National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

Saito Sonosuke, and all the security personnel patrolling the residence’s perimeter,

suddenly had a strange and mysterious light flash deep within their eyes.

The light, shaped like a peach blossom, appeared out of nowhere,

as if silently awakened by some mysterious power from the depths of darkness.

It slowly materialized in their pupils, glimmering with an inscrutable, faint light.

Hearing the voice on the phone, Saito Sonosuke’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He spoke unhurriedly to the person on the other end, "The intelligence I relayed to you earlier was off. It was a misjudgment on my part. Zheng Bolan is indeed severely injured, and his condition is not looking good."

The voice on the other end of the line immediately shot up several octaves,

demanding with clear confusion and anger, "Then why did you tell me before that Zheng Bolan just swaggered back home on his own?

I knew that was impossible!

The position and force of my strike were meticulously calculated. With that one stab,

the wound I inflicted would have made it absolutely impossible for him to walk back as if nothing had happened.

What the hell are you playing at?

Are you hiding something from me?"

Saito Sonosuke calmly explained, "Didn’t I just tell you?

It was a moment of carelessness on my part. My judgment was flawed, which is why I passed on incorrect information.

What you don’t know is that Zheng Bolan seems to have an extremely mysterious, strange item on him.

His father, Zheng Qifeng, must have spared no expense and gone through great trouble to acquire it,

all to protect his son.

It was this inscrutable, strange item that activated at the critical moment,

allowing Zheng Bolan to prop up his faltering body and barely maintain his stride,

just enough to make it safely home.

However, this thing doesn’t seem to be a Divine Artifact or anything,

it seems to have been a spent force, only able to support him until he reached his front door.

By the time he got home, he was already at death’s door, barely breathing.

Luckily, his family found him in time and immediately began emergency treatment,

which is the only reason they managed to pull him back from the brink of death.

From the looks on the faces of the couple, Zheng Qifeng and Xiang Xiufang,

they looked exceptionally grim, somber, and even faintly terrified.

This incident must have truly frightened them badly."

He paused, then continued, "This Zheng Qifeng,

he’s famous in our line of work for how much he values his family.

To spend more time with his wife and child,

he has repeatedly and resolutely turned down social gatherings that others would consider crucial.

Naturally, this has drawn the envy and resentment of many people in our circles here in Chiyoda City.

Over time, he’s ended up in an awkward, out-of-place position in these circles, viewed by everyone as an unsociable outsider."

The person on the other end of the line was silent for a moment, as if carefully weighing every word Saito Sonosuke had said.

Then, a long sigh came through the receiver.

The voice now held a clear trace of relief. "Hm, now that you put it that way, it does make some sense."

Just moments before, learning that his meticulously planned, sure-fire assassination attempt had actually failed—that Zheng Bolan had managed to escape seemingly unharmed after his fatal dagger strike—had filled him with anxiety and unease.

In this fiercely competitive, dog-eat-dog world, any minor mistake could become a powerful weapon for others to use against you.

If his superiors thought he was so incompetent that he couldn’t even handle an ordinary businessman, his future would be in jeopardy.

But now, after hearing Saito Sonosuke’s explanation, the great weight on his mind was finally lifted.

He was secretly relieved that it wasn’t a problem with his own abilities, but rather a critical failure of intelligence.

After all, no one had told him beforehand that Zheng Bolan was hiding such a strange item on his person.

"So what are they doing now?"

the man on the phone asked urgently, his voice filled with impatience,

trying to get more information about the Zheng family from Saito Sonosuke

in order to fully prepare for his next move.

Saito Sonosuke frowned slightly, his voice taking on a tone that brooked no argument. "You don’t need to worry about that.

This is my responsibility, and I will handle it appropriately.

For the time being, you should just stay put and not go anywhere.

We’ve backed Zheng Qifeng into a corner. When driven to desperation,

there’s no telling if he’ll spare no expense

and hire some hidden masters to come after you.

So, for your own safety, it’s best to keep a low profile.

After all, for a man, his wife and child are the most important things in his life.

If you cross that line, he will definitely retaliate wildly, holding nothing back."

"I understand. I’ve been holed up in my residence these past few days, doors locked, not stepping outside at all.

I even stocked up on a lot of food in advance, enough to last me for a while.

You don’t have to worry."

the man on the other end of the line said quickly.

With that, the person on the other end hastily hung up,

as if afraid that saying one more word would bring some unnecessary trouble upon him.

Saito Sonosuke, however, just stood there quietly, a barely perceptible, cold smile in his eyes.

It was a smile that seemed to mock the foolishness and ignorance of the man on the phone,

and to celebrate how smoothly his own plan was proceeding, with everything under his control.