The Slaughterhouse

The slaughterhouse was located near the coastal mountains. Its side door faced the shore. As soon as Chi Qing and her people arrived, she immediately dispatched two teams to slip into the trees and lie in wait, ensuring that every movement around the slaughterhouse could not escape their eyes.

According to the map, the slaughterhouse had two floors. The first floor was used for preparing and storing chemicals, while the second floor was the actual slaughtering ground. They didn't know if Bai Jun had any tricks up his sleeve by hiding his people on the second floor. To avoid any slip-ups and save time, they split into two groups to begin the search.

Bai Lin's team entered through the side door on the first floor, while Chi Qing led the search on the second floor with Zeng Kehen. After assigning the tasks, both teams acted simultaneously. Bai Lin drew the knife from her waist. Just as she was about to move, she felt a hand press down on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"Be careful."

In the darkness, although she couldn't see clearly, Bai Lin could recognize the other person's identity through her scent and touch. Chi Qing's voice was very soft, devoid of any anxiety. Hearing her warning, Bai Lin nodded, then immediately realized Chi Qing couldn't see it, so she spoke up.

"Mm, you must be careful too."

"You don't need to worry about me. You need to understand that I am not facing the enemy alone."

As Chi Qing spoke, she cast a meaningful look at Ge Dong and the woman Bai Lin had beaten last time. She hadn't forgotten who had attacked Bai Lin at the villa before, even breaking her leg. At that moment, Chi Qing had been forced to hide her displeasure, but since this woman dared to harm Bai Lin, she—Chi Qing—would certainly not let it slide easily.

"I understand. I'll go first then!"

Bai Lin was very smart and naturally understood what Chi Qing was implying. Frankly, she hadn't expected to be separated from Chi Qing. Right now, Ge Dong's behavior was highly unpredictable. After all, Bai Lin had not yet earned the organization's trust. If Ge Dong wanted to eliminate her under this pretext, there was no denying that this was a perfect opportunity.

"Mm, go on."

Knowing there was no turning back now, Chi Qing patted Bai Lin's shoulder and led the way into the slaughterhouse. Bai Lin didn't delay, quickly catching up with Ge Dong and the woman beside her, heading toward the side door.

It was obvious that the slaughterhouse had some unusual activity tonight. Usually, not a soul would be seen here for months, but tonight, there were exceptionally many men in suits guarding the entrance. As they approached the side door, they saw two men holding guns, keeping a close watch.

"I'll go over there to distract them. You two can take the chance to slip inside," Bai Lin whispered to Ge Dong and the other woman when they reached a dead end. Suggesting this meant the action was extremely dangerous; once discovered, it would not only alert the guards but could also prove fatal. Hearing Bai Lin's suggestion, the two did not object, silently watching her to signal the start of the plan.

Seeing that Ge Dong and the other woman had no intention of speaking, Bai Lin didn't wait for their reply. She quickly slipped through the brush, intentionally making a loud rustling noise. Sure enough, the two men were quickly drawn to the sound and headed toward Bai Lin's position, while Ge Dong's group took advantage of the unguarded side door to slip into the slaughterhouse.

In the pitch black, not a single figure could be seen. Even with the lights, visibility was extremely low. Bai Lin couldn't rely on her eyes to determine the enemies' positions, nor could she rashly step out of the brush. She could only track them by the sound of their footsteps. Sensing that someone was walking past her with another following behind, Bai Lin took advantage of the rear man's lack of vigilance, suddenly leaping up and grabbing his throat. She instantly applied force, crushing his windpipe. The sequence of movements happened in the blink of an eye; the man didn't even have a chance to cry out before he lost his life. Placing his corpse aside, Bai Lin used her flashlight to advance toward the remaining man, then swiftly covered his mouth from behind. At the same time, her other hand pinned his neck, twisting it with a sharp crack. He met the same fate as his companion.

