bookrandom Chapter 1124 The Most Ridiculous Clown
Chapter 1124 The Most Ridiculous Clown
Just as Lin Zhen and Murong Yan were in Suzhou, strategizing and preparing for a final reckoning against the rebellious forces in Jiangnan.
On the banks of an unnamed little river, a thousand miles away from Suzhou.
A figure, soaking wet and emaciated, struggled to climb ashore from the icy river.
It was Kong Zhiqian, the very man everyone thought Lin Zhen had personally snapped his neck and thrown into the river to feed the fish!
He was panting heavily, greedily inhaling the fresh air.
The icy river water stimulated his nerves, slowly restoring consciousness to his body, which had been in a state of suspended animation due to the "turtle breathing powder."
He touched his neck.
There, the intense pain from being gripped by Lin Zhen's iron-like hand still lingered.
Lin Zhen used all his strength in that last strike, almost completely crushing his neck bones.
If he hadn't taken a pill to protect his heart meridian beforehand, and hadn't practiced a bone-shrinking technique that could instantly dislocate bones, he would probably be a cold corpse by now.
"Lin Zhen..."
He spat out the name through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with endless resentment and madness.
He lost.
A crushing defeat.
He had planned everything meticulously, but he never expected Lin Zhen to be so crazy and so unpredictable!
He actually preferred to use his own blood rather than Li Xian's blood to activate the mechanism!
He was completely unconcerned about the kind of infamy he would receive!
This man is a complete madman!
A monster!
An unprecedented sense of frustration and a deeper, humiliating anger instantly filled Kong Zhiqian's chest!
He originally thought that he was the one in control of everything.
In the end, he realized that he had only been playing a boring game with Lin Zhen from beginning to end.
And I am the most ridiculous clown.
"Haha...hahahaha!"
He couldn't help but burst into laughter, his voice shrill and mournful, like the wailing of an owl.
Just then, a light footstep came from the woods behind him.
Kong Zhiqian's laughter stopped abruptly.
He turned his head sharply, looking warily behind him.
Then, a man dressed in black, wearing a bronze mask, slowly emerged from the darkness.
"It's you?" Kong Zhiqian's eyes flashed with surprise when he saw the person who came.
This man, codenamed "Faceless," was the highest-ranking and most deeply embedded pawn he had placed within "Night Owl."
It was he who, after Lin Zhen left, secretly transported Kong Zhiqian's "body" out of Suzhou.
"Sir, are you alright?" The faceless voice was hoarse and low, devoid of any emotion.
"I won't die," Kong Zhiqian said coldly, struggling to his feet. "How's the situation in Suzhou?"
“Reporting to you, sir,” the faceless man bowed and replied, “your plan has failed. Lin Zhen has obtained the antidote, and Murong Yan has stabilized the situation in Jiangnan. Those aristocratic families who participated in the conspiracy are either dead or have surrendered; they can no longer cause any trouble.”
Upon hearing this news, Kong Zhiqian did not show much surprise.
All this was within his expectations.
He knew that as long as Lin Zhen and Murong Yan lived, his so-called allies were nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs, utterly vulnerable.
"What about Lin Zhen and Murong Yan? What are they doing now?" That was what he was more concerned about.
"They...they are preparing to hold a public trial in Suzhou for those aristocratic families who have been arrested. And they've even announced that they've...crushed you to dust."
"Crush my bones to ashes?" Upon hearing these four words, Kong Zhiqian's smile grew even more eerie and cold. "Fine, fine, crush my bones to ashes! Do they think that this will completely erase my existence? Do they think that this will end the game?"
"too naive!"
His eyes gleamed with a morbid, fanatical light!
"They ruined my chessboard, so I'll just get a bigger one and play against them!"
"They think they've won, then I'll show them what true despair really is!"
He turned to the faceless one, his voice chilling as if it came from hell.
"Immediately activate the 'Purification Plan'!"
Upon hearing this, the body beneath the bronze mask trembled violently!
"Sir! Are you...are you sure? Once the 'Purification Plan' is launched, there will be no turning back! It will...it will plunge the entire world into war and death!"
"Isn't this exactly what I want?" A maniacal smile appeared on Kong Zhiqian's face. "I want this corrupt and hypocritical world to gain eternal life in the flames!"
"I want Lin Zhen and Murong Yan to watch with their own eyes everything they protected with their lives turn to ashes, bit by bit, right before their eyes!"
"What I can't have, they can't have either!"
He looked at the faceless man, his voice carrying a seductive magic: "Go! Go tell all our comrades! Tell them that the darkness before dawn is the deepest! But as long as we ignite this first fire, the whole world will become our torch!"
"Our ultimate goal is not Jiangnan, nor those foolish aristocratic families!"
"It's the capital!"
"It's the Forbidden City, the symbol of supreme power and order!"
"I want to give them a gift they'll never forget at their triumphant return celebration!"
"I want to turn that most prosperous city in the world into a living hell!"
Looking at the man before him, who seemed to have gone mad, Wumian felt a chill creep into his heart.
But he knew he had no choice.
From the moment he joined the "Nihilistic Party," he was already a pawn with no way out.
He took a deep breath and knelt heavily on one knee in front of Kong Zhiqian.
"Yes, sir!"
……
Suzhou, inn.
Murong Yan had just finished dealing with a batch of urgent official matters concerning appeasing the people, which had been sent back from various places.
She rubbed her slightly sore temples, her face showing an undeniable weariness.
She has barely slept these past few days.
Although the situation in Jiangnan has been basically stabilized under her iron-fisted approach.
But she knew that this was only on the surface.
Although the canal's toxicity prevented large-scale casualties thanks to timely intervention, the subsequent cleanup and restoration is an incredibly massive undertaking.
The messes left behind by those aristocratic families whose property was confiscated also needed her to deal with one by one.
What troubled her the most was the so-called "nihilists".
According to the diary of Kong Zhiqian that Lin Zhen brought back, the members of this organization are spread all over the Great Qian Dynasty, and even have people in the imperial court.
These people are like venomous snakes lurking in the darkness; you never know when or from where they will leap out and deliver a fatal blow.
This feeling made her feel uneasy, unable to eat or sleep properly.
The dark gold phoenix-adorned dress she wore seemed to sense her worries.
At this moment, she was sitting at the table, looking at the files.
The dress that served as her only nightgown had developed some fine wrinkles on its ultra-black Suzhou brocade base due to her long hours of desk work.
In the dim candlelight, the colossal phoenix embroidered with real gold thread, stretching across its entire body, appeared somewhat dim, as if it were deeply worried about the future of the empire.
The five-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) long, dark gold Suzhou brocade train drooped helplessly from behind her chair to the ground, spreading out in a messy manner, like a black and gold ocean shrouded in dark clouds and devoid of luster.
Just then, Lin Zhen pushed open the door and walked in.
He immediately noticed her tired face and the faint bluish tinge under her eyes.
His heart ached instantly.
He stepped forward and gently embraced her from behind.
"Are you worrying again?" His voice carried a hint of heartache and helplessness.
Murong Yan leaned against his chest, feeling the familiar and reassuring scent emanating from him, and her tense body relaxed slightly.
“My husband, I still feel uneasy.” She said softly, “Although Kong Zhiqian is dead, his disciples and followers are still here. I have a feeling that they will not let this go so easily.”