Chapter Forty-One Oath

The series of bad news, like a series of heavy hammer blows, shook the steel and willpower-built skeleton of the Xuyue Organization headquarters, making it creak and nearly fall apart.

The air was thick with an overwhelming sense of grief, suspicion, and a deeper chill called “fear.”

The once orderly operation has fallen into a semi-paralyzed state. The members move in a daze and with fear, and they talk in very low voices, as if they are afraid of waking up the sleeping misfortune.

The organization, this ferocious beast that had been sharpening its claws in the shadows, now seemed to have its heart ripped out, curled up in its lair, licking its bloodied wounds, emitting suppressed, painful whimpers.

At the heart of this suffocatingly low pressure was the heavy, tightly closed door of Xuyue's study, made from a single piece of oak. Inside, the pressure was even lower, almost solidified.

Gongyang Yandaosi and Mu Ye stood on either side of the huge desk, like two stone statues guarding a throne on the verge of collapse.

Gongyang's face was ashen like never before. The tireless cleanup and investigation over the past few days had left his eyes sunken and his silver-gray hair seemed to have lost its usual luster. But he still stood straight, like a flagpole that had weathered many storms but refused to break.

Mu Ye appeared even paler, almost blending into the surrounding shadows. Only his silver-gray eyes flashed with cold, high-speed light when receiving encrypted information from various parties, like precision instruments scanning the data debris at a disaster site.

“Zhong Si’s remains… have been secretly buried with the highest honors. Only Mu Ye and I know the location.” Gong Yang’s voice was hoarse and dry, each word sounding like it was wearing down his vocal cords. “Qian Xu Wu Yun… the scene has been thoroughly cleaned up, and the clues found…” He paused, glancing at Mu Ye.

Mu Ye continued, his voice flat and monotone, as if reading an autopsy report: "The green fibers found under the fingernails, according to preliminary analysis, are a rare type of silk from Central Asia, often used in high-end custom-made goods, with a very narrow circulation range."

The 'MB' lettering on the burned paper, after spectral reconstruction and handwriting comparison, indirectly points to a high degree of consistency with certain encrypted signature habits of Morse Black, the "Dream Snake," a known senior coordinator of BXX.

Based on previous intelligence, it can be basically concluded that this purge of Zhong Si was planned by Meng She, with Qian Xu Wu Yun acting as both the executor and... a sacrificed pawn.

Xu Yue sat quietly behind the desk.

She didn't break down and roar like Xiya, nor did she show the slightest sign of weakness. She wore a plain black suit without any decoration, her long silver hair was simply tied back, revealing her smooth but bloodless forehead and her cold-faced features.

Her gray eyes, like two bottomless pools of ice, stared at a point in the void, as if gazing at the mocking and cruel smile of fate.

Her hand rested on the smooth tabletop, her knuckles slightly white from the force, but otherwise, she exuded a chilling, absolute calmness.

This calm was more unsettling than any hysteria, like the deathly still, frigid plains before a blizzard.

"What about West Asia?" she finally asked, her voice steady yet carrying a metallic quality.

The ram's Adam's apple bobbed as he answered with difficulty, "He's still in solitary confinement... He's extremely emotionally unstable, refusing to eat or drink, and has self-harm tendencies... He needs forced injections of sedatives to barely get any rest. He... He completely blames himself for Zhong Si's death, believing that his overprotection and... his previous questioning drove Zhong Si to his death."

In the depths of Xu Yue's grey eyes, something seemed to contract very slightly, so quickly as to be almost imperceptible. She remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly stood up.

“Take me to see him.”

The solitary confinement cell is located at the deepest part of the headquarters and has excellent soundproofing.

But when the ram opened the heavy iron door, a nauseating smell, a mixture of blood, sweat, and a sense of despair, wafted out.

Xiya huddled in the corner, his once tall and strong figure now hunched over like a wounded wild beast.

His clothes were wrinkled and stained with dark blood and dirt. His fiery red hair had lost all its luster, sticking greasy to his forehead and obscuring his eyes. Hearing the door open, he jerked his head up.

Gongyang and Muye's hearts sank at the same time.

What eyes those were! The once fiery red eyes, burning with defiant flames, were now nothing but boundless, desolate emptiness, filled with spiderweb-like blood vessels.

His eyes were a deep, unyielding bluish-black, as if he hadn't closed them for centuries.

But deep within that void, a kind of mad ember, capable of destroying everything, including itself, was faintly churning.

His cheeks were sunken, his lips were chapped, and stubble grew on his chin. He looked like a broken shell with his soul gone.

When he saw Xu Yue, his pupils seemed to tremble for a moment, but then returned to their deathly stillness.

He twitched his lips, uttering a hoarse, broken syllable that sounded like both crying and laughing: "Boss, what are you doing here... to see me... this useless person who couldn't even protect the most important person in my life?"

Xu Yue did not answer immediately. She gestured for Gong Yang and Mu Ye to stay outside, then went in alone and closed the door behind her.

She walked step by step to Xiya, looking down at him with a gaze as calm as a scalpel, dissecting all his pain and self-blame.

“Raise your head, Sia.” Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable power.

Xiya's body trembled, and he subconsciously wanted to resist, but under the gaze of those gray eyes, he still slowly and stiffly raised his head, his eyes unfocused and unable to concentrate.

