Chapter 194: The Nightingale’s Visit

“Nightingale, it was you who insisted on starting this operation. The main task has been assigned to you—how dare you blame others if it fails? Have you forgotten whom you kidnapped? Hehe, the only granddaughter of Imperial Marshal Okaz, one of our targets! It seems you took Silverwing’s words as mere wind!” Hearing the Nightingale’s words, Viper sneered coldly, slowly sheathing the sword he had drawn, and spoke indifferently.
“Enough. Let’s end this here. Nightingale, release Lucia. Keeping this woman is enough!”
Interrupting Viper, Silverwing spoke in a deep voice to the group. At that moment, his gaze was exceptionally cold and sharp, like stars shining in the dark night, seemingly able to see through a person’s thoughts.
“No way. Release her to let her go back and warn them? Silverwing, you seem to be getting worse. Tomorrow, we’ll inform Rod and have him come here to rescue her and resolve this quickly. Even if Okaz finds out we kidnapped his granddaughter, do you think he can find us? And even if he knows we’ve targeted them, what? We haven’t hurt or killed her—surely they won’t be so petty as to care about such a trivial matter!” The Nightingale paid no attention to Silverwing’s warning. Thinking of Knight Rod she met that night, a faint smile appeared on her lips. What an interesting man. In all these years since she started her journey, few people had ever captured her interest so much. Being able to deceive her made him worthy of their relentless pursuit.
“The Nightingale is right. Hehe, with these two girls in our hands, why should we fear that Knight Rod? Tomorrow, we’ll just wait for him to stand in front of us and let us do as we please!” Crow’s cunning laughter made everyone present frown.
“Bang…” A dull sound suddenly came, and in the next instant, Crow was flung backward, crashing heavily into a large tree behind him before finally stopping. Clutching his chest, he gasped for breath, his face twisted in pain.
“Crow, have you forgotten what I said just now? It’s best not to mess with these two. Otherwise, I guarantee you’ll die a horrible death!” Unexpectedly, the Nightingale appeared in front of Crow and spoke to him in a chilling tone.

“Nightingale, you…” Glaring at Nightingale, the Crow roared loudly, ready to retaliate. It was Nightingale who had launched a sudden attack on him earlier, which had filled him with rage. They were on the same side—how dare she attack him?

“Crow, have you forgotten our identities? Heh, using hostages to force the target to surrender? How could you even think of such a thing? You might as well just become a thug!” At some point, Viper also appeared in front of the Crow with a cold smile, his long sword drawn and pointed at the Crow’s throat, speaking softly as if he had heard some very funny joke.

They were the top assassins on this continent. Did this Crow really think they were just street scum? Using hostages was the most despised tactic in the assassin world. Anyone who did it would only be laughed at and despised, and might even face scrutiny and punishment from the Mercenary Association. Even if they failed to complete the mission, no one would do such a thing. How could they still have a place in this world after that? Breaking the rules of this community meant not being tolerated by it.

Moreover, as top assassins, their principles and codes of conduct wouldn’t allow them to be so despicable. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have reached their current heights, standing at the pinnacle of this world.

“Enough. Let’s end this here. When Knightrod arrives tomorrow, release these two. Don’t let me find out if anyone is plotting against me behind my back, or don’t blame me if I become ruthless! Nightingale, you’re in charge of notifying Knightrod. Meet here tomorrow night!” Finally, Silverwing spoke up. Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, he said coldly to the group. After speaking, he glanced deliberately at the Crow, who looked unwilling, as if those words were meant for him.

……

Dawn was breaking. After much persuasion, they finally managed to bring Furnace Heaven back into his body. With a long sigh, he walked over to the window, looking tired. The cool air made him instinctively pull his collar tighter.

He had spent the entire night practicing, trying to get himself in the best possible condition. His injuries weren’t too serious. Thanks to his strong physique and abnormal recovery ability, they wouldn’t cause much trouble.

Yet still, his heart was heavy. Lucia and Linda were still in the hands of those guys. He didn’t know if they might do something extreme. If anything happened to them, how guilty he would feel, and how could he face their relatives and friends? Rod couldn’t even imagine it.

