Chapter 359: Friendship as Indifferent as a Phantom (4)

Wang Quan claimed his birthday was January 1st, so Chu Hengkong spent the following New Year's Day at the Eiffel Tower. As he climbed to the top of the tower with his bare hands, Wang Quan, disguised as a slovenly homeless man, was smoking fiercely in the wind.

"Happy birthday." Chu Hengkong threw a watch over.

Wang Quan held it in his hands, his eyes full of greed like a real pauper: "Oh my God, this is a Patek Philippe!"

"You're exposed. A homeless person wouldn't recognize this brand."

Wang Quan skillfully buckled his watch. "How do you know that homeless man wasn't a millionaire back then? We're in Paris, a romantic city filled with men and women who are completely alienated from reason. The driver who drives your taxi might have been a big shot ten years ago."

"Are you used to making up a story behind each identity? Then you're suited to being a writer."

"Thanks for your words. When I'm too old to move, I'll switch to writing books. If those idiots online dare to pick on my details, I'll just bang away on the keyboard and share with them little common sense that my friends who often kill people know."

Chu Hengkong glanced around. The night sky was illuminated by New Year's Eve fireworks. They were the only two standing in the small space over 300 meters above the ground. This place was supposed to be deserted. No one was out and about during New Year's Day. Not even the tower maintenance staff would climb to the top barehanded.

"Where are the others?"

"No one else. Unlike you, the gang leader, I'm a friendless loner. Besides missions, there's not much else to do except observe humans."

"That only proves that you have high expectations," Chu Hengkong said. "You've been intoxicated by your delusional myths for too long, and you're unwilling to make friends with those 'mortals' you look down upon."

Wang Quan smiled and said, "It's not a question of strength! I don't want to communicate with someone who has no love."

"This city is full of romantics bursting with love."

"That's fake love." It pointed at itself. "True love is unrequited. Most people don't have love, so I feel very distressed when I'm with them."

Chu Hengkong found it increasingly absurd: "Parents all over the world will be pissed off by your words."

"Is parental love for their children unconditional?" Wang Quan asked. "Even the most enlightened and compassionate parents consider their child's future and worry about their future development. If a child doesn't strive for progress, or even becomes rude and evil, can his parents still love him as much as they did in the beginning?"

"Anyone who still insists on doting after that is a fool," Chu Hengkong said. "Do you want unconditional love that never changes? Then you should probably believe in God. Chant with the priests about God's love for the world."

"God has brought suffering to the world, sending his Four Horsemen to spread death. I doubt that God loves me."

Wang Quan extended his hand exaggeratedly, as if searching for an illusory angel. Chu Hengkong shook his head. "Then you're destined to live a lonely life. You want a god who transcends the world, disregards morality, and blindly spreads love. Such a thing is impossible. Ancient fanatics wouldn't imagine such an image, because even mythology emphasizes clear rewards and punishments."

Wang Quan ignored him and looked at the moon in the sky quietly.

"Perhaps such a God really exists?" it whispered.

"impossible."

"You are so heartless." It laughed, "That's why you can be my friend."

"I am a million miles away from love."

"Don't you realize that you're very similar to true love?" Wang Quan played with the watch. "You've done so many things without seeking reward. You saved that girl on a rainy night, but received no reward. You took the wealth given by Velus just to reassure them. In fact, you never longed for anything in return from Velvet. You just like the feeling of silently giving for the one you love, just like me."

"It's up to you. You can apply this perverse logic to everyone you know. A person knows best what he is really like."

Chu Hengkong didn't care; he never cared about such games of words and definitions. He lit a cigarette in the cold wind. Wang Quan, also holding a cigarette, leaned over to borrow a lighter.

This means that the topic is over. They are friends, and friends will not continue to talk about boring topics.

"As a return gift for the watch, I'll give you some information. The alien gunman is heading for Paris." Wang Quan tightened his tattered coat. "You already know who the target is, even without me telling you."

Chu Hengkong took a deep drag on his cigarette, feeling the smoke lingering in his lungs. He blew the cigarette into the cold wind and asked, "Who hired them?"

"One of the old men."

Wang Quan exhaled the cigarette butt and watched the spark of fire drift away in the wind. "Keep a close eye on your girl. Don't let her go any deeper. We can be harmonious in the quagmire of ignorance, but if she insists on going deeper, even I can't change the outcome."

