Chapter Forty-Three: Night Raid

“Heh… hehehehe, I truly wish I could experience what it feels like when this bullet hits a person.” Zou Linsen muttered to himself, his face suddenly breaking into a radiant smile—a stark contrast to his previous gloom, and all the more chilling for it.

At least, at this moment, his wife sitting beside him, looking at that dazzling smile, saw her already pale face grow even paler.

“No, Linsen… don’t…”

She was Zou Linsen’s first wife. In this, Zou Linsen had done well enough—he never discarded the woman who had been with him through thick and thin. Yet he had not truly fulfilled this duty. After achieving fame and success, his wife became increasingly invisible to him. At home, he paid her little heed; outside, he would never allow her to show her face, lest it harm his reputation.

She was timid by nature, held little sway at home, unable to control her husband or their son—a half-transparent presence, sometimes even the maids dared retort to her. But now, she shone with her own light, for when everyone else abandoned Zou Linsen, she sat silently at his side, refusing to leave.

“You know nothing. Don’t get in my way!” Zou Linsen’s smile faltered, his voice sullen.

“Linsen, don’t go… don’t kill anyone else…” She clung desperately to her husband’s hand, her fingertips bruised from the force.

“Heh, if I don’t kill, will others spare me?!” Zou Linsen snorted coldly. Looking at his wife’s aging face, her youthful image flashed through his mind, and his tone softened. “I’m old now. If I go in, I won’t come out. Zou Tao’s shares are entirely controlled by others; with his abilities, they’ll crush him like it’s nothing.”

“I don’t want you and our son to end up homeless…”

Having said this, Zou Linsen’s expression grew stern. He wrenched free from his wife’s grasp and strode out the door without looking back.

And then, a single sentence drifted in with the breeze.

“This lifetime, consider it a debt I owe you.”

“Linsen…” she murmured, her eyes losing all light, collapsing to the floor as though she had lost everything.

…

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

In the virtual game, the fierce sounds of battle continued unabated. Within the area where Blue Sky was fighting the Lion Ape Beast, the earth had become pitted and scarred, evidence of the ongoing struggle.

“Hm? Blue Sky, your friend has come to find you,” Bai suddenly waved his hand, clearing away the two Lion Ape Beasts.

“My friend? Wang Ling or Chen Xiaoxuan? Who would come looking for me this late?” Blue Sky was stunned. It was already nighttime, wasn’t it?

What could they want?

If they really want something, should I go along with it, or not?

“Neither. Go out and see for yourself.” Bai smiled mysteriously and kicked him out of the virtual game.

“Neither? In Ning City, aside from those two, I don’t have any other friends, do I?” Returning to reality, Blue Sky’s first impulse was to try to cultivate the aura he’d comprehended in the virtual world.

With the experience gained, the aura’s gestation was swift. In moments, that aura truly manifested within him.

“Yes, and whoever it is has already slipped inside. Now they’re downstairs, searching room by room for you,” Bai’s teasing voice sounded in Blue Sky’s ear. With a stranger present, Bai didn’t want to project its form.

“Huh? Slipped in? Who could it be?” Blue Sky wondered, his ears twitching. The visitor downstairs was trying hard to keep their footsteps light, but with his sensitive hearing, he had no trouble catching the sound.

He left his room and headed downstairs.

With a click, the living room lights came on, bright and clear.

Zou Linsen was caught off guard, unable to dodge, and in this awkward moment, faced Blue Sky directly.

“You’re here,” Blue Sky remarked calmly.

“I am,” Zou Linsen, ever the seasoned fox, replied with no change in expression.

“I think I told you, if you tried anything, you might end up even more desperate,” Blue Sky said, shaking his head, descending the stairs unguarded. He went to the fridge, took out two cans of beer, sat on the sofa, opened one for himself, and tossed the other to Zou Linsen.

Zou Linsen caught the beer, opened it, took a sip, and sat opposite. “You’re not worried I might harm you?”

“Heh, Mr. Zou, you’ve come all this way—if it’s not to harm me, is it to chat?” Blue Sky couldn’t help but laugh.

“Since you know, why aren’t you afraid at all?” Zou Linsen frowned. “Or do you think I’d come without being prepared?”

“No, no, I know you’ve made all the preparations.” Blue Sky smiled and shook his head. “But I don’t believe you can harm me.”

“You’re very confident.” Zou Linsen frowned again. “I don’t know where you get that confidence, but now… are you still so sure?”

Blue Sky saw Zou Linsen slowly draw a pistol from behind his waist. His pupils instinctively contracted, but he quickly returned to calm. “This is hardly interesting, Mr. Zou. I thought you’d at least have a long conversation with me first.”

“Tsk tsk, I must say, I admire you. Facing a real gun, you’re still so composed!” Though Blue Sky’s unnaturally calm demeanor unsettled Zou Linsen, the gun in his hand made him feel at ease.

“It seems Mr. Zou isn’t ready to pull the trigger yet. Shall we talk a bit first?” Facing the dark muzzle, Blue Sky remained serene.

“Very well. I was going to shoot you outright, but your composure truly impresses me,” Zou Linsen, feeling confident in his advantage, nodded and smiled.

“Honestly, you’re just collateral damage. I only wanted to deal with Zou Tao, but you made mistakes—so you have no one to blame but yourself.” Blue Sky smiled.

“I hate meddling people most. Even if I made mistakes, what’s it to you?! Just because Zou Tao offended you a little, you seized my company and had me on the verge of prison—don’t you think you’ve gone too far?!” Zou Linsen grew angrier the more he spoke, his agitation rising.

“First of all, you’re the one who went too far, not me.” Blue Sky shook his head. “Hiring killers and swallowing others’ assets—that wasn’t me, it was you. I’ve merely returned your deeds upon yourself. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself.”

“If you steal someone’s company, you should be prepared for someone to steal yours. Isn’t that right?”

“Well, by that logic, since you stole my company, you should be ready for my revenge,” Zou Linsen, now furious, lost interest in continuing the conversation, and again aimed the gun at Blue Sky.

“Of course. I’ve always been preparing—not for you, though.” Blue Sky smiled. He had indeed been preparing, but it was to face potential cosmic forces.

As for Zou Linsen, he simply wasn’t worthy.