Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 101: 101. Taboo ACE-017

Zhang Tianzhen looked nervously at Hu Xiaoniu, but the latter did not intend to retreat, just stubbornly staring at the girl in front of him.

The Time Traveler hired by the Wang Family slowly advanced, the atmosphere becoming incredibly tense.

Still, Hu Xiaoniu did not back down.

Wang Yun turned her head as if she could hardly bear it, and in the end, she whispered to Hu Xiaoniu, “I’ll give you one more chance. We were friends before, don’t make me do this.”

Hu Xiaoniu slowly said, “You’re just a selfish person, aren’t you? Whether it’s betraying us or now wanting to kill us, you’re just finding excuses for yourself to cover up your hypocrisy. I could retreat today, but I’d rather show you through my actions that if I’m the first to wake up and be interrogated, I won’t succumb. Your people are right here, let’s prove it with facts.”

Hu Xiaoniu continued, “I really want to back down, but these past two days, every time I fall into a groggy sleep, I dream of a friend from Kunlun shouting to hurry and leave. I dream that this friend stubbornly blocks the door, watching us escape one by one before closing his eyes with a smile. I, Hu Xiaoniu, am not particularly strong-willed, but if I back down today, I fear I won’t be able to sleep ever again!”

Wang Yun said softly, “You’re forcing me. Kill them.”

But before the people behind her could react, a strange sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the narrow alley.

The footsteps grew from distant to near, sometimes seeming to be on the left, yet the next step would be on the right, and at one moment, everyone felt the footsteps were right behind them.

But when everyone turned back, they saw no one.

Gradually, a figure at the end of the small road became clearer.

A man in his thirties, as if oblivious to everyone else, entered amid them all. He calmly surveyed the tense surroundings and quietly asked Wang Yun, “You are Wang Yun, right? Easier to find than I expected.”

Wang Yun was stunned, “Who are you?”

The man was dressed in a black coat, beneath which was a neat suit, with an old-fashioned pocket watch that seemed out of place in the cyber age pinned to his chest. His hair was half-long, combed back, and tied into a small bun.

He wore a pair of black leather gloves. When his fingers moved, the friction from the leather made a creaking sound.

“I?” the man pondered, “It’s been a long time since someone asked me who I am. So, let me introduce myself. Heng Society, Li Dongze.”

As he spoke, dense footsteps also came from several alleys outside the path, seemingly encircling the narrow road.

Li Dongze stood on the path, as if everything revolved around him.

Wang Yun whispered in shock, “Heng Society’s Li Dongze?”

“This kind of exclamation is quite common. But let’s not dwell on that,” Li Dongze thought for a moment. “The boss sent me to ask you a question—who exactly is the mastermind behind this kidnapping case? Think carefully, I must have an answer today.”

Wang Yun was stunned, she spoke hesitantly, “I really don’t know who it is. The day after the incident at Jiang Xue’s home, a letter suddenly appeared in my bag. The envelope had a Devil’s Stamp on it, and the letter said he would contact me. I was very scared because I didn’t even notice when the envelope was slipped into my bag. Someone with such divine skills could easily kill me!”

“Understood, it’s Taboo ACE-017,” Li Dongze nodded.

Wang Yun asked timidly, “Is there anything else you’re here for?”

Li Dongze nodded calmly, “Oh, I’m here to kill you.”

Wang Yun’s expression began to slowly change, complex as if a palette of oil colors had been spilled on the ground.

“What have I done wrong!” she suddenly burst out hysterically. “Why do you all want to kill me!?”

Li Dongze thought for a moment, “I don’t know either. The boss just said to kill you; I didn’t ask why.”

Having said that, he raised his hand in a feigned grip.

The next moment, Wang Yun felt like the air around her was being sucked away, as if she had entered a complete vacuum. Her blood vessels burst one by one under the skin due to some inexplicable pulling force.

Swift.

Direct.

…

Meanwhile, Uncle Li Dong looked at Qing Chen and said, “Okay, I’ve fulfilled the exchange condition I owed you. Li Dongze should have already killed that insider you mentioned.”

Qing Chen was stunned for a moment, “Wait, are you saying Li Dongze took action personally?”

In his impression, Li Dongze was a high-status figure in the Inner World, after all, he was someone who could reserve the entire Sunlight Pavillion Restaurant. It seemed excessive for him to personally kill Wang Yun.

By his side, Lin Xiaoxiao cheerfully said, “Li Dongze is the closest person to the boss. Whenever the boss wants someone killed, he always does it himself. He values relationships a lot.”

A few minutes later, Lin Xiaoxiao’s reader suddenly received a message containing only the letters and numbers ACE-017.

“Your reader can still receive external information?” Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

“Oh, I’m in charge of helping the boss make contact with the outside world,” Lin Xiaoxiao cheerfully said. “It seems like the mastermind contacted Wang Yun via ACE-017. This should solve your puzzle. This person behind the scenes is no simple character, managing to acquire a taboo object in such a short time.”

“What is ACE-017? A code for a taboo object? What does it do?” Qing Chen asked.

“Ah, the taboo object ACE-017 is also called the Devil’s Stamp,” Lin Xiaoxiao said. “Once obtained, it requires a one-time feed of 1600CC of fresh blood, allowing it to recognize its master and parasitize the chest of the host. Within the first 24 hours, no foreign blood should appear in the host’s body. Afterwards, each time the host cuts a finger and drops blood onto an envelope, the blood will turn into the pattern of the Devil’s Stamp. Then, the envelope will go to any destination you want it to reach. However, it seems there’s a limit to this destination, and you can only write one sentence.”

Qing Chen was taken aback. Normal humans would show symptoms like pale complexion, cold sweats, and cold limbs when losing 800CC of blood, and losing more than 1500CC would lead to insufficient blood supply to the brain.

This was a matter of life and death.

That meant, to become the master of the Devil’s Stamp, one had to gamble with their life.

Seeing what Qing Chen was thinking, Lin Xiaoxiao explained, “It’s said that the stamp’s pattern changes, and if someone doesn’t survive the 24 hours, the Devil’s Stamp’s pattern will resemble the deceased’s face. Some say, it’s the soul being collected by the stamp.”

Ye Wan nodded, “This taboo item was previously in the hands of the 4th President. Later, in his later years, he was killed, and the Devil’s Stamp went missing.”

Suddenly, Qing Chen thought that Wang Yun becoming an insider could also be partly due to being frightened by this letter.

But that was not an excuse for his betrayal.

“Does this stamp have any other functions?” Qing Chen asked. “Like evoking the recipient’s evil thoughts or dark side?”

“What are you thinking,” Lin Xiaoxiao countered. “I don’t know; I’ve never seen this thing. However, the abilities of taboo objects are mostly singular; perhaps the Devil’s Stamp only has the function of sending letters. Only a few taboo items have multiple abilities.”

“Like what?” Qing Chen was curious.

“Like… what Guo Huchan is looking for, ACE-005,” Lin Xiaoxiao looked at Qing Chen and winked.