“Give me a minute. I’m going to give Bayonet a call,” Nie Yan said to Xie Yao.

Xie Yao stood off to the side with a nervous expression as Nie Yan rang up Bayonet.

「So, where is Cao Xu hiding?」

「We still have no intel on his location, but word down the grapevine is that he’s recruiting world-class contract killers, likely to deal with you,」Bayonet said. Calling Cao Xu covert was an understatement. Just finding this little bit of information had been incredibly difficult.

「Is there any way we can find him?」Nie Yan asked. This was a dangerous sign. The only reason Cao Xu would be recruiting contract killers at a time like this was to deal with him and his family.

「No, not for now at least. However, I have an old friend making contact with Cao Xu’s recruitment agents. If everything goes smoothly, we might be able to pinpoint his location. However, we should be careful. The man has gone mad. He’s offering up ¥10 billion in total. ¥5 billion for your head; ¥1 billion for your parents and Xie Yao; and ¥20 million each for the other members of the Xie Family and Liu Family. This sum is unprecedented, even in the underworld. If a few certain people are tempted, even I can’t guarantee your safety,」Bayonet said. The world of contract killers and mercenaries was filled with hidden experts. Cao Xu offered what basically amounted to the highest paying assassination contract in the history of the profession.

「Is there really nothing we can do? We can’t just sit here and wait for death,」Nie Yan said. Cao Xu was ruthless. He’d forced them on a road to death.

「Sorry. I’m drawing up a blank too.」Bayonet bitterly smiled.

「Help me release this information. I’ll reward ¥5 billion and a 5% share in the Century Financial Group to anyone who kills Cao Xu!」Nie Yan gritted his teeth, then cursed under his breath, “Let’s see who’s more ruthless, you son of a bitch! I dare you to put up that remaining ¥20 billion as well!”

「Not a bad idea. That’ll help alleviate a lot of pressure on us,」Bayonet said. Like this, the hitmen wouldn’t just be after Nie Yan but Cao Xu as well. Those who took the contract to kill Nie Yan also couldn’t move easily. If they were discovered, it would pretty much be the end of the road for them; the other assassins wouldn’t let their contractor get killed before they received their money.

「I’m planning to go back to school,」Nie Yan said in a heavy tone.

「You’re going back to school? With Xie Yao? That’s too dangerous. You’ll be targeted before you even get on the academy grounds,」Bayonet dissuaded.

「No, not with Xie Yao. Just me alone. This is called pulling a snake out of its hole,」Nie Yan said. If he holed himself up somewhere, those killers would shift their target to others, including his parents, friends, and other members of the Xie Family and Liu Family. With so many people, there was no way to protect them all. Sooner or later, someone was bound to get killed. However, as long as he showed himself in public, all attention would be focused on him. This was the only way. He didn’t want to endanger those he cared about.

Bayonet went silent. He understood Nie Yan’s plan. He was cold-blooded on the job, but that didn’t mean he was completely unfeeling. After being with Nie Yan for so long, apart from their employer-employee relationship, the two also formed a deep bond. He didn’t want to see Nie Yan place himself at risk. However, since Nie Yan had already decided, he could only try his best to protect him.

「Don’t worry. I have full faith in you guys. Let them come. The bigger Cao Xu’s movements get, the more likely he’ll expose himself,」Nie Yan said.

“I don’t agree to this!” Xie Yao suddenly interjected.

“Please, Xie Yao. Stay here and let me go. I have my reasons.” Nie Yan carressed Xie Yao’s face. It wasn’t that he wanted to put himself in danger, but rather he was compelled to. In his past life, he’d failed all those who were close to him. In order to ensure their safety, Xie Yao’s safety, this was something he had to do. Only when Cao Xu was dead would he feel at ease.

“No! You can’t go! I won’t let you! If you’re going, I’m coming with you!” Xie Yao was on the verge of breaking out in tears. She knew Nie Yan better than anyone. Once he made up his mind, it was impossible to change it. Even so, she still tried to stop him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I still have Bayonet and Shadow Killer protecting me, right? But if you come, they will have to protect both of us and I will be fraught with worry. It’d only be more dangerous,” Nie Yan replied.

Bayonet finally broke his silence.「Miss Xie, please, don’t worry. Even if something happens to me, I won’t let anything happen to Nie Yan.」

Bayonet’s words didn’t reassure Xie Yao at all. However, she knew she couldn’t stop Nie Yan. She hated the path he was taking, the fact that he chose to carry all the burdens by himself. And she hated it even more that there was nothing she could do about it.

“Give me five days. I promise I’ll take care of Cao Xu and come back to you!” Nie Yan said.

Nie Yan had Xie Yao retreat to an absolutely secure place and had people from the Xie Family protect her. Only then did he feel comfortable enough to go to school.

「Are you sure you want to go through with this? It’s not too late to go back,」Bayonet said.

