Hidden Assassin 197

Summer passed, then Jia Ming was discharged from the hospital, and time entered the autumn of 1998. Everything returned to its original trajectory.

He returned to the rented apartment with Ling Jing and Sha Sha, and they continued their daily routine of going to school and coming home. For the three of them, this autumn was very peaceful.

With the intervention of the State Security, the underworld in Jiang Hai City didn’t cause much trouble. The Yue Chi family and Gao Tian Yuan put a lot of effort into containing Pei Luo Jia in Japan. Plus, the intimidating name of Yu Jin Xiang, no killer was crazy enough to come to Jiang Hai to cause trouble. The entire dark world, from the chaotic and fiery clashes at the beginning, was finally suppressed to a clearer state after six months, with the government in Japan heavily involved. While they remained rivals, neither side had a clear advantage.

On the other hand, Dongfang Wan’s toy factory started to take off. The first batch of electronic pets was released, and they began to recoup costs. With the Dongfang family’s reputation backing it, and a vast distribution network, early profits were almost guaranteed. The question was how much the company would grow, and how much potential Dongfang Wan could unlock. This would determine her position in the Dongfang family, and her future influence.

Focusing on the factory without affecting her studies, Dongfang Wan devoted all her energy to it. After the first batch of products proved successful, she was able to recruit several management personnel from the Dongfang family’s corporate group to help oversee the factory. Xu Yi Ting was her only confidante, juggling her studies while helping Dongfang Wan with simple tasks.

Dongfang Wan had set up a lab, but she didn’t visit the factory often. However, the atmosphere between her and Jia Ming had eased. Especially after the electronic pet design he had submitted received a favorable response, Dongfang Wan’s occasional nagging stopped, and his life became quiet and carefree, spending his days sleeping at his desk.

Sha Sha was a starting player on the volleyball team, but her rival, Tan Su Yan, had gone to university. Without a worthy opponent, she felt bored. Her nature was always free-spirited, so she quit the team. She only played occasionally for fun. Compared to Jia Ming, who wasn’t very popular, Sha Sha was a lively and athletic girl who excelled in various sports. She had many friends at school and was always surrounded by a group of chattering girls, leading a vibrant life.

As for Ling Jing, after Dongfang Lu confronted Jia Ming, he didn’t ask her for help with student council matters as much. She had a few friends in her class but not many. They would occasionally go shopping together and buy books. Every week, they took turns preparing dinner, and this routine had become a habit. Her grades remained top in the class. She occasionally received a few love letters, but she would simply throw them in the trash.

Ling Jing’s passion was the piano. Ya Han had taught her the basics, but her talent and musical sense were so impressive that Ya Han couldn’t teach her much. Ling Jing often bought books and learned on her own, and she even attended a training program, but she quit when she felt there was nothing more to learn. She stopped going to the “North Europe Fantasy” Western restaurant, but she kept in touch with Zhang Jing Feng’s friend, Chen Ke An, a pianist. She occasionally asked him for advice and borrowed books. Zhang Jing Feng, it was said, had stopped managing “North Europe Fantasy” and returned to his family’s chain hotel business. They had less contact, and it saved her from having to explicitly reject him as she did with Dongfang Lu.

At school, Ya Han had resumed her friendly demeanor towards Jia Ming, Ling Jing, and the others, but it was merely a friendly relationship. She no longer went to her office to use the internet or take naps, like they used to. Ya Han maintained a meticulous work attitude, always appearing energetic in front of everyone. It was unclear whether her newfound cheerfulness was a sign of understanding or a last flicker of hope before succumbing to despair.

In any case, September passed, October passed, and November arrived. After the beginning of winter, the weather turned cold. On a day in November, Jia Ming suddenly saw a piece of information:

November 13th, Zhushen Wunian arrives in Bangkok, Thailand.

“What’s this madman doing in Thailand… getting a sex change surgery?”

No single person could control the entire world, and Jia Ming, not a domineering person, wasn’t interested in building a vast power group. Since establishing an implicit partnership with Tian Yu Zheng Ze, some of Gao Tian Yuan’s intelligence was relayed to Jia Ming every day. This short piece of information, amidst numerous trivial matters, caught Jia Ming’s attention only because of the name of the madman, Zhushen Wunian.

“This shouldn’t concern me…”

After a brief moment of consideration, Jia Ming filtered this information and moved on to the next one.

Thailand, Bangkok, Pawei District, outskirts, Pei Luo Jia Asian Division headquarters.