Looking at the two corpses, a trace of gloom and regret flashed in Bai Lin's eyes. Up until now, her hands had been stained with the blood of countless people. She had never even met the faces of the people she killed, nor could she see them clearly before sending them directly into the cycle of reincarnation.

This world was just that cruel. If you didn't kill, you would be killed. Although this wasn't the life Bai Lin wanted, as long as she could help Chi Qing achieve her desires, she wouldn't bat an eye even if she had to walk through fire or cross a mountain of blades.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Bai Lin ran toward the side door. Just as she pushed it open and entered, she ran into Ge Dong's group. Bai Lin didn't think they were waiting out of goodwill; they probably just didn't know what dangers lay ahead and were waiting for her return.

"Bai Lin, you're not hurt, are you?"

Seeing Bai Lin enter, Ge Dong assessed her under the dim light from the door.

"Sister Dong, didn't you see her skills just now? How could anything happen to her?"

At this moment, the woman beside Ge Dong spoke up, casting a displeased glance at Bai Lin.

"Cheng Ling, don't talk like that. Bai Lin is one of us now, family. If there's nothing else, let's keep moving forward."

Only now did Bai Lin learn that the woman's name was Cheng Ling. Seeing Ge Dong say those nice words just to make her take the lead, Bai Lin didn't even want to spare her a look of contempt, stepping past them to lead the way.

Bai Lin couldn't hesitate, let alone waste time, because Chi Qing was waiting for her.

It was obvious that because the slaughterhouse was in the suburbs, very few people came here. Not only were the tools covered in dust, but the entire first floor had a thick layer of grime. To make movement easier, Bai Lin had intentionally worn spiked shoes, leaving clear footprints behind. She didn't know if this would cause trouble for her later, but right now, she couldn't afford to worry about so much.

"The first floor is very large. Why don't we split up and meet back here?"

Seeing that the first floor was completely deserted, Bai Lin spoke in a low voice. Her suggestion was quickly met with suspicion.

"Oh my! Sister Dong, look at her. She wants to separate from us so quickly. Who knows if she's going to leak information? At the very least, I have to follow and watch you, lest we get sold out without even knowing."

Seeing that the woman named Cheng Ling kept targeting her, Bai Lin's expression remained unchanged, but her eyes grew darker and deeper. She didn't understand why this woman kept picking fights to waste time. If she wanted to betray them, wouldn't it have been easier to just let the guards discover them earlier?

However, despite her resentment, Bai Lin understood that she currently had no say and could only obey. Stubbornly causing trouble would only bring more difficulties for Chi Qing.

"We'll split into two directions. I'll go left, you two take the right."

Hearing Cheng Ling's words, Ge Dong seemed somewhat convinced. After giving her a searching look, she finally made the decision. Bai Lin said nothing more and followed the instructions.

The layout of the slaughterhouse wasn't particularly complex, but there were many rooms. Fortunately, they weren't locked, though searching them was still tedious. Bai Lin moved forward to avoid a passing patrol. She pushed open the first door; inside were many barrels, all printed with the local logo.

Then she moved forward to the laboratory, then the changing room and the bathroom. After entering several rooms in succession, Bai Lin walked in front with Cheng Ling following behind. It was as if Cheng Ling was only there to supervise while Bai Lin did the work. Bai Lin could feel her gaze constantly watching her every move from behind.

That gaze was truly annoying. Bai Lin couldn't stand it but had no way to stop it. She pushed open the final room, and what met her eyes made her face turn pale in an instant. The dim light only allowed her to see blurry shapes, but the horror was fleeting, quickly replaced by intense disgust.

There were probably over a hundred specimen jars in the room. Each shelf held numerous glass jars of various shapes and sizes, filled with a clear, whitish liquid. And preserved inside that liquid were human body parts.

