National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

Then he slowly turned his head and said to Chu He, "This is the man in charge of protecting our home and keeping my sister and me safe. His name is Saito Sonosuke."

Chu He gave a slight nod. His gaze was calm and profound as he quietly sized up Saito Sonosuke.

As for Saito Sonosuke, after meeting Chu He’s gaze for a single moment,

he eagerly shifted his gaze to Yumizakura and Xia Chengli.

The instant his eyes landed on the two young women, whose beauty could topple nations,

his eyes flew wide, and a brilliant light flared within them.

A greedy glint, like the green flash in a starving wolf’s eyes, surged wildly.

In fact, the meaning in his gaze was

utterly naked and sickening.

In his eyes, Xia Chengli and Yumizakura had already become his personal playthings,

his to command.

"Let’s go inside."

Zheng Bolan’s brow furrowed in disgust.

He had lost all interest in speaking with Saito Sonosuke.

He turned and murmured hastily to Chu He, then strode toward the villa.

His posture was ramrod straight, his steps firm and powerful, each one seeming to stir the air,

as if he wanted to break through the strange, unseen barrier before them,

eager to return to the relative safety of the house.

Once the group stepped into the villa, the large, carved door swung slowly shut,

making a dull thud,

as if shutting out all the chaos and danger of the outside world.

At that moment, the fawning smile on Saito Sonosuke’s face vanished like snow under a blazing sun,

replaced by a frosty expression,

as cold and intimidating as an ice sculpture.

"Boss, what the hell was that about?"

A few guards, like sharks that had scented blood, hurried over and asked cautiously in low voices.

A short distance away,

the other guards, who were pretending to be on patrol, didn’t move from their spots,

but their gazes shot over like sharp arrows, filled with confusion and curiosity.

"Get back to your patrols! How the hell should I know what’s going on?"

Saito Sonosuke snapped impatiently,

while fumbling in his pocket for his phone.

Seeing this, the men all took the hint. Like mice that had seen a cat,

they scurried away to continue their pointless charade.

Clutching his phone, Saito Sonosuke slipped into a corner of the courtyard like a thief.

His hawk-like eyes scanned the area warily.

After confirming no one was watching,

he shakily dialed a mysterious, unsaved number.

The ringtone sounded abruptly in the quiet corner, like an ominous warning bell.

The ringing echoed until, on the seventh ring, the call connected.

The other end was dead silent. Only the strange crackle of static filled the air,

hiding countless unspeakable secrets.

Saito Sonosuke was burning with impatience. He couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries and roared, "Why is Zheng Bolan back?"

"What? That’s impossible!"

A cry of alarm came from the other end of the line.

"What do you mean, ’what?’ I saw him with my own two eyes.

But his waist was stained with blood. I asked him what happened, but he wouldn’t say a word.

The kid went out and came back a different person. There’s something indescribably strange about him now."

’And that dumb little sister of his...’

The thought of her tender, peach-like, youthful face

made a wicked fire stir in Saito Sonosuke’s gut,

threatening to burn his reason to cinders.

He had already been lusting after Zheng Xuezhen,

but he never expected two more heavenly beauties to show up today.

Saito Sonosuke was secretly delighted, thinking he must be blessed by Lady Luck.

He had always been obsessed with women,

especially the pure and adorable types like Zheng Xuezhen,

and bewitching beauties like Xia Chengli and Yumizakura.

To him, they were rare treasures that made him practically drool.

"That’s absolutely impossible!

The blood on his waist... I did that myself.

I was very precise with my strike. I meant for him to be laid up in the hospital for a month or two. There’s no way he could be back this fast.

Unless he sensed the danger and was too scared to go to a doctor, so he’s trying to heal at home."

The person on the other end of the line muttered to themself, a note of panic and unease in their voice,

as if sensing that things were about to spiral out of control,

like a runaway horse, trampling their carefully woven conspiracy to pieces.

"Heal at home, my ass!"

