After being chosen by the Ice Queen

Frosty Moon Tea House, early morning.

The urgent encrypted communication jolted Chiba Rin awake from her light sleep. When she finished listening to the brief report delivered with a trembling, desperate tone on the other end of the headset, she felt as if she had been instantly frozen, frozen on the tatami mat.

Father is dead? Assassinated by that bastard Kito Hao...? The Dark Crow was taken? The other two leaders launched a full-scale attack simultaneously?

Every word felt like a poisoned icicle piercing her heart. After a brief silence came a fury and a chilling despair that nearly destroyed her reason. She slammed her fist on the low table beside her, the hard wooden surface cracking instantly.

"Ghost Head—Hao—!" The name burst from between clenched teeth, filled with boundless hatred.

It wasn't an accident, nor was it a death from illness; it was a premeditated murder and power grab. And she, paralyzed by the other party's feigned weakness and abandonment of the smiling Buddha, failed to foresee this final act of madness.

The image of her mother's gruesome death and her father's cold, lifeless body overlapped wildly in her mind. It was him again. Ten years ago, he was suspected of orchestrating her mother's car accident; ten years later, he had personally taken her father's life. Old grudges and new hatreds—she would settle this score now!

"Young Master!" Hurried, suppressed footsteps echoed outside the teahouse. Her few core subordinates, their faces filled with panic and anger, cried out. "Multiple of our bases have been attacked simultaneously, suffering heavy losses! Nakamura and Nishio's men are acting like madmen! And...and the 'Hidden Crow' has appeared!"

Chiba Rin forcibly suppressed the metallic taste in her throat, forcing herself to detach from the immense emotional shock. Now was not the time to break down. She was Chiba Rin, Chiba Rin who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Contract the defenses, abandon all outer outposts, and concentrate everyone in the core area of ​​'Tsubaki-saka'!" Her voice was hoarse from extreme suppression, yet it carried a resolute coldness. "Contact Uncle Zai and tell him that Kito Gou killed the mastermind. I want him to immediately state his position and provide all available financial and intelligence support. Otherwise, the first to be dealt with are the fence-sitters!"

"Furthermore," her eyes flashed with a chilling light, "find Gu Yan. Immediately!"

Almost at the same time, near the Yukihira Ramen restaurant.

Gu Yan had just finished a brief meditation and was carefully polishing the longsword given to him by Chiba Rin. He had already had it reforged and refitted. Suddenly, a slight burning sensation came from the Traveler's Mark on his chest. It wasn't a system notification, but rather some kind of... premonition of danger? It was [Danger Sense] issuing a spontaneous warning!

Immediately afterwards, an unusual commotion arose in the distance outside the window, vaguely mixed with roars, clanging metal, and sporadic, quickly suppressed screams. Several streetlights seemed to go out as well, adding an ominous air to the already dark street before dawn.

There was a light, rapid knocking on the wooden door of the ramen shop. Gu Yan gripped his sword, stood up, and walked to the door.

"It's me, Liuli." A girl's low voice came from outside the door, with a hint of urgency that was barely perceptible.

Gu Yan opened the door. Liu Li slipped inside, still dressed in dark clothing that allowed for easy movement, but her breathing was slightly disordered, and she carried a faint smell of gunpowder and blood.

"Something's happened." She spoke succinctly, her cold face showing an unprecedented gravity. "Kitou Gou killed the old leader, took control of 'Hidden Crow,' and launched a full-scale war in conjunction with two other leaders. The young lady orders you to immediately go to the old warehouse in Tsubasa-saka 3-chome; that's our final meeting point."

Gu Yan's pupils contracted slightly. The situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse. With the old team leader dead and the enemy's strength surging, Chiba Rin was now in dire straits.

"It's not safe here either," Ruri glanced at the Yukihira grandfather and grandson who had been startled awake and were looking over nervously inside the shop. "Kitou Gou's men will soon be cleaning up all the areas that might be connected. You'd better leave immediately and go somewhere safe."

The old man nodded silently, held his granddaughter Miki's hand tightly, and looked at Gu Yan with a worried expression in his eyes.

Gu Yan knew Liu Li was right. He quickly said to the old man, "Grandpa, take Meiji to find a safe place to stay temporarily. You can keep this money." He stuffed some cash into the old man's hand.

"Gu Jun, you..." Miki looked at him with concern.

"I'm fine." Gu Yan gave her a reassuring look, then turned to Liu Li, "Let's go."

The two had barely rushed out of the ramen shop when four dark figures suddenly appeared from the alley ahead. Their movements were swift and silent, each wielding a short knife advantageous for close-quarters combat. Their eyes were as cold as machines—they were the assassins of the Dark Raven! They had indeed begun their clearing and search.

Without further ado, the killing began the moment they met!

Liuli moved like smoke, striking first. Two ninja short swords drew deadly arcs as she met two of them, attempting to create an opening for Gu Yan.

Gu Yan's eyes narrowed, knowing there was no room for retreat now. He took a deep breath, his enhanced physique granting him explosive speed, and his level 42 swordsmanship mastery making his movements fluid and precise. His longsword was drawn, a flash of cold light, aimed straight at the throat of the oncoming assassin.

The assassin reacted extremely quickly, parrying with his short knife while his other hand mysteriously pulled out a small pistol from his waist! But Gu Yan's [Sense of Danger] gave him a slight warning in advance. The moment the other party pulled the trigger, he slightly deflected the short knife with his sword tip, and at the same time, his body slid to the side by a hair's breadth. The bullet flew past his ribs, and the scorching air made his skin tighten.

He couldn't give him a second chance! Gu Yan pushed off with his feet, his body twisting forward again. His longsword changed from a thrust to a parry, moving upwards at an even faster speed. The assassin was forced to retreat, but Gu Yan followed closely, his sword flashing as he unleashed a ruthless twisting motion, the blade binding the opponent's short knife before he suddenly exerted force.

"Clang!" The short knife was snatched away. A hint of horror finally flashed in the assassin's eyes. He abandoned the knife and retreated, simultaneously reaching into his robes as if to retrieve another weapon. Gu Yan was not about to give him another chance. He took a step forward, and his longsword transformed into a straight, cold light, thrusting out with lightning speed!

"puff!"

The sword tip pierced the assassin's chest with pinpoint accuracy. But at the very moment of penetration, Gu Yan's mind stirred, and he attempted to guide a wisp of the Yin Corrosive Power within his body, which had been initially tamed, to travel along the blade.

The assassin's body trembled violently. Instead of gushing out a large amount of blood from his wound, it turned gray and cold at a visible speed, as if his life force was being rapidly drained away by something cold and sinister. His face instantly turned ashen, his eyes quickly became unfocused, and he collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.

Success! But Gu Yan also felt that the sealed Orochi core within his body seemed to tremble as if ice were cracking as this power was mobilized. A cold and violent will tried to surge back into his consciousness through the connection of the power, instantly bringing a bloodthirsty desire.

A chill ran through him. He immediately withdrew his power, forcibly severing the connection and suppressing the tremor deep within the seal. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. This power was useful, but its side effects were extremely dangerous.

On the other side, Liuli had also dealt with her two opponents with clean and efficient movements, but her breathing was more rapid, clearly indicating that she had expended considerable energy. Seeing the situation was dire, the remaining assassin turned and disappeared into the darkness without hesitation.

"Go!" Liuli shouted in a low voice, without even glancing at the corpse on the ground.

Gu Yan sheathed his sword, glanced one last time in the direction of the ramen shop, and sped away with Liuli.