Translator: CinderTL
In the vast conference room, most people had already left.
On a long sofa to one side sat a man who appeared to be in his early fifties.
The man looked haggard.
However, those around him didn't seem to care at all.
"Calling you here on such short notice was truly a last resort," the man said with a bitter smile. He was the one who had presided over the meeting and was currently the head of the Night Watchers' executive department. "Although I am the nominal head, all decisions must be approved by the council of elders."
Picking up the teacup in front of him, Gong Zhe took a small sip. "Even if you hadn't informed me, I would have come as soon as I found out."
"You're the only one who can handle those old fellows," the man said, leaning back against the sofa with a cup of warm tea in his hand. "But to be honest, sometimes I have nightmares after seeing them. Some of them have lived three times my age and still refuse to die. After a while," he paused, his tone suddenly serious, "they start to look like they've crawled out of hell."
"We're all the same," Gong Zhe said calmly. "We won't die of old age; we'll just be slowly eroded by the curse, turning into the very things we despise the most."
"Like you just said, to kill a devil, you must first become a devil."
The man exhaled deeply, his gaze at Gong Zhe turning grave. They had known each other for a long time and were among the few close friends within the Night Watchers. "If only you hadn't left back then, this position should have been yours," he said with a tone full of regret.
"That incident twenty years ago..."
"Enough," Gong Zhe interrupted immediately, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face.
The man snapped out of his reverie, realizing he had inadvertently brought up a painful memory for his old friend.
"By the way," the man changed the subject, "how are you going to explain to the Xia family about using the ring's authority this time? Xia Yuan, he..."
Hearing this, Gong Zhe turned his head slightly, his gaze at the man carrying a strange expression that the latter couldn't decipher. "No explanation is needed," he said. "This was the Xia family's decision."
"But it wasn't Xia Yuan; it was the young lady of the Xia family, Xia Meng's decision." As if recalling the instructions the girl had given him when she handed over the ring, Gong Zhe slowly straightened his posture, his expression solemn. "She said she would never allow this resolution to be implemented. If it were, how would we be any different from Crimson?"
"We will never abandon the comrades who have shed blood for us. There's no room for negotiation."
"And what if the resolution passes?" the man asked. After all, the Xia family only had one vote, and even with his own, that made only two. They were far from securing a victory.
There was a high possibility of unexpected variables.
And if those variables did appear... what then? The man suddenly became curious about this question, much like his curiosity about the girl he remembered as being quite headstrong. The last time he had seen her was ten years ago.
He instinctively felt that there might be some unexpected answers waiting for him.
Hearing this, the man named Gong Zhe suddenly smiled. He slowly put down his cup and looked into his old friend's eyes. After a long pause, he finally said, "Then we might have to consider finding new allies."
The man was momentarily stunned, then his expression gradually changed, eventually even revealing a hint of coldness.
The night was deep, and the rain outside continued to patter softly.
Gong Zhe walked alone under a black umbrella, heading towards the open-air parking lot.
In a secluded spot above, a black car was parked.
It wasn't a luxury vehicle.
Its appearance was quite understated.
But its performance was formidable, and the money spent on modifications could probably buy a brand-new luxury car. He habitually walked towards the passenger seat.
The driver was waiting for him inside the car.
Pulling open the car door, he glanced at the driver before shifting his gaze back to the rearview mirror.
The driver's head was raised, his face facing forward, completely motionless.
His eyes were closed.
A figure slowly sat up from the back seat.
It was a young man wearing a long black trench coat, completely soaked, with the hem of the coat still dripping water.
This was the trench coat of a Night Watcher, but at the moment, it looked rather disheveled.
Strands of hair, wet from the rain, clung to his face, slightly obscuring his eyes.
But what caught the eye more than these details was the young man's resolute face and the sharp eyebrows at the corners of his eyes.
"How did it go?" the young man asked, his tone restrained, as if he was eager to know something.
"Sss—"
A flame burst from the passenger seat, illuminating a face with a scar on the jaw.
His features were as sharp as if carved by a knife, especially the pair of eyes hidden in the darkness, as sharp as a blade aimed at the forehead.
Gong Zhe struck an old-fashioned long match and lit the cigarette on his lips.
Taking a deep drag from the cigarette between his fingers, he casually tossed the extinguished match aside. The sound of the tobacco burning fiercely became increasingly clear in the confined space.
Seeing Gong Zhe like this, though the young man was filled with anxiety, he didn't press further.
He knew the other man wasn't someone who would go back on his word.
He had fulfilled his request, and the reward would surely satisfy him.
"Did you catch him?" Gong Zhe asked.
"I did," An Xuan replied. "On the road you mentioned, I intercepted him. There was no conflict, and as you instructed, he wasn't harmed."
"Was anyone watching?"
"No, the rain was heavy. The downpour covered everything—sound and sight." After a moment, An Xuan pressed on, "What about what I wanted?"
His voice was low, almost a growl.
"The team sent to snipe Number 4 was taken out. Only one survivor remains, named Wan Yuanning, Class A. Her number has already been erased from the Execution Department's records."
"By the way, she's not dead. Crimson didn't kill her but took her out of the Gate."
"Out of the Gate?" An Xuan frowned. "What about Number 4? How is he?"
"He was severely injured by Wan Yuanning, who forcibly broke her seal. The Gate inside him was almost destroyed, leaving him with half a life."
At this point, Gong Zhe looked at An Xuan in the back seat with interest. From this young man, he caught a familiar scent.
An Xuan instinctively pulled the sleeves of his trench coat down, covering his hands.
"Unless absolutely necessary, I suggest you don't forcibly open the Gate within you. That power comes from the devil, and borrowing it... comes with a price."
An Xuan's expression changed as his thoughts were laid bare.
"Don't be nervous," Gong Zhe rolled down the car window and flicked the ash from his cigarette. "I have no interest in the Gate within you, otherwise you wouldn't have lived until now."
An Xuan knew that what the other person said was true, so he simply let go of his guard. "The thing on you is very attractive to me," he paused, then spoke honestly, "I mean the Gate on you."
(End of the Chapter)
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