「If you were in my shoes and the lives of your friends and family were in danger, wouldn’t you do the same?」Nie Yan faintly smiled. Human nature was weird like that. Sometimes, for the sake of their loved ones, people were willing to brave any danger or even offer up their own life.

Bayonet helplessly smiled.「Fine, I can’t win against you. Shadow Killer and I will do our best to protect you.」

「They likely won’t dare to make a move in the Top Military Academy. I’ll reveal myself on school grounds, then leave the campus out in the open. That’ll make it easier for them to take action,」Nie Yan said. He didn’t know how many hitmen Cao Xu sent after him, and whether it’d be possible to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

「If that’s your plan, Shadow Killer and I won’t be enough. I’ll call over Wang Duo and the others as well,」Bayonet said. Apart from Wang Duo and the others, he still had a few people under him. All of them were top experts they previously recruited. Afraid a battle would unfold, he had all of them come.

...

A small, unnamed bar in a corner of Huahai, a middle-aged man in a black windbreaker was downing a beer. His hair was messy, and his face haggard. Even if someone who was familiar with him walked over, they would have no idea the person right here was once the world-shaking boss of the Century Financial Group, Cao Xu!

Cao Xu gazed down at the new message he received on his burner phone. World Bloc had also thrown caution to the wind, offering up ¥5 billion and a 5% share of the Century Financial Group. He coldly snorted before gritting his teeth.

Cao Xu’s hatred for Nie Yan was bone deep. Nie Yan had foiled his plans time and time again before finally forcing him to this cliff edge. He wanted nothing more than to tear out Nie Yan’s bones and flesh. Only then would the hatred in his heart be sated. His former subordinates left him one after another as he found himself utterly deserted, and the perpetrator behind all this was Nie Yan!

After selling off his shares, Cao Xu had nothing left to lose. He’d instantly started recruiting contract-killers from all over. His target was Nie Yan! If he couldn’t kill Nie Yan, killing his loved ones and making him live with the guilt for the rest of his life was the next best thing!

Cao Xu checked his phone. A new message appeared. His lips curved into a cruel smile. He didn’t expect Nie Yan to show himself. Since Nie Yan had a death wish, he would gladly oblige. He relayed an order through his phone.「Eliminate him!」

...

News of Nie Yan’s return to school shook the entire Top Military Academy. Practically everyone recognized him. Over the past few weeks, there were two shocking pieces of news. One was that Asskickers United had defeated Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group and united the Righteous Faction. The other was that the Dragonsoar Financial Group, Glory Financial Group, and World Bloc succeeded in a forceful takeover of the Century Financial Group. The orchestrator of both these events was Nie Yan!

Nie Yan walked along the campus pathway. The students in the vicinity all pointed and stared. From a nobody to the most famous person in school, he’d stolen the spotlight away from everyone else.

“Look, that’s Nie Yan! He’s Nirvana Flame in Conviction and the heir to World Bloc! I bet his net worth is at least ¥80 billion!”

“It’s probably more. If it isn’t, it will be very soon. With World Bloc swallowing up the Century Financial Group, they’re bound to rapidly expand in strength. Who knows how big they’ll get?”

“If you could hook a husband like that, you can live your life in riches.”

“Don’t even think about it. His fiancée is the young miss of the Dragonsoar Financial Group and Glory Financial Group. Her family is also worth a few billion. She’s really beautiful to boot. Everyone calls her the goddess of the governing faculty. Do you think you can compete?”

Hearing the discussion around him, Nie Yan couldn’t help but smile. He continued walking forward calmly as usual. He knew there were many experts eyeing him from the shadows. They likely wouldn’t take action on school grounds, but he couldn’t say for sure. So, he had to stay vigilant.

Nie Yan carried a pocket watch in his chest pocket. It was an extremely advanced piece of technology, capable of detecting an approaching bullet and generating an electromagnetic field that would cause its trajectory to diverge. This little toy would help him guard against ambushes to a certain degree. It was something Bayonet had gotten him. Apparently, it was the latest military technology. Only a few top brass in the country could get their hands on it. It wouldn’t be for sale in the market anytime soon.

Bayonet and Shadow Killer were following Nie Yan from the shadows. With their well-trained vision, they could easily tell killers from ordinary civilians. If Nie Yan was being followed, they would find out.

After receiving Bayonet’s message, Wang Duo and the others came rushing over to the Top Military Academy. Mo Yuntian was also aware of the situation and dispatched some people of his own. Even though they weren’t on the same level as Shadow Killer and Bayonet, they were still elite special forces, far stronger than an ordinary hitman. Right now, they were holding back, waiting for Cao Xu’s people to take action.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Nie Yan’s phone buzzed. Bayonet had sent a message. All the targets had been identified. They were going to take action.

Putting away his phone, Nie Yan started making a full circle around the campus forest. Finally, he reached the school entrance.