Chapter 1: Back from the Dead

  The night by the sea is always a bit colder. The stars in the sky are dazzling, as if they were brighter than the diamonds stored in the palace of Gansar. The wind ruffles the window screens, making it even harder to see the distant scenery, which is already blurry. In the distance, the waves crash against the shore rocks, playing a melody that has remained unchanged for millions of years.

  The night is cool as water, but the cold air always manages to keep people a bit more alert.

  Mo Li stood on the second-floor balcony, quietly gazing into the distance. There was a stretch of silvery white beach, with sand that was exceptionally fine and soft. Every time the waves washed over it, the ordinary seaweed sparkled like crystal, radiating dazzling light. In the far distance, there was a small island, where someone stood, quietly waiting for the arrival of dawn. Was he also like Mo Li, calmly thinking about his troubles in the darkness of night?

  No, he won't.

  Mo Li smiled self-deprecatingly, someone like him wouldn't have any worries. Even if he did, it would never affect himself in the slightest. He wouldn't change his mood because of something, what he wanted was a cold-blooded killer, not someone who acted on emotions.

  And what about myself? How long has it been since I've felt as calm as I do today?

  It's been a long time, since the day she lost her parents, Mo Li's world was destined to never be calm again. The disaster 15 years ago made a cheerful and lively little girl become silent and taciturn, even though on the surface she looked calm as water, with an icy face, but in fact, her heart had been screaming all along.

  Even if she trained bitterly, no one had ever seen a hint of displeasure on her face. Even when the enemy's blood splattered onto her body during missions, no one had ever seen a flicker of excitement in her eyes. She, Mo Li. The first golden female assassin of Lie Yan Alliance, always possessed a calm mind and agile movements.

  Inside this icy body, there is a heart that never gives up, shouting silently. The voice that only she can hear in her heart is the driving force for her to keep living. Everything else may be calm, but not her heart.

  But tonight will be different.

  Maybe it was the exceptionally good weather tonight, or maybe it was because the 15-year-old feud had finally come to an end. Mo Li's restless heart suddenly calmed down in this moonlit night, so calm that even she herself felt unbelievable.

  Just as Mo Li was immersed in her own thoughts, a faint sound suddenly came from behind her. Although the voice was very light, years of battlefield experience made Mo Li react quickly, and she swiftly turned around with her hand on the gun at her waist. Just as she opened the safety and pointed the gun at the person, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in her ear.

  "Hey, it's me." Feng Er raised both hands, with a playful expression, as if he wasn't worried about the other person's gun at all.

  "Wind?" As soon as he saw the person coming, Mo Li quickly put away his gun and returned it to his waist, then seemed to ignore the newcomer and went back onto the balcony.

  If there's anyone in this world that Mo Li can rely on and trust, then Feng Er is definitely one of them. They've grown up together since they were young, training, eating, sleeping together, inseparable. Even when going out on missions, they're the best partners. Over the years, they've been through thick and thin, sharing life and death, so seeing her arrive doesn't feel unexpected to Mo Li at all. At this critical moment, having her best friend by her side makes her happy.

  The wind seemed to have also gotten used to Mo Li's indifference, and followed him without a care: "Are you really going tomorrow?" This matter was like a huge boulder, pressing tightly on Feng Er's heart, making it hard for her to breathe. Just thinking about the life-and-death battle between Mo Li and that person made her feel like someone had their hands around her throat, and even breathing became a luxury.

  "It's settled, nothing can change it." Mo Li lit a cigarette, holding it between his fingers but not taking a puff, the smoke swirling around him made his expression even more solemn. Fifteen years of grudges were about to come to an end, regardless of who won or lost, there would be a conclusion. For himself and for his deceased parents, he could finally have some closure.

  "Mo Li, he... after all is our leader, if not for him, we might have died long ago." Feng Er didn't understand why everything came so suddenly, she wasn't prepared to accept such news.

  Under the moonlight, Mo Li turned his head to look at Feng Er and said faintly: "Then I'd rather be dead." Yes, if he had died fifteen years ago, things wouldn't be so complicated now.

  At this time, she was still calm, as if no emotions could be captured on her face, but the wind near her easily detected that her breath was disordered. What was hidden in her eyes was not just hatred.

  She still cared about it after all.

  "Baby, I know that nothing can... shake your determination, it's just that I'm really conflicted right now." Feng'er lowered her head, trying not to let Mo Li see the tears in her eyes.

