Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Ye Wei smiled and gently ran her fingers over Mo Jue’s face as she somewhat teased and mocked him. “How rare is it that our dear gorgeous is much more honest this time.”


  Mo Jue looked down at the woman in his embrace and coldly laughed. “I am not utterly fake like you!”


  Ever since they knew each other, save their first battle where he saw her actual character, the Ye Wei he saw always wore a gorgeous mask. Ye Wei’s laughter was sometimes hearty and yet sometimes plain, and she had not changed much.

  She was sometimes seductive, sometimes innocent, sometimes domineering, and sometimes gentle. They might all be a performance, and he rarely saw her actual self in her eyes. He, however… Mo Jue was extremely unwilling and indignant, but he suppressed his stifled feelings because he knew that whoever amongst them was real was toast.

  She always guarded her bottom line and never allowed him to cross it. He sometimes felt that Ye Wei was actually extremely smart and she looked the part too. Whenever they talked, she did not hesitate to demonstrate her smarts and allowed people to feel her cutting edge, showing no restraint. To such people, there was only so much they could be smart at. She, however, was not such a person. She deliberately demonstrated it. Her calm and wit ran much deeper than what she let on.

  Nobody else knew their position better than her, and nobody else was even clearer than her about what she wanted. Unless one was sincere toward her, they could never expect her to be sincere toward them. If one couldn’t win her complete trust, they would always be separated by a thin veil from her.

  Their feelings were as such. He did not trust her and would never draw close to her nor allow her to draw close. Even though she used to have feelings for him, they were seeming feelings akin to one seeing the flowers through a fog.

  He was always certain that this woman was like a drifting cloud that would not stop for anybody. He, however, extremely wanted this drifting cloud for himself. Save encircling and trapping her, he could not think of any other better way.

  Every time he felt that she was drawing closer to him, she could kill the feelings and throw a wet towel on his thoughts. He hated this feeling, and when was Mo Jue ever being manipulated by people?

  He was the lead character in his life story, and he wanted everything under his control. Everybody else had to listen to him, and he did not want to be at Ye Wei’s beck and call. When he was at the seaside mansion, he had already made up his mind to gradually clip her wings.

  Even if she hated him, he would do it.

  This woman would not fall in love with anybody. Since she would not believe anybody else save those few in the terrorist organization, let alone him, why should he show her mercy?

  He might as well destroy everything!

  The more time he spent with her, the clearer the thoughts of destroying her became. He was somewhat extremely eager to imprison her and drag her to hell with him as he fell into depravity. As he hurt her, he was also hurting himself.

  Ye Wei looked at him silently and suddenly changed the topic. “Do you think that there might be a cold room here?”


  If there weren’t, why was this place so cold? The temperature did not add up. Autumn in London was skin-piercing cold. Gusts of cold wind blew along and it somehow felt like hell.

  Mo Jue looked around and his lips became a straight line. One could not tell any emotion from it. Ye Wei could not be bothered about Mo Jue’s emotions and looked up to the real artwork. This painting, the focus of tonight’s grab, was still with her. While they were a tad greedy for each other’s warmth, how would they show their ruthlessness when they tangled for it later? With silver needles in her hand, two legs, and an arm, she had absolutely no hopes of winning.

  She did not want to lose this painting.

  Mo Jue followed her gaze to the painting on the wall and coldly harrumphed. He asked, “Are you seriously going to go up against me?”


  “It’s you who want to go up against me.” Ye Wei smiled and leaned against him, casually drawing circles on his chest with her slender fingers. It was as though she was writing something, yet it was as though she was seducing him while looking at him gorgeously. “You know very well that I am hell-bent on getting this painting. I have yet to slip up, and I don’t intend this to be a precedent. If you are able to seize the drawing from me, then that is another story.”


  “Based on this messed up body of yours?” Mo Jue held her wonky arm and gently smiled, a storm brewing in his purple eyes. He mercilessly mocked her. “Even if both your arms are fighting fit, you are still not my match. What can you do with one arm? Besides, I have figured out your playbook, and as for you, you can save the effort. Even if you are capable of overperforming in spurts, you are never my match. Why must you mess yourself up so badly every damn time?”


