Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

The city bathed in sunlight has a bright and cheerful feel.

The girl entered the coffee shop where they were supposed to meet and immediately spotted Zhou Xun sitting in the corner. She smiled slightly, took off her sunglasses, and slowly walked towards Zhou Xun.

Zhou Xun, who had been staring at the gate, naturally saw the girl. As she watched the girl walk towards her with a smile, Zhou Xun became slightly flustered, and a faint blush immediately crept onto her face.

The girl's smile grew even brighter. She walked to Zhou Xun's side and extended her slender hand to him: "Hello, Zhou Zhou, I'm Echo!"

"Hello, I'm Zhou Zhou!" Zhou Xun quickly wiped her hands on her clothes, shook hands lightly with Echo, and her face turned even redder.

Zhou Xun rarely interacts with girls, so she doesn't need to act out this shyness at all.

"You... seem shy!" Echo sat down naturally opposite Zhou Xun. "You look different from the photos!"

The two had already exchanged photos via email. Zhou Xun sent Echo a photo of herself wearing a military shirt, but at the time she was dressed in civilian clothes.

"Is that so..." Zhou Xun seemed increasingly flustered, unsure how to answer the question.

Echo chuckled: "You're much more handsome in person than in photos!"

"Really? Thank you! Thank you for the compliment!" Zhou Xun lowered her head in a panic, trying to take a sip of coffee to hide her shock, but the scalding coffee burned her lips, causing Echo to cover her mouth and laugh for a while.

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure."

"It's okay, aren't you going to buy me a coffee?" Echo asked calmly, looking intently at Zhou Xun.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm a little nervous! Here's the menu, you can order whatever you like to drink, it's on me!" Zhou Xun pushed the menu off the table with her head down.

Echo smiled playfully again, picked up the menu and looked at it carefully. At this moment, a trace of reluctance flashed through her heart. The Zhou Zhou in front of her was clearly a pure and innocent young man.

Echo is very beautiful, and she is always surrounded by all kinds of men. She has seen too many men to count.

Echo was certain that Zhou Xun's shyness was genuine and that she possessed a particularly clean and bright aura, which greatly increased Echo's positive impression of her.

However, there was no other way. Echo was very clear about her identity and mission, and knew what she should do next. Someone like her could not easily fall in love.

Pity.

Thinking of this, Echo glanced at Zhou Xun again over the menu, as if she wanted to keep this moment in her mind forever.

At this moment, Zhou Xun sighed inwardly. From the moment Echo stepped through the door, Zhou Xun had felt a strong sense of goodwill towards her.

Seeing the real person and seeing the photos are completely different feelings. This good feeling comes inexplicably, yet it is very real.

Echo spent about 5 minutes looking through the menu from beginning to end, and finally ordered a cappuccino and a tiramisu.

During the waiting period, Echo kept observing Zhou Xun, while Zhou Xun kept her head down, blushing, and didn't say a word.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

It wasn't until the waiter brought Echo's order that Echo finally spoke up again:

"Let's get to know each other again. My surname is Xu, my given name is Xu Zhen, and Echo is my online name. I'm actually from Haixi, and I only moved to Honggang with my parents a few years ago."

"My real name is Zhou Zhou. The second Zhou isn't the surname Zhou, but the Zhou in 'rowing against the current'..."

"Going against the current!" Xu Zhen couldn't help but laugh again. "Why say going against the current? Isn't it better to work together in the same boat?"

"I...I don't know either..."

Zhou Xun and Xu Zhen started chatting, or more accurately, Zhou Xun began telling her story under Xu Zhen's prompting.

An Xiaohai helped him write this story, which tells the story of a young man from the countryside who joined the army full of hope, but was repeatedly subjected to various injustices, bullying and oppression, which made him gradually begin to hate the army and even hate the world.

Xu Zhen listened quietly to Zhou Xun's outpouring and provided guidance at key moments, helping him to release his emotions.

Xu Zhen's gaze softened. In her view, Zhou Xun's story had many flaws, but it was precisely because of these flaws that Zhou Xun's story became more and more real.