  The wind seemed to have a hidden meaning in its sound, Mo Li turned around and looked at her, waiting for her next words.

  The wind watched this good friend and partner in crime who had grown up together since childhood, and suddenly felt that she didn't understand her. She knew that this girl named Mo Li still had too many things weighing on her shoulders. For the past fifteen years, everything she had brought to the people around her was a disguise, and no one could see through her inner heart.

  "Don't you want to tell me something?" There was a probing tone in her voice, she really wanted to know why, why the two most important people for her would end up like this today?

  Mo Li let out a sigh, thought for a moment, and said helplessly: "Feng Er, do you know? Today is the most peaceful night I've felt in 15 years. Fifteen years ago, my parents were killed in a conspiracy, both of them died in front of me when I was only six years old. Do you know how that feels? Painful, helpless, confused, and scared... I didn't even know if I could survive. But this kind of survival is meaningless, there's no happiness, no hope. There's only pain, and the nightmares every night."

  "Everyone here actually bears hatred... " She tried to comfort her, and didn't want to make the final move unless absolutely necessary.

  "Wind, you don't understand." Mo Li interrupted her: "I'm different from all of you. Although I was also rescued by the leader, 15 years ago, he personally killed my beloved parents. He is the enemy who killed my father and mother."

  "Oh, God." The wind was somewhat incredulous. No wonder, no wonder Mo Li said this was a knot that couldn't be untied.

  "I still remember the scene back then, he was driving a black car and blocked our way on the mountain road. I watched as he pointed his black gun at my father and shot him in the forehead, do you know what that feels like? My mom was holding me, shaking all over. I was really scared, I was even too afraid to cry. When the gun was pointed at my mother, I saw her pupils dilate involuntarily, blood splattered all over me, do you know what that feels like? I don't know why he didn't kill me and instead brought me back, but for these 15 years, I've been thinking day and night about how to kill him, so I won't give up." Mo Li took a deep breath and patted her friend's shoulder. The tacit understanding between them was enough to convey the meaning behind it.

  No wonder Mo Li was a killer, always hitting his target with one shot between the eyebrows. It turns out there's such a story behind it.

  "Mo Li, our skills were all taught by him, you can't kill him." He understood everyone here, but they didn't understand him. This was a battle without suspense.

  Mo Li didn't say a word, her eyes fixed firmly on the distance, where they had agreed to meet.

  The wind knows that as long as Mo Li makes up her mind, no one can change her.

  Don't leave, don't blame me. Although you can't kill him, he will definitely die, die in your hands, and he is probably willing to do so.

  Just as Mo Li was about to turn around and leave, she suddenly felt a hint of danger behind her. In the instant she became aware of it, her body quickly made an evasive reaction, but it was still half a beat too late.

  Mo Li only felt a familiar gunshot sound ringing in her ears, this sound she was all too familiar with, the Walther P99 equipped with a silencer...

  Mo Li only felt a heat in her chest, and it was clear that she had been hit. If the shooter were someone else, this shot would not have hit her vital spot. But this shooter knew all of her escape routes, and this shot was very accurate.

  Mo Lian couldn't help but smile wryly. She hadn't expected that she would die in such a situation, not dying on the job or at his hands, this person...

  "Wind, you always have your reasons, let me die with a clear conscience!" Mo Li found that she was now almost out of breath even to speak.

  "Sorry, Mo Li, he can't die. I love him, I've loved him from the start, but he's never loved me, he only loves you. I won't let him die, so you have to die." The next moment, Feng Er's face suddenly twisted, she raised her gun again without hesitation, aiming at Mo Li's forehead...

  Just as she was about to press the shutter, Mo Li suddenly pulled out a small flying knife from his waist and threw it at Feng Er with all his might...

  When someone puts you on the edge of death, even if it's death, you have to pull him together. This is a rule that everyone in the alliance knows, and years of cultivation make Mo Li almost subconsciously take action.

  The gunshot had not yet sounded, but Feng's body fell straight back, her eyes wide with anger and unbelief, filled with resentment and regret. Why did the three of them end up like this today?

  "What's the point of both of us getting hurt?!" Mo Li covered his chest and said: "Originally, I didn't plan on letting him die either. Feng Er, on the battlefield, I can turn my back to your gun muzzle, unconditionally trusting you. Why don't you trust me in matters of the heart? How could I possibly let the person we both deeply love die at my hands..."

  Night, still calm.