White Tiger took two steps closer. “Your evaluation counts as a pass.”
He looked at Chen Guan and said, “I’ll speak to Beidou.”
“Mm,” Chen Guan replied.
Yunlan City wasn’t exactly a major metropolis. In his opinion, either Santai or White Tiger could come and go as they pleased.
The only reason they had insisted on bringing him along was either to give him some practice or to make him prove his allegiance.
“Aren’t you curious about our real objective?” White Tiger asked.
“If you want to tell me, you will.” Chen Guan looked completely unconcerned. In any case, tomorrow’s news would report everything. It would be obvious who had died.
Seeing how impossible he was to provoke, White Tiger smiled instead.
“Fine. I like people who keep things simple.”
He paused. “Director Gao Yan should be frantically investigating by now.”
“He’ll discover that the attackers came from a notorious terrorist organization. Then, while he’s chasing you all over the city…”
“The mayor of Yunlan City will be found dead in his home study.”
“He was a hardliner.” White Tiger quickly began to explain. “And a very capable one. He was about to be promoted to the provincial level and enter the decision-making circle.”
“Once he moved up, a lot of things would become troublesome.”
“So he had to die.”
“This wasn’t just about killing one man. It was a warning.”
“A warning to the people behind him: keep yourselves in line.”
“The world can’t take any more upheaval, Chen Guan.”
White Tiger’s gaze drifted toward the false prosperity outside the alley, his eyes gleaming.
“If a large-scale war breaks out, it will only accelerate the collapse. All we’re doing is cutting down, ahead of time, the dead trees in the forest that are most likely to catch fire—and would burn the fiercest.”
“Removing every unstable element. That’s our job.”
“I understand,” Chen Guan replied calmly. He had expected as much.
“Good.” White Tiger put his ridiculous smiling mask back on. “You’re a smart man.”
“Go back. Focus on your studies. I’ll take care of the cleanup.”
“I’ll call you when there’s another job.”
With that, he turned around. His figure quickly vanished into the darkness at the mouth of the alley. Santai waved at Chen Guan before disappearing as well.
Once again, only Chen Guan and his leopard remained in the alley.
“Awwoo?”
Baobao stuck out its tongue and licked Chen Guan’s suspended fingers, as if asking why he had stopped feeding it.
Chen Guan came back to himself and lowered his head. He looked into those clear golden eyes, which reflected nothing but him.
He pushed all the dried meat remaining in his hand toward the little creature’s mouth.
“Eat. Once you’re full, it’ll be time to go.”
…
In the outskirts, at a mountain villa.
At the center of the room stood an old-fashioned chessboard, its black and white pieces locked in battle.
A black piece was pinched between the fingers of a small black figure, hovering above the board without being placed.
That black figure was Beidou.
“Was Black Tortoise a little too softhearted during this operation in Yunlan City?”
Beidou’s steady voice held a trace of inquiry.
Sitting opposite him was a woman. She lowered her head to study the game. She was Zero Sum, the true leader of the Guiyuan Group.
Zero Sum extended her slender fingers, picked up a white piece from the box, and gently placed it in what appeared to be an insignificant corner of the board.
Click.
The piece landed with a crisp sound.
“Isn’t he always like that?”
Zero Sum’s voice sounded at the same time, her eyes quietly fixed on Beidou.
The black piece hovering in midair came to a stop.
After a moment, he finally placed it elsewhere on the board.
Yes. That person—his teacher, who had long since died within his memories—had always been the same.
“Everyone needs time to grow.”
Zero Sum looked at the white piece she had just placed, her tone impossible to read.
“Even he is no exception.”
Beidou did not continue the subject. He knew that Zero Sum had already made her decision.
Instead, he asked about something else.
“When will the training programs for Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon be finalized?”
Zero Sum’s gaze moved away from the chessboard. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Vermilion Bird will need at least another year at the earliest.”
“As for Azure Dragon, it will take longer.”
“During this period, you may need to show your face in the outside world a few more times and keep things stable.”
Beidou nodded slightly in agreement.
“How are the children doing lately?” Zero Sum asked again, her fingers gently stroking a smooth white piece.
Beidou rapidly reviewed the information in his mind.
“White Tiger has already made contact with Long Ao. His initial evaluation is satisfactory, but he still needs polishing. His temperament isn’t mature enough.”
“As for Liu Feiyu, Southern Dipper has offered some support, but he’s not capable of making waves for now.”
“Santai has been following up on several potential candidates recently. Their temperaments are uncertain, so they require further observation.”
Zero Sum listened in silence without interrupting.
Only after Beidou had finished did she let out a soft sigh and place the white piece back in its box.
“After all this calculation, White Tiger is still the only one truly capable of standing on his own.”
Beidou had no objection.
White Tiger was the one who caused them the least concern. He had joined them purely through his terrifying talent and had also been the first to undergo their training.
The other children—including Southern Dipper and Santai—still had a long way to go.
“There’s no need to rush.”
As she spoke, Zero Sum picked up another white piece. This time, she placed it with decisive precision.
The piece landed, cutting off one of the black side’s long formations.
In an instant, the balance of the entire board was reversed.
For a while, the only sound in the room was the crisp echo of the chess piece striking the board.
Beidou stared at the black dragon that had been severed. The formation that had once advanced with overwhelming momentum had been cut in half by a single white piece, its vitality completely extinguished.
Zero Sum’s fingers were long and slender, their tips still resting on the white piece she had just placed.
He considered what move he could make next to recover at least some of his lost ground.
The room fell silent for a long time.
In the end, Beidou still asked the question that concerned him most.
“When are you planning to meet Chen Guan?”
Zero Sum’s fingers stopped as she reached for another white piece.
Several seconds passed before she gently shook her head.
“Now is not the time.”
“But I have a feeling it won’t be long.”
Then, instead of answering further, she turned the question back on him. Her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Beidou.
“Do you think he’ll continue down the path we’ve envisioned for him?”
The black piece in Beidou’s hand remained suspended in midair.
That question was more difficult for him to answer than any killing move on the chessboard.
He thought of Chen Guan in Yunlan City—the seemingly clumsy yet astonishingly precise plan that had kept every civilian out of harm’s way.
He thought of Black Tortoise, who could have ended the battle with a single decisive strike, yet had chosen to buy time in the most awkward way possible.
That gentleness buried deep in his nature—or perhaps that unnecessary insistence—was so similar to the person in the depths of his memories.
After a long while, Beidou slowly placed the hovering black piece back in its box.
He had given up on this game.
“I don’t know.”
He shook his head slightly. A bitterness he himself had not noticed crept into his voice.
“How could I possibly predict… what Teacher would think?”
Yes. Teacher.
Even if the person standing before him was merely an echo of Teacher—a fragment left behind.
Even though he now had entirely new memories, an entirely new personality, and an entirely new name,
the mark etched deep within Beidou’s soul had never changed.
“He’s no longer the person he once was.” Beidou added, “He has his own thoughts and his own choices.”
“Is that so?”
Zero Sum’s expression revealed nothing as she quietly studied the Go board.
“That only makes it more interesting, doesn’t it?”
As she spoke, she gently placed the white stone in her hand on the board’s center point.
Click.
With a soft sound, a stone was placed on the center point.
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
