Start with push-ups to gain experience

"Clap."

The colored pencil in my hand snapped with a crisp sound.

The starlight in Lin Chuqiao's eyes instantly faded, returning to its original black and white clarity.

Ignoring the paint stains on her hands, she stared intently at the newly completed painting on the table, her face appearing somewhat pale.

This is what she insists on doing every day—divining Fang Cheng's fortune.

Ever since she learned of the threat to the "ideal land," especially the existence of that mysterious leader, she has never let her guard down.

No matter how confident Fang Cheng appeared, she couldn't truly feel at ease.

Therefore, every morning after getting up, she would routinely use her predictive abilities.

Even if it's just a glimpse into the future, it can provide an early warning, giving Fang Cheng more time to prepare.

But most of the previous images were blurry or just trivial fragments of life.

But this painting today...

Apartment building, explosion, chase, jumping off a building.

This was clearly a life-or-death struggle taking place on Old Factory Street!

"Is danger already imminent...?"

Lin Chuqiao murmured to herself, her fingers gently tracing the figure of the man in the picture, her eyes filled with worry.

The rough texture of the paper under my fingertips made me feel as if I could sense the scorching flames and suffocating urgency in the painting.

This made her breathing quicken slightly.

But Lin Chuqiao did not allow herself to dwell on this unease for too long.

As the "housekeeper" of the Illuminati, and more importantly, as the woman behind him, now is not the time to panic.

Lin Chuqiao took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

He then grabbed his phone from the table, unlocked the screen, and began typing rapidly on the keyboard.

Even a vague warning, or even just a few hours' advance notice, can be the key to turning the tide in a life-or-death situation.

"We must tell Fang Cheng immediately!"

The moment the call connected, a slightly heavy breathing sound came from the receiver.

There also seemed to be a soft sound in the background of some kind of metal instrument returning to its place.

"Hello, Chu Qiao?"

Fang Cheng's voice was steady and powerful, carrying the warmth of someone who had just finished a high-intensity workout.

Lin Chuqiao's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped her phone.

Hearing that familiar voice, her heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, eased slightly, but her throat felt as if it were blocked by cotton.

The words "be careful" that were on the tip of my tongue couldn't be uttered for a moment.

"……it's me."

She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound less trembling:
"So early, I hope I didn't disturb your rest?"

"No, I just finished a training session."

On the other end of the phone, Fang Cheng seemed to sense something and picked up the towel hanging around his neck to wipe the sweat from his face.

He paused, then quickly dropped the lightness in his tone and casually asked:
"Your voice sounds off... Is something wrong?"

Lin Chuqiao gave a wry smile; as expected, nothing could be hidden from him.

"Brother Cheng, you must listen to me calmly from what I'm about to say."

Her gaze fell once more on the shocking painting on the table. She steadied herself before speaking in a low voice:
“I just made another prediction, not a vague feeling, but a very clear picture.”

"The situation shown in the footage is very dangerous. The location is the tenement building where you live on Jiuchang Street. There was a violent explosion there, with flames shooting into the sky, thick smoke billowing, and the entire floor being overturned."

"I saw you in the fire, being chased, and you jumped off the rooftop..."

By the end, her voice had become tinged with barely concealed anxiety:

"Brother Cheng, Utopia may have tracked us down. It's not safe there anymore. Can you not go back tonight? Or... just move in with me?"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

A few seconds later, Fang Cheng's voice rang out again:

"Don't panic."

"Chu Qiao, tell me every detail you saw."

Fang Cheng's calm and steady tone carried a reassuring power, instantly calming Lin Chuqiao on the other end of the phone.

She frowned, staring at the drawing paper on the table, and carefully recalled:
"I saw flames everywhere, you were running wildly on the rooftop, then you jumped off, with a man's figure right behind you..."

Lin Chuqiao spoke slowly, carefully choosing her words, striving to recount the scene she had seen without omitting anything.

This includes the fighting process, the intensity of the explosion, and the damage and impact on the surrounding environment.

Fang Cheng listened quietly, his dark pupils remaining completely unmoved.

It was as if the person Lin Chuqiao described, who was being hunted down and in deep danger, was not herself.

He held his phone in his hand, gazing at the scenery outside the window, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes.

Explosions, chases, jumping off buildings.

It seems that the "ideal world's" counterattack came faster and was much more ruthless than expected.

