Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The joy of the New Year still permeated every street and alley in Huaguo. In the winter night of the capital, snowflakes drifted like the incessant chatter of an old man, swirling gracefully in the brilliant sky. Some people had gradually fallen asleep, while others remained awake.
Politeness did not expect Flower Snow Moon's fighting spirit to be so intense. Even though they had entered the melodramatic phase of a soap opera, she still sought to maximize her own benefits. Politeness was unsure of the specific arrangements Flower Snow Moon had made, but he understood that he had no sufficient reason to kill this beautiful yet dangerous woman; thus, he could only concede defeat.
Politeness thought Flower Snow Moon would arrange some form of resistance, at least not allowing the Unification Alliance to easily reclaim their territory. However, as it turned out, just as Flower Snow Moon said, she merely wanted to reduce the number of souls lost to death.
Nothing more than that.
Last night's events were indeed as Politeness had anticipated. Prairie Wolf had descended from Hucheng to Yang City, hiding initially before suddenly launching an attack last night. They captured city after city with remarkable success; had it not been for a sudden phone call from the capital, Hua Gang might have quietly evaporated in Yang City overnight.
Of course, all of this was still quite bewildering for Jufeng and his companions. The madman mentioned by Flower Snow Moon had come here recklessly, driven by a vague sense of direction and overwhelming worries. The events from several months ago were slowly connecting in his mind, and Jufeng knew that this assassination hidden beneath the white snow would not be so simple.
Snow must eventually come to an end. The first snowfall covered the hexagonal sails stretching thousands of miles across the Capital City of Huancheng and finally began to rest as dawn broke.
On a clear snowy day, Jufeng and his companions finally arrived in Yang City.
Yang City was the capital of Liaoning Province, where Hua Gang's main forces in the Northeast region were concentrated. Naturally, this was also Prairie Wolf's primary target for their surprise attack. On the streets that morning, pedestrians were sparse; one could only vaguely trace the former glory of the provincial capital amidst the steel and concrete standing against the cold wind.
On their way to Yang City, Xue's intelligence system finally proved its worth, clearly informing Jufeng about last night's situation. Overnight, Hua Gang had lost more than half of its strength in the Northeast, especially in Liaoning Province, where there was almost no trace of Hua Gang left. In the northern grasslands, Hua Gang's main forces clashed with the Unification Alliance and did not fare well; by dawn's final battle, Hua Gang had already shown signs of defeat, losing three of the Eight Kings while Flower Snow Moon had vanished without a trace.
Originally, Xue suggested avoiding any risks in Yang City due to Prairie Wolf's unexpectedly strong offensive; thus, there seemed little hope for survival there. However, Jufeng insisted on coming; he felt he should be here because this place needed him. Perhaps it was intuition—Flower Snow Moon's phone call saved some lives, prompting Jufeng to see this through.
In front of a bar, Jufeng leaned against a lamppost and asked Wenming, who stood nearby with his hands in his pockets.
"Do you believe in fate?"
"Fate?" Wenming looked at the white mist escaping from his mouth and chuckled softly. "I both believe and do not believe."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because... I only believe my fate is good; I do not believe fate is bad. That's all."
Upon hearing this answer, Jufeng rarely smiled. He lowered his head and then raised it again after a moment before saying,
"I think so too."
Jufeng and his companion burst into laughter simultaneously, then linked arms and swaggered toward the bar across the street, exuding a sense of mischief.
As they reached the entrance of the bar, two burly men blocked their path.
"Do you even know the rules? Who comes to a bar this early? Get lost, we're closed for the day. Come back later if you want to try again."
One of the men shoved them aside, causing Jufeng and his companion to break their affectionate embrace. Angered by the man's aggression, Jufeng rolled up his sleeves, ready to retaliate. But before he could fully react, the man who had pushed him suddenly collapsed, losing consciousness.
The other man was bewildered, but he clearly saw what happened next. Jufeng had drawn the man's attention while his companion launched a swift surprise attack. The man only caught a glimpse of the strike but had no idea how it was executed or what weapon was used.
Just as he prepared to call for help and counterattack, Jufeng struck again, a muffled sound echoing as he pressed a weapon against the man's chest, causing blood to splatter.
"My aim isn't off; I just need to be closer," he remarked, revealing that the gun was a trophy taken from the assassins the previous night.
The bar was located in a remote area and it was early morning with no one around, so Jufeng and his companion completed their actions without drawing any attention.
His companion waved at Tong Bailong, who came running with an armful of unknown containers. Jufeng and his friend took the bottles and jars from Tong Bailong, stashing them away in their waists or pockets until they were fully equipped.
