Villain Boss Chapter 228
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Chapter 228: Deterrence
To be able to rest easy, there was no other way but to eliminate all enemies.
Jiang Ran thought of Shen Lang. "My maternal grandfather once researched a monster in the laboratory. After the disaster, he tried all sorts of methods to get rid of the monster, but none of them worked. In the end... my maternal grandfather died."
"Huh?" Pei Xiao was completely bewildered, having not yet received news of the incident at Xiling base. "Marshal Shen has passed away?"
"Yes, he's passed away," Jiang Ran said. "To die at Qin Huai's hands is a kind of karmic retribution."
She spoke these words purely out of emotion, without a trace of sadness at losing a loved one, which showed that she really didn't have any deep feelings for the Shen family. Pei Xiao sighed and wisely refrained from pressing for details.
Jiang Ran brought the topic back. "Marshal Huo, look, unless you can guarantee that you can eliminate your enemy completely when he retaliates, it's best not to think about creating peace through checks and balances."
That was the truth and Huo Sichan understood that. He just hadn't thought about taking that step yet.
"If you can't do it, Marshal Huo, I don't mind helping you," Jiang Ran said with a smile, offering her advice.
Her eyes held a mischievous glint when she smiled, like a little fox playing with its tail to entice people.
Huo Sichan chuckled. "Why are you helping me?"
Judging from his tone, he just wanted to tease her and didn't take her words to heart.
"Marshal Huo, you probably don't know this yet." Jiang Ran dropped a bombshell. "Huo Lingyin made a bet with me and lost. Starting yesterday, the first team she leads will have to acknowledge me as their captain."
Huo Sichan, "..."
Jiang Ran, "..."
Huo Sichan, "Cough, cough, cough!"
Jiang Ran stood up to say goodbye. "Commander Huo, it's dark and windy tonight, and there are villains around. You're not feeling well, so it's best not to go out unnecessarily. As for me, I have some important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
Huo Sichan finally stopped coughing and said in a hoarse voice, "Miss Jiang."
Jiang Ran, "Huh?"
"Lingyin considers you a friend, so please... take good care of her."
Jiang Ran waved her hand quite magnanimously. "Of course."
The door opened, and a breeze blew through the hall, causing the curtains to rustle.
Pei Xiao walked over and closed the door, then looked up at the sky. Dark clouds covered the sky, and the starlight had vanished.
"The wind is picking up." He looked away and murmured, "It'll rain tonight."
……
With Jiang Ran absent, Si Xu had little interest in the so-called welcome-home party.
He followed Huo Heng to the party hall, where he found a corner to sit in. His aloof demeanor made him stand out from the bustling hall.
As the deputy captain of the first team, Huo Heng was surrounded by all sorts of people and showered with compliments as soon as he entered.
During a break from the pleasantries, Huo Heng glanced at Si Xu, who was dozing off in a corner, and felt a pang of envy.
Before he could finish envying Si Xu, he saw a portly man walk up to Si Xu with a wine glass in his hand. He said something, and Si Xu lifted his eyelids to look at him before closing his eyes again.
The man didn't leave. He sat down directly next to Si Xu.
Si Xu didn't speak, so he talked to himself as he moved closer to Si Xu.
"Huo Heng, what are you looking at?" Someone noticed his absent-mindedness and followed his gaze. The person said in a disdainful voice, "That Huo Yun guy is at it again. Is that guy your friend? Tell him to watch out."
Everyone in the base knew that Huo Yun, as Huo Xuan's confidant and the captain of the fourth superhuman team, could be said to have everything go his way in the base.
"Ignore him." Huo Heng glanced at him and sneered. "He'll forget how to be a decent human being if he's too smug. Tonight is a good night to teach him a lesson."
If it were someone else, he might have been worried. But with Si Xu, he only wished that he could break both of Huo Yun's arms.
"..." His friend thought he didn't know Huo Yun's interest, so he subtly reminded him, "As long as someone is good-looking, that guy is into both men and women."
Moreover, none of the prey he took away ever left his apartment unharmed.
"I know..."
Before Huo Heng could finish speaking, a scream came from the corner, silencing the entire hall.
Everyone looked in the direction from which the sound came.
Having grown accustomed to being the center of attention, Si Xu remained seated calmly on the sofa, his expression serene, even taking a leisurely sip of champagne from the table.
On the ground, the man he was stepping on was curled up in a ball, his right hand twisted at a bizarre angle, looking quite terrifying.
Upon seeing the face of the person on the ground, someone exclaimed, "It's Captain Huo Yun!"
Some people gloated. "Did he try to flirt with a handsome guy but got beaten up instead?"
The man who had just spoken to Huo Heng nearly dropped his jaw in shock. "Huo Heng, h-how are we going to handle this?"
Who was this guy? He beat Huo Yun to the ground. Huo Yun was a fourth-level superhuman, while that guy seemed to be a superhuman with space-type abilities. How did he do that?
Huo Heng calmly looked away, perfectly demonstrating what it meant to "turn a blind eye".
"What's going on?" Huo Xuan came downstairs after receiving the news. His gaze was fixed on Si Xu from afar, his imposing manner radiating authority. "It’s the Huo family's eldest daughter's welcome-home party, and they let just any Tom, Dick, or Harry in?"
“He’s not some nobody.” Another female voice chimed in, laughing and making no attempt to hide her joy. “He’s my friend.“
Upon entering and seeing Huo Yun being taught a lesson, Huo Lingyin was in a good mood and, unusually, didn’t immediately mock Huo Xuan upon meeting him.
Jiang Ran followed behind her, subtly observing her surroundings. Finally, she waved her hand at Si Xu and skipped toward him.
As she passed that lump of fat on the ground, she couldn't resist stomping hard on his face.
Catching the girl who lunged at him, Si Xu naturally released the force from his foot.
Huo Yun scrambled to a distance of several meters, clutching his deformed arm, tears welling in his eyes from the pain.
"Second Master! Second Master, you must do justice for me!" Huo Yun cried, tears and snot streaming down his face. "My hand! My hand is broken!"
"If your hand is broken, find a doctor. Why did you ask Huo Xuan? Can he set it back?" Huo Lingyin interjected first. "Huo Heng, take him to the hospital."
Huo Yun glared fiercely at Huo Heng as he approached, gritting his teeth as he said,
"I'm not going to the hospital! Huo Lingyin, he's your friend. If you don't give me an explanation for what happened today, I'm not done with you!"
Huo Lingyin crossed her arms and changed her story without any pressure. "I remembered wrong. He's not my friend, and I'm not familiar with him. He's Huo Sichan's friend. If you’re still angry, go find Huo Sichan and demand justice."
Huo Sichan... Huo Yun opened his mouth, but didn't dare to continue cursing when he thought of something. He just looked at Huo Xuan for help.
Upon receiving his subordinate's pleading look, Huo Xuan sneered and asked Huo Lingyin, "Lingyin, since this person isn’t your friend, can I assume that he has barged into tonight's party without permission?"
Unauthorized intruders could be arrested and thrown into the dungeon.
He thought Huo Lingyin would say something in his defense, but she just raised her chin and said, "Do as you please."
Huo Xuan, "..."
In the corner, Jiang Ran, holding Si Xu's hand, frowned and asked, "Did that guy
make a move on you?"
Si Xu lowered his eyes, looking aggrieved, and said, "Mmm." But he snapped the guy’s hand in half the moment it reached out.
Jiang Ran was angry. "How dare he touch my man!"
She asked Si Xu, "Give me a weapon."
Si Xu took out a baseball bat from his spatial storage and handed it to her. Jiang Ran took it and dragged the baseball bat toward Huo Yun.
