intend to reveal them so soon."
He stared at Chen Mengzhou, trying to find a trace of panic on her face, but failed. She was so calm that it was chilling.
"What do you want?" Chen Mengzhou asked calmly, as if he was just asking about the weather today.
"Cooperation." Zhao Jun licked his chapped lips, staring at her with fiery eyes. "Real cooperation. I know you're powerful, with strange abilities, and you can profit from those spatial cracks. But I have a gun, I have this place, and I'm much more familiar with this area than you. If we join forces, we'll have a greater chance of survival and get more goodies, such as... those blue potions in your bag. We should share, right?"
He finally showed his true fangs and used guns and strongholds as bargaining chips, demanding a share of the spoils, or even more.
Chen Mengzhou looked at him quietly, seeing the greed in his eyes and the fear that was hidden behind his fierce appearance.
Suddenly, she smiled very lightly.
There was no emotion in that laughter, but it made Zhao Jun's scalp inexplicably numb.
"Gun?" she repeated, a subtle hint of... mockery in her tone?
The next second, Zhao Jun felt a flash before his eyes!
Chen Mengzhou's figure seemed to shake, but it also seemed as if he didn't move at all.
But his hand under the pillow suddenly felt empty!
When he reacted, his pupils suddenly shrank, and when he looked down in horror, he found that the pistol under the pillow had disappeared!
And Chen Mengzhou was still standing there, as if he had never moved.
Only in her right hand, there was a black pistol. With a deft movement of her fingers, the magazine slid out, confirming it was fully loaded, and then pushed it back in with a click. Her movements were incredibly skillful. The muzzle of the gun drooped naturally, not pointing at him, but it brought an incomparable sense of oppression.
"Are you talking about this?" She raised her eyes and looked calmly at Zhao Jun, whose face was pale and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Time ability: extreme speed! Although it can only work on oneself for a very short time and consumes a huge amount of energy, it can be used at a critical moment to achieve amazing results.
"You..." Zhao Jun's lips trembled, unable to utter a word. A huge fear gripped him. This wasn't a matter of speed, this was a ghostly trick!
"Now," Chen Mengzhou casually placed the pistol on a toolbox beside him, making a crisp clang sound, as if it was just an insignificant tool, "we can talk about 'real cooperation'."
She took a step forward, approaching Zhao Jun who was slumped on the camp bed, and looked down at him condescendingly. There was no threat in her eyes, only an unfathomable calmness.
"But the prerequisite is to recognize who is the dominant one."
"And take out the spare folding knife you hid in your socks and the poisoned dagger on your belt and put them on the ground."
"I don't like it when the other party has so many hidden...ulterior motives when discussing cooperation."
With every word Chen Mengzhou said, Zhao Jun's face turned paler, and in the end, his face was completely pale. He looked at her as if he was looking at a devil who could see through everything.
She even knew about the last two knives he hid?!
All the cards were revealed, and all the luck was ruthlessly crushed.
In the face of absolute strength and insight, his cunning and concealment became a clumsy joke.
Zhao Jun trembled and finally gave up all resistance. He tremblingly pulled out the last two knives hidden on his body and threw them on the ground with a crisp sound.
He collapsed there like a mangy dog with its bones pulled out.
Only then did Chen Mengzhou nodded slightly.
"Now, we can rest."
She walked to the other side of the garage, found a relatively clean box to sit on, closed her eyes, and began to truly digest her previous gains and restore her mental strength.
Inside the garage, all that was left was Zhao Jun's heavy and suppressed breathing, as well as boundless fear and dead silence.
The balance of the game has completely tilted.
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