"Tong Bailong, keep watch at the entrance. Don't let them call for help, and stay safe," Jufeng instructed him before exchanging a knowing glance with his companion. Then they dashed into the bar.
The bar belonged to Hua Gang, and there were still two or three members inside putting up a fight. After Prairie Wolf attacked Yang City, they advanced along Northeast Road with their army to seize control of two other provinces while leaving just over a hundred men to hold Yang City.
Last night, Yang City lost its king, but Situ Yu survived. This was news that Xue had received; however, he did not know where Situ Yu was hiding. Thus, Jufeng planned to return a favor by relying on luck—this was what fate meant. In reality, Situ Yu was indeed there; after receiving a warning from Flower Snow Moon last night, he quickly relocated Flower Snow Moon's forces but failed to escape himself, ultimately retreating to this very spot.
Jufeng and his companion stormed into the bar and soon confronted the remaining members of Prairie Wolf who were attacking inside. Facing dozens of opponents, their chances of winning seemed slim.
However, Jufeng and his companion chose not to engage in a direct confrontation but instead executed a few simple maneuvers: seeking cover, firing their weapons (without silencers), and throwing objects.
Jufeng and Civilization threw the bottles and jars from their waists and pockets into the center of the hall, and a thick cloud of smoke immediately rose up, filling the entire space.
The bar had two floors, a structure that Jufeng and Civilization noticed as soon as they entered. Prairie Wolf intended to play a strategy of encirclement without direct confrontation, but it was clear that Hua Gang's people were all on the second floor.
As the smoke billowed, Jufeng and Civilization suddenly found themselves wearing glasses and masks. Their agility far surpassed that of ordinary people; Jufeng executed a five-meter evasive maneuver, using the cover of smoke to swiftly ascend to the second floor.
Upon entering the second floor, a flash of a blade came at him. Jufeng remained calm, tilting his head to evade the attack. He pressed his left hand against the assailant's chest, using his body weight to pin the attacker down tightly.
"I am a friend of Hua Gang."
...
"I heard gunfire from downstairs but didn't expect it would be you who came."
"I was surprised too; I didn't think I would run into you here. However, it's quite unfortunate to see how far you've fallen from your former glory."
Jufeng stated his purpose for coming and was led into an inner room by one of the subordinates. He was naturally taken aback to see Situ Yu in his current state, but seeing him covered in mud and blood made Romain feel a pang of sadness. The handsome features he once had were barely discernible now. As for his clothes, one could imagine that even the poorest beggar in Huaguo would feel pity at such a sight.
"Ha ha, sorry for the embarrassment. After those Brats showed up outside, I ran all the way here and lost contact with the outside world. Most of my brothers are dead now; if you had come any later, I would have considered surrendering."
"You were too careless. But why did you involve me? I have no face left to show in Washing City among my Brothers."
At this point, Jufeng believed that his troubles stemmed from his association with Hua Gang. He had speculated about issues concerning his father but had never been certain. Situ Yu, unaware of the specifics, could only snort in response: "You were the one who insisted on getting close to us back then."
The conversation reached an awkward pause. After a moment of silence, Situ Yu said, "I'm curious how you made it up here. There hasn't been any movement downstairs for so long; you didn't take care of everything for us, did you?"
Hearing this, Jufeng suddenly remembered that he had left Civilization downstairs but wasn't particularly worried.
"I'm still quite wealthy in Washing City; I prepared plenty of smoke bombs. As for downstairs, a skilled Gunner shooting at a bunch of live targets should have wrapped things up."
Sure enough, when Jufeng helped Situ Yu down to the first floor, they found only Civilization standing amidst the thin haze.
Not wanting to linger in the bar any longer, they stepped outside and discovered Tong Bailong had also dealt with two subordinates who had tried to escape and report back. Not far from there was Prairie Wolf's temporary hideout, and their group quickly began to move out. However, as they passed by, Situ Yu couldn't help but scrutinize Civilization and Tong Bailong with keen interest.
After some discussion, Jufeng never intended to stay long in Yang City. They decided to head to the capital and meet with Flower Snow Moon. As for Situ Yu's previously arranged hidden forces, they would leave that to Flower Snow Moon to handle later.
On the flight to the capital, Situ Yu and Jufeng had the following conversation.
"I’m actually quite curious why you came to save me. It can't just be to repay me for helping you back then; I don’t believe you’re that kind-hearted."
Jufeng pondered for a long time before slowly replying, "At the end of September last year, I was in the capital, and Snow Moon asked me to take care of her brother."
It seemed that this touched on his own concerns, as Situ Yu fell silent for a long while before suddenly letting out a laugh. "Ha, she still thinks of me as a child."
(To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count