Chapter 7: Snake
Short-sighted people act when they see profit, and as they pace back and forth, they always feel that they have made the best choice.

Those who are obsessed with profit and have a gambling nature, after observing the situation, intend to maximize their benefits.

There are very few people who can observe the evolution of the situation, behave properly, and consider the overall situation rather than their own interests.

The noise and disturbance in Xianyang City continued.

Those who have sharp eyes and are good at planning the overall situation vaguely sensed that something was wrong. They chose to wait and see, while also making preparations.

Compared with the solemnity and stability of the inner city of Xianyang, the outer city is more noisy.

The night was quiet and silent. After curfew, no one else was walking on the streets except the patrol teams.

At the end of the west street, there is a small courtyard. At this moment, in the house in the courtyard, the candlelight is flickering, and a middle-aged man kneeling behind a desk looks a little uneasy.

"Are you sure that no one has touched our tails?"

Being a spy, he was cautious and asked again to confirm.

This place is Xianyang City. As the heart of Qin State, the defenses are naturally very strict.

As a cautious person, he was opposed to fanning the flames and creating rumors this time.

As long as you take action, you will leave clues!
He engraved these words in his daily life, but unfortunately, this time the people behind him seemed to want to gain merit through this incident. They conveyed instructions again and again, asking the intelligence network he was in charge of to push forward with all their strength, making the various factions in Xianyang City more and more chaotic.

"Sir, we have cleared all traces. Luowang is not paying attention to Xianyang City now, and the Black Ice Platform remains silent. Although we have taken a risk, nothing will happen to us."

There was a man standing in the shadows, and his answer seemed to make the middle-aged man feel more at ease.

"I always feel like there are a few pairs of eyes watching me in this chaotic situation. Maybe I'm just too nervous."

There seemed to be a hint of timidity in the middle-aged man's words, but the man in the shadows greatly appreciated such a reaction.

Spies, be cautious and careful so you can live longer.

"Don't worry, we have finished the work. From now on, you will temporarily cut off contact."

"I have already reported the situation. I believe that once the commander knows about it, he will deal with those troublemakers."

"They are all only interested in their own interests. If there are more of them, our intelligence network will be completely destroyed."

There was murderous intent in his tone. There is no shortage of smart people in the world, but there is no shortage of mediocre people either.

Espionage and intelligence have never been something that can be done well by mediocre people who are blinded by greed. He can see this, and the leader behind him can also see this.

The middle-aged man nodded heavily and was about to speak, but at this moment, the door opened.

The wind caused the candle flame to flicker, and the middle-aged man and the person in the shadow's subconscious reaction was to escape.

"呲"

There was a slight sound, and the man in the shadow froze in expression. Before he could react, two figures landed beside him and, together, took him out of the house.

As soon as he left the house, blood spurted out from the man's neck with a "pu" sound.

He is dead!
Inside the room, the middle-aged man looked at the man wearing a snake-shaped mask standing three steps away from him, and felt exhausted.

"He was useless, so he died quickly!"

The masked man seemed to be expressing something. The sword in his hand was cold and brilliant, but not stained with blood.

The middle-aged man felt that he could hardly breathe. He looked at the masked man with a bitter expression and said, "It turned out that you guys took action. It seems that my premonition was correct."

He stared at the masked man and said word by word: "He has already died before I saw him. There is no living soul under the sword of Wusheng!"

"Mr. Si Snake, one of the twelve zodiac animals on the Black Ice Platform, today I know that this description of you is indeed true."

He knew how strong his partner was, but he still died, so silently.

Snake, it really lives up to its reputation!
The Snake's eyes were still fixed on the middle-aged man, without any change in emotion, as if the praise he had just given him had never happened.

"I want the list in your hand."

"Hand over the list and you'll die more easily!"

The middle-aged man's expression changed when he heard this. He had thought about this day coming, but when the time came, he found that he did not have the courage to face the torture of interrogation at the Black Ice Platform.

After a few breaths, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and said, "I want to see your ruler."

The Black Ice Platform, which had been silent for many years, actually took action and targeted him as soon as it did so.

So, are the intelligence networks of other forces also included in the targets of their cleanup this time?
He decided to take a gamble, betting that the chips he took out could allow him to survive and his family to survive!

His family had become his weakness, and he was unwilling to take the chances of being manipulated by the people of Heibingtai.

In chaotic times, there is no shortage of bloody and ruthless ways of doing things, and he is well aware of that.

"Your chips?"

Sishe's tone was still calm. The middle-aged man said: "The list in my hand plus the twelve strongholds of several forces in Qin."

Sheathing the sword, Sishe said calmly: "Follow me."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man let out a long breath and walked out of the room. The cold wind blew towards him, making him shiver slightly.

Death is really scary!
……

The candlelight illuminated the courtyard, and the noise of people coming and going made the courtyard quite noisy.

