"Fine, I'll kowtow. Great Grandfather Ren, please spare me. This is also our organization's regulation, I can't do anything about it!"
Flag Commander Li first kowtowed three times with a face full of fear, then tried to wash his hands of the matter.
"Regulation? What regulation allows you to slaughter innocents? What regulation allows you to be so insane? What kind of damned organization! Keep kowtowing!"
Ren Yuanhao's body burned, fine sweat vaporized, his blood-red eyes flashed wildly in the dim light, as if he had gone mad!
"Yes, yes, I'm kowtowing. Spare my life, Grandpa."
Flag Commander Li kowtowed another three times, his forehead already broken and bleeding.
"Let you off? When you held the knife to Cheng Li's neck back then, did you ever think of letting her off?"
"Great Grandfather Ren, you're interested in her beauty, aren't you? I know many girls with great figures and high颜值. Which one isn't better than her? As long as you let me go, I promise to find you better ones!"
Flag Commander Li had completely lost his composure and started talking nonsense.
"Beauty?"
Ren Yuanhao's voice grew deeper, like the muffled panting of a beast harvesting its prey, his face carrying a sorrow of loss.
Cheng Li was his childhood friend, a silhouette deep in his memory, a brilliant light from his childhood.
But that light was extinguished.
At this moment, Flag Commander Li, driven to extreme fear, disregarded everything. He seized Ren Yuanhao's brief moment of distraction and unleashed his assassin's nature to the fullest!
A dagger, gleaming with cold light, coiled out like a silver snake, lunging straight for Ren Yuanhao's waist!
"Die!"
When people are plunged into fear, they can also unleash extraordinary strength. Flag Commander Li's strike was as fast as lightning. If it had been an ordinary person, they would have already died.
But Ren Yuanhao's attributes were soaring. Such tricks were no match. The dagger, stabbing out like a snake's tongue, hadn't even cut into Ren Yuanhao's abdomen when he heavily raised a palm and slapped it out diagonally!
This palm strike, though seemingly ordinary, contained astonishing power. Flag Commander Li felt the bones in his wrist shatter, and the tearing pain instantly made him cry out!
"Ah~!"
"To this extent, you still dare to play tricks. Fine, people like you never admit their mistakes."
Ren Yuanhao's voice grew even more muffled, devoid of any emotion. In an instant, he placed the dagger Cheng Li had given him into her limp hand, gripped it, and with a single sweep, the cold light flashed, drawing a bloody red line across Flag Commander Li's throat.
Blood spurted wildly!
Flag Commander Li's corpse trembled on the stone bed, but even such revenge could not erase the pain in his heart.
He embraced Cheng Li's corpse and slowly walked out of the cave.
At that time, twilight deepened, and the karst landscape appeared ghostly and strange in the dim light. Ren Yuanhao had no idea how he drove the car with Cheng Li's corpse back to the Taekwondo gym that night, nor how the night passed.
He was dazed, sometimes running a high fever, sometimes calling out the name of his childhood friend Cheng Li. His eyes were hazy, and he only felt several graceful figures moving. Beneath his body was a soft bed, or perhaps a coffin; he didn't know, and didn't want to know.
This state continued until noon the next day, when the system's loli voice finally pulled him back from the brink of hell to the mortal world.
"I am very sorry about your friend."
Ren Yuanhao did not reply but stared blankly at the relief on the ceiling.
The graceful figures of the Three Fates seemed to have turned into a silent film. They pulled the threads symbolizing destiny, holding scissors. When facing a crossroads in life, they would unhesitatingly cut some of those threads, causing some people to disappear from life forever.
Just like Cheng Li...
"Your body data is being rebuilt and will take some time. The system suggests you find a place to recuperate for a few days."
"Thank you."
Ren Yuanhao finally managed to utter a word of thanks.
Just then, Shen Lanni, Yang Lingxue, and Ye Lan entered the room one after another. Seeing Ren Yuanhao staring intently at the ceiling, silent, they also remained silent.
This state lasted for more than ten minutes, and finally, Ren Yuanhao began to speak.
"I want some quiet."
"Yuanhao, didn't you want to go back to your hometown? We can all accompany you."
Ye Lan was the one who knew the cause and effect of this matter best. As for the outcome, it had been too devastating for Ren Yuanhao.
After all, psychological trauma was far more profound and painful than physical injuries. This kind of wound could not be healed by simply applying some medicine and resting. Most importantly, the knot in his heart had to be untangled.
For her, going back to their hometown was a journey to untangle that knot.
Ren Yuanhao's mind recalled Flag Commander Li's words, the assassination network spread across the world, and Zhang Liang. A wave of emotions washed over him, and the entire bed felt like a giant vortex, constantly pulling him down.
"Okay, but I can't take you with me. Especially you, Ye Lan, I need to ask you for a favor. This matter is related to our lives."
Ren Yuanhao was now worried about the organization behind Flag Commander Li. If they found out and came looking, he would be hard-pressed to stop them alone.
"You want me to hack into that assassination message and your network of contacts in the backend, right?"
Ye Lan was very intelligent, and she immediately understood Ren Yuanhao's intention.
"Exactly. This is to ensure everyone's safety."
"Alright, no problem."
"I will do my best to protect her safety."
Shen Lanni extended a hand, and Ye Lan placed hers on it. Yang Lingxue also placed her hand on it, her usual mischievous expression gone, and said solemnly, "I can provide the server."
The three women looked at Ren Yuanhao simultaneously.
He also placed his hand on top. Little did he know, this action would usher in a new era in the future!
"When do you plan to leave?" Shen Lanni asked.
"I have to take Cheng Li's ashes back. Of course, the sooner the better, no more delays."
The three women exchanged glances, and finally, Ye Lan turned and went out. After a while, she came back with a backpack.
"We've already handled it on our own. This is her urn containing her ashes."