Chapter 356: Friendship as Indifferent as a Phantom (1)

That was not long after Chu Hengkong officially joined the company.

One harsh summer day, while he was battling the tedious family documents, secret histories, and heraldry, his boss, having rarely interrupted his classes for a day, gave him a task, and when he walked into the office, he was practically radiant with the joy of being out of prison.

"Even if you asked me to assassinate the president, I would walk out with a smile."

“The first thing I have to tell you is to put away that careless attitude,” Velvet told him.

Next to her desk sat a briefcase, its silver metal shell emblazoned with a bright red temple in one corner—the seal of the Blood Alliance. Chu Hengkong was intrigued by the case, and before Velvet could stop him, he had already crouched down and was tapping away.

"Miniature nuclear bomb?" He guessed as he tapped. "Biochemical weapon? Alien artifact?"

Chu Hengkong could judge the contents of the suitcase by the echo; anyone with keen hearing could use this practical trick. But this time, his hearing failed him. Perhaps due to the special material of the suitcase, the vibrations from the knocks seemed to sink into a black hole, failing to generate any response.

“Stop, Sora.” Velvet held his hand. “Second thing, don’t touch this box. This is an escort mission.”

"Where to send it?"

"A building in New Jersey." Velvet handed him a photo. "This is a mission directly assigned by the Blood Alliance. Inside the building are the Blood Alliance's traitors."

Velvet's words indicated that she had personally investigated the situation. Chu Hengkong put away the photo and listened to her words: "The specific route is in your car. You need to arrive at your destination before 8:30 PM tonight."

"after?"

"Open the box at the entrance to the building," Velvet said. "The mission is over."

Chu Hengkong weighed the box. It wasn't light, much heavier than he'd expected. There was clearly something fishy about this job, as the boss would never give such vague information. It was likely a special mission assigned by the Blood Alliance's leadership, and the boss couldn't explain it in detail due to factors like the ancient covenant.

He waved his hand to show he had received it, and as he walked out the door, he heard another order from Velvet.

"If you notice anything unusual, throw the box away and come back."

"I guess the Blood Alliance didn't say that."

“That’s what I asked.”

"Got it, got it, got it!" Chu Hengkong picked up the box carelessly and carried it behind his back with one hand like a schoolbag.

The journey to his destination was incredibly tedious: driving, boarding a private jet, landing, and then getting in another car. These weren't the days of spies everywhere; they'd cleaned up the family from head to toe, leaving no one but the boss to know his whereabouts. He began to miss the days of gunfights with girls while driving. It was a bit thrilling, but also fun, and he could crack a joke every now and then to amuse little Velvet.

Now, little Velvet was a gang boss, able to step on a dead man's face and walk up to the Blood Alliance's round table without batting an eyelid. The missions assigned by the big boss were boring and monotonous, not as interesting as the Blood Alliance's alien extermination missions.

"Does it feel like sitting in an office?" he said to the box. "Comfortable, peaceful, day after day."

We arrived at our destination at 8:25 PM. The building's entrance logo contained a suspicious symbol of Dark wizards: a crescent moon smeared with prison-like horizontal lines, or perhaps a vaguely drawn full moon. Those Dark wizards were always keen on moon worship.

This place was absolutely hopeless. Chu Hengkong knocked out the guard and laid the suitcase flat under the cover of night. He thought about his opening remarks for a long time and finally said a boring joke:

"It's time to get to work."

He opened the combination lock.

The suitcase opened automatically, and moonlight shone into the dark velvet lining, illuminating a pair of eyes that slowly opened.

Chu Hengkong subconsciously held his breath. He'd imagined countless possibilities along the way, but even the most absurd of fantasies couldn't compare to the reality before him. Curled up in the box was a delicate girl, her light white hair tinged with a hint of blue. She wore only a plain dress, her fair skin faintly visible beneath the flimsy fabric, her delicate features akin to Pygmalion's masterpiece.

For a moment, Chu Hengkong thought he had transported a doll. This girl didn't feel real at all, she looked fake. A living person couldn't stay silent in a box for eight hours. Even he couldn't do it.

But as he thought this, the girl stood up, taking a step with her slender ankles. She walked barefoot into the building, and Chu Hengkong's eyes followed her. Soon, he saw the brightly lit building gradually dim, floor by floor, until the last light went out, and there was no sound in the darkness.

It was like being swallowed by an unknown giant beast.

Three minutes later, the girl appeared under the streetlight, without a trace of blood on her body. She nodded slightly.

"Mission completed," she said.

"Where are the people in the building?"

"They paid the price for betraying the blood alliance."

Chu Hengkong raised his eyebrows: "With your skills, there's no need for me to make a separate trip."

"This is for observation," the white-haired girl said. "There's controversy within the Blood Alliance regarding the new Velus. They acknowledge his talent, but worry he might repeat the same mistakes. But you're far more powerful than the previous Serpent of Life. I can safely hand over the power to Velvet Velus."

"What an arrogant tone, as if you are the king of the Blood Alliance." Chu Hengkong laughed.

"Do you think the king is the ruler of the Blood Alliance?"

"Maybe the Emperor? The Consul?" Chu Hengkong shrugged. "There has to be someone like that, otherwise who would be assigning tasks all day long?"

"Such people do exist, but they themselves are meaningless. A king's status comes from the scepter he holds. A king without power is just another mortal," the girl said. "Just as Velvet Velus became king because of you, without you she no longer has any power."