Chu Hengkong patted its shoulder and said, "Thanks for the advice. If they ever send you to kill me, remember to dress up as a sexy beauty... That way, my attention might be diverted, and you might have a chance of winning."

"I wouldn't do that~"

Wang Quan spoke frivolously as he watched the killer jump off the iron tower and move through the steel forest as lightly as a primitive man.

"I won't do that," it repeated softly.

·

A week later, at the Paris Fashion Week show, Chu Hengkong faced Shax for the first time. It was his first tough fight in years, as the mercenary's gun was incredibly accurate, with its specially crafted bullets capable of breaking through his defenses.

That night they retreated to a temporary base, and due to a shortage of medical staff, the boss personally helped him change the gauze.

“Velbert, listen to my advice,” he said sternly. “Don’t investigate the royal power anymore. This is a warning from the Blood Alliance. We have no grudges against them, so there’s no need to turn on them just because of curiosity.”

“I stopped investigating after that,” Velvet said. “I’m looking for the person who killed my father.”

Chu Hengkong reacted. They had always suspected that the Blood Alliance leaders had framed Old Velus, and this suspicion was confirmed today.

“Then feel free to investigate. I’ll kill as many people as come.” He told Velvet.

·

From that day on, the situation gradually became dangerous.

The guys on the list began to appear one after another. The person who hired them was quite experienced. The mission requirement was not to kill the enemy on sight, but to retreat if they missed. He did not expect to succeed in one blow. He wanted to use this irregular war of attrition to wear down Velus's will until the moment of relaxation came.

Chu Hengkong began to lead a busy yet interesting life. Those assassins were more or less skilled, and the intensity of the enemy's attacks could be used to infer the boss's investigation progress. He began to participate less in the elimination of aliens, as his boss's newly developed drones were faster and more effective in this area than his thugs. The more frequent the assassinations, the more alien missions the Blood Alliance directly issued, which made him ponder the meaning behind them.

"Something is changing." Wang Quan handed him a can of Coke. "The old people have found something... They are becoming increasingly anxious."

"Elixir of immortality?" Chu Hengkong smiled.

Wang Quan didn't smile. She was dressed today as a strong career woman in a suit and tie, and her face seemed to be naturally tense.

"The aliens always have some strange methods." It said vaguely, "Listen, the Blood Alliance will soon issue a new mission to go to London to eliminate the dark wizards. This is an unprecedented large-scale mission, and this time you must be there. If the Velus family does not show sincerity, they will raise the banner of betraying the covenant."

He understood the meaning of royal authority. Once labeled a traitor, even the strongest power would be doomed. Before setting off, he entrusted White Wolf with Velvet's care. By then, White Wolf's health was near death, but he was still strong enough to serve as a guard for the day.

When he boarded the helicopter, the white-haired girl in a dress sat next to him. She had grown up a bit since they first met. At that moment, Chu Hengkong knew that this mission might not end well.

The reality was just as he had imagined. The dark wizards' "magic" was incredibly powerful. Usually, they just used some unconventional methods to sew up human bodies to show off, but this time, the dark wizards were simply living monsters. Balls of flesh with multiple heads, followers whose lower bodies squirmed like pulp, and a leader so fat that it made people vomit...

When the mission was over, even Wang Quan's dress was stained red with blood. Chu Hengkong pulled off the leader's head and smashed it on the muddy ground.

"It's over," he gasped. "Put that thing down. I'm going to smash it."

Wang Quan was holding the Dark Wizards' "idol," a strange, jet-black sphere that resembled a full moon with a mouth. This freak, playing with the human world, seemed to be in a state of confusion, as if he had sensed something from the idol.

Chu Hengkong reached out to grab the statue, but Wang Quan dodged it. He grabbed the moon and took a step back.

“Old people want this.”

"Tell them it was destroyed in battle."

"For necessary research—"

"This thing can't stay."

"I will supervise them." Wang Quan looked him in the eyes. "Once the preliminary analysis report comes out, I will destroy it immediately. Trust me."

"Okay," Chu Hengkong said, then he threw a stone and smashed it through the statue. A large hole appeared in the center of the full moon, and a disgusting black liquid flowed out of it.

Wang Quan sighed deeply and threw the useless thing into his bag: "I will be sent to the inner court..."

