The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

Zhang Heng had a thousand words churning in his heart.

There are countless "whys" I want to ask.

But when the words reached his lips, they came out as something that even he himself found inexplicable.

"Why...why haven't you guys left work yet?"

Captain Li was clearly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Zhang Heng to ask such a question.

"ha?"

He immediately realized what was happening and burst into hearty laughter, breaking the tense atmosphere in the alley.

"Haha, I'm used to it."

Captain Li patted his clothes: "Besides, we don't have the concept of leaving get off work; it's all about mission completion."

Mission accomplished...

Zhang Heng felt as if something had gently bumped into his heart.

On a whim, almost without thinking, he spoke again.

"Does this mean that if I never give you an answer, you'll stay forever?"

He was stunned as soon as he said it.

This sounds like a child pleading with their father.

it is ridiculous.

What gives him the right?

Others have their own families too.

But if...

Captain Li suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhang Heng by the neck.

Her arm hung naturally over his shoulder, and she pulled him closer to her.

He said irritably, "You brat, you're not allowed to mess with your older brother like that, you hear me!"

The sudden closeness caused Zhang Heng's muscles to tense up instantly.

His first instinct was to break free.

too close.

This kind of unguarded, intimate, and well-intentioned physical contact felt terrifyingly foreign to him.

However, the warmth from that arm and the undeniable protective gesture made him reluctant to push it away.

For nineteen years, this has been the only person besides my mother.

The first person to whom he showed kindness and closeness without any reservations.

Captain Li seemed oblivious to his stiffness, and simply turned to his soldiers to give orders.

"Take all of them away; I'll interrogate them personally when we get back!"

"yes!"

The soldiers swiftly grabbed the thugs from the ground and prepared to take them away.

Huang Mao, seeing the truth in those people's hands, was already so frightened that he was crying and spitting tears.

He knew he had kicked a hornet's nest this time, and one that could crush him to pieces.

He suddenly looked up and shouted sternly in Zhang Heng's direction.

"Zhang Heng! Zhang Heng! You need to explain to them! We're friends, we were just joking around!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" another tall, thin guy quickly chimed in, "We're friends! It was just a joke, you should explain for your friend!"

friend?

Zhang Heng's body trembled slightly.

Before he could speak, Captain Li, who was holding him, had already snorted coldly.

That snort carried undisguised contempt and anger.

"What friends? You guys?"

"You dare to challenge me?!"

"Take them all!"

The last four words were spoken with resounding force.

A group of people came in a great hurry and left in a great hurry.

Only the dim streetlights and two long shadows remained in the alley.

Captain Li released his grip on Zhang Heng, and the cold wind blowing through the alley instantly sobered Zhang Heng up.

He glanced at the clear five-finger mark on Zhang Heng's face, but asked nothing. He simply took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one for himself.

A bluish-white mist drifted between the two of them.

"It's so late, have you eaten yet?"

Zhang Heng shook his head.

"no."

Captain Li took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, the smoke blurring the outline of his face.

"Want some barbecue and beer?"

Zhang Heng had never eaten barbecue, let alone drunk alcohol.

But at that moment, he nodded as if possessed.

......

Inside a closed room.

Unlike the dimness of the alley, it was as bright as day here.

On the huge screen wall, dozens of real-time monitoring screens were divided, capturing every side of Zhang Heng.

In the very center, on the largest screen, the image of Captain Li and Zhang Heng walking towards the barbecue stall was clearly playing.

The image quality was so high that even the wrinkles on Zhang Heng's faded old clothes were clearly visible.

Chi Zhengyang and Elder An sat side by side in front of the control panel, watching quietly.

Through the synchronously transmitted images, they could clearly see every subtle expression on Zhang Heng's face.

They could clearly hear every word of the conversation between Zhang Heng and Captain Li, and even distinguish the subtle tremor in Zhang Heng's breathing.

Old Man An closed his eyes, seemingly unable to bear watching an innocent child being so easily fooled.

Chi Zhengyang didn't move at all and said calmly, "I already told you, you didn't have to come. I really don't understand why you still came along."

Old An took a deep breath, his expression a mixture of self-deprecation and anger.

"Alright, are you finally satisfied?"

"No......"

Chi Zhengyang shook his head, denying it decisively.

"This is just the first step."

His fingers tapped lightly on the cold control panel, producing a rhythmic, soft sound that complemented his steady tone.

"In the days to come, I will gradually deepen the bond between him and our warriors."

"Until, even if he finds out in the future that it was all fake, he will choose to pretend he knows nothing because he is afraid of losing it."

Old An suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Chi Zhengyang's profile.

"What exactly do you want?!"

Chi Zhengyang finally managed to look away from the screen. He turned around and met Old Master An's angry question.

His reaction was calm, so calm it sent chills down your spine.

"Every human being has weaknesses."

"Money, beautiful women, power—these are not what he needs most."

Chi Zhengyang's analysis was calm and precise, like dissecting a sophisticated instrument rather than talking about a living person.

"What Zhang Heng needs most right now is to be seen, recognized, and protected."

"But precisely because of this, it is the easiest thing to satisfy."

Old Master An was so shocked by his remarks that he was speechless. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He had never seen Chi Zhengyang like this before.

Calm, rational, yet ruthless to the extreme.

"Aren't you afraid he'll become suspicious? I don't think this child is stupid at all!" Old An's voice was a little dry.

"Suspect?"

Chi Zhengyang seemed to have heard something amusing, and he let out a soft hum.

"So what if I have doubts?"

He leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him, his posture composed.

"What does he have to lose now? A person with nothing has nothing to fear but moving forward."

"Besides, what he truly cares about, I don't need; but what he desperately needs, I can easily provide."

Chi Zhengyang sneered.

"From the very beginning, this was an unequal game, Lao An. If you were in that situation, would you have had a choice?"

Old Master An wanted to retort, but Chi Zhengyang didn't give him a chance to speak, directly interrupting his impending lecture.

"Don't try to reason with me, I won't listen."

"Furthermore, I have never admitted that I am a good person."

"For the sake of the Dragon Kingdom, I will stop at nothing."

Whether it's good or bad, merit or demerit, right or wrong, there will always be people to discern and judge.

Chi Zhengyang stood up, walked to the huge screen wall, and turned his back to Elder An.

The light from the screen shone on him, casting his shadow at Old Man An's feet—huge and oppressive.

"But the prerequisite is that there must be people."

"There have to be living people!"