Chapter 35: Fierce Beast Emerges from the Gate (Part 1)

  Every time I catch a cold, rhinitis will bother me for a long time... Today I woke up early again... Under boredom, I wrote out a chapter and couldn't keep the draft, so I released it ahead of schedule.

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  The alley is dark and dirty, with the back doors of various shops on the outside. The garbage generated every day is piled up in this place that outsiders can't see. The high-rise buildings on both sides block out most of the sky, leaving only a sliver visible. The sun rarely shines here, and the walls on both sides of the alley are covered with unsightly black scars from the damp and dirty environment. On rainy days like today, the dense rain falls from that narrow strip of sky, pounding the ground, and the already clogged drains can't drain it. The road surface is gradually submerged in water, with all sorts of garbage floating in the water, emitting an indescribable stench of rot.

  But An Junhe, at this time, was wading through the dirty grey-black stagnant water that flooded his feet, darting through the small alley, but he didn't have the heart to notice all those things. He ran, with only the sound of rain in his ears and the splashing sound of water flowers under his feet.

  The water that hadn't even reached his ankles, the trash piled up everywhere, made his running figure somewhat unstable. At one moment, he suddenly fell to the ground, and the foul-smelling water splashed all over him, also bringing a chilling coldness. That chill was like a venomous snake, slowly drilling into his bones from his skin, stimulating his constantly racing heart, as well as his nearly numb nerves.

  He slowly lifted his body from the accumulated water, his disheveled figure took a few difficult steps forward, then heavily leaned against the wall at a corner, breathing heavily, with a buzzing in his ears, which was the resonance of his chest cavity caused by the violent beating of his heart.

  Then, he suddenly broke into a smile, covered in mud and water, his usual refined and handsome face nowhere to be seen, looking straight up at the sky, his smile growing bigger and bigger, until it spread out into silent, manic laughter.

  This sudden burst of laughter was so intense that his entire body shook violently, and his breathing became disordered.

  What a ridiculous bunch!

  How long has it been since I had that dream?

  Maybe a few months, but it feels like an eternity. Except for occasional efforts to recall, the memories that belonged to dreams are distant and vague in everyday life, because there are too many things he doesn't want to see. But even so, there is one thing he knows clearly - the An Junhe in his memory was never a good person.

  How can a self-made man develop his career into one of the industry's giants in just over a decade? Opportunity may be a key factor, but without sufficient ruthless means, the cruel business world is completely impossible to survive - the vicious competition among peers, the covetous eyes of capitalists, and the intrigue and struggle for power and profit among subordinates.

  When facing malicious competitors, show no mercy and eliminate them completely; when facing the scrutiny of capitalists, be resolute in your determination to cut off their claws by sacrificing 800 of your own first. When facing subordinates who dare to contend for power, forget the hardships you've been through together and take back everything you've given them, making their family decline to the point of being worthless, as a deterrent.

  All these kinds of things, if slightly weak, will fall into an irreversible situation.

  So An Junhe, in the dream, after experiencing the initial hardships, quickly transformed and became ruthless and indifferent. To achieve his goals, he could stop at nothing. Deep in his memory, there were scenes where even he himself was unclear how many families had been shattered because of him, how many people had been driven to jump off high-rise buildings, ending their miserable lives.

  "This 'An Junhe' is undoubtedly strong and tenacious, he has almost no weaknesses, and no one can defeat him, but... he only belongs to the dream!"

  His ruthlessness and indifference made him strong, but also led to his downfall at the height of his glory.

  In his mind, he recalled the last scene of his dream, which was in front of a magnificent hotel, where people cheered for him, with colorful ribbons floating around, dazzling fireworks, and Zhixiu holding his hand, with a bright smile on her face.

  The most proud moment in life was perfectly presented at that moment, but everything became a black and white still frame after the two gunshots.

  Zhī Xiù, who was standing in front of him, burst out with a bloody flower on his chest. A little further away, a face that seemed somewhat familiar raised a gun and aimed at him from the crowd, with the lingering smoke of gunpowder still remaining at the muzzle.

  Memory has no pain, only a gradually darkening and shrinking field of vision. It's laughable that before losing consciousness, he only felt that face was familiar, perhaps it was some opponent he had defeated before? Or maybe it was one of his subordinates whom he had taken everything from?

  Too many, who knows?

  Such an abrupt end to life is really too sad, let alone dragging Zhixiu down with him - the only blood relative he has in this world.

  So the powerful "An Junhe" is only suitable for existence in dreams. When he wakes up, the An Junhe living in reality is just a brother who loves and takes care of his sister. Except for the unchanging goal of revenge, he tries his best to suppress the ruthlessness rooted in his heart because of that "An Junhe", making himself appear humble and not violating any rules, following established norms step by step. Even if there's a slight deviation, he doesn't touch others' bottom line, nor does he show any extreme behavior.

  But... he wanted to put away his claws, yet there were things that came to provoke him without knowing their own limits!

  Those people, he didn't know what their purpose was in attacking him, and for now, it wasn't necessary to know, all he understood was one thing -

  "He's going to come out and get some fresh air, you... are really asking for it!"

