National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

When the small villa, hidden amidst the lush forest, came into Zheng Bolan and Zheng Xuezhen's view,

the brother and sister's expressions instantly froze, a look of pure shock washing over their faces.

The villa couldn't have been more familiar to them.

Every corner, every detail,

was seared into their memories, carrying with it the countless moments of their past.

At this moment, however, their hearts were filled with immense confusion and shock.

Zheng Bolan and Zheng Xuezhen knew perfectly well

that traveling from the bustling, traffic-clogged heart of Chiyoda City to this secluded country villa,

even driving at full speed with clear roads,

would take at least an hour.

And yet, they had just experienced some kind of fantastical, instantaneous teleportation.

In the mere blink of an eye, they had crossed that vast distance and arrived safely.

What kind of mysterious, unfathomable power was at work?

Unless…

An astonishing and absurd thought flashed through their minds simultaneously.

As if sharing a single thought, both Zheng Bolan and his sister, Zheng Xuezhen, turned their gazes to Chu He.

Chu He's expression was placid, his calm face like a deep, tranquil pond.

Unstirred, his profound gaze was fixed on the villa before them,

as if all the incredible events unfolding around them had nothing to do with him whatsoever.

Also stunned into silence by this sudden, bizarre sight

were Zheng Bolan and Zheng Xuezhen's close friends.

They often hung out, frequently getting together to find new and exciting things to do,

so they were frequent visitors to Zheng Bolan's home.

Now, they too were filled with utter astonishment and confusion.

Looks of bewilderment were written on every face.

They wracked their brains but couldn't comprehend what had caused this incredible event,

or how they had crossed such an impossible distance in a single moment.

"This villa is in a truly wonderful location."

Yumizakura tilted her head, her beautiful eyes twinkling like stars,

as she carefully took in the villa and its surroundings.

The air here was crisp and clean, as if filtered by nature itself.

Each breath felt like sipping fine wine, refreshing the mind and spirit.

Nearby, a river as clear as glass meandered by,

like a silver ribbon glinting under the gentle touch of the sun,

the water flowing lazily, making a clear, pleasant gurgling sound.

"The original owners were natives of the White-Red Empire.

After the Evil Spirits began to ravage the world,

the family was likely overcome with constant fear and anxiety,

so they decisively sold off all their assets in the White-Red Empire and moved their entire family to the Lighthouse Empire.

In their view, the Lighthouse Empire was an impregnable fortress of safety.

At the time, my parents had some savings, and when they saw how beautiful the scenery was here,

they didn't hesitate to snap up this prime piece of real estate.

Plus, our family was already in the land development business, so we were old hands at this sort of thing.

So we drew up some careful plans for the property,

and building this villa after that was a natural next step, without any major setbacks."

Zheng Bolan tilted his head back slightly, gazing at the villa with a fond expression

as he unhurriedly explained its history to the group.

As he spoke,

Zheng Bolan started walking slowly along the bluestone path.

His pace was a little sluggish, as if he were lost in some private thought.

He had only taken a few steps before some thought seemed to stop him in his tracks.

He turned back slowly, his frosty gaze sweeping over his young friends.

"If you don't have anything important to do, you should all head back," he said, his voice ice-cold.

"You've all heard about my family's current situation.

I really don't want to drag you into this, to get you entangled in my family's problems.

If anything were to happen to you because of it, I'd never be able to forgive myself."

Zheng Bolan's expression was stone-cold as he spoke,

the disappointment in his eyes as sharp as a knife.

He remembered the bustling street in Chiyoda City,

when a thug had stabbed him and he was bleeding everywhere.

The reaction of his so-called friends had chilled him to the bone.

Back then, not a single one of them had stepped up to help,

nor had they even offered a single word of comfort.

They just stood there numbly, like a crowd of indifferent bystanders,

watching him get hurt and bleed as if it had nothing to do with them.

It seemed the only thing in their eyes was a cold calculation of personal risk,

without a trace of the camaraderie or concern that should exist between friends.

His young friends keenly picked up on the coldness and distance in Zheng Bolan's words.

Awkward expressions crept onto their faces. Some even flushed red and lowered their heads in shame,

unable to meet his gaze.

The atmosphere instantly turned ice-cold, and a heavy, awkward silence hung in the air.

From within the group,

a rather lanky friend was the first to break the deadlock, scrambling to explain, "Zheng Bolan, please don't take it the wrong way.

That whole scene was just too terrifying; we were all completely scared stiff.

You know what our lives are like. When would we ever run into something so horrible?"