The mansion was eerily quiet after the battle. Most of the security had been reassigned. Yanyu had insisted on giving the staff the day off—only she, Li Tian, and a few elite guards remained.
Li Tian sat in his room, shirtless, inspecting the stitched wound along his ribs. The gash wasn't deep, but it burned. What bothered him more wasn't the injury—it was how sloppilyhe had allowed that assassin's blade to get so close.
Ding![Battle Report Available] • Host has successfully fended off a Tier-C Assassination Squad • Performance Rating: S- • System Notes: Emotional Distraction Detected. Mental State: Unstable.
Li Tian scoffed.
"Emotional distraction?" Was it the moment he looked into Yanyu's eyes after saving her? The slight tremble in her hand as she clung to him? Or maybe… the warmth in her voice when she whispered, "You never stop surprising me."
He clenched his fist.
No distractions. Not now. Not until this game was over.
Ding! New Skill Unlocked![Bloodline Radar] – Active Track threats related to your bloodline. Family is no longer safe.
His eyes narrowed.
"Family?"
He tapped to expand the details.
[Bloodline Radar] Alert:Threat Detected: Wu Gang — plotting assassination within 48 hours.
Meanwhile, in the Wu ResidenceWu Gang stood in front of a long table, a glass of aged wine in hand. Behind him, five figures knelt in silence, heads bowed.
"These assassins failed," he muttered. "Because they underestimated the trash."
He turned toward the head of the group—a pale man with sharp eyes and a deep scar across his neck.
"Your name?"
"Qian Bei," the man said flatly. "Former Division Captain. Jinlong's shadow arm."
"Good. Then you understand what failure means."
"Yes. That's why I won't."
Wu Gang smiled, pleased.
"Good. Kill him. Take his wife. Deliver her to me. I want Li Tian to watch as everything he has crumbles."
Qian Bei stood and bowed.
"As you command."
Back at the Li Mansion – MidnightThe windows were open. A cool breeze swept in. Yanyu was in her study, sipping tea. Her long hair was down, flowing over her robe. But she wasn't relaxed—her fingers trembled over a series of printed photos spread across her desk.
Photos… of Li Tian. Taken years ago.
One showed him in a uniform. Another—bloodied, holding a blade to someone's throat in a foreign city. Her hands hovered above the last photo.
It was him, standing over a pile of bodies. Eyes cold. Surrounded by a foreign special ops unit.
She swallowed hard.
He wasn't just some retired soldier. He was something else.
"You should lock your windows. This city isn't safe."
She gasped, turning to find Li Tian leaning against the frame of the door.
"You're the one who makes it unsafe," she whispered.
He walked forward, glanced at the photos, and sighed.
"Fox dug those up?"
She didn't answer. Her eyes searched his.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because the truth is heavy," he said. "And you're still healing from lies."
Yanyu stared at him for a long second. Then she said quietly, "I don't know who you are anymore."
"Good," he said. "Because neither do they."
He walked over, picked up the photo of himself surrounded by corpses, and tore it in half.
"I was a weapon. I was trained to be used and discarded. But someone gave me a reason to disobey."
Yanyu blinked. "Who?"
Li Tian met her gaze. His voice dropped.
"You."
System Alert – Private InterfaceEmotional Connection: Yanyu +30Trust Level: Moderate → HighBond Activated: "Heartstring Link" → Unlocks Hidden BonusBonus Skill Unlocked: [Guardian's Resolve]• When protecting the bonded target, combat stats increase by 300% • New Passive: If target dies, host suffers emotional backlash and loses control temporarily
System Warning: This bond may hinder logical combat decisions. Do you wish to suppress it? [YES] [NO]
Li Tian stared at the prompt.
Then selected: NO.
Later That NightFox's voice buzzed through his earpiece.
"Boss, bad news. Qian Bei just arrived in the city. This guy doesn't miss. And Wu Gang is getting bold—he's moving his forces into your district."
"Good," Li Tian said, loading a pistol.
"Wait—you're going out?"
"No," he said. "I'm inviting them in."
He opened his phone and sent a message:
▸ To: Wu Gang ▸ Message: "You sent sheep. Now send your wolves. I'm hungry."
He turned off the lights, walked back into the dark, and waited.
Tonight, the real game began.