"Hmm hmm hmm~hmm~hmm hmm hmm hmm~hmm hmm~"

In the midst of a gentle yet indistinct singing, a fleeting and delicate figure swept through the neon and night of the city, like a weightless ghost, leaping between high-rises and skyscrapers. Each leap was aided by a breeze lifting her body, as if she were soaring through the sky.

And just like that, she landed on top of an apartment.

Defying gravity, she walked down the wall, kicked open the half-closed window, and jumped into the room that was still lit.

"An Ran, I'm back."

What responded to her was a surge of Sword Qi that was so refined it bordered on existing and not existing!

A relentless barrage of hundreds of swords, whistling towards her!

Streams of Sword Qi converged like a storm, filling the overly narrow living room, completely engulfing her. But soon, the countless Sword Qi, superior to sharp blades, disappeared in the dispersal of a faint glimmer of light.

An Ning stepped in and saw that familiar face...

Already brimming with anger!

"Don't bully Ji Jue brother!"

"Getting angry?"

An Ning paused for a moment and then nodded in realization, "Hmm, it's been two years, An Ran has grown up too."

With a light sigh, her figure suddenly rushed forward, appearing in front of An Ran without warning, casually dismantling and crushing his long-prepared fierce attacks.

In the end, she skillfully grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and pinned him down on the sofa.

Just like the outcome of their countless past duels.

Little An, utterly defeated.

Finally, she lowered her head and asked curiously:

"Are you trying to steal a man from your sister?"

Little An was startled for a moment, shocked to the point of forgetting his anger, and shook his head vigorously, "I... Ji, Ji Jue brother and I aren't like that! Men and men can't possibly..."

But An Ning leaned in closer, looking straight at him.

"It's totally fine," she asserted decisively, "If it's true love, age, identity, status, none of that matters, and neither should gender, right?"

"I'm not in that kind of relationship with Ji Jue brother!"

"Oh-ho?"

An Ning's smile grew more joyful, "So if you're not planning to compete with your sister for a man... then you'll definitely help me, right?"

She paused for a moment, her smile growing sweeter, and let go of his hand, "After all, if your sister marries him, wouldn't you be able to spend day and night with Ji Jue brother?"

"I..."

Little An was momentarily at a loss for words, instinctively not wanting Ji Jue brother to be too involved with his sister and disapproving of the two being together, "Ji Jue brother won't like you!"

"Is that so? That's hard to say."

An Ning lifted her slender fingers and twirled the strands of hair around her ears, revealing her exquisite cheek, "After all, I am very beautiful, more so than you."

"That's useless!"

Little An lifted his head and puffed out his chest, firmly retorting, "Ji Jue brother never judges people by their appearance!"

"But I'm very talented and strong, much stronger than you by at least ten or a hundred times, right?"

An Ning propped up her chin, still smiling, "Moreover, if I try a little harder to kick my second uncle out of the way, and after grandfather and father pass away, I might just become the Family Head of the An Family.

With the An Family behind me, wouldn't he have whatever he desires at his fingertips?"

"So what?"

Little An looked disdainful, his convictions growing stronger, "Ji Jue brother never cares about power, nor does he compare people's worth based on strength or family background!"

"Is that so? Then it seems I have no advantages in his eyes."

Although she said this, An Ning didn't seem worried at all; her smile grew more cunning and An Ran had a bad feeling when he heard her soft words:

"In that case, is my only advantage left being 'wealthy'?"

"Ergh..."

An Ran went blank.

Stiffly, he swallowed his saliva.

With this one aspect, he searched through the Holy Word Records and could not refute her.

An Ning had found his weakness and launched her attack.

Thus, An Ning killed the competition.

An Ran, utterly defeated, unable to rise again.

"Hmm, it's decided then! As long as I give him a lot of money, he definitely won't be able to forget me!"

An Ning seized the momentum, "I remember he can fix cars, right? Buying a car, hmm, that's too ordinary, I feel like it wouldn't leave much of an impression..."

As she spoke, she took out her phone and dialed a number, "Hello? Dad, it's me, I have a man now, give me money. I'm going to buy the sports car factory from Huan Yu Heavy Industry to give to him..."

It's over, all over!

An Ran broke into a sweat, his eyes glazed.

As if he could already see Ji Jue brother being bought by his sister's money, becoming a degenerate who only knew to indulge and spend without any ideals...

No, that can't happen!

He had to rescue Ji Jue brother from his sister's clutches!

What to do? What to do! What to do?!

On the day before his sixteenth birthday, An Ran understood for the first time the meaning of being lost and helpless.

And fortunately... An Ning didn't end up buying the car factory.

Because dad wasn't willing to shell out the money.

It wasn't because he was stingy with such a meager betrothal gift. It was because, in the eyes of an old man engrossed in pure love, you're not truly in a relationship without a formal confession and dating.

Long live pure love!

Little An resolved to work more, take on more jobs, and earn a lot more money for Ji Jue brother, so that he could stick to his ideals, free from his sister's wicked temptations!

To strive! To work hard! To become stronger!

To cast aside my weakness here...

This strength is the reason to protect Ji Jue brother!

And outside the window, the night was long.

The moonlight gradually hid behind the clouds.

Darkness eternal as a nightmare.

.

Nightmares and Hell were in the blood.

At Jici Hospital, in the inpatient building, there was a crisp sound at the end of the corridor where scarlet blood flowed.