“Damn it, why still no news!” Those were the words John had told him yesterday. Rod couldn’t help but curse inwardly. Those guys hadn’t sent any messages at all—what exactly did they want? What secret were they hiding? He had no idea, and that made him feel unusually heavy-hearted and irritable.

“Hey… little brother, worried over here? What? Missing your sister? Just one night apart and you already miss her so much!” A seductive voice suddenly appeared by his ear, causing Rod’s expression to change. He quickly turned to look at the source of the voice. It was all too familiar—wasn’t it the voice of the female assassin who had attacked him last night?

“Finally, she’s here!” Rod thought to himself.

“You’re here. Where are they? What exactly do you want?” Rod asked coldly, narrowing his eyes at the woman in the purple tight dress ahead of him. He clenched his fists secretly and gritted his teeth, trying hard to control his impulses.

Rod was afraid that if he lost control, he might do something outrageous. If that happened, it would only harm Lucia and Linda. Now wasn’t the time for impulsiveness—he had to endure.

It was just a woman in her twenties or thirties. With her tight dress, her alluring figure was fully on display—curvy waist, long legs, and every smile and gesture exuding charm. Any man would surely find it unbearable to look at her. Unfortunately, Rod didn’t have the mood to pay attention to such things, missing another chance to feast his eyes.

“Hehe, why in such a hurry? I’ve been thinking about you so much I can’t sleep! You’re so heartless, not even showing any concern! You only care about others—I’m so sad, 55555!” In response to Rod’s words, Nightingale acted pitifully and complained.

“Enough, I’m not joking with you. Tonight, when night falls, meet me in the woods on the north outskirts of the capital. Come alone—remember, alone! Otherwise, I can’t guarantee anything. Tsk tsk tsk… Two delicate beauties? I can’t bear to hurt them!” Seeing Rod’s clenched fists and gritted teeth, Nightingale knew the joke had gone far enough and it was time to stop. So she turned serious and spoke seriously.

“Hehe, remember that, sister is waiting for you over there. Don’t make me sad! I’m leaving now. See you tonight!” Looking around, seeing no one around, the nightingale repeated her instructions with a charming smile, then vanished in a flash, leaving behind a faint shadow as she quickly retreated into the distance.
“Tonight, in the eastern suburbs of the capital… Hmph, what tricks do you plan to play? I’ll be right after you. It’s best not to do anything outrageous, or I guarantee you’ll regret it!” Glancing out at the empty window, Rod spoke in a low voice, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
“Tonight, it might be the only option!” It was time to act. To be honest, Rod knew that even at his best, he had no chance against those people. Even he wasn’t confident about that woman just now, let alone facing so many at once. The only plan left was that move, which reminded him of the strange changes he had experienced in life-or-death crises when facing the Earth Bear, Viski, and Thayer.
Xuanyuan, though unwilling to tell him more, had said it was the awakening of his bloodline. Rod also knew that this move could enable him to achieve a qualitative leap in strength in a short time, allowing him to exert several times his usual power. Perhaps this was the only way for him to fight, and the only chance he had. It was not only for himself but also for those two innocent women.
“Xuanyuan, are you there?” Thinking of this, Rod urgently called out to him in his mind. Xuanyuan saw things more clearly and knew more than he did. Now, he could only turn to him for help.
“Are you really determined to do this?” After waiting quietly, Rod finally heard Xuanyuan’s serious voice after a moment.
“What other choice do I have? This time, success is mandatory—no failure allowed. Can you help me once?” With a bitter smile, Rod couldn’t think of any other way to help himself and sighed.

“Hey, well, I have no choice but to give it a try. Running into you is just bad luck for me; I never have a single day of peace, living in constant fear with no sense of safety!” Upon hearing Rod’s reply, Xuan Yuan muttered in complaint. Ever since he had followed this guy, he hadn’t had a single good day, spending all his time in danger. He had given up. Although he knew he could persuade Rod to leave this place and ignore their duel, Xuan Yuan didn’t say anything because he knew Rod wouldn’t agree. And though he had his own selfish motives, he wouldn’t go so far as to say such things—his principles wouldn’t allow him to do that.