"Look into my eyes," Xu Yue commanded again.

Xiya struggled and met her gaze. At that moment, he felt as if he had been scalded by the surging, equally unfathomable pain and anger beneath the ice, and his chaotic consciousness experienced a brief moment of clarity.

“Zhong Si is dead. Qian Xu Wu Yun is dead too.” Xu Yue’s voice was cold and clear, each word like an ice pick, pounding on Xi Ya’s heart. “Grief? Self-blame? Collapse? Is this the ending you wanted? Is this the explanation you gave Zhong Si? You made him exchange his life for a completely crippled 'whale shark'?”

Xiya's body trembled violently. He wanted to argue and shout, but his throat felt blocked, and he could only make strange hoarse noises.

"Do you think you're the only one suffering?" Xu Yue took a step closer, a suppressed flame finally igniting in her gray eyes. "That child, I allowed you to bring him back! I decided to raise him! His death is equally my fault! Everyone in this organization is bearing this loss! But what we need to do now is not to lick our wounds like cowards and wait for the enemy to deliver the final blow!"

She suddenly reached out, not to hit him, but to grab his cold, trembling wrist with astonishing force: "Look at me! Xiya! Look at the state you've become! What would Zhong Si think if he saw you like this? Would his last words to you be, 'Please become a useless piece of trash for me'?!"

"No...please..." Sia collapsed, bowing her head, tears mingling with the dirt on her face as they streamed down her cheeks, her voice broken and fragmented, "It's my fault...I didn't protect him...just like I didn't protect Yanni...I will...I will never..."

"Then stand up!" Xu Yue interrupted him sharply, her voice rising abruptly with a resolute determination. "Transform your pain! Your self-blame! Your anger! All of it into strength! This is exactly what the enemy wants to see! They want to use Zhong Si's death to break you! To destroy us! Are you going to let them have their way?!"

She released his wrist, instead cupping his tear-streaked face in her hands, forcing him to look directly at her: "Listen, Xiya. Zhong Si's death is not your fault. The real murderers are BXX, Meng She! They turned Qianxu Wuyun into weapons, they orchestrated all of this! If you want to hate, hate them! If you want revenge, go find them!"

Her gaze was sharp as a knife, as if she wanted to completely rip out the weakness and confusion in his soul: "Do you want Zhong Si to die in vain? Do you want his blood to be shed in vain? If not, then stand up! Put away your useless confessions! Use BXX's blood, use the head of the Dream Serpent, to pay tribute to him! This is what 'Whale Shark' should do! This is the only explanation you can give to me, to Zhong Si, and to Yanni!"

These words were like a sudden awakening, yet also like the cruelest whip, lashing the already collapsing soul of West Asia.

He stared blankly at Xu Yue, at the undisguised grief, anger, and even deeper, unquestionable trust and expectation in her eyes.

A long-dormant ferocity and violence belonging to the "whale shark" began to reignite in his lifeless eyes, faint yet tenacious, like a lit fuse.

He stopped trembling, but bit his lower lip hard until he tasted blood. The sadness and self-blame in his empty red eyes had not disappeared, but they began to be covered by something colder, darker, and more resolute—pure, undisguised killing intent and destructive desire.

“…BXX…Dream Snake…” he murmured, repeating the two names, each syllable shrouded in blood and ice.

Xu Yue knew that the seed of revolution had been planted. She slowly released her grip, took a step back, and regained her composure: "Gongyang will prepare food and water for you. Mu will also give you all the information he currently has about BXX and the Dream Serpent. I'm giving you one day. After one day, I want to see the 'Whale Shark' of the past return."

After saying that, she stopped looking at him, turned around, and left the solitary confinement cell without a second glance. The iron door slowly closed behind her, isolating her from the outside world.

Outside the door, Gongyang and Mu waited silently. Xuyue glanced at them, her gray eyes showing no wavering.

"Notify all core members to assemble in the Strategy Room in one hour." Her voice regained its usual calm and authority, but it was colder than ever before. "We are crows. Crows peck at carrion, and they also blind those who spy. It's time to let our enemies know what happens when they provoke a flock of crows that have lost their chicks."

An hour later, the atmosphere in the strategy room was as heavy as iron. All the core members stood solemnly, and the air was filled with grief, indignation, and a chilling atmosphere.

Xu Yue stood at the head of the group, behind him was Xi Ya, who had just finished cleaning up, changed into a black outfit, and whose eyes were as cold as blood-red ice. His very presence was like a drawn sword, eager to drink blood.

Xu Yue's gaze slowly swept over everyone, her voice echoing clearly in the silent room:

"Zhong Si's blood and the fall of 'Little Butterfly' will not have been shed in vain. Qian Xu Wu Yun's debt will also be settled. From this day forward, the Xu Yue organization and BXX and their henchmen, Dream Serpent, will fight to the death."

“Blood debt—” She paused, her gaze finally settling on Xiya’s eyes, which were now filled with nothing but bloodlust.

Xiya stepped forward, meeting her gaze, his hoarse voice continuing the vow, like a death knell from hell:

"—They must pay with their blood!"

The heavy vow, like a brand, is etched into the soul of every survivor. The warm "family" has vanished along with "Little Butterfly".

From this day forward, only the "crows" thirsting for the enemy's blood will remain, along with a one-way journey to destruction and revenge.