Realms In The Firmament

Zhan Yunfei was such an arrogant and nasty person, but what he asked was truly important. He had to know about his enemy and to make sure the girl wouldn’t be a threat. That was the only way to keep the girl safe around them. Otherwise, even though Xiao Mufei would show mercy to her because of her face, Zhan Yunfei and the others would never allow her to live!

The girl panicked. She hesitated for a while and said, ”I don’t know much about the organization… I grew up in a secret base… There were a few girls who looked familiar to me earlier… They were weeded out afterwards…”

Zhan Yunfei asked, ”Is it a place that specializes in raising assassins?”

”Yes.” The girl’s voice was weak.

Zhan Yunfei was interested. He thought for a while and said, ”You said there were a few girls who got weeded out?”

The girl said, ”Yes…”

Zhan Yunfei looked to the sky and stayed silent for a while. He said, ”That means… You don’t know which sect the secret base belongs to? This is your first mission?”

”Yes…” The girl was impressed.

[This man looked scary. He is so clever. I don’t know how did he know that, but what he said is true…]

Zhan Yunfei, the clever man, had his face turn dark.

He frowned, trying to figure out something. He stopped talking.

Xiao Mufei was troubled. He didn’t know what to say as he just kept pouring energy into the girl’s body.

Ye Xiao suddenly spoke, ”What’s the size of that secret base?”

The girl looked at him strangely and said, ”Very big. I don’t know how to describe it.”

Ye Xiao said, ”How big? Can it hold ten thousand men?”

”Much bigger than that” The girl said, ”The valley I stayed can at least hold thirty thousand people… As I know, there are about three and four other valleys around us…”

”Hmm. So that place is big enough to hold at least a hundred thousand people…” Ye Xiao nodded. He had a conclusion. He asked, ”Those people who were taken to the place with you, were they all kids?”

”Yes.”

”I guess every kid looks like to somebody else?” Ye Xiao asked. It was a strange question.

The girl answered without hesitation, ”Yes. I still remember, there were always kids who looked alike that showed up together.”

”After some training, when they grow up, those weaker ones will be weeded out. You will never see them again. Am I right?” Ye Xiao asked.

”Yes.”

…

Ye Xiao asked quicker, and the girl answered quicker without hesitation.

Since Ye Xiao started to ask the questions one by one, Zhan Yunfei kept showing a dark face, lost in thoughts. As Ye Xiao asked more, Zhan Yunfei’s face looked darker.

He didn’t like it when Ye Xiao first interrupted and asked the questions, but then he was impressed as Ye Xiao asked more. He praised Ye Xiao afterwards. As more questions were answered, more things were learned.

[What a brilliant mind. How can he think so clearly.]

[My questions come from the doubts in my heart. Ye Chongxiao asked something I truly wanted to know. I didn’t even realize how important the answers could be.]

[He basically piled up all small facts so as to reveal the truth behind everything!]

[How terribly wise!]

”If I am right, those men who taught you martial art and skills, you don’t remember them now. When they showed up, they would wear a mask or disguise their faces, right? It is impossible for you to see their real faces, right?” Ye Xiao asked.

”Yes. How do you know that?” The girl was surprised. [How did he know all this? Was it really just a conjecture?]

”Before you, did anybody else come out for missions?” Ye Xiao asked.

”Yes.”

”Many of them?” Ye Xiao asked.

”Quite a lot. Especially in the recent two years. There are lots of missions,” the girl said.

”Hmm. Do you know anybody among them? Are you close to any of them?”

”Yes.”

”Did they return to the place? Was anybody you know ever assigned multiple times?” Ye Xiao stared at her.

”No. Nobody has ever taken a second mission. None of them came back,” the girl answered slowly this time. She seemed sad.

”Before you came out, do you know about anything about your target?”

”Not at all. A leader will tell us what to do right before the move.”

”If I ask you to go back to that place, do you know the way back?” Ye Xiao asked.

Zhan Yunfei and Xiao Mufei were both shocked.

That was the key!

”I don’t.” The girl panicked. ”When I went to that valley, I was eight… I have never come out since then until now. Even before this mission, I was blocked in some acupuncture points and fed with drugs. I was unconscious. When I woke up, I was already outside, in a strange place. This mission was the first time I have ever connected to the outside world since I was eight. I don’t know how to go back to the place. I don’t know the location.”

”Hmm. How do you communicate with each other?” Ye Xiao asked, ”Secret signal? Marks? Special signs? Something like that. Do you have anything to show them your identity?”

”No, nothing.” The girl said, ”They can find me. I got a space ring full of good stuff earlier, thanks to you guys. It should be enough for me to have a happy afterlife. I did want to leave, but they found me the next morning and told me to continue the mission. If I don’t, they will kill me!”

”I see. What is your name? I mean… Your real name?” Ye Xiao asked.

…