These people actually dared to make a move in the middle of the city and create such a commotion.

Could it be that they are confident they can eliminate the subsequent impact and resist the investigation by the Xia Kingdom's government and special search team?
"Chu Qiao, in the footage you saw, what did the person who attacked me look like? Did they have any specific facial features?"

Fang Cheng thought for a moment and immediately grasped the key point.

"Specific features? I can only make out a little bit..."

Lin Chuqiao frowned, trying hard to recall, her tone somewhat annoyed:
"The scene showed nighttime, and the person's figure was somewhat blurry. In addition, the surrounding flames and thick smoke interfered with my perception."

"I could tell he wasn't tall, he was wearing black clothes, his face was rather thin, and he had a mustache and a mole on his forehead..."

At this point, Lin Chuqiao emphasized her words further, adding:

“Brother Cheng, I can feel that the man’s killing intent is very strong, and... he’s very fast, so fast that even my senses can hardly detect him. He’s been sticking close behind you.”

"Oh, it seems he's not a psychic, but rather an agile assassin-type opponent."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly and pondered in a low voice.

A picture of the enemy quickly formed in his mind.

Then, a second question was raised with clear logic:

"So, what about the specific time? Can you estimate when this will happen?"

"Very close."

Lin Chuqiao answered very confidently this time. She glanced at the broken red pencil in her hand and said in a deep voice:

"The images I saw were very clear, with extremely high color saturation, especially the fire, which was blindingly red in the darkness. I could even tell the direction of the smoke from the wind; it was like watching a live broadcast..."

"Brother Cheng, you know my abilities. The predictions are possibilities along a timeline. The blurrier the image, the further back in time it represents, and the more variables there are."

"The clearer the image and the more realistic the colors, the more it means..."

At this point, Lin Chuqiao paused, unable to say what she was about to say.

"This means that the event is very close to happening, and the probability is almost 100%."

Fang Cheng then picked up where she left off, his tone as calm as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.

"Yes."

Lin Chuqiao sighed, not denying his judgment, but her voice carried a hint of anxiety:
"Based on past experience, this level of clarity indicates that something is imminent and will definitely happen within 24 hours."

"It could even be... tonight."

"Twenty-four hours..."

Fang Cheng repeated the timeline, then chuckled softly. There was no fear in his laughter; instead, it radiated a powerful confidence and a chilling fighting spirit.

"enough."

"Fang Cheng, I'm not joking with you!"

Lin Chuqiao raised her voice slightly, and said somewhat anxiously:
“This time it was really dangerous. It’s obvious that Utopia found your whereabouts and sent people to retaliate against you for ruining their plans.”

"Why don't you take your mother and leave Old Factory Street first, and go somewhere else to hide? As long as you get away from there..."

"it's useless."

Fang Cheng decisively rejected the proposal, his voice calm to the point of being almost cold:

“Since they can find my address, even if I take my mother away from Old Factory Street, I’m afraid I won’t be able to escape their surveillance. Instead, I’ll bring the danger elsewhere and implicate my mother and other relatives.”

"But……"

Lin Chuqiao wanted to persuade him further, but she was speechless for a moment.

She certainly understood that Fang Cheng was right.

Concern can lead to confusion; rational agreement is one thing, but emotional acceptance is another.

"Chu Qiao".

Fang Cheng interrupted her, his tone gentle yet authoritative:

"Predicting the future is not meant to make us feel fear and worry, but to give us time to rewrite it."

"Now that we know the script, let me change the ending."

"Besides, running away is not my style. If this nail is not removed, it will always be hanging over my head. Rather than guarding against thieves for a thousand days, it is better to solve the problem once and for all."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

Lin Chuqiao lowered her head, looking at the painting on the table, her voice filled with self-reproach:
"Brother Cheng, I'm sorry. I made predictions for you several times before, but I didn't see any signs until this morning..."

"I'm so useless. If I had realized it sooner, I could have been better prepared."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng did not offer any words of comfort, but instead raised an eyebrow slightly:

"You were making predictions for me every day before, didn't you sense this danger at all?"

"Yes."

Lin Chuqiao was slightly taken aback, then sighed in frustration:
"The images I perceived before were all peaceful daily life scenes, with nothing unusual."

"I believe in your ability."

Fang Cheng seemed to be deep in thought, and pondered for a moment before saying:
"If we exclude certain interfering factors, this can only mean that the assassin did not plan this for a long time. He may have just found this place by chance or suddenly received orders."

