Chapter 785 The Arcane Jade

It was as if a rock had been cast into a lake. Gregory’s heart sank. For some reason, he began to panic. He looked downcast as usual, but there was a mysterious glint in his gaze. “Vickie, I told you to come over. We’ll discuss this once more.” “There’s nothing else to discuss.” Vickie sounded distant and her voice was tinged with obvious exhaustion. “Gregory, you’ve lost today. Didn’t you promise that you’d agree to do something for the other party?” The man was quiet. She continued, “We’ll focus on this issue then and break off the partnership. From today onwards, if there isn’t a need, we shan’t see each other again. If we do meet again, it will be in death. I’ve said it before. I won’t let my brothers and sisters from the Vermilion Bird Organization die in vain.” Then, she ignored him and turned around to leave. Gregory shouted, “Stop her!” Next, a few burly men leaped out from nowhere and blocked Vickie’s path. Vickie’s expression turned serious. She turned to look at Gregory and threatened, “Do you want me to get physical?” Gregory knew that Vickie was no longer the same woman from four years ago. Four years in prison had toughened her up and strengthened her will. Her tactics and martial arts expertise had improved by leaps and bounds as well. However, she could not use this as a reason to leave. She might be able to defeat him in a fight, but was she capable of fighting so many men simultaneously? Assuming she could plow through these men, there were so many people guarding the interior and the exterior of this chateau. Was she able to defeat all of them and escape? Thus, he was not worried that she would leave. Still, he had a feeling of uneasiness within him. He could not explain why, but he just sensed that if she did take off today, he would lose her forever. He took a large step forward, grabbed her hand, and insisted, “Come with me.” Then, he led her upstairs swiftly. Surprisingly, Vickie did not struggle. Firstly, she understood that, under the current circumstances, she would not be able to go away if Gregory used brute force to make her stay. Secondly, deep down, she was eager to know what else he wanted to tell her. What was there to say anyway? Along the way to the study, Vickie felt the pain on her wrist as a result of Gregory’s tight grip. However, she did not yelp but allowed him to lead her to the study. When they reached their destination, he let go of her wrist. After that, Gregory’s expression hardened as he walked to the back of the desk. He stole a glance at her as she stood there. Despite the scowl on his face, the hostility had vanished. “Come here!” he shouted. Vickie kept quiet and headed towards him. He took out a document binder from beneath his desk. “Read this, then make your decision,” he said and threw the binder towards her. Vickie was skeptical, but she accepted it and flipped through it. Her expression shifted drastically when she came to the end of the document. She closed the binder and stared at him in shock. “How come?” Gregory had calmed down completely. He thought that it was time for her to know what she should know. There was a time when he had been reluctant to let her face the cruel truth. He hated her betrayal, but there was a voice that nagged at him, telling him that maybe she had not been the real culprit back then. Insider information about the Vermilion Bird Organization and the Dragon Regiment had been leaked. As someone trapped between both organizations, there was no benefit to Vickie for the two parties to fight against one another. Nevertheless, in the past, all evidence had pointed towards her, thus he had to do something. Otherwise, he would not have been able to face his subordinates. At the thought of this, he puffed out a sigh and said, “Keep reading and look at the last page.” Vickie did as she was told. The further she continued, the more she trembled. She realized that she was looking at a name list of the Vermilion Bird Organization and the Dragon Regiment’s past members. Back in the day, both organizations were not enemies. In fact, they seemed to show concern and kindness towards each other. If not for this fact, Vickie, who had left the Dragon Regiment out of spite, would not have joined the Vermilion Bird Organization. Thus, in those days, membership constantly shifted between both organizations, but the members did not seem to mind. Consequently, people let their guard down. This document clearly stated the personal details and whereabouts of the survivors of the past war. When she looked closely, she discovered that a number of people had left this place and changed their names to join an organization known as the Chinese Association. On the surface, those people had died in the war. Many of her so-called brothers and sisters were included among those members. However, today, they lived good lives while assuming different identities. They were not actually dead. What had died was the bond between them and her. Vickie could not believe it. It felt like her brain had been cleaved by an ax, leaving her mind in a blank state. She began to wobble and lose her balance. Her face was drained of color and she retreated. Finally, she managed to support herself by the table. She mumbled, “Impossible...How could this be? They...they…” Gregory addressed her calmly, “Do you remember why we fell out?” Vickie was momentarily quiet. Then, she uttered three words slowly, “The Arcane Jade.” “Yes, the Arcane Jade.” Five years ago, a document that was said to be two thousand years old had appeared on the face of the earth without warning. It mentioned an unusual type of artifact, and it was said that the artifact could bring one back to life and make one immortal. Honestly, when Vickie heard of that rumor, she had found it absurd. Later, an incident changed her perception. With her own eyes, she had witnessed how a man, who was shot in the head, was treated by a piece of the Arcane Jade. Shockingly, the flesh around his wound had regenerated rapidly and he had recovered at once. She would never forget the sense of amazement she had felt that day. Had she not seen it personally, she would never have believed that such miracles still existed in this world. With the help of a small piece of jade, a body made out of flesh and blood could not only heal its wounds on its own but also make one come back to life! How was that possible? Still, regardless of her beliefs, many people had witnessed this wondrous incident. Everybody was jealous and wanted to own that artifact after realizing its power. However, the only Arcane Jade that was unearthed had already been used.