Chapter 15 — I Agree To Give Up The Marriage, But No One Knows I'm Smiling

The assassin looked at us, the corner of his mouth pulled up into a strange yet ferocious smile. He muttered something unclear in his mouth, as if he was saying something. Tieu Dien bent down and listened. A moment later, he stood up straight, his face becoming extremely heavy. I look at him.

"What did he say?"

Tieu Dien was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke slowly, word by word.

"He said, the game... has just begun."

My heart suddenly sank. This was more than just an assassination. It's the opening act. For a plot targeting us. It's even the opening act of a bigger conspiracy than that. Night in the capital. It seems even colder than the winter on the northern border. Also longer. The secret room of Ho Quoc Hau's palace is colder than an ice cellar in the middle of winter. The assassin was captured alive and locked in iron chains on the execution rack. He was seriously injured, barely breathing, but his eyes were like those of a poisoned wolf, staring at us. Tieu Dien personally interrogated. He did not use those cruel torture tools. Just holding a dagger, slowly, inch by inch, he opened the wounds on the assassin's body. Then sprinkle the specially prepared herbal medicine on top. That medicine can make the wound close quickly, but at the same time it also brings about a hundred times more pain than usual. The assassin's entire body trembled violently, the blue veins on his forehead were rippling, and cold sweat poured down like rain. But he still gritted his teeth and didn't say a word. What a tough guy. I stood to the side, quietly observing. My eyes stopped on the assassin's hands. Those hands were covered with thick layers of calluses. But the position of the calluses is very strange. Unlike the hands of someone who holds a sword all year round. The thin layer of callous on the mouth and index finger, and the thick layer of callus on the fingertips and palm create a very special rule. A light suddenly flashed in my head. I remember now. When I was on the northern frontier, I met workers in the military camp. Their hands are exactly the same. That is a trace that can only be found in people who are exposed all year round to sophisticated organs, fire drugs, and heavy siege weapons.

"He's not an ordinary gangster."

I walked to Tieu Dien's side and spoke softly.

"He's more like a military worker, or more accurately, a soldier in charge of ammunition and weapons."

My words made Tieu Dien's movements stop. He looked at me, a trace of surprise in his eyes. Then turned around, once again assessing the assassin. The direction of his interrogation also changed accordingly. He no longer asked who the mastermind behind it was. They started asking about defense arrangements on the northern border, food transportation routes, and even drawings of new types of artillery. When the three words "Long Tuc Cannon" were uttered from Tieu Dien's mouth. The assassin's eyes, which had always been as calm as an ancient well, finally showed a trace of wavering. That's a secret only the most elite troops know. How did he know? Tieu Dien immediately grasped that wavering moment.

"Looks like I guessed right."

Tieu Dien's voice was cold as ice.

"Three years ago, the Du Lam pass on the northern border fell, master Generals died in battle, thirty thousand generals and the entire army were destroyed."

"The result of the court's investigation is that the general was anxious to advance and was ambushed."

"But the real truth is that someone revealed the route of the operation in advance and at the same time interfered with our artillery."

"That person is you, right?"

The assassin's pupils suddenly constricted violently. His breathing became rapid. The line of defense in his heart was collapsing little by little.

"Who is the one who orders you?"

Tieu Dien's voice was like a curse.

"Who exactly is behind you?"

The assassin suddenly raised his face and laughed crazily, his laughter was sad and hysterical.

"Ha ha ha ha... Tieu Dien, you can't compete with him!"

"He is like the stars in the sky, always watching over each of you!"

"All your struggles are in vain!"

As if he had used up his last bit of strength, he screamed.

"For the glory of the 'Northern God'!"

"For the great cause of Thanh Quoc Cong!"

After speaking, his head tilted to one side, and black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. This time, no one can stop it. It turned out that he had hidden the venom under his tongue beforehand. In the secret room, it was as quiet as death.