Saito Sonosuke exploded in fury, his eyes bulging like saucers.

His ferocious expression looked like he wanted to eat someone alive as his furious curses rang out. "Zheng Bolan just waltzed right back in, bold as brass, without anyone even helping him walk.

I told you to scare him, not to be so damn soft-hearted!"

"Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible!"

The person on the other end of the line sounded like a lit stick of dynamite, furious to the extreme.

Their roar was filled with disbelief and frustration.

A loud SMACK, as if a hand had slammed down on a table, came through the phone. "I put my full strength behind that dagger and plunged it into his body.

Zheng Bolan is nothing but a useless, debauched sack of meat.

He has zero foundation in Martial Arts and spends all his time carousing, staying out all night,

wasting his life away in bars.

His body’s already been completely hollowed out.

A blow like mine, while not enough to kill him,

should have made it absolutely impossible for him to just walk back on his own like nothing happened.

You know my skill level.

I’ve studied the minute details of human anatomy inside and out.

I took the job, I took the money. Why would I do a half-assed job?"

Saito Sonosuke’s brow furrowed, a muscle in his cheek twitching.

Listening to the other man’s words, he felt there was truth to them,

but he was still completely bewildered as to what could have caused this bizarre turn of events.

After a moment of thought, he muttered impatiently, "Alright, I get it.

Let me know if you get any new intel. That’s all."

With that, he jabbed the hang-up button.

He vented his anger on the phone, gripping it tightly in his hand.

...

The moment they entered the villa,

Zheng Bolan, burning with anxiety, practically flew to the study.

A moment later, he rushed back, carrying a thick stack of files.

He placed the development plan for the mysterious project,

along with a variety of complex and detailed blueprints, in front of Chu He.

The blueprints were slightly yellowed with age, covered in a dense network of crisscrossing lines and annotations.

There were also layers upon layers of revisions and corrections.

They must have been the subject of many heated debates in countless meetings to have reached their current state.

"Mr. Chu, most of these blueprints are just drafts, not the final versions.

Can you make anything of them?"

Zheng Bolan and Zheng Xuezhen sat stiffly across from Chu He, the atmosphere tense.

Just then, as if struck by a flash of inspiration,

Zheng Xuezhen suddenly remembered something.

She rose gracefully to her feet and glided toward the refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen.

A refreshing wave of cool air washed over her as she opened the refrigerator door.

She took out several glasses of iced juice that had been prepared earlier.

A fine layer of condensation coated the outside of the glasses,

making them sparkle under the lights.

With steady hands, Zheng Xuezhen carried the juice

and placed one in front of Chu He, Yumizakura, and Xia Chengli.

As she gently placed a glass in front of Chu He, her heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster.

Taking the opportunity, she tilted her head up slightly, her gaze a mixture of shyness and curiosity,

as she carefully studied Chu He’s face.

It was as if she wanted to sear every contour of his face into her memory.

"I can’t tell anything from these."

Chu He shook his head slightly, his gaze as calm as still water as it swept over the blueprints. "The contents of this land development plan are all just standard civil engineering plans. There’s nothing out of the ordinary."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

Zheng Bolan cradled his head in his hands, his face a mask of frustration. His voice was filled with helplessness and confusion.

"Brother, Mom and Dad just texted me. They’re asking what happened to you,

and they mentioned the blood on your clothes.

They’re on their way back."

Zheng Xuezhen suddenly placed her phone flat on the table.

The screen lit up, clearly showing the conversation in her messaging app.

Every word conveyed their parents’ concern and worry,

like a warm current, yet it also added a layer of gravity to the tense atmosphere.

"Looks like the security guards outside have noticed something."

Chu He’s gaze sharpened as he instantly turned to look out the window.

He could see several dark figures moving back and forth outside the window.

They were pretending to be on patrol, but their steps were unsteady and their eyes kept drifting.

Every so often, they would press their ears against the glass, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation inside.

Their flawed disguise was child’s play to Chu He, easily seen through.