"Because it happened suddenly, and they might even have run into me and their actions would have been exposed, they chose to take action, which is why they didn't leave any traces in the long run."

Lin Chuqiao's eyes lit up:
"You mean... this attack was a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

Fang Cheng did not answer, but asked instead:

Have you seen any other suspicious people around you?

Lin Chuqiao thought for a moment, then gently shook her head:

"No, they all seem to be unimportant passersby. If there were anything unusual around me, I should be able to sense it."

"now it's right."

A cold glint flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes:
"The main characters in the scene are only me and the assassin. Isn't it obvious? The other party clearly did not prepare a meticulous capture plan and acted alone."

"Then I'll send more people to help you!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuqiao suddenly realized what was going on, her tone filled with urgency:

"By the way, Big Hammer and Monkey have arrived in Dongdu. I've told them to head over there immediately to help you."

"Chu Qiao, don't be too nervous."

Fang Cheng chuckled softly, a chilling glint in his eyes:

"Now that I've seen the script in advance, how the play is performed, where it takes place, when it's performed, and with whom it's performed is no longer up to them."

"We now have complete control over the situation."

Lin Chuqiao opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Fang Cheng interrupted her first.

"You just said that in the footage you saw, I jumped down on my own, instead of being knocked down by someone, right?"

Lin Chuqiao paused for a moment, looked at the painting again, examined it carefully, and then nodded:
"Yes. Your posture is very relaxed, as if you are actively avoiding it, not as if you lost your balance and fell."

"Then you should feel more at ease."

Fang Cheng smiled slightly and said calmly:
"This shows that I had room to fight back until the very last moment."

"After all, with my perception abilities, it's impossible for the other party to approach silently. Perhaps I will discover his whereabouts and take the initiative to make a move."

He hesitated for a moment, then gave the order:

"Chu Qiao, do me a favor. Immediately contact Da Chui and Hou Zi to set up surveillance cameras on Jiuchang Street, especially on unfamiliar faces entering and leaving the tenement buildings. Go through them for me, and pay special attention to the man in black who matches your description."

"Since things will happen within a day, the other party should be preparing to scout the area and find out my strengths and weaknesses."

"Okay, I'll send someone over right now."

Lin Chuqiao bit her lip lightly, forcing herself to calm down: "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"That's all. Leave the rest to me."

Fang Cheng paused, then added:
"No matter what noise you hear tonight, don't come over. This is my hunting ground, and I don't want any unexpected events to cause the situation to get out of control."

"Brother Cheng..."

Lin Chuqiao hesitated, her heart filled with worry.

"Believe me."

Fang Cheng's voice softened, yet carried a powerful confidence:
"Whether it's an explosion or an assassination, I will personally reverse and change this timeline. My destiny can only be controlled by myself!"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

After a long while, a sigh from Lin Chuqiao, filled with helplessness yet also trust, finally came:

"Okay... I know I can't dissuade you. But you must promise me that you will be very careful."

“If needed, the professor and I, along with other Illuminati members, are ready to be deployed at any time.”

"Don't worry, I have a measure."

After hanging up the phone, Fang Cheng put it aside, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

He stood on the balcony, the morning sunlight somewhat dazzling, yet unable to penetrate the gloom in his eyes.

Outside the window, the city has fully awakened.

Traffic flowed like a river on the elevated highway in the distance, and the hustle and bustle of the morning rush hour could be faintly heard.

Fang Cheng recalled the thrilling scene described by Lin Chuqiao.

Far from feeling any fear, a surge of irrepressible excitement welled up within him.

It was the instinctive restlessness of a wild beast that smelled blood.

After pondering for a long time, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he vaguely made up his mind.

He then turned and went into the kitchen, opened the freezer, took out a piece of raw beef and threw it into his mouth, chewing as he continued to refine his plan.

Bright red blood splattered between my teeth, carrying a primal, sweet taste.

After replenishing his nutrition, Fang Cheng casually took out a large bottle of chilled mineral water and gulped it all down.

The cold liquid slid down the esophagus into the stomach, making the already calm mind even more alert.

"You want to get revenge on me?"

He wiped his mouth, his tongue sweeping over the bloodstains remaining at the corner of his lips, a bloodthirsty smile curving his lips.

"Let's see who's going to be the aerial acrobat tonight." (End of Chapter)