Eyes, kidneys, hearts, livers, and even intestines. Seeing these things, Bai Lin felt her throat churn, and a familiar, intense wave of nausea washed over her. It was just like the feeling she had when Chi Qing forced her to eat meat before—she just wanted to throw up. Unable to bear it any longer, Bai Lin leaned against the doorframe, one hand supporting herself on the wall and the other covering her mouth, gasping for air. But the more she tried to suppress the urge to vomit, the more her throat burned, and her heart raced.

The metallic taste of blood in her mouth grew stronger, and fresh blood began to seep from the corners of her lips. For some reason, she had suddenly vomited blood. Right at that moment, a sudden wave of murderous intent surged from behind, striking directly at her. Instinctively, Bai Lin dodged to the side and spun around. Cheng Ling was looking at her with a face full of murderous intent, holding a long machete.

"Haha, you really are agile, managing to dodge that strike. No matter what, I will take your life today!"

Bai Lin didn't ask why Cheng Ling wanted to kill her; in fact, she wasn't surprised at all. As Cheng Ling lunged at her, Bai Lin dodged the attack, simultaneously drawing her own machete from her waist to counter. The two blades clashed with a crisp metallic ring. Fearing she would alert Bai Jun's subordinates, Bai Lin decided not to continue fighting Cheng Ling and rushed to find Ge Dong. After all, she had already searched the second floor, and there was no way anyone could be hidden there.

"Want to run? It won't be that easy!"

Seeing that Bai Lin had no intention of fighting and chose to run, Cheng Ling threw her machete from behind. Sensing the danger, Bai Lin leaped into the air, kicking off a nearby stone pillar to propel herself, throwing her own machete in mid-air.

Bai Lin executed a perfect 360-degree spin in mid-air. Just as she landed, Cheng Ling pointed a gun directly at her. Looking at the dark muzzle, the first thing Bai Lin thought of was not her own safety, but the fear that Cheng Ling's gunshot would alert Bai Jun's men, putting Chi Qing in grave danger.

"You'll have plenty of other opportunities to kill me. Firing a gun now will only disadvantage our side," Bai Lin said in a low voice, looking at Cheng Ling. Her usual indifferent expression was gone, replaced entirely by coldness.

The moonlight filtered through the window, allowing Cheng Ling to clearly see Bai Lin's eyes, which were growing darker. Her gaze flashed like a blade, carrying a chilling intent.

Although Bai Lin usually appeared weak in both image and temperament, she was actually not someone whose presence could be easily dismissed, but rather a dominant force who could threaten others. Even though she couldn't see her current expression, Cheng Ling understood that things had indeed become difficult. Bai Lin was truly hard to deal with; if she missed this opportunity, she feared it would lead to endless trouble.

"Oh? Our side? Are you mistaken? It's not our side, but you. My primary mission is to kill you and Chi Qing. Why should I care if I alert Bai Jun's men?"

"Are you Bai Jun's person?"

This was the first possibility Bai Lin thought of. If that was the case, then everything made sense. Why Cheng Ling wanted to kill her, and why she wanted to oppose Chi Qing.

"Bai Lin, you are indeed smart, and your skills are precise. However, if there's anyone to blame, blame yourself for being born in the wrong place. You shouldn't have been Bai Jun's daughter, and you certainly shouldn't have been Chi Qing's daughter. Your existence was never necessary; it was a mistake from the start. Since that's the case, I'll end your life for you, saving you from your mother's torture. You should thank me before it's too late."

Cheng Ling said, flicking the safety off her gun. Looking at her finger on the trigger, Bai Lin's face showed no fear; instead, she slowly walked toward Cheng Ling. The wind blowing in from the window made her hair flutter wildly in the air.

The slaughterhouse didn't have many electric lights, only the dim moonlight and the weak light from Bai Lin's lamp. That faint light illuminated Bai Lin's face. Facing death, she remained completely fearless; instead, her dark eyes grew even colder, sending shivers down one's spine. At this moment, Bai Lin looked terrifying.

Slaughter was her only desire at this moment!

"Whether I deserve to die is not for you to decide. But if you want to harm her, you must die."