"Let those old guys go to hell." He patted Wang Quan hard and said, "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

This time the mission was successfully completed. He treated the king to two drinks and then returned to the manor of Velus, thanking the White Wolf, who was literally exhausted. He told his boss all the details, convinced that he had done the right thing.

“Akong, are you sure it’s a full moon?” Velvet also seemed nervous.

"That weird thing actually looks more like a meatball, but the first time I saw it, I thought it was the moon." Chu Hengkong thought for a moment, "As if the moon should look like this."

“You did the right thing,” Velvet said firmly. “Tell me everything you know about those wizards. From this day forward, the Blood Alliance can no longer be trusted.”

He wanted to say that his boss was making a big deal out of nothing, but he knew his boss never exaggerated.

After that, a strange calm descended upon the days. The assassins stopped attacking, and the Blood Alliance sent no new missions. But this only hinted at something brewing. Velvet found new clues, unraveling them from the threads of the vanquished dark wizards, investigating every major Blood Alliance mission over the past twenty years. She grew increasingly exhausted, but she remained undeterred, for she was on the right path.

"It's almost there, Akong." She said to Chu Hengkong privately, "It's very close. I've already guessed the truth."

"This isn't a case, so there's no need to talk about evidence. I'll just go after whoever I've targeted."

"This time we need evidence."

On that bitterly cold winter day, Bai Lang's life finally came to an end. He personally saw his old acquaintance off for the last time, wandering alone on the snowy streets for a long time before logging onto QQ and sending a message to an account he had chatted with long ago.

The next day he and Wang Quan stood in front of White Wolf's grave, and Wang Quan placed a bunch of sunflowers on the bluestone.

"The Russians all like this." It said confidently.

"This is the first time I've seen sunflowers placed on a grave."

"White Wolf isn't one for melancholy. Wouldn't it be nice to liven up the atmosphere?" Wang Quan shrugged. "Any last words?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Wang Quan was confused, so he explained, "White Wolf didn't want to die in his bed, so we had one last fight."

Wang Quan understood, and his smile looked so sad in the bright sunshine.

"You sent away your few remaining friends with your own hands."

Chu Hengkong placed a pack of cigarettes in front of the grave. He had quit smoking for some time, and he carried it with him just as a reminder.

"If I didn't have cancer, this day might take decades to arrive," he said. "But it will come eventually. No one can live forever, and this day will come for us too. I'm thinking about whether I should take in an apprentice to help me with my aftermath. Otherwise, if you die sooner, there won't be anyone worthy enough to see me off."

"You think too much. That day will never come."

"We must face reality..."

"No!"

Wang Quan interrupted him harshly, squeezing his shoulders fiercely with both hands. There was a hint of madness in his dark eyes.

"Life will never end, because love is eternal!"

Chu Hengkong simply didn't know what to say: "Wake up!"

"You are the ignorant one." Wang Quan told him, "You will see it, Chu Hengkong. Tell Velus to listen to me this time. You will see true love!"

That was the last time they met as friends. A week later, the Blood Alliance held an emergency meeting, requiring all family heads to attend in person. But Velvet didn't move. She said that if she went this time, she would be truly dead, with no chance of a comeback.

Chu Hengkong trusted her judgment and made all-around preparations and worst-case scenarios. But he never expected Shax Ibn Ould to challenge him to a duel just two days later. The bastard mercenary was finally going to fight him, but at such a critical moment.

The morning after the duel, he lay in his hospital room, chatting casually with his boss, who had come to visit him. The boss put down his newspaper and started to leave, but he grabbed his hand. He knew Velvet had something else to say.

"You found it." Chu Hengkong said confidently.

“I found it.” Velvet nodded.

He tried his best to cheer up: "Who is it?"

"Ten years ago, my father was constantly investigating the secrets of the dark wizards, and he almost figured out their true identity. He suspected that the dark wizards had infiltrated the upper echelons of the Blood Alliance, so he arranged with the Blood Alliance King to launch a top-secret raid," the girl whispered. "That mission was classified with the highest level of secrecy. The current generation of the Twin Serpents personally undertook the mission. Besides my father and the previous Serpent of Life Sacrifice, only one other person was qualified to participate in that operation."

She stared silently into Chu Hengkong's eyes and uttered the name that was familiar to him yet extremely unfamiliar.

"Dark Kingship."

(End of this chapter)