On the surface, it was a large private factory, but in reality, it had better defense and training facilities than a military base. This was the largest base of Pei Luo Jia’s Asian Division, with over 400 assassins of various levels. Beneath this factory, there was a luxurious and functional, large-scale underground complex where almost a hundred assassins who were not on missions lived and trained.

It was almost midnight. In a seemingly empty underground shooting range, only one person was training.

Under bright lights, a half-naked, muscular man stood before us. He had dark skin, slightly curly shoulder-length black hair, a fierce face, knotted muscles, and several grotesque scars. He held two guns and fired at the targets in front of him, looking like a modern-day Lu Zhishen. However, when his long hair swayed occasionally, we could see that his left ear was missing half, a result of a previous injury.

Targets moved in front of him, and the man’s two guns fired continuously. When he ran out of ammo, he quickly replaced the magazines. Empty shells piled up at his feet, and new ones kept falling, reflecting a golden light as they bounced. It was unclear how long he had been engaged in this monotonous shooting practice.

The dull sound of gunfire continued.

At one point, after firing all the bullets in his right gun and preparing to reload, he suddenly sensed a presence behind him. Holding his left gun, he spun around lightning-fast and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

It was a smiling face.

Without any further action, the moment the gun pointed at his forehead, the smiling face tilted slightly, and the bullet grazed his temple. Then he lowered his head. The second bullet whizzed over his head.

There were only two bullets left in the left gun. Without any hesitation, the muscular man’s right fist swung forward, blocking the powerful punch with a wave of his hand. Then the attacks came in like a storm.

“Yahhhhhhh!”

“Please… Tank, I don’t want to fight a pointless, predictable battle…”

“Die!”

“…Then go!”

In a blink of an eye, he had blocked countless punches and knee strikes. The smiling man, who wasn’t known for his strength, felt a little frustrated. The next moment, after a mutual strike, both men flew back in opposite directions. The muscular man tumbled over the shooting platform, rolled on the ground, and stood up. The smiling man’s back slammed into the wall a meter behind him. He then stood upright, brushed the dust off his body. Behind him, the tiles on the wall had cracked into a circular spiderweb pattern, with pieces of debris falling to the ground.

“Has your sense of shame taught you a lesson? Tank… But that’s a good thing…” The man raised his eyebrows and then tightened his floral jacket. “Aren’t you cold? The weather in Japan isn’t so good right now. They said it was tropical here when I came to Thailand, so I didn’t pack much. I was tricked. Look at me, I only have this thin jacket… it’s so cold. When will the world stop being so cold?”

To be honest, even though it was already winter and the air conditioner wasn’t on, the temperature wasn’t really that cold. However, understanding that the other man had always been sensitive to cold weather, Tank didn’t say anything. He just frowned: “Zhushen Wunian… what are you doing in the Asian division?”

Although they were nominally part of the same organization, over the years, the different divisions of Pei Luo Jia had been engaged in fierce competition. While the Japanese division was considered the headquarters, there wasn’t much goodwill between them. However, Tank had been trained in the Japanese headquarters and sent to the Asian Division. He knew Zhushen Wunian. Seeing Zhushen Wunian smile, he said, “Of course I’m here to do great things.”

“Do great things yourself.”

“Of course I would like to do it alone, but… a talented person sometimes needs to play the role of a leader to expand the scale. Otherwise, would I have to personally serve tea and pour water?”

“So you’re saying…” Tank sneered slightly, “that I’m your lackey?”

“Of course, why not?” Zhushen Wunian said matter-of-factly. Seeing Tank scoff and turn to leave, he continued, “At least for this mission in Jiang Hai, don’t you want to be led by me?”

Suddenly, Tank stopped and slowly turned his head: “I haven’t heard of any mission in Jiang Hai. I only know that last month, you proposed going to Jiang Hai to kill Chen Gu Xia, and it was rejected at the headquarters meeting.”

“Rejected? Did you see that ridiculous proposal I submitted? It was an ultimatum, an ultimatum, so I’m here now, ready to lead you to wash away our past shame. How do you feel? Inspired?”

Tank hesitated for a moment, then asked, “You can go to Jiang Hai and kill Chen Gu Xia by yourself. Why come here?”

“You’ve hit the nail on the head!” Zhushen Wunian waved his finger excitedly. “I have a fantastic, thrilling, and interesting plan. How about it? We should talk about this…”

Okay, time for the betting, folks! The Jiang Hai travel group formed by Zhushen Wunian and Tank vs. the innocent and honest Jia Ming. Anyone want to place a bet?

I think not…

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