After Sishe brought the middle-aged man here, the middle-aged man saw three people standing and waiting in the yard. After he saw their faces clearly, he cursed in his heart.

He knew these three people because he had investigated them. "It seems that you are not the only smart person."

The corners of the snake-masked man's mouth rose slightly, and after he finished speaking, there was a hint of emotion in his eyes, as if he was waiting to see a good show.

The middle-aged man smiled bitterly. At this moment, he felt much better.

At the very least, my choice of betrayal doesn't seem so despicable when compared to these three people.

When footsteps were heard, several people turned their heads to look and saw that it was Ying Zifei who had arrived. They lowered their heads slightly.

They knew Ying Zifei. Although Ying Zifei's whereabouts were hard to find, as the Marquis of Zhen'an of the Qin State, he had made many public appearances.

They are all the heads of their respective intelligence networks in Qin State. Ying Zifei, the ruler of the Black Ice Platform, is naturally the focus of their attention.

Ying Zifei came over and found a place to sit down cross-legged, motioning for them to sit down as well.

The four of them knelt down with trembling in fear. They didn't know if the chips in their hands were enough.

In front of the person who can decide their future destiny, they are all thinking about how to increase their bargaining chips.

Looking at the four people, Ying Zifei relaxed and smiled, "I inherited the title of Marquis of Zhen'an when I was twelve years old. In order to help me better manage the Black Ice Platform, the clan elders arranged many teachers to teach me."

"One of my teachers said that killing people can solve many problems."

"But another teacher of mine once said that although killing can solve many problems, there are more ways to solve problems than just killing."

At this point, Ying Zifei flicked the scabbard of Chiyou's sword with his finger, and continued in a leisurely tone: "I think they are all right."

"So I incorporated their ideas and made them my own principles."

"I don't despise your choice, although as the ruler of the Black Ice Platform, I also think that traitors are indeed unlikable."

"The four of you are here because you chose to betray and compromise in order to protect your families."

"For this reason, I will not despise you."

"Everyone has something or someone they care about. You have it, and so do I."

"We agree on this."

The four of them felt relieved after hearing this. One of them said bitterly, "I live in fear every day. The presence of my family allows me to sleep a little more peacefully at night."

"If possible, I really don't want him (her) to be in danger."

"It's just that this is Xianyang City!"

"If people like us want to hide ourselves better, we have to be like most people, with a business and a family. This way, we can reduce suspicion."

The other three people were also very bitter when they heard this. It was not that easy to be a hidden spy.

When you behave a little abnormally, it means that death is approaching.

"I will hand over the roster of the intelligence network I am responsible for, and I will also tell you the bases of other forces that I know of."

One of them looked at Ying Zifei and pleaded, "If the Marquis wants to kill someone, can I exchange my chips and my life for the safety of my family of five?"

The other three also looked at Ying Zifei, waiting for his decision.

"Haha, I told you, as long as the problem is solved, there's no need to kill anyone."

Ying Zifei looked at the four people and chuckled, "Hand over your chips, and your families will be arranged to a safe place."

"They will have their own lives in the future."

The four of them looked at each other after hearing this, and they all realized something. One of them asked with a stiff upper lip: "My Lord, what about the four of us?"

The four of them were all smart people. Although Ying Zifei's words just now made them feel at ease, they understood the hidden meaning of Ying Zifei's words, which was that he did not have an accurate arrangement for the four of them.

Killed?

That should be impossible, Ying Zifei did not mean this in his words just now.

"You are all elite spies who are good at lurking among the spies and digging for intelligence. If the people behind you were not eager to make a contribution and forced you to take action, it would be difficult for the people of Black Ice Platform to find you."

Ying Zifei said, looking at the four people, he smiled and said: "I want abilities like yours."

The four men's faces changed slightly. This guy Ying Zifei actually wanted to recruit them under his command.

At this moment, the four men were not happy. They were all veterans of intelligence and espionage, so they were naturally aware of the dangers of multi-faceted spies.

"My Lord, do you want us to infiltrate our respective forces?"

One of them asked, his family had fallen into the hands of Heibingtai, which had become a bargaining chip for Ying Zifei to control them.

Do they still have a choice?
The four of them just felt depressed. Perhaps, they shouldn't have chosen to come here.

"No, no, no!" Ying Zifei shook his head and chuckled, "Although arranging for you to go back to counter-infiltration is indeed a good choice, to be honest, this method does not make me trust you."

"Perhaps you think your family will be my bargaining chip to control you, but this kind of coercion is not a good way."

“Although this method is relatively easy and direct, what I need is trust.”

"That kind of trust is the trust we have this time."

"If the intelligence is wrong once, many people may die, and I want to use trust to reduce the possibility of this happening."

(End of this chapter)