Chu Hengkong suddenly reached out and pressed her nose with his fingertips. The girl stared at him in silence.

"If you want to get along well with me, then learn to respect my boss in front of me." Chu Hengkong told her, "Otherwise, I don't mind teaching you what violence is, which is stronger than power."

The girl tilted her head and smiled.

"Very interesting. I look forward to your performance, Chu Hengkong."

She turned around, picked up the box, and disappeared into the night. Chu Hengkong walked into the darkened building, scanning the bodies on the ground floor by floor.

Not a drop of blood could be seen in the building; everyone had died instantly from suffocation. He replayed the scene from just a few minutes earlier in his mind: the girl had slipped behind her target, her bare hands silently brushing against his neck, like a white, possessed embrace of death. And so, someone died silently, and she quietly departed to visit the next victim.

He finally squatted on the roof and called his boss.

“Did a fight break out?” Velvet asked.

"No fight," he said. "I suppose she is the Dark Sovereign?"

·

The name Dark Kingship does not exist in the surface world. It is a legend that only circulates among the Blood Alliance killers.

Some people swear that Wang Quan is an unparalleled handsome man, whose every frown and smile is captivating. Some people swear that Wang Quan is a disfigured woman who kills her targets in the most cruel way because she is full of hatred for the world. Retired old killers say that Wang Quan is an invisible ghost. Old members of the underworld family swear that Wang Quan is an amorphous monster.

There are countless legends about Wang Quan, but no matter what they are, one thing remains: he is powerful, perhaps the most powerful being on Earth. Wang Quan is a killer who specializes in killing killers. His opponents are those battle-hardened individuals who attempt to betray their blood alliance. Those traitors often flee with great fanfare only to die silently. The blood alliance sends their horrific corpses to each family head to demonstrate the consequences of betraying the alliance.

That irresistible strength is the proof of power.

"Brother Chu, who's more awesome, you or Wang Quan?"

The younger brother handed him a cigarette with a sly look and helped to light it in a servile manner. Chu Hengkong blew a smoke ring at him in annoyance: "Where the hell did you hear that?"

"Everyone's talking about it!" the younger brother said with all the details. "They say you and Wang Quan fought for three hundred rounds in the traitor's base camp, and after that the whole building was gone."

"They even demolished the building. That's pure bullshit."

The younger brother's eyes lit up: "So you really saw it? Is it powerful?"

"You can't catch up with me!" Chu Hengkong laughed.

He turned to buy a magazine, but saw another boy coming out of the convenience store. He had the same face and the same demeanor. The same voice as in his memory echoed faintly behind him: "That's not necessarily true."

"Little Brother" was still smiling, no longer with a shifty look, but with a playful, cat-and-mouse attitude. Chu Hengkong didn't buy it and went up to pinch its face, trying a little harder but failing to pull it off.

"The quality of the mask is good enough."

"Using your muscles to stick it to your face will hide it from most detections," Wang Quan said. "But you squeezed it too hard, and even the best mask will break."

He, or she, pinched the loose "cheeks" and pulled off the mask. A handsome, white-haired boy then appeared. Just as the rumors said, he was a handsome man with a pair of black eyes.

Chu Hengkong took a quick look and commented, "Not as good as last time."

Wang Quan put his hands in his pockets and sat on a fire hydrant by the roadside. "You're a teenager, aren't you? I think that image would make you feel awkward. You wouldn't really want to chat with a blushing sacrificial snake."

"You seem to have looked down on me since the first time we met." Chu Hengkong sneered.

"It was just a little joke."

He leaned back sharply to avoid Chu Hengkong's sudden grappling hand: "Don't be so rough, what should a girl do?"

"In our business, we believe in equality between men and women. I'll beat them up if they provoke me," Chu Hengkong told him. "Be careful, kid. I'll definitely recognize you next time."

·

"Please enjoy your ice-cold beer."

"Thank you very much."

Chu Hengkong pulled the ring open and took a sip, only to discover a simple smiley face painted on the can. The waitress smiled back, "Dark Kingship sends you greetings."

"Fuck you."

He threw the beer can over, and Wang Quan caught it with a grin, then sat across the table and took a sip. Chu Heng was furious. He rarely got humiliated, but he had been humiliated twice in front of this man.

"How did you do that?"

·

"It depends on observation," said Wang Quan, dressed as a newspaper boy. "Imitating appearance is not important; what really matters is the expression. You need to hide in the dark for a long time and observe a person, imitating his actions and thoughts."

Wang Quan, who worked at a gas station, smiled at him and said, "Imagine yourself living as him, pursuing what he pursues, rejecting what he rejects, loving those he would love, and hating those he would hate, until one day you forget your original name and think he is you..."

"On that day, you will truly become a different person." Magician Wang Quan blinked, took off his top hat and released a flock of pigeons.

They began a little game with no rules. The winner depended on whether they could identify Wang Quan from a group of people they passed by. Chu Hengkong failed repeatedly in the early stages of the game. For a whole week, he failed to recognize any of Wang Quan's impersonations. In the second week, he became more alert and would throw a stone before Wang Quan even greeted him.

On the third day of the third week, he casually grabbed the wrist of a petty thief and pinched the boy's face hard.

"I'm beginning to recognize you."

"Why?" asked the thief king.

"The look in your eyes. There's something deep in your eyes that can't be changed."

Wang Quan rubbed the side of his face, thinking: "It seems that next time I have to pretend to be a blind flower girl to approach you."

"Go back to your own unit and work." Chu Hengkong said to him.

(End of this chapter)