Ding—

The elevator doors opened, revealing a ghastly face stripped to white bone, staggering, moving its left leg step by step as it walked out.

From the empty, tattered sleeve of its left arm, blood dripped down.

"Has life been a bit too, shall we say, overstimulating?"

Lao Lin raised his left hand, formed of black smoke and sparks, touched his face, forcibly reattached his broken jaw, smoothed over his shattered skin, and pieced his original appearance back together.

In the reflection of the window, he examined his own hideous visage.

And right behind the elevator doors was Hell filled with bones and scarlet, devoid of any sound.

"Ptui."

He lowered his head and spat out crimson blood.

Step by step, he walked through the hallway littered with corpses.

Finally, he pushed open the door to the ward.

Amidst the chaos, a weary sigh was heard.

"You're late, Old Lin."

Between the overturned trolley and the tangled mess of wires and IV tubes on the floor, Chen Xingzhou looked up, his greeting hoarse: "What happened?"

In his arms, the nurse struggled violently with both hands, coughing up scarlet blood. Her convulsing palms frantically clawed at Chen Xingzhou's face, leaving deep, bone-exposing scratch marks.

Thus, the ignominious end came without a sound.

"Seems like things went well, the surgery was a success, huh? Miracle Medicine wasn't wasted on you."

His equally battered partner grinned and mockingly asked, "Why go through all the trouble of dying and coming back? What's the point?"

"Since I started mixing it up at seven and doing the big guy's work at eleven, I understood one thing—If a man is to die, let him die without a grave, swiftly and neatly. If he is to win, let him win thoroughly and imposingly.

What kind of man are you if you don't dare to bet your own life?"

Chen Xingzhou struggled to release his grip, ignoring the crimson flowing from his abdomen, coughing, gasping for breath, and finally raising his head, "Got a cigarette?"

"Smoking now? You looking to die?"

Old Lin scoffed, his remaining right hand fumbled in his pocket for a while, tossing over a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

A wisp of blue smoke rose from the flame.

The white fog was slowly exhaled.

Chen Xingzhou lay contentedly at the foot of the bed in the pool of blood, ignoring the internal agony and the shadow of death, as if he was without a care: "You look like you've aged quite a few years, eh? Were the days I died that bad?"

"They've been rather joyful, less of a bothersome boss. Every day felt like retirement," Old Lin answered nonchalantly. "It's that kid Yu Bai, though. He's had it rough these past few days, might not make it much longer, huh?"

Chen Xingzhou fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "It's my fault he's in this state."

"No, I think, the only hope he has now is for you to hurry up and kick the bucket."

"Ah?"

Chen Xingzhou was stunned.

Old Lin shrugged, "He's planning to follow a friend's advice, to donate the money to Chongguang Church. Then he's going to start over by himself from scratch."

"Haha, hahaha, cough cough cough..."

In his coughing fit, Chen Xingzhou could not help but burst into laughter: "He's made some pretty good friends, good for him, very good. Now I can rest in peace even if I die."

"Not at all, a scourge lasts for a thousand years; you still have a long life ahead of you."

"That doesn't sound like a compliment."

"You'll have to make do with that, you're no saint either."

Old Lin extended his remaining arm, pulling the half-dead Chen Xingzhou up from the ground and onto a wheelchair, then dug out an injection from his pocket and administered another shot to his neck: "Don't get too happy yet, the fight isn't over."

"No, I've already won…"

From a daze and dizziness, Chen Xingzhou grinned and muttered softly, "I've battled fate and succeeded. In this game, the victory is mine!"

"Yes, yes, whatever you say."

Old Lin nodded helplessly, watching as his pale face gradually blushed, slowly sobering and recovering his wits from the expensive medicine.

Until the last hint of a smile disappeared from his face.

He was calm once more.

He had become the Chen Xingzhou he knew well again.

Outside the door, in the bloodstained water, footsteps sounded, one figure after another emerged from the shadows, standing quietly in the corridor, waiting.

Until Old Lin pushed open the door, a wheelchair rolled over the bloodstained floor and set forth.

"Let's go, everyone."

Chen Xingzhou nodded calmly, greeting his long-lost subordinates, "Let's go see some old friends, tell them some good news."

He said, "Tonight was too long; I fear no one can wait till dawn."

Outside the window, the last of the neon and lights went out in the depth of night.

In the endless darkness, there was only blood and death.

This was the cruel finale.

They left behind the wrecked ward and corridor and vanished into the darkness.

Fifteen minutes later, Lei Yaoxing received the news: both teams led by Jin Wujiu and Li Wentong were annihilated; Chen Xingzhou was missing, whereabouts unknown.

Two hours later, the doctor of Hai Province Guangyao Hospital personally signed the death certificate and handed it to Lei Yaoxing waiting outside the resuscitation room.

After struggling for half a month, Lei Wuye finally exhaled his last breath.

"A step late is a step behind, huh."

Lei Yaoxing stared at the certificate in his hand, lifted his head to look through the window into the increasingly thick night, and at the inevitable end waiting for him in the infinite darkness.

Yet unexpectedly, he was completely calm.

"Start the funeral proceedings."

He said, "Some things should come to an end, there must be closure."

Four hours later, amid sudden thunderclaps, the downpour was torrential.

And as the sudden rain came and went in haste, a faint glimmer of dawn leaped at the edge of the sky, lighting up the bloodstains that had yet to be washed away.

For everyone, it was a night so long it seemed endless, and now it had come to an end.

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