Fang Yuanyuan temporarily left Cao Mang's office.
As soon as she walked out, Cao Mang flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the desk and knocking over the pen holder. Black ballpoint pens scattered across the floor.
"What on earth is Fang Yuanyuan trying to do?!"
"Brother Cao, calm down."
Hearing this, Cao Mang's anger intensified: "Calm down? How can I calm down when she's clearly making things difficult for us!"
"No, Brother Cao," Lin Yu waved his hand gently. "I don't think that's necessarily the case."
"Hm?"
Cao Mang blinked in confusion: "Why do you say that?"
Lin Yu smiled smugly, counting on his fingers as he spoke: "Brother Cao, apart from me, only my old comrades Old Dao and Fang Jie are capable of replacing you as a Hawk."
"It doesn't matter who the Chief chooses to replace you. Those two have excellent relationships with me, and with your influence, I'm sure they'll be at your service."
After listening, Cao Mang lowered his head and thought for a moment: "That's not right."
Li Chuan, the team leader under Gu Chenan, also had the ability to take a Hawk position. What if the Chief chose him?
"Heh." Lin Yu suddenly chuckled, shaking his head: "Brother Cao, have you forgotten that Gu Chenan is also leaving the organization? That means there will be two vacant positions."
"If Li Chuan were to take a position, he'd be replacing Gu Chenan, not you."
Lin Yu's eyes narrowed as he continued through gritted teeth: "Besides, Gu Chenan's position was originally meant for me. I won't let anyone else take it away again!"
"Good!"
Cao Mang's face lit up as he patted Lin Yu's shoulder: "If you can take Gu Chenan's position, then we'll have two people as Hawks!"
"The other Hawks all have close relationships with me. We'll practically control the entire organization!"
"Now, I'll show Gu Chenan what true despair feels like!"
Recalling all the things Gu Chenan had done to him in the past, Lin Yu felt that the day of revenge was finally approaching.
He grinned and said: "Of course!"
...
Yanking Airport.
A Boeing aircraft slowly descended.
Ma Bing, dressed in a well-fitted black suit, walked down the steps. His muscles seemed about to burst through the fabric, giving him an imposing yet composed appearance.
Ever since his last battle with Gong Fei where he was injured, he felt that his abilities were far inferior to the Twelve Hawks.
How could he protect Gu Chenan without the power to overwhelm the Hawks?
So, through rigorous training, his abilities had grown rapidly.
Although he still couldn't overpower the Hawks, at least he wouldn't be defeated as miserably as last time when facing any of them.
But who would have thought...
He was supposed to protect Gu Chenan from the Hawks' pursuit, but unexpectedly, Gu Chenan had become one of the Twelve Hawks himself.
Even more absurdly, he himself was about to become a Hawk as well.
"This is... ridiculous."
Ma Bing sighed helplessly.
Just then, a black sedan pulled up. The window rolled down, and Li Chuan poked his head out: "Ma Bing?"
"It's me," Ma Bing nodded.
"Mr. Gu sent me to pick you up. Get in," Li Chuan gestured towards the passenger seat.
Ma Bing nodded and got in. The car made a U-turn and headed towards the Black Owl Building.
Meanwhile.
The building was bustling with activity. Except for Fang Yuanyuan, Gu Chenan, and Hoshino Kannon, all the other Hawks and regular assassins had gathered in Cao Mang's office.
The Hawks stood inside the office, while the regular assassins waited outside.
Though they were in different places, they shared a common purpose: to bid farewell to Cao Mang, the most senior Hawk.
"Old Cao, are you really leaving the organization with Gu Chenan?"
"Old Cao, please reconsider. Your departure would be a great loss for the organization!"
"Brother Cao, are you truly set on leaving?"
The Hawks were reluctant to see Cao Mang go. They had been together for a long time and had good relationships.
Hearing their persuasions, Cao Mang felt a warmth in his heart, along with a sense of pride.
So many Hawks are on my side. With Lin Yu and his old friend taking two Hawk positions, even if I leave the organization, I'll have two loyal followers and a bunch of helpers!
Gu Chenan, you only have Hoshino Kannon. Even if you add Fang Yuanyuan, how can you possibly compete with me?
"Everyone, there's no need to say more. I'm touched that you've all come to see me off."
Cao Mang grinned and continued: "I believe whoever replaces me will be able to contribute to the organization. After I'm gone, please support them as much as you can."
Hearing this, the group exchanged glances.
From Old Cao's words, it seemed he didn't know who would be replacing him either.
Could there be a variable?
"Old Cao, who exactly is replacing you? Isn't it Lin Yu?" someone asked.
Cao Mang shook his head: "It's not Lin Yu, but someone similar to him."
At this point, Lin Yu stepped forward and said: "Don't worry, everyone. Even if I'm not the one replacing Brother Cao, it's fine."
Seeing both Cao Mang and Lin Yu speak this way, the others became even more confused.
Who could this person be, that Cao Mang would say they were similar to Lin Yu, and Lin Yu had no objections?
Cao Mang noticed their puzzled expressions and patted Lin Yu's shoulder: "Lin Yu, explain it to them."
"Alright."
Lin Yu smiled and said: "Currently, apart from me, only my two old comrades have the ability to take a Hawk position. The Chief previously mentioned that the person replacing Brother Cao is someone I know, which clearly indicates it's one of my two old friends. That's why I said it's fine."
At this point, whether to flatter Cao Mang or to show off in front of everyone, he continued: "Everyone, even though Brother Cao is leaving the organization, with me and my old friend here, it's as if Brother Cao never left!"
"We will follow Brother Cao's commands and arrangements!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Mang raised an eyebrow.
Although this was what he had in mind, he hadn't expected Lin Yu to express it so openly.
This display of loyalty was exactly what he wanted to hear.
The others were also taken aback.
Lin Yu's words made it clear that both he and the person replacing Cao Mang were Cao Mang's loyal followers. In other words, although Cao Mang was leaving the organization, he would still indirectly hold a Hawk position!
Immediately, the others chimed in.
"Old Cao, since you've made up your mind, we have nothing more to say. From now on, we'll not only look after Lin Yu but also his friend."
"That's right, Brother Cao, don't worry!"
Cao Mang looked at everyone with a knowing smile, nodding appreciatively: "I, Cao Mang, thank you all!"
The situation was clear.
Everyone was on Cao Mang's side.
The meaning behind their words of "looking after" couldn't be more obvious.
Although both Cao Mang and Gu Chenan were leaving, their assassination orders were still in place.
However, Gu Chenan only had Hoshino Kannon, while Cao Mang had the support of the other Hawks.
It was clear who would truly be hunted by the Black Owl organization.
] [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!"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
