"Leader Lin, shall we continue the competition?" Su Hua said.
Lin Xuan took a deep breath.
"Alright, let's proceed."
He frowned slightly, glancing at Su Hua.
This "Midnight Rose" kept giving him the strange feeling that she resembled his beloved Hua Bao. Even her tone of voice bore a faint similarity.
But Midnight Rose wore a half-mask, and the lower half of her exposed face didn’t match Hua Bao’s. Her voice, too, was entirely different…
It must just be his imagination. There was no way she could be Hua Bao.
Right now, he wasn’t Lin Xuan—he was wearing another face.
Hua Bao would never flirt with any man other than him.
The resemblance was just an illusion.
Lin Xuan averted his gaze and focused on the competition.
A member of the Midnight Rose placed an orange on top of his head.
He stood fifty meters away from Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan noted the man’s height and the position of the orange before putting on a blindfold.
The entire crowd fell silent, motionless.
Only the sound of footsteps from the man carrying the orange reached Lin Xuan’s ears. He held his breath, listening intently.
Bang!
The bullet shot from the barrel, cutting through the air before striking the orange dead center.
Clap, clap, clap—
Su Hua applauded.
She walked up to Lin Xuan. "Leader Lin’s marksmanship is truly impressive."
Lin Xuan removed the blindfold. "You flatter me."
As Su Hua approached, Lin Xuan took a few steps back, maintaining a deliberate distance.
Su Hua’s lips curled slightly.
Ah Xuan is so well-behaved, keeping his distance from other women.
"It seems Leader Lin is truly devoted to your lover. I would have thought a man of your status would have many admirers."
Su Hua raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what kind of spell your lover cast to keep your heart so firmly in her grasp."
"She didn’t cast any spell. I love her, that’s all."
At the mention of Su Hua, the coldness in Lin Xuan’s eyes softened slightly. He continued, "She is the most extraordinary woman in the world. No one else can compare."
"If you love someone, you give them your whole heart."
Lin Xuan spoke with absolute sincerity. "So, Leader of the Midnight Rose, I will never entertain any ambiguity with another woman."
Hearing his words, Su Hua couldn’t suppress the smile that tugged at her crimson lips.
"Leader Lin, let’s continue," she said.
Whispers broke out among the Midnight Rose members.
"What’s going on? Our usually icy leader is looking at the Golden Dragon Gang’s leader with such warmth?"
"Yeah, it’s like her gaze is practically melting when she looks at him!"
"Oh no, is our leader really falling for the Golden Dragon Gang’s leader?"
"Judging by her behavior today, it’s entirely possible. But this is doomed—Leader Lin is so devoted to his girlfriend. Our leader’s feelings will go unrequited."
"Ah, if only they could be together."
Previously, the Midnight Rose members had held a grudge against the Golden Dragon Gang—and its leader—for taking something from them.
But they respected strength.
Now, witnessing Lin Xuan’s prowess in martial arts and marksmanship, their hostility had faded.
The competition resumed.
Six men of similar height stood sixty meters away, each balancing an orange on their heads as they moved unpredictably.
Lin Xuan’s task: blindfolded, he had to shoot every orange.
This challenge was far more difficult than the last.
"Do you think the Golden Dragon Gang’s leader can pull this off?"
"I think so. His shooting skills are insane."
"I’m not so sure. Maybe he got lucky last time. This might be beyond even him."
Lin Xuan steadied his breathing.
The footsteps were chaotic.
He had to pinpoint their positions purely by sound.
Ten seconds passed.
Then fifteen.
Lin Xuan remained motionless.
Two of his subordinates exchanged worried glances.
"Could the boss actually fail this time?"
"It’s been so long, and he hasn’t fired. Maybe he can’t track them…"
This was nearly impossible.
Even without a blindfold, hitting moving targets at this distance would be a miracle.
Wang Ba, however, remained relaxed. "Just watch. The boss won’t fail."
Their leader never took on a challenge he couldn’t win.
And Wang Ba had absolute faith in his abilities.
Another ten seconds ticked by.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Six shots rang out in rapid succession.
Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, every single bullet struck its mark.
The Midnight Rose members erupted.
"This is unreal! He didn’t even hesitate—just fired six perfect shots in a row! What kind of marksmanship is this?"
"Good heavens! The rumors about the Golden Dragon Gang’s leader being on par with our leader weren’t exaggerated at all!"
Their jaws practically hit the floor.
Meanwhile, the Golden Dragon Gang members felt like they’d been slapped in the face.
Damn it!
They should’ve known better than to doubt their leader. Every time they did, they ended up humiliated.
And this time, the sting was especially sharp.
Jiang Qing stood frozen.
Where did Young Master Lin find someone this skilled to impersonate him?
This level of ability is terrifying.
Su Hua’s lips curved faintly.
My Ah Xuan is amazing.
"Leader of the Midnight Rose, your turn," Lin Xuan said impassively.
"Mm." Su Hua nodded.
She, too, put on a blindfold.
The first round, she hit the orange effortlessly.
For the second, six men moved unpredictably again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five shots found their targets.
The Midnight Rose members knew their leader’s skill well.
Hitting these oranges was well within her capabilities—though perhaps not as swiftly as Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan’s brow furrowed.
This Midnight Rose was formidable. Defeating her wouldn’t be easy.
Then came the sixth shot.
Su Hua smiled to herself.
If she wanted to avoid conflict with the Golden Dragon Gang, she had to let Ah Xuan win.
She pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet flew—but instead of striking the orange, it grazed past it.
"Our leader missed?!"
"How is that possible? She’s never made a mistake before!"
"This is bizarre. Completely bizarre."
Yan Xi reminds you: Due to excessive server load from Tomato’s daily requests exceeding three million, we recommend switching to alternative sources provided by other platforms.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
