Chapter 00138: The Long Night, Part Seven
# The Long Night, Part Seven
Chapter 138
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 138: The Long Night, Part Seven
Alright, this was complete nonsense.
He wasn’t kind enough to point out to his opponent where they had gone wrong.
Even if he couldn’t win, he found it more satisfying to watch his opponent struggle in confusion, unable to find any flaws in their approach.
Indeed, the height, appearance, spiritual fluctuations, and even the aura were all flawless.
No, it was as if it were the real person.
But even if Little An had stopped watching streamer guides and switched to variety shows and dramas, changed his usual shower gel and soap… there was no way he could have changed the matrix, right?
And ever since the mission began, he hadn’t seen Little An use the matrix.
The An family’s throwing skills were indeed impressive, with endless variations.
But just a short while ago, after combing through the remaining video recordings in the villa, Ji Jue finally confirmed—Little An had never used the matrix!
Sword Qi refinement?
Never heard of it, didn’t understand it.
Sure, maybe it was possible, but… you expect me to believe that?
At this moment, outside the villa, Xiao Jiu, who had transformed into a hummingbird, shared his vision with Ji Jue, piercing through the darkness, dispersing the mist, and easily locking onto the body floating in the pond.
Comparing it with the access Ji Jue had borrowed from Tong Hua to the security bureau’s database, the identity was confirmed—a notorious assassin from the Chaos City’s desolate market.
The White Deer Chosen One, Lu Xue!
Four years ago, he had already broken through the transformation stage and entered the rebirth phase.
A Chosen One of at least level six had silently died in the pond, with a gaping hole in his heart.
Yet, there was no trace of fear or despair on his face, only a satisfied smile.
As if he had witnessed some great miracle before his death.
The outcome between hunter and prey had already been decided.
But with such an astonishing catch, why hadn’t the White Deer favored you?
Unless… in the eyes of the White Deer, such an opponent was nothing more than a trivial matter for the ‘Little An’ before you, something that could be dealt with effortlessly.
That’s all!
“Do you remember what I said?”
In the dead silence, Ji Jue sighed softly, “Trust is sometimes a fragile thing, but doubt is powerful. Besides, it’s been so long. Even if I’m stupid, I wouldn’t mistake my friend.”
Habits? Shower gel? The matrix? Or the outcome?
Those things were just clues.
At best, they were triggers for suspicion.
Habits can change, shower gel can be replaced, and the matrix might malfunction.
Moreover, even if Little An had truly killed Lu Xue right in front of Ji Jue, Ji Jue would only have been amazed and clapped, celebrating his friend’s progress and newfound strength.
The real nail in the coffin, the evidence that settled all doubts and assumptions like dust, was the ‘self-proof’ the other party had just revealed to him.
The nail.
Although he had never said it out loud, he had secretly studied it…
While helping to install the prosthetic limb, he had casually touched it, just once.
Then, under the guise of version upgrades or debugging, he had thoroughly understood its structure and condition.
For so long, aside from being a workaholic in the workshop, he had been figuring out how to remove that damn thing without triggering the alarm.
From cracking the alarm module to the method of removal, he had almost written a thesis on it!
And the result?!
You’re trying to fool me with a fake?!
Who do you think you’re kidding!
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? What’s wrong?!”
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor as Old Tang rushed over, peeking in, “Did you guys have a falling out over the spoils?”
Another job!
He was about to shout that he could be hired for extra pay, but after seeing the situation in the room, he couldn’t help but gasp, “Holy crap! Dude, you’ve got some guts! You dare to mess with the White Deer Hunter An family’s money?!”
It’s true that the bow is hidden after the birds are gone, but you can’t hide this bow at all, okay?
If you kill a small hunter tonight, the An family will have a whole squad after you before dawn, believe it or not?
In less than a second, he was already thinking about how to distance himself from Ji Jue.
I don’t know him, I don’t understand, I’m not involved.
Damn it, I don’t want the final payment!
I’m out of here.
Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, the two people in the room didn’t even glance at him, treating him like air as they stared at each other.
“When did it start?”
Ji Jue asked curiously, “Tonight? Or after entering the villa? No, it must have been earlier, much earlier. Not just when we encountered the mutated mercenaries, but even before that. So that’s how it is…”
He sighed in realization, “It wasn’t Little An from the moment we met that afternoon, was it?”
The sound of applause and cheers rang out.
“You got it all right.”
‘Little An’ smiled, “As expected of Brother Ji Jue.”
“I told you, don’t call me that.”
Ji Jue spat out his last shred of patience and raised his hand.
His right hand was empty, but in the darkness beneath the ceiling, walls, and floor of the room, red dots of plastic explosives lit up one by one.
The entire room had long since become Ji Jue’s trap, a place of certain death.
But of all the scenarios he had imagined, he never thought it would come to this.
“You only have one chance to answer, so think carefully before you speak—”
Ji Jue asked his final question, no longer hiding the coldness and killing intent in his eyes, “Where is my friend, Little An?!”
“Hmm? I already told you, I am Little An.”
The boy tilted his head, full of admiration and praise, clapping softly, “As expected of Brother Ji Jue. I understand why A’Ran likes you so much.”
Ji Jue froze in place.
Because in the moment before those words were fully spoken, the figure before him had already vanished, and the voice came from beside his ear, close enough to touch.
Right in front of Ji Jue.
Just like that, he stood on tiptoe, and something soft and slightly cool brushed against Ji Jue’s cheek.
It was his lips.
“Because—”
That gentle breath whispered in his ear, “I think I’m starting to like you too.”
