Chapter 102: You Really Deserve to Die
"Do you have any idea what you've done? Your sudden appearance has thrown all our plans into chaos! A lot of the guys who used to follow you, all those stubborn fools, wanted to leave the Netherworld King's Hall to come find you. So, you're the one who got them killed! Do you get it?"
Viper stared ferociously at Zhou Fan, blaming him for the deaths of all the members who had been killed by Ye Fei for trying to leave.
"Do you know why I made you the captain of the Assassination Squad in the first place?" Zhou Fan ignored Viper's accusation, a faint smile on his lips.
"Why? Because I was capable, of course. What other reason could there be?" Viper didn't understand why Zhou Fan would suddenly ask such a thing. Among the dozen or so men behind him, the only two or three who were original members of the Assassination Squad also grew pensive.
"Capable?" Zhou Fan sneered, his gaze toward Viper filled with frustration over his wasted potential. "When it comes to the art of assassination, are you better than Qian Rong? When it comes to leading men, can you compare to Shaozi? The only reason I chose you to be squad captain was that you treated your brothers well. That was the only quality I valued in you!"
"Both Qian Rong and Shaozi were far more loyal to me than you. But I knew that while they were loyal, in their eyes, anyone besides me could die—including themselves. I worried that if I handed the Assassination Squad over to them, they would one day lead everyone to their deaths!"
"But you… you have disappointed me more than I can say. You betrayed me, followed Ye Fei to assassinate me, and I wasn't even that angry with you. I just blamed myself for being a poor judge of character. But since you chose to follow Ye Fei, why couldn't you protect the lives of so many of your brothers? These were men who went through hell and back with you, brothers who would have taken a blade for you! Some of them were as capable as you, if not more so, and had been following me for just as long!"
"Viper, you truly… deserve to die!"
The more Zhou Fan spoke, the more agitated he became. A bloodthirsty killing intent burned in his eyes, and a formidable fighting spirit erupted from him, terrifying the newer members of the Assassination Squad so much that they instinctively took half a step back.
"Cut the crap! Their deaths are on you! It's all your fault! You're about to die, and you still have the gall to lecture me? Do you think you're still the Nether King? Do you think you're still that instructor in the Netherworld King's Hall whose word was law, who no one dared to defy?" Viper was losing control, pointing a shaking finger at Zhou Fan as he roared, "Kill him! Kill him for me!"
At Viper's command, the dozen or so men behind him no longer hesitated. They all drew daggers that glinted silver and lunged at Zhou Fan from different angles.
'Viper was furious. For all these years, just as Zhou Fan said, he had never been the best among the group that followed him. When Zhou Fan appointed him captain of the Assassination Squad, he'd thought Zhou Fan had finally recognized his abilities. But no matter the mission, Zhou Fan would only ever take Qian Rong and his brothers, or other people!'
'Even on missions where Zhou Fan's personal involvement wasn't needed and Viper led the team, Zhou Fan would inevitably berate him if there were any casualties. Gradually, resentment began to fester inside him. This also led many squad members with similar seniority and skill to grow dissatisfied with his leadership.'
'So, when Ye Fei and Zhao Ya approached him with an incredibly generous offer, he agreed with almost no hesitation!'
'But now, a year later, Zhou Fan was lecturing him again. It infuriated him, pissed him off to no end!'
Watching his men gradually surround Zhou Fan, Viper forced himself to calm down. He knew they couldn't possibly kill Zhou Fan on their own. He had to join the fray himself—because he knew Zhou Fan's methods.
Signaling to someone in the distance to wait for an opening, Viper gripped his dagger and joined the deadly assault on Zhou Fan.
Listening to the shouts of battle from just outside, Chen Yao, hiding behind the waterfall, clutched Zhou Fan's phone tightly. She stared at the second contact in the address book, hesitating over whether she should call early, even though the name was a bit strange… Ying Yi!
In the end, Chen Yao decided to follow Zhou Fan's instructions, staring at the time on the phone screen without blinking.
Time ticked by, second by second. Seeing that not even twenty minutes had passed, Chen Yao felt for the first time in her life that time was moving impossibly slow.
Suddenly, the battle cries from outside seemed to quiet down.
Chen Yao crawled forward quietly. Keeping her body hidden, she peeked out through a gap in the curtain of water and was instantly stunned by the scene before her. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling any sound, and pressed herself back against the stone wall.