National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

The man was bundled up from head to toe.

He wore a baggy hoodie, its hood pulled down low over his head,

completely obscuring his forehead.

He also had on a face mask and sunglasses, leaving no part of his face exposed,

not a single gap visible.

It was as if he were shrouded by a mysterious black curtain,

making it impossible for anyone to glimpse his true features.

Even his voice had been deliberately disguised,

becoming hoarse and deep,

making it impossible to discern any of his characteristics.

Seeing this main road, one of the most crowded in Chiyoda City,

descend into chaos due to the sudden incident,

people scrambled and fled in panic.

Screams and shouts mingled together,

as if it were the end of the world.

The man, however, acted as if it had nothing to do with him.

He calmly shoved his hands deep into his hoodie pockets,

then turned around as quick as the wind.

He departed with hurried steps,

leaving behind only a chilling silhouette,

and soon vanished into the clamor and confusion of the crowd.

Zheng Bolan’s face grew even paler, ashen and devoid of color, like a sheet of white paper.

At this moment, he basically understood

why the man had so viciously plunged a dagger into his side.

It was all because of the urban development project in Chiyoda City that his parents had secured after countless hardships.

This project was a coveted prize in the local Chiyoda City area,

attracting several large development companies who drooled with desire.

They had all pulled out every stop, using every trick in the book, hoping to claim the project for themselves,

making it an asset for their own company.

However, no one had expected

that the project would ultimately be won by a company from the Great Xia Empire,

and a second-tier one at that.

How could the local development companies in Chiyoda City possibly swallow this defeat?

They were naturally resentful,

and had already threatened and intimidated Zheng Bolan’s family many times, both overtly and covertly,

trying to make them back down in the face of difficulty.

But Zheng Bolan’s parents had already made up their minds.

They were determined to secure this project,

make a huge profit, and then return in glory to their homeland in the Great Xia Empire, fulfilling their long-held dream of returning home triumphant.

Zheng Bolan’s parents had warned him time and time again,

telling him to lie low and stay put during this sensitive period,

and absolutely not to run around, lest he meet with disaster.

Although Zheng Bolan had readily agreed,

in his heart, he hadn’t taken their warnings seriously.

In his view, as long as he relaxed and had fun in crowded, lively places,

’those ill-intentioned people surely wouldn’t be so brazen and arrogant

as to attack me in broad daylight.’

But reality was a resounding slap in the face, catching him completely off guard.

His opponent was unbelievably audacious,

daring to attack him on the busiest, most bustling street in Chiyoda City,

and openly stab him with a knife.

Now, as blood gushed from the wound like a trickling stream,

it had already formed a glaring pool of red on the ground.

The vibrant red looked especially sinister and terrifying under the sunlight.

Zheng Bolan could only feel his body growing cold,

as if countless needles of ice were coursing through his veins.

This was because as the blood flowed out,

it mercilessly carried away his body’s warmth and vitality, leaving him to grow weaker on the cold street.

As for Zheng Bolan’s so-called friends,

they scattered like birds and beasts as if they’d seen the plague itself, hiding far away.

Their faces were pale as paper, their eyes filled with terror and fear.

They were clearly scared out of their wits by the ruthless act of the mysterious man in the hoodie.

They weren’t entirely ignorant of the whirlpool of business disputes Zheng Bolan’s family had recently been sucked into,

and they were well aware of the hidden undercurrents and grave dangers involved.

Now, at this life-or-death moment,

their instinct for self-preservation left them no room for hesitation.

They were afraid that one wrong move would drag them into the bottomless abyss of this dangerous undercurrent.

After all, the attacker’s brazen act—

openly committing assault with a knife on a crowded, bustling main road—

had completely shattered their fundamental beliefs about safety and order.

It made them realize in the most profound way that the danger before them was no empty threat.

Only the girl who had kindly warned Zheng Bolan not to be fooled earlier

rushed forward without hesitation amidst the chaos and terror.

She dropped to her knees, gently and quickly pulling Zheng Bolan into a tight embrace.

At the same time, she whipped her head around

and screamed at the other young people who were standing there, frozen in shock,

her voice hoarse, "Call the hospital!

Tell them to get here as fast as they can and save him!"

Her voice was raspy with extreme anxiety,

thick with sobs. Tears streamed from her eyes like a bursting dam,

flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks

and splashing onto Zheng Bolan’s shoulder one drop at a time.

But the other young people were like soulless puppets,

their faces ashen, showing no reaction.

Their eyes were wide open but vacant and lifeless,

as if everything happening before them was just a surreal and terrifying nightmare

that they could neither accept nor escape.

Normally, they were immersed in a life of luxury and debauchery,

freely enjoying the endless pleasures that came with wealth and status,