Xu Zhen always remembered the principle her uncle had told her:

When a person is dominated by emotions, they lose a certain degree of rationality and logic. They will view all issues with their own emotions, which will cause a great deviation in their cognition of everything.

For an extreme person, statements with many flaws are often closer to the truth, while those with sound logic are very likely to be lies.

Zhou Xun's current state is clearly close to reality.

This conversation, or rather Zhou Xun's one-sided outpouring, lasted for nearly an hour. After venting her emotions, Zhou Xun appeared somewhat tired, and her eyes seemed a little dazed.

Xu Zhen kept comforting Zhou Xun; her gentle voice and tender tone were indeed very comforting.

Xu Zhen knew very well that communicating with someone like Zhou Xun couldn't solve all his problems at once, nor could it give him a feeling of complete satisfaction. Only in this way could she keep him hooked for a long time and make him sink deeper and deeper into her gentle trap.

So, half an hour later, Xu Zhen took the initiative to say goodbye.

Zhou Xun was clearly still enjoying herself, but because she was tongue-tied and didn't know how to persuade him to stay, Xu Zhen quietly disappeared from the coffee shop while he was rushing to pay the bill.

This made Zhou Xun stand at the cafe entrance for a long time, looking lost and forlorn, before leaving.

Xu Zhen stood in a corner across the street, watching Zhou Xun leave before putting on sunglasses. The sunglasses covered her beautiful eyes, and also seemed to cover up all her emotions.

This goal is a sure thing!

Xu Zhen was very proud, but inexplicably, she also felt a pang of sadness.

Xu Zhen frowned and exhaled sharply, as if trying to quickly dispel this annoying mood.

After walking briskly across two streets, Xu Zhen entered a building, went down to the underground parking lot, got into a brand-new Lamborghini, and then drove away quickly.

-----

Xingfuyuan Community

Zhou Xun dragged her tired body into the corridor. She chatted with Xu Zhen for less than two hours, but it seemed to drain all her strength.

"This is exhausting! It's more tiring than fighting a war..." Zhou Xun felt like her brain was about to explode. "I really don't know how An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu managed to handle it so effortlessly..."

Upon entering the room, Zhou Xun immediately smelled a strong pine scent, knowing that An Xiaohai was tinkering with those circuit boards again.

For the past two months, An Xiaohai has been doing this: either writing programs or soldering circuit boards.

What intrigued Zhou Xun was that the security department also took this very seriously, not only sending him a lot of materials, but also having 1033 and 2797 come over frequently and stay in his room for an entire day.

"It's done! Hahahaha... It's finally done! Haha!" 1033's hearty laughter came from An Xiaohai's room.

Just as Zhou Xun was about to go and see what had happened, An Xiaohai's door was already opened by 1033.

As soon as the door was opened, Zhou Xun heard a strange buzzing sound.

Immediately afterwards, a small, remote-controlled airplane with four propellers flew out of the room with a whoosh and hovered in the middle of the living room in a very peculiar posture.

Zhou Xun was stunned!

------

Xingzhou Garden, Fuhai District, Shenhai City

Xingzhou Garden is very close to the Fuhai Port, making it one of the top choices for Hong Kong residents to buy property in Shenzhen. More than 80% of the residents here are Hong Kong residents.

A tall, white-haired but energetic elderly man walked through the garden in the community toward a residential building. Several Honggang residents who were strolling in the garden greeted him with smiles.

The elderly man is quite well-known in the community. He is said to be a master of Chinese studies and a visiting professor at Hong Kong University. He often travels between various universities to participate in academic exchanges and lectures, so he does not often appear in the community.

The old man returned the greeting politely, but there was a hint of coldness in his politeness.

No one minded this. The old professor was a very nice person, just a bit aloof and unwilling to get to know people deeply, which everyone had long been used to.

The old professor walked into the building, took the elevator to the top floor, and the housekeeper immediately opened the door for him and welcomed him inside.

After the old professor entered the house, he went straight to his room. When he reappeared in the living room, he had transformed into An Zhehao.

