Chapter 193 - 192: Shouldn’t Have Saved You

Seeing Xuanwu cry, a flash of pity and heartache crossed the old chief’s eyes. He reached out with a hand made rough by years of polishing guns and rubbed Xuanwu’s hair.

"Cry. Cry out all the grievances you’ve suffered over the years. You’ll feel better once you do."

Seeing this, Ye Xuan and Vermilion Bird also felt their noses sting. They turned their heads away, quietly wiping their tears. It took a long while for everyone to steady their emotions.

"Kid, the position of Black Tortoise Chief has always been kept for you. Your subordinates are all still waiting for you," the old chief said, a domineering gleam flashing in his eyes. "Now that Ye Xuan has returned as well, it’s time we settled our new grudges and old scores with those people once and for all."

He had waited far too long for this day. Heaven truly rewarded those who persevered.

"Chief, I... I don’t think I should be the Black Tortoise Chief anymore. I think Sea Turtle is a great fit. He’s highly capable and sharp-minded; he’s more than qualified for the role."

Just as the old chief’s blood boiled with passion, Xuanwu’s words instantly extinguished the raging fire in his heart. Grabbing Xuanwu by the collar, he roared furiously, "You little brat, I dare you to say that again!"

Looking at the old chief, whose face and neck were red with anger, Xuanwu felt a deep sense of guilt. However, it didn’t change his mind.

"Chief, I’m really not suited to continue as the Black Tortoise Chief.

"If I come back, I’ll only drag you down.

"So please, just let me go. I’m doing fine with my current life."

Hearing Xuanwu’s words, Ye Xuan also lost his temper. He slammed his fist onto the old chief’s desk with a loud BANG and scolded, "Your idea of ’doing fine’ is selling pork in a wet market while getting bullied by a bunch of thugs who are worse than ants?

"Xuanwu, have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten the dream the four of us shared?

"By acting like this, are you doing justice to White Tiger? Are you doing justice to our fallen brothers? Huh?"

Ye Xuan’s words struck Xuanwu’s heart like heavy blows, hurting him so much he could barely breathe. How could he forget their shared dream? To wipe out all dark factions and protect the peace. But things were completely different now. The people were gone, and everything had changed. Out of the four of them, one was dead and another was crippled. How could the remaining two possibly achieve that dream?

"Ye Xuan, I’m sorry. Just pretend I died too." With that, Xuanwu turned to leave.

But Vermilion Bird, who had been silent all this while, suddenly punched him hard. The sight of those tear-filled eyes deeply pierced Xuanwu’s heart.

"Xuanwu, can you act like a fucking man? Don’t make me look down on you!

"Who hasn’t been a piece of trash before? What the fuck do you think I do rehab day after day in the lab for?

"I finally managed to recover and get back to normal! Do you think I did all that just to watch you wallow in self-pity?

"Looking at you now, I really feel sorry for White Tiger! He shouldn’t have saved you!"

As the last sentence fell, the expressions of Xuanwu, Ye Xuan, and the old chief changed drastically. Xuanwu, in particular, turned deathly pale. Drained of all color, his entire body trembled violently. His brows were tightly knit, and his eyes brimmed with agony. White Tiger’s death was something he never dared to recall for the rest of his life.

Five years ago, a mission ended in failure. Ye Xuan and the others were driven into a corner by the Celestial Ranking and trapped in a canyon. Assassins from the Celestial Ranking were stationed atop the small canyon. They were all waiting for Ye Xuan and the others to show their heads. The moment they spotted the figures of the Hall Chiefs of the Four Palaces, they would immediately open fire.

Xuanwu had been walking at the very front to scout the path when an artillery shell flew straight toward him. By the time Ye Xuan tried to intervene, it was already too late. However, White Tiger, who was right behind Xuanwu, lunged forward without a second thought, tackling Xuanwu to the ground and shielding him with his own body.

The massive shockwave sent all four of them flying. Countless bullets and shells whistled past them. Flames soared into the sky amidst the booming BOOM BOOM of artillery fire.

Having sustained lighter injuries, Ye Xuan and Vermilion Bird hurriedly dragged and pulled Xuanwu and White Tiger behind cover. White Tiger’s entire back was blown to pieces, and Xuanwu was also severely injured. Ye Xuan and Vermilion Bird used up all the medical supplies they had on them, but nothing could stop the blood pouring endlessly from White Tiger’s wounds. They could only watch helplessly as White Tiger died right in front of them.

Ye Xuan went insane on the spot. Charging out recklessly, he braved the artillery fire and single-handedly slaughtered all the Celestial Ranking assassins ambushing them above the canyon. Meanwhile, Vermilion Bird followed closely behind, carrying the unconscious Xuanwu. In the end, to allow Vermilion Bird and Xuanwu to escape first, Ye Xuan stayed behind alone to stall the men from the Celestial Ranking.

After Vermilion Bird successfully broke out with Xuanwu, the old chief immediately led his men back to provide backup. But upon their return, aside from a field of corpses, there was no sign of Ye Xuan. After searching for three days and three nights, the old chief finally had no choice but to give up. He returned to the military headquarters with White Tiger’s body.

It could be said that White Tiger died to save Xuanwu. In countless dreams, Xuanwu would return to that battlefield, and White Tiger would die in his dreams over and over again. This had become Xuanwu’s inner demon.

"Vermilion Bird! That’s enough!" Seeing Xuanwu’s expression growing increasingly unstable, Ye Xuan quickly scolded Vermilion Bird and tried to pacify Xuanwu. "Xuanwu, calm down. Stop thinking about those things."

Ye Xuan wanted to place a hand on Xuanwu’s shoulder, but the moment his fingers brushed against the man, Xuanwu seemed to go mad and unexpectedly lashed out at him with heavy blows.

Ye Xuan was horrified and utterly shocked. Hadn’t Xuanwu’s Martial Arts been completely crippled? Why was he able to unleash such formidable power right now?

The old chief and Vermilion Bird were equally astounded, wondering what exactly was going on.

Looking at Xuanwu’s bloodshot eyes, Ye Xuan temporarily pushed his doubts to the back of his mind and focused on neutralizing Xuanwu’s attacks. The old chief’s office was spacious, but it still wasn’t enough for the two of them to exchange blows freely. Moreover, to avoid hurting his friend, Ye Xuan didn’t dare use his full strength. It took a Herculean effort before Ye Xuan finally managed to subdue the berserk Xuanwu.

By this time, the old chief’s guard had fetched a sedative from the research and development department. It took a full syringe before Xuanwu slowly quieted down and fell into a deep sleep on the sofa.

"Where’s Professor Zhang? Go call him over to see what’s wrong with Xuanwu!" the old chief said to his guard, frowning at Xuanwu asleep on the sofa.

Soon, Professor Zhang rushed over. He had his men carry Xuanwu to the research institute and gave him a full-body checkup.

"This... this guy is just... sigh..." Professor Zhang’s face was filled with shock as he stared at the medical report in his hands. His gaze toward Xuanwu was incredibly complicated.

"Professor Zhang, what on earth is going on? Didn’t you say Xuanwu’s Martial Arts were completely crippled? He clearly just exchanged hundreds of moves with Ye Xuan," the old chief asked him urgently.