Outside, three of the eight bodyguards went to search for the sniper’s position. The sniper was very accurate and had already taken down three bodyguards in a row. The remaining guards wanted to approach the villa, but the heavy sniper rifle from a distance kept aiming at them, making their advance very difficult. These bodyguards were retired veterans, quite skilled and possessing good combat awareness, but compared to these top-level assassins, they were clearly inferior.
The three bodyguards tracked the sniper to the rooftop where he had been stationed, only to find that he had already left.
After Ghostfire died, Bayonet jumped out of the window. Soon after, his figure disappeared into the darkness.
Looking at Bayonet’s retreating figure, Nieyan remained silent for a moment, wondering whether Bayonet would come looking for him.
“Nieyan, why did you recruit such a dangerous person?” Xie Yao asked timidly, carefully avoiding Ghostfire’s corpse.
“He’s a real man; people like him aren’t dangerous,” Nieyan replied, unsure how to explain further to Xie Yao.
A moment of confusion flickered through Xie Yao’s bright eyes, but although she couldn’t fully understand, she didn’t ask further since Nieyan had said so.
After a while, the satellite system in the area finally returned to normal. Bishuiyunjian dispatched a large number of security personnel heading toward Xie Yao’s villa.
Nieyan had Xie Yao call her parents to let them know she was safe, then took Xie Yao and discreetly slipped away from everyone’s sight, quietly getting into his car and disappearing into the night.
There was still one sniper left alive on Ghostfire’s side, and that man remained very dangerous.
Nieyan understood some of the rules followed by assassins; they wouldn’t easily leave without completing their mission. The more security personnel Bishuiyunjian sent, the more chaotic the situation would become, and the greater the danger to Xie Yao.
Driving his Sorn, Nieyan sped through the streets and alleys and returned to his own villa.
Those people probably wouldn’t think that Xie Yao had already been taken away by Nieyan from her family’s villa. She was now with Nieyan, where the most dangerous place could ironically be the safest.
After arriving at Nieyan’s home, Xie Yao called her family and recounted the entire incident. What had happened to Xie Yao indeed caused both the Longyue Corporation and Zhengrong Corporation to become seriously concerned, and they began an intensive investigation into the matter. If they ever found out who was responsible, that person would face the furious wrath of these two powerful corporations.
“My father wants to speak with you,” Xie Yao said, looking at Nieyan.
“Okay,” Nieyan took the phone from Xie Yao. He understood that Xie Jun definitely had something important to tell him. Taking the phone, he said, “Uncle Xie, do you have any instructions for me?”
“Xie Yao will temporarily stay with you. You must protect her well. She shouldn’t appear in public for now; staying at your home is actually the safest. We’ll come to pick her up once we’ve handled this matter. I’m afraid we’ll be troubling you for the next little while,” Xie Jun said earnestly. From his tone, Nieyan could sense that the Xie family’s situation might be quite serious, otherwise they wouldn’t have left Xie Yao at his place.
“Uncle, please rest assured. I will definitely take good care of Xie Yao,” Nieyan replied solemnly.
Nieyan chatted with Xie Jun for a while, subtly probing and learning some details from him. There had been some commercial disputes between the Longyue Corporation, the Zhengrong Corporation, and the Century Corporation. Additionally, there seemed to be internal problems within the Longyue Corporation, involving Liu Rui’s father.
Suddenly, Nieyan recalled something from his past life. Indeed, there had been such an event: the Longyue and Zhengrong Corporations had faced a major crisis, especially Longyue, where conflicts arose among shareholders. Liu Rui’s father and Xie Yao’s maternal grandfather, Liu Hongzhe, had developed some disagreements that escalated to an irreconcilable level. It took two or three years before the matter was finally resolved.
Nieyan remembered that after Longyue stabilized internally, news had spread that Xie Yao and Liu Rui were engaged. At that time, Nieyan’s heart had turned to ashes, and he had fallen into a state of utter despair, committing many reckless acts during that period.
Could Xie Yao’s marriage to Liu Rui be related to this incident?
“Uncle, if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will definitely do my best to help,” Nieyan said. No matter what, he would never allow history to repeat itself as it had in his previous life.
Upon hearing Nieyan’s words, Xie Jun chuckled and asked, “Are you speaking on behalf of yourself or the Nie family?”
Nieyan understood the implication in Xie Jun’s question. If he were speaking only for himself, he wouldn’t really be able to help them. “I can represent the Nie family!”
Hearing Nieyan’s response, Xie Jun was somewhat surprised. Nieyan was only eighteen or nineteen years old—had Nieyan’s father already handed over the leadership of the Nie family’s company to him?
Xie Jun didn’t take Nieyan’s words too seriously, but he did have a favorable impression of Nieyan. Nieyan was very steady, and Xie Jun felt comfortable leaving Xie Yao temporarily in his care. “You must remember what I told you before—you’re both grown up now and must take responsibility for your actions.”
Xie Jun was subtly reminding Nieyan. Both Nieyan and Xie Yao felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing his words.
“Uncle, I understand,” Nieyan replied with a light laugh.
