Chapter 132: Kill them all, leave none alive!

Zi Xiaoyin’s pupils constricted, and she hurriedly inspected the figure.

A hand, ravaged by the raging fire to the point where its shape was barely discernible, was trembling slightly.

"Are you Mom, or Senior Sister Huang?"

Zi Xiaoyin asked, her voice trembling. She was desperate to confirm the identity.

"Ugh~ ugh~"

The person seemed to want to respond, but her throat had been scorched by the flames, and her vocal cords had lost all function. She could only emit a faint, hoarse hissing sound, unable to form even a single coherent syllable.

Zi Xiaoyin gritted her teeth, her mind racing.

"Are you Mom? If you are, blink your eyes."

The only part of Huang Ying’s entire face that remained intact was her eyes. However, she did not blink.

Zi Xiaoyin’s heart turned cold in an instant. But she quickly regained her composure, turned her head, and shouted to Gu Xiangnan, "Brother, hurry! It’s Senior Sister Huang—please, save her!"

Gu Xiangnan reached into his robe, pulled out a small case, and retrieved a set of silver needles. He then rapidly inserted them into Huang Ying’s body. Huang Ying’s entire body was charred black, and the positions of her acupuncture points could no longer be identified by the naked eye. Relying on his profound medical expertise, Gu Xiangnan inserted the needles one by one into her body with unerring accuracy.

This was the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles! A legendary technique said to be capable of bringing the dead back to life. As a student at the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zi Xiaoyin had seen records of this technique in ancient texts at the school library. Since Huang Ying still held a single breath, using this technique might be enough to pull her back from the brink of death.

After the final needle was set, Gu Xiangnan slowly infused his internal Qi into the needles. Guiding the needles with Qi—this was the highest realm of the medical path.

Huang Ying’s breathing had been as thin as a gossamer thread, but only a few minutes after Gu Xiangnan applied the needles, her breathing gradually became steady and strong. It seemed that, for the time being, she was stabilized.

Zi Xiaoyin was overcome with emotion. She never expected that what the books said was actually true! The Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles were truly that miraculous. Her brother possessed such profound medical skill!

Eyes brimming with tears, Zi Xiaoyin asked with a heavy, desperate heart:

"Brother, can you try to use the needles on Mom, too?"

Zhang Hongmei’s body had been burned to charcoal; even an immortal could not save her. But Gu Xiangnan did not want to disappoint his sister, so he nodded in agreement. He drew a few more needles and, estimating the positions, inserted them.

As the needles went deep, a large chunk of charred flesh crumbled away, revealing the body beneath—still steaming with heat.

Seeing this, the hope in Zi Xiaoyin’s heart shattered instantly. She could no longer hold it back; she threw herself into Gu Xiangnan’s arms and wept bitterly:

"Brother~~ I have no mother anymore!"

As a medical student, she naturally understood what this meant. She had been burned to the point of being cooked through! No matter how brilliant the medical skill, there was no saving her.

Gu Xiangnan held his sister close and comforted her softly:

"Sister, don't cry. You still have me. I will be by your side from now on. I swear, I will avenge our foster mother!"

With that, Gu Xiangnan stood up, gritting his teeth. "Wait for me a moment."

He clenched his fists and walked downstairs.

The few mercenaries were standing blankly in the courtyard, their minds completely controlled by Taoyao. As Taoyao turned around, she saw Gu Xiangnan walking down the stairs. She had spent the last few days beside Zi Xiaoyin within the snuff bottle. Seeing Gu Xiangnan again today, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

However, she quickly realized that Gu Xiangnan seemed like a different person. His eyes were bloodshot, and a raging fire burned within them, as if he intended to consume the entire world. A chilling, desolate aura of slaughter emanated from him. He pulled out a cigar and lit it nonchalantly.

Taoyao was shaken by his presence. She asked respectfully, "Master, how should these people be dealt with?"

Gu Xiangnan’s gaze swept over the group of mercenaries, his voice icy:

"Make them talk. Who sent them? Where is their base of operations?"

"As you command!"

Taoyao bowed to receive the order. She changed her hand gestures and began to chant. Suddenly, she pointed at Rex and asked:

"Who sent you?"

The mercenaries stood like hollow-eyed puppets. Pointed out, Rex muttered to himself:

"Hans sent me."

"Who is he?"

"He is the boss of our Cheetah Mercenary Corps."

"Where is your base?"

"On a small island in the west of the United States."

Taoyao frowned. "There are so many islands in the ocean. Which one is it?"

"It’s called Heaven Island. You can't find it on any map."

After asking these questions, Taoyao looked up at Gu Xiangnan: "Master, is there anything else you wish to ask?"

"No more. Kill them all. Leave no one alive!" Gu Xiangnan waved his hand, speaking coldly.

Taoyao offered a suggestion: "But that Heaven Island cannot even be found on a map. Should we keep one of these dogs alive to lead the way for us?"

Gu Xiangnan took a puff of his cigar and said coldly:

"No need. I will find it!"

Taoyao bowed her head. "As you command!"

Just as she was about to drain the fortune of these mercenaries, Gu Xiangnan stopped her:

"I won't let them off that easily!"

"I will demand an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!"

Taoyao was sharp and immediately understood the meaning behind his words. She smiled faintly and bowed:

"Yes!"

Taoyao began to chant silently. The mercenaries, as if hearing a summons, walked voluntarily into the fire. Their bodies were engulfed by the flames. The heat, like molten lava, pierced straight into their bone marrow. It felt as if millions of fine needles were stabbing their skin simultaneously.

The bizarre thing was that while their physical bodies writhed and struggled in agony, their faces wore smiles. Perhaps the dream Taoyao had woven for them was that of the little match girl.

"Don't let them go too easily."

Gu Xiangnan stood by, watching coldly, and took a puff of his cigar as he issued the command.

"Yes!"

Taoyao withdrew her hand. All the purple seals were retracted. The mercenaries trapped in the fire instantly regained their senses.

"Ah~!"

"Help me!"

They screamed in agony. They rolled frantically on the ground, slapping at the flames on their bodies, but it was all in vain. A charred stench permeated the air—the odor of clothing and flesh burning at high temperatures. Every one of them had eyes filled with despair.

Gu Xiangnan watched all of this with indifference, not a shred of pity in his heart.

"The rest is up to you. Let them burn away slowly."

Gu Xiangnan turned and headed back into the house, leaving those words behind. Hearing the screams outside, Zi Xiaoyin knew that her brother had already avenged her.

Ten minutes later, fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars arrived simultaneously at the villa entrance. Taoyao quickly hid back inside the snuff bottle. The villa complex management had called the police, and rescue forces had rushed over immediately.

A total of eight fire trucks arrived and extinguished the blaze. They found one deceased person and one person in critical condition inside the villa, along with several charred corpses in the yard.

The police discovered a large quantity of firearms and shell casings in the neighboring villa. Experts tracking the footprints discovered that the shooters had walked to Gu Xiangnan’s villa on their own. They were unable to identify the individuals, as the bodies were so badly charred that even fingerprints could not be recovered.

In the end, they could only conclude that a group of kidnappers had infiltrated the villa district, attempting to kidnap a wealthy individual for ransom, only for the plan to end in a total catastrophe due to internal conflict.

"Get her to the hospital for emergency treatment, quick!"

They loaded Huang Ying onto the ambulance.