  “Excessive self-confidence is never a good thing, and not to mention that our fight for the painting is over once there is gunfire above us that startles the mercenaries. We will all die here as a result. Is that a good ending?” Ye Wei smiled as she gently shrugged free of his hand.

  “Very well then. At least, you are not going anywhere either.” Mo Jue, surprisingly, did not deny what she said. Ye Wei was a little surprised but did not express it.

  Mo Jue, seemingly greedy for this atmosphere, allowed Ye Wei to hug him. All of a sudden, there was a light sound from above the secret room. While the sound insulation of the secret room was good, most normal people would not hear it. Ye Wei and Mo Jue had an extremely sharp hearing and heard the sound. As they realized that something was amiss, their faces changed

  It was a gunshot.

  Who fired?

  Was it Eleven or Silver Face? They were the only two above them. As they listened in intently, they only heard a sound and nothing else. Knowing that Eleven was not Silver Face’s match, Ye Wei’s face turned pale.

  Besides, Silver Face was an extremely cold and merciless person who would not care about Mo Jue’s fate after his fall. Eleven, however, would worry about her fate and would inevitably be distracted. Eleven, under that condition, would even be less of a match to him.

  Who exactly fired the shot? Why was only one shot fired?

  Would the mercenaries below be startled? Even if Silver Face fired, he was not going anywhere else unless he duked it out.

  Eleven, Eleven…


  Ye Wei’s fingertips trembled. Mo Jue looked at her coldly with a seeming smile. “Want to guess who died?”


  Ye Wei’s face turned pale and her body stiffened. She suddenly broke into a smile and Mo Jue’s face changed as he felt a tinge of pain down his spine that suddenly became a much sharper pain. His limbs went numb.

  His face was as dark as Yama and there was a fierce murderous intent in his purple eyes that wished he could utterly dismember her. He was as vicious as a beast emanating a murderous intent.

  The thought of her laying her hands on him flashed through. Ye Wei quickly stood up and silver needles landed on several major acupoints on his chest. Although Mo Jue was immobilized, his purple eyes were as stern as the devil.

  Ye Wei coldly stood up and plainly said, “I know I am not your match, but does that equate to me not being able to neutralize you? Mo Jue, you have been overly confident.”


  “You really dare to subdue me?” Mo Jue asked. It was only on closer listening that one could hear the deep pain in his voice.

  “There is nothing I do not dare to do. What matters is whether I want to.” Ye Wei quickly stopped speaking and looked around the secret room. There must be a door as these items would not have ended up here without a door.

  It was just hidden mechanisms all over the place.

  As she thought about Eleven, she had no time to look at Mo Jue’s expression which grew even colder by the minute. She calmly looked for a hidden switch. The layout of the room was similar to the secret room above, albeit much smaller.

  How should they get out?

  The more one worried, the more panicked one would become.

  “Ye Wei, do you really want to know whether Eleven is dead?” Mo Jue coldly asked as he sat down and did not move. It seemed as though nothing mattered.

  Ye Wei looked back and showed her anger. “She will not die,” she curtly replied.

  “If that is the case, why panic and subdue me?” Mo Jue coldly smiled. As she was looking down, she could not see his emotions. If she had seen them, they must be nothing short of utterly vicious. Did she actually lay a hand on him all because of Eleven?

  Would she kill him?

  “I’m too lazy to talk trash with you,” Ye Wei flatly replied as she searched for a hidden mechanism. A eureka moment suddenly came upon her. When Eleven and Silver Face were fighting above earlier, Silver Face triggered a gemstone on the goddess statue that caused them to drop into the trap.

  A moment of clarity flashed through her pitch-black eyes and she stood before the goddess statue whilst recalling how the two of them fought earlier. As she squinted, she saw the pearl that was the crux. Ye Wei leaped up and rotated the pearl on the scepter. The door opened.

  “That’s done it.” She rejoiced and leaped down while looking at the door she had opened in surprise. When she started walking, she recalled Mo Jue behind her. Should she bring him along? No. If she let him go, she would be unable to escape because Mo Jue was bound to strangle her.

  As she pondered, she suddenly felt a strong gust of wind behind her. Ye Wei, in huge shock, was unable to avoid it. She felt pain in her neck and her vision turned dark as she collapsed in a warm embrace.

  Why was he okay? That was the only thing running through Ye Wei’s mind before she fainted.

