214 Cooperation (2/2)
In Zhong Heng's view, Yang Huan was the best person for this job. He believed that this killer, who had killed two young masters of the Shangguan family, was eager to seek protection from a power that could resist the Golden Roc Fort. He thought all he needed to do now was to make the killer believe that it was a wise choice to work as a spy for the Central Plain.
Gu Shenwei did not mind betraying the Golden Roc Fort at all. He just wanted to make sure that this thing was not a trap. He wanted to see Zhong Heng's sincerity and also planned to charge more for his service. Given that, he pretended to be hesitant, waiting for Zhong Heng to raise his offer bit by bit.
After negotiating for an hour, the killer and the commandant finally agreed on all the details of the deal. The killer promised to pry into the Supreme King's health situation, and Zhong Heng assured the killer that he would protect him and give him half of the 'Protective Talisman' that the Kun Society turned in.
The reason that Gu Shenwei spent so much time talking with Zhong Heng, whom he was going to kill tonight, was that Commandant Zhong's final offer was the Governor's final offer. Knowing this, he would be able to further his own interests when he went to negotiate with Wei Lingmiao again.
He was willing to help all the foes of Golden Roc Fort, but he did not want to passively submit to them. He had to gain the initiative to ensure his own interests.
After he said goodbye to Zhong Heng at around 9 pm, he deliberately went to talk with the owner of the brothel at the gate and then took a walk on a bustling street, letting many people see him in the street. As he was in charge of the Kun Society's Outer Hall, many shop owners on the street knew him.
Toward midnight, he masked his face, jumped onto the roof of a house and sneaked back to the roof top of Flowery Pavilion. He did not tell Shangguan Ru this assassination task, so he had to plan and carry it out all by himself.
As Zhong Heng's kung fu was just mediocre, Gu Shenwei was confident that he could easily kill him with his bare hands after using some knockout powder on him.
However, he did not want to kill Commandant Zhong that fast. He wanted to find out what the commandant had done to offend Wei Lingmiao.
The brothel was full of customers at this moment. After waiting on the roof for quite a long time, Gu Shenwei finally identified an opportunity to get down to the ground. As he had already paid the prostitute inside Zhong Heng's room for leaving the door unlatched tonight, he easily pushed the door half-open and quickly slipped into the room.
Everything went as smoothly as he had expected except one thing: Zhong Heng was sitting on the bed instead of lying in it.
As this room was only dimly lit by light filtering in from the windows, Gu Shenwei could only vaguely see the things inside it.
”Do you come back to kill me?”
”Yes.”
”How will I die?”
”You'll die from too much sex.”
”Haha, that's ridiculous. This prostitute is so bad looking. I've killed her already.”
Gu Shenwei was pretty sure that Zhong Heng did not lie, for he could see a woman lying deathly still on the bed. Commandant Zhong had seen through his trick, but he still had a plan B. He could stab Zhong Heng's neck to kill him now, and then the three machetemen next door would break into this room at an agreed signal. They would chop the commandant's dead body into pieces to cover up the fact that he was killed by a sword. After that, they would contend that this fight was caused by a prostitute. People in South City were accustomed to seeing a brothel's clients fighting one another for a prostitute.
Gu Shenwei decided to talk with Commandant Zhong before carrying out his plan B. ”How did you know that I planned to kill you?” he asked.
”Your eyes betrayed you. During our previous conversation, you kept looking me up and down in a subconscious attempt to search for my vulnerable points, so I guess that you're planning to kill me. Your favorite point is the neck, isn't it?”
Gu Shenwei was deeply impressed by Zhong Heng's agile mind. He liked Commandant Zhong, although this man was slippery as a snake. ”This is a problem. We have to solve it,” the killer went over to sit in a chair and said smilingly.
Zhong Heng had taught the killer to solve a problem instead of looking for the truth before. Now it was his turn to solve a problem.
”Yes. After the cunning hare dies, the hounds are boiled. I just never expected that Master Wei would want to boil me first. What did he promise you?” asked Zhong Heng.
”One-month delay in turning in the 'Protective Talisman'. It means nothing to me,” replied Gu Shenwei.
”Huh, that's not a good deal at all.”
”Erm, I believe you can give me a better price for your own life. Commandant Zhong.”
Zhong Heng was well aware that he could never rely on his kung fu to survive in Jade City. He had never planned to fight against the young killer and thus had left his weapon at the door of the room before the killer coming back. He intended to talk himself out of trouble.
”If you want others to cooperate with you, you must give them what they want or have something on them. I'm telling you this from my own experience,” said Zhong Heng.
Gu Shenwei had similar experiences. He had successfully manipulated Luo Ningcha and Shangguan Fei because he knew their secrets. Given that, he immediately realized what Zhong Heng was talking about and asked the commandant. ”Are you saying that you have something on Master Wei?”
”I won't tell it to you. You'll kill me after you get the secret.”
”Well, if you don't tell me I'll kill you right now. I can't sit here for the whole night.”
”Alright, I can tell it to you. Please remember that I've more than one secret. Don't kill me right after you get Master Wei's secret.”
”Relax, I'll let you know before I kill you.”
Zhong Heng swallowed hard and did not feel as confident as before. This was the first time he had seen the merciless side of the young killer. ”Master Wei has a guilty conscience. He killed his fiancée,” Zhong Heng cleared his throat and said.