In the dead silence, everything seemed to freeze.
Only the stiff Ji Jue turned his head with difficulty, looking at the figure before him who stood with hands behind his back, smiling.
He staggered back a step, filled with terror, confusion, numbness, despair, and suffocation.
“What are you doing?! What are you doing?!”
The moment he realized what had happened, he frantically raised his sleeve to wipe his face, his heart completely chilled to the core, dead and lifeless, feeling as if there would be no more joy or sorrow in his life from now on.
Was this the ultimate insult?!
Ji Jue’s tears were about to flow.
Nineteen, twenty years of purity, lost in a single night…
I’m dirty!
What the hell? What’s going on?!
When did the world become so insane that I can’t even comprehend it?
Ji Jue’s eyes were unfocused, his mind a complete mess, only wanting to bang his head against the wall.
He couldn’t figure out what was going on at all.
Finally, he asked in despair:
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Huh? Haven’t you figured it out yet, Brother Ji Jue? Or are you unwilling to think in that direction?”
Little An tilted his head in confusion, blinking, his expression gradually turning mischievous, “I’m the black-hearted big sister you said would help A’Ran win and even guarantee victory.”
With that, he raised his hand and removed the hairband from the back of his head, tossing it aside.
In the gentle breeze, his black hair cascaded down, transforming from the neat, short cut to something entirely different, exuding a charm that was completely unlike Little An’s.
From the stretching of muscles and bones, he grew half a head taller, becoming even more slender.
As his eyebrows relaxed, his originally androgynous face shifted slightly, revealing the unmistakable features of a girl, even more stunning than Little An’s.
Thus, the girl named An Ning looked up again, her smile sly, “You’ve said so many bad things about me behind my back, yet you couldn’t recognize me in person. How cruel.”
“…”
In the long silence, Ji Jue stood dumbfounded, as if he could hear his brain boiling.
CPU overload.
He couldn’t comprehend the situation or the changes before him.
Several times, he wanted to speak, but no words came out.
He was completely lost.
“What a pity…”
An Ning sighed regretfully, “Since the cat’s out of the bag, there’s no helping it.”
In the midst of her boring, tedious wait, she had decided to pay a visit to her runaway little brother and give him a dose of harsh, straightforward family education.
It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision to take on her brother’s identity, walking freely through the city in the guise of A’Ran.
She had wanted to mock the dull life he had chosen, but she hadn’t expected to find such a surprise hidden from her…
“Goodbye, Brother Ji Jue.”
The girl turned her head, her shining eyes reflecting the light of the moon and stars, as she bid her final farewell:
“Will you miss me?”
Like a phantom that had never existed, she stepped into the bright moonlight outside the window, floating away like a kite on the sea breeze, disappearing into the night sky and the stars.
Leaving only the stunned Ji Jue.
Completely baffled.
After a long while, the dumbfounded Old Tang finally snapped out of it, looking at him in disbelief, “You…”
“I…”
Ji Jue nodded numbly.
“He… she…”
Old Tang was so choked up he couldn’t speak, gesturing with both hands, unsure of what he wanted to say, but Ji Jue waved him off, “Don’t say anything. If you keep quiet, I’ll give you a 100% positive review for the mission, and I’ll have Old Lin give you a bonus.”
He turned to leave, “Let me be alone.”
Thus, Old Tang was left alone in the room, staring at the blinking explosives.
After sitting by the pond in a daze for nearly half an hour, Ji Jue finally came to his senses, recalling what she had said—that Old Zhang had been the first to discover her.
He immediately opened his phone, not caring that it was the middle of the night and the old man should be resting, and sent a direct message.
【?】
Soon, the message was marked as read.
After a long wait, a single emoji came through.
—An old lady giving a thumbs-up to the screen, with a line of red text floating out from a rose: Wishing you a wonderful day!
Ji Jue’s vision went dark.
He didn’t need a mechanical god to spy on Old Zhang’s camera to know how much the old man was laughing right now!
The North Mountain District is truly a den of dragons and tigers!
What’s Tong Hua compared to this? Old Zhang, you’re the real master of enjoying the show!
You’ve been quietly watching this drama for so long!
No wonder when Sister Wen assigned Little An to follow me, the old man was so happy.
He was waiting for this, wasn’t he?
Ji Jue sighed.
At this point, there was no point in asking why he hadn’t been told.
Besides, with Little An’s sister as a personal bodyguard, even if the entire villa exploded, he wouldn’t lose a single hair.
What could possibly go wrong?
With that thought, he finally sent a message to Little An.
【Are you okay?】
Soon, it was marked as read, but the ‘typing’ indicator went on for a long time before a crying cat emoji came through.
Followed by a string of explanations:
【It was my sister who forced me!】
【I couldn’t beat her!】
【Brother Ji Jue, believe me, I didn’t mean to deceive you!】
【I’m sorry, please don’t be angry!】
Ji Jue smiled, reassured of Little An’s safety, and replied, 【It’s okay, I was just shocked.
As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters.
I almost blew up with your sister.
Thank her for sparing my life.】
Little An fell silent for a long time before sending another crying cat emoji.
He didn’t know what to say.
Ji Jue, on the other hand, felt a wave of relief.
After a while, when the screen went dark, Ji Jue felt utterly exhausted.
Leaning back in the recliner, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
“So it wasn’t a man after all…”
He gazed at the moon and stars in the night sky, inexplicably recalling the figure of the girl as she left.
And those eyes that seemed to reflect the stars…
Ah, please vote for me~ Please vote for me~ Please vote for me~ Please vote for me~
(End of Chapter)