  Mo Jue looked at the woman he carried deeply with a terrible rage on his face that burned. The secret room suddenly lit up and the once-dark space became as bright as day.

  A middle-aged British man who was elegantly and tastefully dressed led a group of men into the secret room. While he was fair-skinned, he grew a beard that did not seem to stick out but instead complimented him well. He was gentlemanly and exuded an air of royalty.

  The several elite guards behind him were armed.

  “Second master, it has been a long time since we met and you’re still looking as good.” He smiled and walked over. As he was about to hug Mo Jue, he realized that he was carrying a woman. Realizing that something seemed inappropriate, he smiled and walked away.

  “Your Excellency, it has been a long time,” Mo Jue wiped all expressions off his face and plainly replied.

  “This person is?”


  “The person who stole the painting.”


  “What?” A malicious and insidious look flashed through Count Henry’s face.

  Mo Jue plainly said, “I am taking the person.”


  Count Henry smiled and said, “Oh, since that is the case, I shan’t pursue it further. Second master, help yourself to whatever you want.”


  “Really?”


  “Definitely. Thanks to you designing the traps for me, I have never lost a single treasure in these many years. If you see something to your liking, please help yourself to it. If it weren’t for you, god knows how many of these treasures would have been stolen,” Count Henry replied generously. He unintentionally looked at Ye Wei and realized that Mo Jue’s gaze sunk. He knew what was going on and stopped looking at her.

  Mo Jue moved his chin and said, “My older brother wants that painting.”


  Count Henry looked in his direction, hesitated, and ordered somebody to take the painting down. Mo Jue, sparing pleasantries, said, “I am afraid that I will have to trouble Your Excellency.”


  “Please go ahead!”


  “I will have to trouble you to help me ship these artifacts to Sicily. I’ll pay the prescribed rate.”


  “No problem. I’ll do whatever second master requests without the slightest error,” Henry replied to him in a patronizing manner. “If you see anything else that you’ve taken a fancy to, just help yourself to it. Don’t hold back.”


  “That won’t be necessary,” Mo Jue plainly said as he looked at Ye Wei. He then turned to Count Henry and said, “Somebody will liaise with you in a moment about the shipping of the artifacts, so put all the paintings together. If possible, we ship them tonight. The faster the better.”


  “Do not worry, second master. With me watching over the shipping, there will be absolutely no problem with these artifacts,” Count Henry confidently replied as he tapped his chest. Mo Jue nodded and said, “I’ll see you then.”


  He carried Ye Wei and walked out of the secret room neither slowly nor quickly.

  ‘Wei Wei, you must not have expected that I designed all the hidden traps in this castle, huh?’


  As he carried her down the flight of stairs, his lips curled into a smile. The lit white candles on the wall made the stairwell neither bright nor dark, and the ambiance complemented Mo Jue who walked in between both sides of the light. He was cold, secretive, and his sinister streak showed itself and revealed viciousness akin to bloodlust.

  He looked down and saw a pale Ye Wei, whose long hair and arms dropped. The mask did not conceal the slightest of her arrogance. For some reason, even though he was looking at her in his embrace, he felt that she was thousands of meters away.

  To be so near, yet so far apart!

  He walked slowly and the candlelight shining on him cast a long shadow that was three parts coldness, three parts resoluteness, and four parts loneliness.

  It felt extremely tragic and said.

  The man next to Count Henry said, “Your Excellency, who is he? And why are you so respectful toward him?”


  “He…” Count Henry laughed and said, “He is the toughest man in the world.”


  The man did not seem to understand, and Count Henry shook his head. “If you do not understand, it’s fine.”


  In the woods below the castle, Rong Yan looked at her watch and was extremely anxious. Ye Wei and Eleven had yet to show up way after the scheduled time. Did something happen to them? Ye Wei and Eleven had no plans for Rong Yan to take any risks as Rong Yan was not like them. Rong Yan was, however, afraid that they were caught in a gunfight and would be overwhelmed, so she insisted on coming. Ye Wei had no choice but to have her drive and pick them up.

  It was an hour past the scheduled time and nobody was seen coming out. She, however, saw many people enter the castle.

  She could not help but worry.

  Rong Yan suddenly saw Mo Jue carry an unconscious Ye Wei out, and she was extremely shocked.