Chapter 2318 — Sun Jingyan's Call

Wei Zhao drew a deep breath and steadied his emotions. "Those captives," he asked, "how did they come to be?"

"They're people who set themselves against the Red Conch—rival gangs, mercenary outfits, and types like you... Granted, a man as capable as you could never be taken captive; I was only using that as an example," Big Feng said.

"You've seen those captives? Where are they? Why did you say they'd be better off dead?" A surge of excitement and agitation rose in Wei Zhao's heart. The Pangolin... perhaps he was not dead after all! If Yang Huaijun had never seen his body back then, then there was a very good chance he had been captured by the Red Conch and made a prisoner. Listening to Big Feng now, that possibility seemed all the greater, for they needed people to cook their drugs for them!

"Those captives were originally held at a secret base near the Golden Triangle, but later I heard the place was attacked and they were all moved. Where they are now, I don't know—that's a secret of the Red Conch. I doubt even the Third Boss and the others know," Big Feng said.

"Then how do you know?" Wei Zhao frowned, as though trying to see through the man and determine whether he was lying.

"I used to be in charge of guarding those people..." Big Feng said. Later, however, he had been posted here to hold the fort—a promotion, in a sense, though it also meant he no longer had anything to do with the drug-cooking process.

"I see. Then why did you say they'd be better off dead?" That was the question Wei Zhao cared about more.

"Better off dead—those people have lost their own minds. It's as if some drug has altered their bodies and turned them into living machines that can only labor, like a pack of puppets who do nothing but obey and work..." Big Feng said. "I don't know whether they still have thoughts, because they can't communicate. Every day it's nothing but cooking drugs, cooking drugs. I'm terrified that if I betray the Red Conch, I'll end up the same way—that truly would be worse than death. So you might as well do me a favor and just finish me off. I don't want to become one of those things—neither human nor ghost!"

"Living machines..." Wei Zhao sucked in a cold breath at Big Feng's words! Those captives and traitors had all been transformed into living machines? Capable only of cooking drugs, with no minds of their own? The news pierced Wei Zhao's heart with another stab of pain. If the Pangolin was alive, then he must surely have been turned into one of them by now. Then... could he ever be restored to normal?

Yet Wei Zhao knew he could not let his emotions cloud the greater matter at hand. He pulled his phone from his pocket, called up a photograph, and zoomed in until only one person remained in the frame. Then he held the phone up before Big Feng's eyes. "Since you were stationed at the drug-cooking base, take a look—was this man among those living machines?"

The photo in Wei Zhao's hand was one of the Pangolin, the same one he had once shown Ying Ziyu—except that this time Wei Zhao had cropped himself out of it.

"This..." Big Feng looked at the photo on the phone and shook his head blankly. "You know as well as I do, that base had over a thousand living machines. How could I possibly have looked at every one of them? I was only responsible for keeping the place safe from outside attack and from discovery. I had no time to go studying people's faces."

Wei Zhao nodded. Big Feng was not wrong there; given his position at the time, it truly would have been impossible for him to pay attention to what any of those living machines looked like.

"Have you heard where that drug-cooking base was moved to?" Wei Zhao asked.

"That I really don't know. After I was transferred away from there, I had no reason to inquire. I've been living the high life here—I've no desire at all to go back," Big Feng said.

What Big Feng said was true enough. Here, every day was a feast of wine and pleasure, while the drug-cooking base was dull and flavorless. Who would want to go back?

"Take me to your Third Boss," Wei Zhao said. "Once we're there, I'll give you a clean death. Or—you can put your trust in me, stake your life on me, and help me wipe out the Third Boss and his men. I'll take you away with me, but from then on you'll be my man, working from the inside to help me find that drug-cooking base!"

"Hiss..." Big Feng was startled by Wei Zhao's words. He had not expected him to say such a thing!

On what grounds did Wei Zhao claim he was sure he could wipe out the Third Boss? Was he truly a Heaven-rank expert? Or did he have some hidden card to play?

In truth, Wei Zhao was not sure at all. He was merely making a gamble. If he wiped out the Third Boss and his men and got Big Feng out alive, so much the better; but if he proved no match for the Third Boss, then before fleeing, he was still confident he could finish Big Feng off first.

After all, the Third Boss was no Heaven-rank expert. Even if Wei Zhao could not beat him, he could still escape from his grasp.

Besides, Wei Zhao had not been very confident before, but ever since he had created the "Frenzied Fire Eight-Trigram Palm," he had genuinely wanted to test its power—and the Third Boss would make a perfect sparring partner!

Hearing Wei Zhao's terms, Big Feng's expression began to waver. If one could live, who would want to die? As the saying goes, a wretched life is better than a glorious death. Big Feng had been bent on dying only because he feared the Red Conch would turn him into one of those living machines, worse off than dead. But if he could go on living, working for Wei Zhao and keeping his own mind intact, then of course he no longer wished to die.

After hesitating for a long while, Big Feng said, "Are you... confident you can finish off the Third Boss?"

"I am. But anything can go wrong, and before I flee, I will certainly take you out along the way. I don't want my identity or the things I've come to ask about to leak out. I know your secrets—and likewise, you now know some of mine." Wei Zhao said this deliberately, though in truth it was also meant to bolster Big Feng's confidence.

Sure enough, Big Feng remembered that he had already memorized Wei Zhao's face and knew that he had come to the Red Conch looking for someone—and immediately he was filled with confidence! Indeed, even if Wei Zhao meant to leave, he would surely finish him off on the way out. In that case, he might as well take the gamble. If Wei Zhao did not die and actually wiped out the Red Conch, then what difference did it make whom he worked for?

"All right, I'm with you!" Big Feng said. "I'll take you to the Red Conch headquarters right now to kick up a storm."

But just as Wei Zhao and Big Feng were preparing to set out, Wei Zhao's phone rang!

Wei Zhao found it strange. Logically speaking, no one should be calling him. He picked up the phone and looked—it was actually Sun Jingyan calling, which puzzled him all the more. Still, he answered quickly: "Jingyi, what's wrong? Has something happened?"