Chapter 1407: Chapter 1407

"Bastard, there are over a dozen key members of the Hao Family, and all of them have been killed. How could there be no clues at all? Moreover, Hao Zizai and Hao Ziyou are both martial masters. Even if Tang Ming acted personally, there would have been some commotion, right?"

Old Master Wu cursed angrily.

"The strange thing is, no one saw Tang Ming make a move, nor was there any trace of a fight."

Wu Dao furrowed his brows and quickly shouted, "Right, according to the traces at the scene, the assassin was a woman. Hao Zizai was throat-slit while having relations with a woman in the bathroom, and Hao Ziyou was also stabbed to death while seeking pleasure in a hotel, without any signs of resistance at all."

"This... doesn’t seem like Tang Ming’s style."

Old Master Wu was dumbfounded. Using a woman to seduce for an assassination was definitely not something Tang Ming would do.

"That’s why I’m confused right now as well."

Wu Dao shook his head in bewilderment. "Could it be that someone from Heavenly Cloud Palace came to take revenge on Hao Jian?"

"If that’s the case, then it’s all over."

Old Master Wu shook his head and sighed helplessly. "If it was Tang Ming dealing with Hao Jian, we could still shamelessly plead for mercy. But if people from Heavenly Cloud Palace are after Hao Jian, he’d probably already be chopped into pieces by now."

"But why did those people capture Hao Jian without killing him directly?"

"How would I know? Find a way to continue investigating Hao Jian’s whereabouts. Right now, Hao Jian is the only bloodline left in the Hao Family. If something happens to him, I would really be letting down my old comrades in their graves."

Old Master Wu said anxiously, "Also, activate Wu Family’s informants within the Dark Group. Zhou Xiong must have had a reason to punish Hao Jian; there must be something going on."

Wu Dao acknowledged and quickly went out to handle matters.

"Damn Hao Jian, you brought such tragedy to the Hao Family. Having a grandson like him, I truly feel sorry for my old comrades."

Old Master Wu cursed, gritting his teeth. But now, only Hao Jian is left in the Hao Family. If anything happened to Hao Jian, the Hao Family would have no descendants left.

Old Master Wu harbored a silent hatred. If only he had known earlier, he would’ve strangled Hao Jian to death right then and there, at least saving many lives in the Hao Family and preserving some legacy.

But now, he had no choice but to do his best to rescue Hao Jian, the root cause of the disaster — such frustration.

In a dimly lit cell in the Dark Group, Hao Jian curled up, trembling in a corner. He was quite confident in his instinct, certain that this was Tang Ming’s doing.

Thinking about Tang Ming’s methods and what he had done previously, Hao Jian was terrified. In hindsight, he would’ve never provoked Tang Ming.

Just then, the cell door swung open, and Tang Ming, wearing a mask, strode in.

Hao Jian looked at the visitor in terror.

"Haha, you don’t recognize me so soon? I’m Tang Ming, the one who almost died at the hands of you and Yan Qinglong."

Tang Ming looked coldly at Hao Jian.

"So, you’re Tang Ming; you really aren’t dead. It was really you who did it."

Hao Jian stared in disbelief at Tang Ming, his voice trembling.

"Hmph, of course, you hoped I was dead, but unfortunately for you, I survived."

Tang Ming snorted, spoke impatiently: "I don’t want to waste time talking to you. Immediately confess your crimes of colluding with the Ming Group, or else I’ll make your life a living hell."

"Tang Ming, please spare me. I didn’t mean to harm you; the Ming Group pressured me into it."

Hao Jian cried, kneeling in fear before Tang Ming: "I’ll do anything for you if you release me."

"Hao Jian, you deserve to die. No one can save you this time, but if you don’t want to suffer, confess obediently, and I might consider giving you a swift end."

Tang Ming’s words were resolute; he intended to kill Hao Jian without any patience for deception.

"I was wrong, alright? I promise I’ll never provoke you again."

Hearing this, Hao Jian turned ashen, begging for mercy through tears.

"Those people you persecuted and abused from Heavenly Cloud Palace have no future, and neither does Senior Wang Chen, who saved my life. If I don’t kill you, how could I ever face them?"

Tang Ming clenched his fist tightly. If Hao Jian didn’t still have some use, he would have already torn him to pieces.

"Enough talk, immediately write down your crimes in detail, or else I’ll break your limbs and turn you into a human stump."

Tang Ming coldly interrupted Hao Jian.

"I-I’ll write, I’ll write..."

Upon hearing this, Hao Jian quickly picked up paper and pen, obediently detailing his crimes, now having only hope that the Long Family and the Wu Family could save him.

When Tang Ming stepped out of the cell, Zhou Xiong quickly came up to him: "So, did he confess?"

"He already confessed, keep him for now. Tomorrow, I’m confronting the Ming Group in person."

Tang Ming handed the confession to Zhou Xiong, radiating murderous intent: "This time, I must uproot the Ming Group."

"Alright, I’ll make the arrangements."

Seeing Hao Jian’s unreserved confession, Zhou Xiong sighed helplessly.

That night, Tang Ming rested at the Dark Group headquarters, only to be awoken before dawn.

Tang Ming opened the door, looking at Shen Yan in confusion.

"Zhou Xiong informed me, asking you to come to the conference room."

Shen Yan looked at Tang Ming helplessly.

Tang Ming was puzzled.

"Sigh. People from the Lin Family, Long Family, Wu Family, and Su Family have arrived."

Shen Yan sighed: "The Dark Group is, after all, supported by the four major families, and it must have its own intelligence network. Zhou Xiong couldn’t hide this."

"Hmph, then I’ll go meet them."

Tang Ming snorted coldly. Since Hao Jian was already captured, there was no need to hide anymore.

As Tang Ming approached the conference room door, he heard angry reproaches from within. Long Aiyu was berating Zhou Xiong.

"Director Zhou, how dare you? Who gave you the authority to hide such a major issue from us?"

Long Aiyu glared at Zhou Xiong with a steely expression: "Were it not for the massacre of the Hao Family, I’d still be unaware that you captured Hao Jian."

"Director Zhou, did you order the hit on the Hao Family?"

Old Master Wu’s face turned grim. He didn’t believe Tang Ming would use a woman to kill and instinctively thought this was Zhou Xiong’s doing.

Su Tianyu and Lin Qingfeng remained quiet, sitting beside without saying anything, but upon receiving news of the Hao Family’s extermination, they were also quite shaken.

Though the Hao Family wasn’t as expansive as the ten great families, it was still a family that could hold its ground in the Imperial City, with two martial masters in its ranks, yet it was wiped out overnight. The thought alone was terrifying.