Chapter 27: The Most Poisonous Heart of a Woman

"That is the only possibility," Nangong Lingyue nodded immediately. "Which means this strange creature has left this area; it is on the move."

Ji Ling nodded slightly and said, "Exactly, and I suspect it is the boss we have been searching for."

"That makes sense!" Nangong Lingyue agreed, nodding along. "We have been searching for so long without finding a single trace, and the reason is that this boss is invisible..."

Ji Ling took a deep breath and continued, "Then let us make a bold assumption: what is the reason this big guy has left this place now?"

Nangong Lingyue furrowed her brows in thought, murmuring, "If it is the boss, its existence provides nourishment for the black mist, but at the same time, it needs to hide within that mist."

"There is no black mist here, which suggests it has gone off to find some?"

"That aligns with my theory," Ji Ling nodded immediately. "That is about all we can infer for now. Let us head back."

"It was a productive night. I can report this to General Lin tomorrow."

"Then why didn't you report to General Lin before coming here?" Nangong Lingyue asked, looking at Ji Ling with surprise.

Ji Ling smiled faintly and looked at her, saying, "If you wanted me to report it, you might as well have gone to General Lin yourself. Why come find me in the middle of the night?"

Nangong Lingyue gave an embarrassed smile and replied, "I suppose so. The truth is, this story doesn't sound very credible. General Lin already has enough on his plate, and I didn't want to bother him with something so uncertain."

Ji Ling chuckled softly and whispered, "But we still have nothing to show for it. All our current conclusions are merely guesses."

"Then that has nothing to do with me!" Nangong Lingyue spread her hands, gave him a playful wink, and added, "If the guess is wrong, you are the one who reported it, so naturally, you are the one who will get scolded! Hehehe..."

Ji Ling widened his eyes in astonishment, staring at her, "Wow, you are so devious!"

"Is that any way to describe a girl?" Nangong Lingyue pouted at him in dissatisfaction.

Ji Ling shook his head and recited, "The ancestors said it well: The sting of a green snake, the needle on a wasp's tail..."

"What on earth?" Nangong Lingyue was completely bewildered.

Ji Ling looked at her, surprised, and asked, "You have never heard this poem?"

Nangong Lingyue curled her lip. "Why are you suddenly reciting poetry? And this poem is awfully crude."

"That is not the point; you must have heard the last two lines," Ji Ling said with a grin.

"Is that so? Let's hear them," Nangong Lingyue asked, curious.

"Neither is truly poisonous..." Ji Ling teased, stepping back a few paces to put some distance between them.

Nangong Lingyue looked at him, confused. "Why are you moving so far away?"

"Because the final line is... the most poisonous is a woman's heart!" Ji Ling laughed as he recited the last line.

Nangong Lingyue's eyes widened, and she glared at him furiously. "How dare you! You are insulting me!!!"

"You stay right there! Don't you run!"

"If you have the guts, don't let me catch you!"

...

The next morning, just as Nangong Zhongjian arrived at the Bureau of Divinities, his assistant handed him a list to sign.

"What is this?" Nangong Zhongjian looked at the list with surprise, then immediately slapped his forehead. "Oh! I almost forgot!"

"This is the supplies Major General Ji Yun is air-dropping to the Eastern Theater, right?"

The assistant smiled and nodded. "You have so many responsibilities, Director; it is only natural to have some oversights. Isn't that what my job is for—to catch those misses for you?"

Nangong Zhongjian did not harbor much suspicion. He signed the list and handed it back, saying, "Stop flattering me. By the way, has this batch of supplies been inspected?"

"That... no," the assistant shook his head. "Ji Yun is a Major General. According to protocol, we do not have the authority to inspect his supplies."

"That is why I was waiting for you to see if you wanted to conduct an inspection. The transport plane is on standby; it can take off as soon as it is cleared."

Nangong Zhongjian nodded slightly and said, "Come, take me there!"

"Yes!" The assistant nodded immediately and trotted to keep up with him.

Halfway there, however, Nangong Zhongjian stopped. He glanced through the corridor window at the distant tarmac, frowned slightly, and said, "Never mind. It is family business; what is there to inspect?"

"Major General Ji Yun is of noble character; surely he wouldn't harm our own soldiers?"

With that, Nangong Zhongjian pulled out his phone, tapped a few times, and turned back around. "I have already sent the takeoff authorization to the airport. These are special times with special protocols. The soldiers in the Eastern Theater are in urgent need of supplies. Time is life—do not delay!"

...

Inside the Ji family villa, a large screen displayed a radar map.

Soon, the radar detected the Bureau's T-357 transport plane entering its range. Ji Yun let out a long sigh of relief.

Ji Tianxing, however, did the opposite. He took a deep breath, turned to look at Ji Yun, and said, "Such a risky move! How could you decide this on your own?!"

"Don't worry, didn't I win the gamble?" Ji Yun sneered. "The Eastern Theater has just cleared a decent safe zone. Although reinforcements still cannot enter, the conditions for air-dropping supplies are met."

"Director Nangong must have considered this already. They should have been preparing air-drop supplies, so I simply prepared them myself. They won't refuse!"

"Besides, the situation in the Eastern Theater appears optimistic, but in reality, it is dire. The sooner the supplies arrive, the better. I gambled that Director Nangong would not inspect our cargo."

"It was still too risky!" Ji Tianxing said, patting his chest with lingering fear. "If this were discovered, you, me, and even our entire Ji family would be doomed!"

Ji Yun lay back on the sofa, unconcerned. "What is there to fear? I only added that Trojan horse program to the software of one drone to attack Ji Ling."

"There are thirty drones in the total shipment! They couldn't possibly inspect them one by one—it would take too much time!"

"Even if our luck is bad and they happen to check the one with the Trojan, they will likely only check the chassis and weapon safety. They would never think to check the built-in software."