Chapter 115: You Must Have the Resolve to Die

The night wind carried a hint of chill, and the air grew slightly damp. A cold gleam of light struck silently toward the figure before the door.

Xiao Nan suddenly sensed something amiss, and the murderous intent boiling within him receded like a tide. The momentum of his sword halted abruptly, stopping just inches from the person's throat.

What met his eyes was an incredibly youthful face, no more than eleven or twelve years old. In his hand, he held not a weapon of mass destruction like a grenade or explosives, but a piece of paper wrapped around a stone.

Shivering from the bone-deep chill, the boy—whose face was smudged with dirt—turned his head. The moonlight reflecting off the sword’s edge dazzled his eyes, and his legs gave way, nearly causing him to collapse.

"Spare... spare my life," he stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"What are you doing here?" Xiao Nan did not withdraw his sword; instead, his mental energy surged forward like a wave. Sneaking around his doorstep in the middle of the night—he only trusted what he could extract through his own methods.

"Delivering a message."

"Who sent you? Why didn't you knock?"

"It was Big Brother Xiong Bing. He said I shouldn't make any noise or break in, or there would be danger."

Xiao Nan sheathed his sword and took the paper, inspecting it in the moonlight. His eyesight had become remarkably sharp, so he had no trouble reading in the dim light. The paper bore a single line: "Beware of the Special Affairs Bureau, look after your family's safety... find time to take care of Lian Zhu and the others."

Hmm? Was this a warning? Or a final testament?

The fragmented message made Xiao Nan frown. The big man had always been mysterious, and despite Xiao Nan’s acute mental perception, he could never quite figure out what was on his mind. He only knew that the man’s憨厚 (simple and honest) exterior was at odds with the heavy burdens he seemed to carry. His usual devil-may-care expression was nothing but an act.

However, one thing was certain: Xiong Bing harbored no true malice toward him. That was precisely why, though Xiao Nan was occasionally annoyed by the man's intentional or unintentional attempts to get close, he had not distanced himself as he had with Dong Cheng.

Speaking of mental perception, ordinary people possessed it to a degree. However, they could only sense whether someone was likable or if the social interaction felt comfortable; they could not truly discern genuine goodwill or malice. Xiao Nan could.

"Is your name Lian Zhu?"

"Yes, yes. Does Brother Xiao know me?" The boy, having nearly lost his head to a sharp blade, was still shaken. Regaining his composure, he quickly bowed and forced a smile, looking utterly respectful. It was a habit born of low status.

Xiao Nan recalled rumors at school that Xiong Bing had grown up in an orphanage and later, through unknown means, had come into a large sum of money. Not only was he well-provided for, but he had also managed to get into Yuanjiang No. 1 High School and had taken in and supported a group of orphans.

Seeing the boy, Xiao Nan immediately understood his identity. Not just in Yuanjiang Prefecture, but in cities large and small across the country, the alien invasions had left many families shattered, inevitably leaving orphans behind. While the authorities provided subsidies, they were merely policy gestures and did not account for the needs of every impoverished citizen. Furthermore, the competence of city administrators varied, and they did not always take good care of the people under their rule. In short, the situation was complex.

Orphans were a constant, and their lives were rarely easy. Was it not the same in the stable, peaceful world he once knew? Even in the seemingly prosperous and bustling cities, not everyone lived a life of comfort and abundance.

His expression softened, and he asked gently, "Where does Xiong Bing live? Take me there."

"This?"

"I suspect he might be in danger," Xiao Nan said directly, leaving the choice to Lian Zhu. He could see that the boy truly respected Xiong Bing, so he saw no need to frighten him.

This time, Lian Zhu did not hesitate and led Xiao Nan toward the west. They wove through streets and alleys. Before long, they reached a corner of the city's west side. From afar, the towering buildings of the Martial Artists Association were visible. Xiao Nan remembered having been here before, though he hadn't ventured deep inside.

In Yuanjiang Prefecture, this area was notorious for being dirty, chaotic, and derelict. Apart from the conspicuous Martial Artists Association, the place was packed with low-slung, cramped bungalows. Occasionally, one could see large empty lots with jagged, half-finished buildings—the rusted steel bars jutting out like skeletons, silent witnesses to a developer's failed ambitions. Development had started here, but for some reason, it had been abandoned.

In front of an unfinished building surrounded by overgrown weeds, a courtyard had been makeshiftly fenced off with wooden stakes. Before they even saw where Xiong Bing was, Lian Zhu let out a cry of shock and sprinted ahead.

"Stone! What happened to you?"

Beside a rugged, powerful-looking off-road vehicle, a youth lay collapsed. He was only a year or two older than Lian Zhu, though significantly sturdier. He was lying on the ground, blood streaming from his mouth, and a dark, bruised footprint was visible on his chest.

Inside the spacious ground-floor hall, the open doorway revealed furniture and appliances in disarray. A gaping hole in the wall showed signs of a struggle. Deep footprints were pressed into the concrete floor, with debris and gravel scattered everywhere, trailing off into the distance from the entrance.

Xiao Nan sniffed the air, catching the faint, drifting scent of blood.

His mind reconstructed the scene: one chasing, one fleeing; the one fleeing vomited blood into the woods, while the pursuer followed at a leisurely pace. He didn't delay or stop to ask questions; his curiosity was growing heavier. Xiong Bing seemed to have gotten into major trouble.

If this were just after he had awakened his past-life memories, Xiao Nan might have remained indifferent, unwilling to meddle in others' affairs. But now, his perspective had shifted; he felt a degree of belonging to this world and could empathize with Xiong Bing's plight. Moreover, given Xiong Bing's earlier warning, the matter clearly concerned him, and he could not simply ignore it.

Of course, he could not be reckless. He had to see exactly what was happening before deciding on his next move. Moving silently, he followed the trail.

"The Special Affairs Bureau?"

The matter actually involved the Special Affairs Bureau. That meant, without need for further speculation, that his acquisition of divinity during the blood sacrifice event might have been exposed. He only wondered who was behind this, and what role Xiong Bing had played in it.

...

Deep in a dense, low-lying forest filled with shrubs, a muffled thud echoed.

A figure was thrown backward, tumbling as he tried to claw his way up. He gripped a broadsword, his eyes filled with defiance. It was Xiong Bing. A large patch of blood stained his chest, and his left arm hung at an unnatural angle, clearly broken. Yet, he continued to glare ahead, brimming with fighting spirit, a stark contrast to his usual simple-minded demeanor.

"Gu Junwu, do you really intend to kill me?"

"Tsk, tsk. It seems you’ve forgotten your place!" A man in his early thirties wearing glasses stepped out. His hands were empty, and his clothes were spotless. "Without the resources of the Special Affairs Bureau, you would still be a rat in the gutter. How else could you have qualified for Yuanjiang No. 1 High School? How else could you have achieved your current level of blood-qi? Since you dared to betray me, you must be prepared to die... I’ll ask you one more time: are you going to do it, or not?"

Gu Junwu’s eyes were cold, revealing a cruel and vicious nature. He clapped his hands together, producing a sound like clashing steel.

Hidden behind a low tree, Xiao Nan watched quietly. He realized that the man was wearing a pair of black gloves, with five fingers as sharp as blades.