Chapter 241: The Plan

"So, what do you want me to do this time?" Hearing the name, Zhang Wenda's brow furrowed. "Are you making me the bait to lure him out again?"

Tan Yougen shook his head. "To be honest, after last time, I'm sure you saw for yourself. You don't carry enough weight. You can't lure him out at all."

"Who says? He showed up during the No. 6 Ideological Tide," Zhang Wenda retorted, displeased.

"He didn't show up because you were that important to him. It was because I secretly leaked information to the Big Circle, telling them your progress in Trial No. 2 was astonishingly fast and that you were a genius in that regard. That's the only reason he took any interest in you."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda couldn't help but feel his fists itch. 'Why didn't I just punch this old bastard a few more times when I had the chance?'

At that moment, Tan Yougen continued, "But even so, he only sent a 'hotkey' over. That's enough to prove that while you may hate his guts, to him, you aren't even valuable enough for him to show up in person."

Just then, Tan Yougen's secretary leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Director, it's called a 'shortcut,' not a 'hotkey.'"

"Oh, right. Qianxi's clones are called 'shortcuts.' You young people and your newfangled gizmos. We old folks can't keep up."

"If I don't carry enough weight, then who does? You?" Zhang Wenda demanded, looking at Tan Yougen.

"I do." A gruff voice made Zhang Wenda turn his head toward Big Circle Leopard, who was by the window.

"Truth be told, I'm still the public face of the Big Circle. Anyone who manages to kill me would gain an enormous amount of prestige. They might even be able to seize control of the entire Big Circle's forces. That's more than enough temptation."

"So? Where do I fit into this whole plan?" Zhang Wenda asked again.

This time, Tan Yougen spoke up. "You're the trigger. It would be too abrupt for him to suddenly appear in Big Circle territory, but no one would be suspicious if you showed up—especially since everyone knows you want to avenge Biaozi."

"It would be just as abrupt for me to show up, wouldn't it? Why would I risk my life and waltz into Big Circle territory just to get myself killed?"

Tan Yougen slowly pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it over. "Because, by a stroke of luck, you happened to learn Tang Xingxiong's itinerary."

"Tang Xingxiong..." Hearing the name, Zhang Wenda tightened his grip on the sickle in his hand, the blade digging deeper into his flesh.

"I'll take the job!" Zhang Wenda snatched the piece of paper.

'There might still be a significant gap in power between me and Qianxi, but against Tang Xingxiong, the difference isn't so great anymore—not after I mastered the 'red'.'

The mere thought of Tang Xingxiong made him instantly impatient.

He used his sickle to slice open the paper and glanced at the time and location recorded on it. Zhang Wenda looked at Tan Yougen again. "After I go get my revenge on Tang Xingxiong, what's the rest of the plan?"

"The rest of the plan has nothing to do with you. You don't need to know," Tan Yougen replied calmly.

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda's brow slowly furrowed. He had fallen for Tan Yougen's tricks more than once, and he wasn't about to be fooled again. "You're not using this as another chance to screw me over, are you?"

"Why would I do that? You're my junior. Other newcomers to Bureau 507 can hardly even get a meeting with me. Look how well I treat you. You can just barge into my office whenever you please."

Zhang Wenda pointed at Tan Yougen. "I hope you're not planning to pull any funny business with this plan. If you dare to play me again, it won't be something a single slap can solve. I may not be that powerful, but if I want to ruin your plans, I have plenty of ways to do it."

After making his threat, Zhang Wenda turned and left. Half an hour later, Big Circle Leopard also walked out of Tan Yougen's office.

His expression was grim. He didn't linger, just glanced left and right before heading toward the main hall.

He stopped when he reached the edge of the inverted ocean, his slightly hoarse voice calling out, "Come on out."

Zhang Wenda emerged from a nearby grove of trees. He looked at the man and said, "You're my elder. I'll call you Uncle Leopard."

"Why are you following me? Is there something you need?"

"I want to know what the whole plan is, really," Zhang Wenda explained.

"You've joined Bureau 507, haven't you? Why didn't you just ask Old Tan instead of coming to an outsider like me?"

Zhang Wenda looked at his strong, square features and said, "Back then, under those circumstances, you were the one who took responsibility and established the Big Circle to give the people from Bureau 749 a way to survive. Based on that alone, I trust what you say more than anything that comes out of Tan Yougen's mouth."

"Hah." The corner of Big Circle Leopard's mouth twitched. "You're a smooth talker, kid. Too bad Bureau 749 is gone. Otherwise, you definitely would have ended up in my hands for some proper training."

"So, can you tell me? I just don't want to be played by Tan Yougen again. He's tricked me several times already."

"Fine. You'll have to find out eventually anyway. But this isn't the place to talk. Let's go somewhere else."

Zhang Wenda glanced at the quiet beach. "Where to?"

The words had barely left his mouth when the space around them suddenly tore open. An intense feeling of weightlessness washed over him as Zhang Wenda plummeted downward at incredible speed.

In mid-air, Zhang Wenda struggled to orient himself and look down. He saw a circular island shrouded in black clouds, growing larger and larger.

As he plunged into the cloud layer, he hurtled toward the rapidly enlarging ground. Just as he was about to hit, he took a large bite of a mushroom and quickly used the Jade Pendant to clone four Wai Rabbits. They materialized in the air, breaking his fall just enough to keep him from being splattered on impact.

Even so, the impact left Zhang Wenda completely dazed. He was struggling to get up from the ground when he found himself face-to-face with a horse-faced skeleton.

He swung out instinctively and quickly retreated, only to see the ground littered with skeletons in the pouring rain, and next to them, iron pots.

Zhang Wenda recognized those pots. They were the same kind the Little Black Cats had used to brew potions on his pink island.

'Could it be...?' Zhang Wenda looked around and saw that some of the horse-faced skeletons were holding soup ladles. It seemed these horse-faced beings were just like the Little Black Cats.

Zhang Wenda looked up at the sky. He saw the vast dark clouds coalescing into countless crying faces, their tears forming the rain that perpetually washed over the entire island.

The horse-faced people were dead. With no one left to brew the white clouds, the dark clouds above the island piled up, layer upon layer, never to disperse.

Under the relentless rain, all the trees and shrubs on the island had withered and turned black. Amidst the carbonized deadwood, only a few black dogs remained, growing ever larger in the downpour as they prowled through the deluge.

The faceless black dogs spotted Zhang Wenda and immediately charged, their intentions menacing. Just as they were about to pounce, Big Circle Leopard descended from the sky.