Xie Yao took the phone from Nieyan and spoke with Xie Jun for a while before ending the call.
Thinking that she would be staying at Nieyan’s house for the next few days, Xie Yao couldn’t help feeling somewhat uneasy. When she looked at Nieyan, her cheeks flushed slightly as she asked, “Have Uncle and Auntie not returned yet?”
“They don’t know when they’ll come back. Sometimes they stay at the company for several consecutive days,” Nieyan replied. His family situation was basically the same as Xie Yao’s. Nieyan’s father was simply too busy and often neglected family matters.
Xie Yao nodded. It would be better if Nieyan’s parents didn’t come back; if they did, it would inevitably lead to an awkward situation.
Nieyan showed Xie Yao around his house and arranged her room next to his. “There’s no game pod here, but I’ll have someone bring over a good VR headset temporarily. For safety, it’s better if you don’t go out for the next few days. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Okay,” Xie Yao replied, still somewhat reserved in the unfamiliar environment.
Xie Yao, still shaken from the events, looked timid, giving her a uniquely charming appeal.
“What about your clothes? Tell me your sizes, and I’ll have my sister-in-law bring some over,” Nieyan said to Xie Yao. Looking at her, he estimated that she was about 166 to 167 centimeters tall, which was relatively tall for a girl.
Xie Yao roughly told Nieyan her clothing sizes. When it came to her bra size, she hesitated and felt somewhat embarrassed.
Nieyan glanced at Xie Yao’s chest, recalling the previous intimate moments, and shamelessly smiled, “Probably around 36D.” Xie Yao was indeed quite well-endowed.
Xie Yao blushed even more. Nieyan’s guess was pretty much spot on, but having him say it out loud made her feel extremely shy.
Seeing Xie Yao’s flustered expression, Nieyan laughed and stopped teasing her. He then called Achen’s wife—his sister-in-law—to help purchase some undergarments and daily necessities.
After arranging everything, it was almost dawn. Nieyan called Guo Huai and asked, “How’s the guild doing?”
“Finally, you called,” Guo Huai sighed in relief.
With Nieyan gone, the Bullmen Tribe had fallen into chaos. There were many decisions Guo Huai dared not make without Nieyan’s approval. Nieyan’s abrupt departure had made Guo Huai realize that Nieyan must have had an urgent matter, so he had refrained from calling him while worrying about Nieyan’s safety.
Nieyan understood Guo Huai’s concerns. The situation had been unexpected, and he had no choice but to act as he did. Fortunately, Xie Yao had not been in danger, or he would have regretted it for the rest of his life.
“The guild has stabilized for now, but there are still many matters that require your attention. Additionally, I need to talk to you about the War God Tribe. The five guilds of the Tuoba family are likely planning to move against the War God Tribe. The Tuoba family still holds considerable power in Nisoud City, and I’m worried that the War God Tribe may not be able to withstand the assault. Regardless, the Bullmen Tribe can’t get involved in another war. The battle at Krips Fortress cost us dearly. It will take players at least several weeks to regain their levels, and catching up with the main group might take months. If we fight another battle, who knows what might happen?” Guo Huai said. The Bullmen Tribe couldn’t afford any more losses.
Nieyan thought for a moment and said, “This time, the Bright Holy Flame, Jiulan Divine Temple, and the Holy Roman Empire also suffered heavy losses. Let the Crazy War Alliance handle it.”
“That might not be possible. The Crazy War Alliance is currently engaged in battles against several guilds in their city. They haven’t yet unified the Emerald City, Hildirock, and can’t spare any forces!” Guo Huai replied. He had already considered this solution, but Hildirock was also in turmoil.
“The War God Tribe should be fine for the time being. Let’s wait and see what happens,” Nieyan said. They could only wait for now. They couldn’t sacrifice the Bullmen Tribe’s future for the War God Tribe.
“The Tuoba family clearly planned this in advance, taking advantage of our recent battles against the Warblade Bloodthirsty, Mage Alliance, and Divine Guardians to strike against the War God Tribe. It will be difficult for the War God Tribe to hold out,” Guo Huai said with concern.
Nieyan recalled his past life. Back then, the War God Tribe hadn’t developed as quickly as now. According to the timeline from his previous life, the War God Tribe was still a small guild at this point, unnoticed by the Tuoba family. It wasn’t until later, after the Tuoba family declined due to internal conflicts, that the War God Tribe rose to prominence and unified Nisoud City.
However, in the current timeline, the War God Tribe had drawn the Tuoba family’s attention too early. The Tuoba family, even in decline, was still stronger than an ordinary family. If they launched a full-scale war against the War God Tribe, the outcome was truly hard to predict.
The War God Tribe should be able to hold the fortress for now. It seemed they would have to hold out for a while.
Nieyan gave Guo Huai a list of approximately two to three thousand Bullmen Tribe elites who hadn’t lost levels in the Krips Fortress battle, and dispatched some of them to assist the War God Tribe, which would at least alleviate the crisis to some extent. As for himself, he definitely wouldn’t go to Nisoud City. He had many important matters to attend to.
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