Some were mere spectators in this human self-detonation, but others were victims.
Chief among these victims was none other than Chu Xiao, who stood closest to Cao Jian.
Chu Xiao had been standing in front of Cao Jian, even stooping down. After Cao Jian’s self-detonation, the impact force sent him flying back over two meters. Despite this distance, he was still covered in blood, though it was impossible to tell if it was his own or Cao Jian’s.
Seeing her brother in such a dreadful state, Chu Meng screamed before mustering the courage to run over, "Brother, are you alright?"
As Chu Meng approached, Chu Xiao, who had seemingly been knocked unconscious by the explosion, twitched a few times.
Then, he tightly clutched his neck, letting out pained moans.
Witnessing this, Chu Meng moved forward several more steps, wanting to check on Chu Xiao, "Brother, what’s wrong? Don't scare me. Doctor, is there a doctor here? Please call an ambulance, can someone call an ambulance for me?"
Having said that, she immediately tried to move closer to check on Chu Xiao.
Bai Xi, seeing this, quickly intervened, "Don't go any closer."
Chu Meng froze, then turned to look at Bai Xi. Her usually arrogant eyes were now welling up with tears, "Why? I was wrong before, but my brother is like this now. I don't have time to argue with you anymore."
With that, she turned to head back towards Chu Xiao.
The moment she turned, Chu Xiao shot up from the ground, covered in blood, his expression contorted, his mouth agape, lunging ferociously at Chu Meng.
Seeing this, Chu Meng turned deathly pale, unable to move.
Just as she thought she was about to be bitten to death by her own brother, she suddenly felt a powerful force pull her back, narrowly avoiding the attack. She spun twice and found herself beside her rescuer.
The rescuer was none other than Bai Xi.
Bai Xi frowned and said calmly, "I told you long ago not to think too highly of yourself. I've never been interested in arguing with you."
Chu Meng blinked in surprise. Looking at the face so close to hers, her indifferent, cold eyes, she felt a sense of bewilderment, even for a second… her heart skipped a beat.
Ever since she was young, she loved reading fairy tales.
And in fairy tales, princesses always hoped for a brave prince to save them in times of crisis.
In that instant, she felt as if Bai Xi wore a crown.
Thinking of this, her cheeks couldn't help but flush slightly.
At that moment, Chu Xiao, having missed Chu Meng, lunged towards the two of them again.
Bai Xi exerted force, pushing Chu Meng in the opposite direction.
Chu Meng stumbled in the direction Bai Xi pushed her. Expecting to fall to the ground, she was surprised to land on a soft sofa. She immediately looked back at Bai Xi, and in that moment, she even began to worry about Bai Xi's safety.
Meanwhile, Bai Xi directly confronted the enraged Chu Xiao.
Her movements were simple, much like how she had dealt with the rampaging servant at the Han family before. She sidestepped him, tripped him, and then pinned him down with her high heel.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten something at that instant.
She was wearing… high heels today.
The surface area of a high heel is very small, especially for elegant stiletto heels. Stepping on the ground, it was like a nail driven into a spot.
This step directly pierced the flesh of Chu Xiao's shoulder, accompanied by a faint sound of bone cracking.
Bai Xi: "..."
She swore she only intended to save someone, not to injure them. That's why… she hated such anti-humanly designed high heels.
With that thought, she slightly lifted her foot, intending to pull her heel out a bit. But as soon as she lifted her foot, Chu Xiao, who was pinned to the ground and thrashing wildly, struggled to get up.
The sudden jerk caused Bai Xi, who was not accustomed to wearing high heels, to lurch to the right, about to fall.
Bai Xi felt a wave of annoyance.
She was a war god of the Dark Department, and to fall in front of her subordinates? How humiliating! She vowed that from then on, even when wearing formal attire, she would never wear such thin-heeled, sky-high heels!
But at that moment, a large hand caught her arm, steadying her, and with a forceful stomp, it landed on Chu Xiao's back, pinning him immobile.
"Are you alright?"
As Bai Xi regained her balance, she saw Han Mo's concerned gaze. "I'm fine."
Xuan Feng had also intended to help Bai Xi, but Han Mo had gotten there first.
This was the second time.
The last time, he had been preoccupied with Guichanzi, not paying attention to the Young Miss's situation, so being slower than him was understandable.
But this time, both he and Han Mo had been focused on the Young Miss, yet he was still slower than Han Mo.
He was a top commander of the Dark Department. While speed wasn't his specialty, he was by no means slow. Among the senior commanders, no one was faster than him, and among the top commanders, only two were faster.
But Han Mo…
Was he truly just an ordinary doctor?
During their previous confrontation, he had used poison but deliberately concealed his true abilities.
Thinking this, Xuan Feng slightly knitted his brows.
Seeing that Bai Xi had regained her footing, Han Mo released her hand and crouched down. He then quickly approached and inserted silver needles into Chu Xiao's head. The man lying on the ground finally stopped thrashing, but his face, stained red with blood, still looked incredibly ferocious.
"The ashes Cao Jian swallowed when he died likely contained this poison. When its effects were about to peak, he chose to self-detonate. The poison can spread through skin, so anyone who came into contact with his bodily fluids would be poisoned. Chu Xiao, being at the front and injured by the blast, was already bleeding, making it easier for the poison to enter. Thus, he succumbed to it immediately."
Upon hearing this, Bai Xi turned to Xuan Feng, "Xuan Feng, immediately investigate if anyone's clothing was contaminated by Cao Jian's expelled blood and flesh. Also, have the Dark Department personnel properly process this entire banquet hall and the clothes of all the guests present."
While Bai Xi had been speaking, Xuan Feng's attention had been entirely on Han Mo. When Bai Xi looked at him, he was staring intently at Han Mo with a grave expression. But Bai Xi's voice snapped him back to attention, and he immediately acknowledged the order and left.
Chu Meng, who had been tossed aside by Bai Xi earlier, finally regained her senses and rushed over again. However, this time, her previous arrogance and rudeness were gone, "Bai Xi… No, Miss Bai, how is my brother."
Bai Xi carefully examined Chu Meng, confirming that she hadn't been splashed with any blood or flesh from Cao Jian's explosion, before stating calmly, "He's been poisoned."
Hearing this, Chu Meng immediately recalled Cao Jian's earlier words.
He had said everyone here would die.
This meant that if her brother didn't receive treatment, he would die.
For a moment, she was in a panic. Finally, seeing Bai Xi, she clutched onto her like a lifeline, reaching for Bai Xi's arm.
Bai Xi, however, directly dodged.
Although such an action in the past would have made Chu Meng feel extremely embarrassed, mortified, or even as if her status as a young lady had been insulted,
Now, she felt no resentment at all. Instead, her eyes were filled with anticipation as she looked at Bai Xi, as if gazing upon their only savior, "Miss Bai… aren't you part of the Dark Department? I know you are incredibly capable. Please, save my brother."