"Master!" The butler stood in front of An Zhehao with his head bowed.

"What's wrong?" An Zhehao asked, his brows furrowed slightly, his tone revealing a hint of annoyance.

"Yes, two things have happened that I think I must report to you!" the butler said, taking a deep breath.

"Go ahead and speak, I'm listening."

"The first thing is that news came from Country T that An Xiaohai suddenly got into a conflict with a group of Europeans. They opened fire in the city and engaged in a fierce battle. Both sides suffered heavy losses. In the end, An Xiaohai was seriously injured and was driven into the mountains in northern Country T by the Europeans."

The butler paused here, glanced at An Zhehao's expression, and seeing that it hadn't changed, was about to continue when An Zhehao interrupted him.

"Who relayed the message? Can you be sure?"

"It was transmitted back from the T20, so it can't be completely confirmed."

As you know, we've lost quite a bit of our forces over there. Currently, only T20s, T25s, and T13s are still operational, and we can't perform the same level of precision as before.

"Okay, go on."

"The second thing is that after An Xiaohai disappeared, news came from T country, Y country and Haixi province at the same time that An Xiaohai was rushing back to China and his destination was likely Nancheng City in Haixi province."

Why did he go there? Do you know why?

"I don't know," the butler said, lowering his head. "Our people in Haixi Province are being closely watched by the Security Department and dare not move at all, so we can't effectively obtain intelligence."

"Understood," An Cheol-ho thought for a moment and nodded slightly, "Send C4 and C6 over to investigate the situation."

"Master! C4 and C6 are your Temple Knights!" The butler dared not continue speaking, because An Zhehao had already turned his head and was staring at him.

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away!"

"Tell me as soon as you find out the specific reason."

"yes!"

The butler lowered his head and said, sweating profusely. An Zhehao's gaze was simply too oppressive.

Just then, An Zhehao's phone rang. An Zhehao gritted his teeth and took out the phone, but when he saw the caller ID, the gloom on his face suddenly disappeared.

"Uncle!~" Xu Zhenzhen's call was so sweet it melted your heart.

"What's wrong, my little princess?" An Zhehao's lips curled up uncontrollably.

"I've done two great things again, Uncle, how are you going to reward me?" Xu Zhenzhen said coquettishly on the phone.

"You can reward me however you like, but first tell me, what good deed have you done this time?"

Two things!

First of all, I've found you an excellent candidate. This guy is a special forces soldier in a field unit in South China. Because he comes from a rural background and doesn't have any connections, he was bullied a lot in the army, which caused him to harbor resentment.

I met him today, and it's practically a done deal! But this guy is really outstanding; I'm almost reluctant to hand him over to you!

"Has our little princess taken a liking to him?"

"Would you be angry if I took a liking to him?"

"Of course not. Our little princess is too proud and arrogant. If she finally finds someone she likes, I will wish her well."

"Hmph! I'm not happy!"

"What's wrong now?"

"You should be angry! You don't care about me at all!"

"How is that possible?"

"Why not? I know Uncle too well. If Uncle had feelings for me, he would never allow me to have feelings for another man!"

"But I'm your uncle, how can I expect you to have no other man in your heart?"

"Exactly! You can't fool me!"

"Alright, stop being so petty. This is a great achievement."

This person sounds very good. If we can win him over, we can use him right away, saving us the trouble of training. Our little princess is really amazing!

Is there one more thing? Is it also good news like this?

"Hmph, you're just changing the subject, I'm not happy!"

"Alright, Uncle will make it up to you. Let's get down to business."

"Hmph! I've been running around with the inspection team these past few days, and I unexpectedly heard some news in Haixi Province!"

"What news?"

"Someone is plotting against An Xiaohai!"

"When did this happen? How did you get the news? Didn't I warn you? You must never do anything dangerous, why didn't you listen?!"

"Haha, it happened yesterday."

I overheard one of Kang Jiaxiang's trusted subordinates; they were plotting to lure An Xiaohai to Nancheng City to eliminate him. And it seems An Xiaohai has already fallen into the trap.