  As he heard the rapid footsteps and shouting voices behind him, his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened wide, and there was no longer any warmth or gentleness in them, only a coldness and ferocity like solid ice!

  At this moment, a figure finally appeared at the corner. As half of his body entered his field of vision, the umbrella in his hand swung violently, wrapping tightly around the umbrella surface. If someone had captured this instant and replayed it in slow motion, they would have clearly seen the raindrops in the air shattering one by one under the swift and powerful swing, creating ripples in the air that followed the umbrella's movement, tracing a fleeting cross-section before heavily striking the person's throat.

  "Crack!"

  A faint cracking sound, the man immediately covered his throat and knelt down, the knife fell to the ground with a clang, but was picked up again by him in an instant. The sharp and dazzling knife flower burst forth between his agile fingers, as more people approached from ahead. He licked his lips, a faint sweet and fishy smell flowing into his mouth, like blood.

  Then, amidst the shocked cries of the few people who had just appeared, he stepped forward, his knife blade reflecting the light of day, drawing a fleeting silver line in the air, and real blood burst forth like flowers blooming in spring...

  ……

  The off-road vehicle was still parked at the entrance of the alley, and the rain curtain had covered up the scene of the chase just now. So for now it was parked safely in its original place, waiting for the people who chased out to complete their task and return, then everyone would go back to collect their reward, divide the money and have a good time.

  However, for Lin Zhengyuan, who is also the leader of this small black group, he would rather save up the rewards he receives and use them when necessary - of course, what he considers "necessary" is naturally his current underworld business.

  Lin Zhengyuan did not feel inferior about his profession, nor did he think there was anything wrong with it. In this day and age, no occupation is easy, and being in the underworld is no exception - it's also a profession that involves licking blood off a knife. Who knows when one might close their eyes and never see the sun again? Therefore, Lin Zhengyuan never concerned himself with whether his employer was good or bad, nor did he have any sympathy for his targets. He worked with a clear conscience, and naturally, he never hesitated to take money either.

  Sitting in the driver's seat, Lin Zhengyuan waited boredly for a while, then looked at his watch with some impatience and muttered softly: "This bunch of rascals, why haven't they come back yet?"

  It's just one person, and at their previous efficiency, they should have been caught by now.

  He thought for a moment, then dialed one of their phone numbers. Suddenly, a familiar tune started playing outside the window.

  "...For those days when I held back tears for you, how tired you must have been. Even after a thousand years, I will not forget you..."

  The music was singing hoarsely, the lyrics were lingering, but Lin Zhengyuan's heart suddenly "thudded" at this moment, a chill ran down his spine to the top of his head, and he stiffly turned his neck to look out the car window on the other side.

  Outside, the rain was still falling, and the rainwater flowing down from the car roof blurred the glass. After a twisted and changing flash of transparency, a figure stood there unknowingly, holding a mobile phone in his hand, with a glow on the screen as the music continued to play, flashing, flashing...

  A dense fear suddenly climbed up his mind, Lin Zhengyuan suddenly started the car and was about to step on the accelerator when the glass shattered with a loud crash. A cold light flashed in, his left hand holding the steering wheel shook violently, involuntarily raised, and stuck to the side window. The next moment, the cold light hummed and trembled, revealing its true face - it was an axe that had pierced through his palm and nailed him firmly to the glass.

  Then, severe pain came.

  "Ah——!"

  Lin Zhengyuan let out a miserable cry, but didn't dare move an inch. The door on the right side opened and the figure outside calmly walked in. A strong smell of blood accompanied his movements and instantly filled the car carriage.

  That man Lin Zhengyuan knows him, and it was not long ago that he saw his photo. He is the target for today, a guy named An Junhe.

  An Junhe, sitting in the passenger seat, didn't seem to be in a hurry to do anything. He just looked at Lin Zhengyuan with interest, his eyes teasing but as cold as ice and snow, without any emotion, making Lin Zhengyuan's forehead sweat uncontrollably.

  After a long while, he finally spoke up: "Where is Lin Xiujing?"

  "The trunk." Lin Zhengyuan rolled his throat, enduring the pain and replied cooperatively: "I was anesthetized with ether and won't wake up for several hours."

  An Junhe's eyes narrowed, "You're very clever..." Just as he was saying this, another ringtone sounded, interrupting his words. He paused for a moment, took out his phone from his inner pocket, pressed the speaker button, and Quan Baogen's urgent voice came through immediately:

  "Jun Huk, where did you go? Something's happened. Soo Ji Hoon was attacked by anti-fans at the TV station entrance and is now hospitalized. The TV station wants all of you to return to the drama set immediately and not stay outside."

  This news left An Junhe somewhat stunned, but what followed was a kind of sudden realization.

  "I have something to attend to with Xiujing, you tell the director, we'll naturally go back after we're done."

  Having said that, he hung up the phone without waiting for Guan Baogen's response.

  He then looked at Lin Zhengyuan, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Su Zhihui, me, Lin Xiujing... So that's how it is. Hehe, looks like we need to have a good talk."