Zhang Liang’s suspicion was not unfounded, as when Ye Cangtian put on the bronze mask, he was indistinguishable from the Yellow-ranked members of the Dark Association.
Seeing Zhang Liang looking at him warily, with his left hand already reaching behind him, Ye Cangtian felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. “This mask was left by Tyrant Tiger. Liu Rumei’s people found it in a secret passage when they took over that villa,” he explained.
Zhang Liang, however, remained vigilant. He frowned and asked, “Are you saying that after you took his mask, you could use it?” The Dragon Group had also killed Yellow-ranked members before and had taken their bronze masks for research, but they had been unable to use them. Once members joined the Dark Association, the mask became intrinsically linked to them. Thus, when these members died, the masks would also become useless. This was why the Dragon Group had never managed to infiltrate the Dark Association.
Seeing Zhang Liang’s disbelief, Ye Cangtian recounted the details of the blood-bonding process. Zhang Liang shook his head. “Once the person dies, these masks are useless. Even blood bonding won’t work, unless…” A strange expression crossed his face as he looked at Ye Cangtian. “Unless Tyrant Tiger obtained the mask and never wore it, or even had a chance to perform the blood-bonding ritual.”
Ye Cangtian was stunned. He had assumed anyone could blood-bond with the mask and impersonate a Yellow-ranked member of the Dark Association. Now, he understood that his ability to use it was due to the mask being new when it reached him. Little did he know, despite joining the Dark Association long ago, Tyrant Tiger had always harbored his own plans. Tyrant Tiger feared being completely controlled by the Dark Association if he wore the mask, which was why he had kept it. This turned out to be a stroke of luck for Ye Cangtian, who had successfully blood-bonded with it and become a genuine Yellow-ranked member of the Dark Association.
“You are truly lucky to have encountered such a thing!” Zhang Liang took a deep breath. The Dragon Group had spent countless hours trying to infiltrate the Dark Association, only to find that Ye Cangtian had inadvertently become a genuine member. He hesitated, then asked again, seriously, “Brother Ye, are you truly unwilling to join the Dragon Group?”
Ye Cangtian knew what he meant and gave a wry smile. “Not for now. We can discuss it later. Let’s talk about the Saudi princess incident.” Zhang Liang sighed, seeing no point in pressing further, feeling only a sense of pity.
“After I put on the mask today, I received a message ordering all Yellow-ranked members in the capital to gather at a designated location…”
“There were fourteen Yellow-ranked members, including one woman, and another with a silver mask named Xuan Sixteen!” Ye Cangtian relayed all the information he had gathered that night, trusting Zhang Liang. Moreover, the Dragon Group had close ties with Elder Xu, so it was natural to hand over such matters to them.
Zhang Liang’s expression turned serious. He frowned. “I can’t believe there are over a dozen members of the Dark Association in the capital. We haven’t even discovered them operating right under our noses.”
Ye Cangtian nodded. “With so many of them mobilized this time, does the Dragon Group have a chance to capture them all?”
“This is bad!” Zhang Liang suddenly remembered something and said gravely, “There have been several tricky situations happening in various places these past few days. Most of the Dragon Group members have been deployed across the country and cannot return in time.” While the Dragon Group members stationed in the capital could handle over a dozen Dark Association powerhouses, capturing them all would be extremely difficult, especially with a silver-masked expert among them. Silver-masked experts were formidable, and even with Ye Cangtian’s current strength, defeating one would be easy, but capturing them would be hard, likely resulting in them escaping like the silver-masked man last time.
“Is it possible to have Team A intervene?” Ye Cangtian pondered.
“Impossible!” Zhang Liang sighed. “Team A is too mysterious. Unless they choose to act, we can’t even get a glimpse of them.”
“Brother Ye, I suggest you do not get involved this time, to avoid exposing your identity!” Unless there was a definite plan to capture all these Dark Association members, Ye Cangtian’s identity would be too valuable to risk.
Ye Cangtian remained silent, deciding to play it by ear. If these people truly threatened Xibiya, could he stand by and watch? Of course, with Zhang Liang and the other Dragon Group members present, and Xibiya’s own female guards providing close protection, these individuals might not pose a threat to her.
The matter was quickly settled. Zhang Liang would report to his superiors and try to assemble all available Dragon Group members in the capital by tomorrow night. As Ye Cangtian got out of the car, he suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, besides me, is there really no one else undercover in the Dark Association?”
Zhang Liang shook his head. “Your situation was purely due to exceptional luck. Every Yellow-ranked member is linked to their mask upon joining the Dark Council. Therefore, to go undercover in the Dark Association, one would have to genuinely join their organization.”
“Why? Brother Ye, have you discovered something else?”
“No, just asking,” Ye Cangtian replied with a smile, shaking his head. Inwardly, however, he felt a peculiar sensation. If that was the case, was Shangguan Yun not a mole? He hadn’t mentioned Shangguan Yun to Zhang Liang, planning to observe further. After all, they had been friends, and he found it hard to believe that Shangguan Yun was truly a member of the Dark Association.
The next morning, Ye Cangtian was awakened by Tang Xinwan. He had returned home around three or four in the morning, meaning he had barely slept a few hours. Tang Xinwan, unaware, chastised him as she woke him. “What time is it, still sleeping? You’re like a pig! Hurry up and wash your face, we need to go to the agency company.”
Ye Cangtian rubbed his cheeks and quickly woke up. He asked, a little bewildered, “What are we going to the agency company for?”
“Didn’t I tell you yesterday? I plan to establish a branch company here in the capital first. Once I’m familiar with the market here, I’ll find a way to shift our main focus to the branch,” Tang Xinwan replied, a little impatiently. While the competition in the capital was fierce, it was undeniably the capital of China and a major economic and trade hub. If their Haitian Pharmaceuticals could establish a foothold in the capital, it would be much better than struggling in Yangzhou.
Ye Cangtian looked up, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. “Aren’t we staying in the capital for a week? It’s almost been a week, aren’t we going back?”
Tang Xinwan shook her head. “Not yet. The company doesn’t have any major issues at the moment. Staying another week should be enough.”
Another week? Ye Cangtian felt a touch of helplessness. With the recent influx of troubles, he genuinely worried about implicating Tang Xinwan.