"How is this possible?" An Zhehao frowned deeply. "Who are they conspiring with? Did you hear what they said?"

"Of course I heard it. The person who conspired with them was the organizer of this expedition."

"Someone from Jingxi Industry?"

"Yes, I have investigated, and the boss behind Jingxi Industry is not simple at all!"

This man's surname is Chen, and his name is Chen Maogan. He is the white glove of the Party Secretary of Haixi Province. He has been helping him with oil and energy transactions in the Middle East and has made a lot of money for him over the years.

Moreover, this Chen Maogan also has a group of very capable people under his command, especially some people from the Middle East who are very brave and good at fighting!

Last time, Zhan Weiting, Kang Lianhai and the others had a conflict with An Xiaohai. If it weren't for Chen Maogan's help, they would have been wiped out by An Xiaohai long ago.

It was because of that incident that Chen Maogan and An Xiaohai became enemies. His villa was bombed, and several of his capable henchmen were killed, including two from the Middle East.

So this time they joined forces to lure An Xiaohai over and kill him.

"Can all these details be confirmed?"

"It's pretty much confirmed. I contacted the little turtle, and he told me that Hermes seems to have been involved in this ambush plan. His Templar Knights are currently converging on the southern city, and there's no doubt about it."

"Who told you to contact the little turtle? Didn't I tell you not to contact him unless absolutely necessary? He's our only remaining connection in the abyss!"

"Hmph, I just took it upon myself to do it! I was the one who released the little turtle. If you think I did something wrong, then come and hit me!"

……

"Alright, I'll let it go this time, but don't let it happen again!"

"Hehehe..."

……

"Stop being childish, and stop taking unnecessary risks. Now, you're going back to Red Harbor right now!"

"Alright, I'm going back to Honggang then. When will you come to see me again, Uncle?"

I'll come see you soon.

"You're lying again!"

"I'm not lying to you, things on my end should be completely finished soon. Then I'll come to Red Harbor to find you, and we'll take you to realize your dream. We'll travel around the world together."

"Really? I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it! Uncle is lying again!"

"Okay, I lied. Be a good girl and go back to Red Harbor right now!"

"Okay, I'll head back now. Remember me!"

"I'll miss you. Bye."

"Oh, right, there's one last thing. Jingxi Industry's purified water project is worth investing in. As long as they don't make any mistakes, they're sure to successfully list on Hong Kong Stock Exchange. If we invest now, we can make a fortune!"

"Okay, I understand. This is entirely up to you."

"Alright, goodbye Uncle! *kiss*"

An Zhehao hung up the phone, tossed it aside, and frowned as he pondered.

"This is getting more and more interesting... Is this coming for me?... Who exactly are you? And where are you?... This time, it seems a little different..."

After pondering for an unknown amount of time, An Zhehao finally came to his senses, and the butler who had been standing beside him immediately straightened up.

"Gather all our remaining manpower, including all the Templar Knights, and head to South City."

"Master!" The butler was startled.

"Hmph, Aldrich set up such a grand scheme to lure me in, how could I not give him face? He dares to covet my territory, then he'd better be prepared to pay the price!"

"But Master..."

"Galava, you've been with me for 10 years, haven't you?"

"Yes, Master," the butler bowed his head even lower.

"Thank you, thank you for everything you've done for me."

"Master!" Galawa was terrified and abruptly looked up at An Zhehao. All these years, An Zhehao had never once said thank you to him!

This is clearly abnormal.

An Zhehao smiled slightly: "I am no longer Nemesis, so you don't need to treat me like before."

"No, my master, in Galawa's heart, you will always be my most worshipped true god!"

Call ~

An Zhehao let out a long breath: "There are no real gods in this world, we are all just people. Gods do not exist, they only live in stories, in people's imaginations."

Praying to God is useless; it's better to rely on yourself!

Galawa, thank you for always thinking of me, but now, carry out my order and immediately gather everyone to go to South City.

Take them and tell Hermes and his temple knights whose territory this is!

"Yes, my master!" Galava clutched his chest and retreated.