“Wait a minute, I’ll call Cao Xu,” Nie Yan said to Xie Yao.
Nie Yan picked up his phone and dialed Cao Xu’s number.
Xie Yao stood beside him, looking very nervous.
“Do you know where Cao Xu is now?” Nie Yan asked.
“I’m not exactly sure where he is. This guy is hiding very deep. However, there are rumors that he is recruiting assassins at a high price, probably targeting you,” Cao Xu replied. The information he obtained was through great effort, as Cao Xu’s movements were very secretive.
“Any way to find him?” Nie Yan asked. This was a dangerous signal. Since Cao Xu had hired assassins, it was clear that Nie Yan and his family were the targets.
“Not yet. However, one of my brothers has already made contact with the people who are recruiting the assassins. If everything goes smoothly, we might be able to trace Cao Xu’s exact location. This guy is really going all out, offering a hundred billion. If someone successfully assassinates you, they’d get fifty billion. Killing your parents or Xie Yao would net ten billion each. As for people from the Xie or Liu families, each would be worth twenty million. Such prices have really stirred up the assassin community. If certain people get involved, I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to handle them,” Cao Xu said. There were still many top-tier experts in the world of mercenaries and assassins. Cao Xu had offered the highest bounty in history for an assassination.
“Do you have any other ideas? We can’t just sit around waiting to die,” Nie Yan said. Cao Xu’s move was ruthless, pushing them into a corner.
“I don’t know either,” Cao Xu replied with a bitter smile.
“Help me spread the word: whoever kills Cao Xu will immediately receive fifty billion in cash and 5% of Century Group’s shares,” Nie Yan said through clenched teeth. Let’s see who’s tougher. Would Cao Xu dare to throw all his retirement money into this?
“In that case, we’ll have a much easier time,” said Cao Xu. At least this would scatter the targets. The assassins wouldn’t focus solely on Nie Yan anymore—some would shift their attention to Cao Xu. His plan to hire assassins to eliminate Nie Yan would become difficult to execute. If exposed, he’d face certain death with countless assassins watching his every move.
“I’m planning to go back to school,” Nie Yan said gravely.
“Go back to school? Together with Xie Yao? That’s too dangerous. There will definitely be many assassins targeting you two,” Cao Xu was a bit worried and quickly tried to dissuade Nie Yan.
“No, only me. This is called drawing the snake out of its hole,” Nie Yan explained. If he stayed hidden, the assassins would shift their focus to others, including his father, mother, and people from the Xie and Liu families. With so many people to protect, it would be impossible to guard against every threat, and eventually, they would succeed. However, as soon as Nie Yan appeared, all the targets would focus on him. It was a reluctant move, but he didn’t want anyone close to him to get hurt.
Cao Xu pondered for a long time. He understood Nie Yan’s thinking. Although he was a mercenary, Cao Xu was not an emotionless being. After spending so much time together, aside from their purely employer-employee relationship, the two had also established a deep friendship. He didn’t want Nie Yan to take risks, but if Nie Yan had made up his mind, he could only follow through.
“With people like you protecting me, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Let them come. The more active Cao Xu becomes, the more mistakes he’ll make,” Nie Yan said.
“I disagree!” Hearing that Nie Yan was going to take such a risk, Xie Yao immediately became anxious.
“Listen to me and stay here quietly. I have my own reasons!” Nie Yan gently caressed Xie Yao’s cheek. How could he want to take risks himself? But there were things he could not do and things he must do. In his previous life, he had already owed too many people. For their safety and for Xie Yao, Nie Yan had to do this—to lure out and kill Cao Xu, and then everything would calm down.
“No way, you can’t go! If you go, I’m going with you too,” Xie Yao was so anxious she was about to cry. She understood Nie Yan’s personality. Once he made a decision, no one could change it, but she still wanted to stop him.
“There won’t be any problem. Besides, there’s Cao Xu and Shadow Killer too. If you go, you’ll only be a burden to me, and I won’t be able to take care of you,” Nie Yan smiled lightly.
Cao Xu, who was on the phone, remained silent for a long time before saying, “Miss Xie, don’t worry. Even if anything happens to me, nothing will happen to Nie Yan.”
Cao Xu’s words did not reassure Xie Yao, but she understood that she could not persuade Nie Yan. She was angry at Nie Yan’s domineering and unilateral decisions, yet she was helpless.
“Just stay here quietly. Give me five days. I promise you, I’ll definitely deal with Cao Xu within five days!” Nie Yan comforted Xie Yao.
Nie Yan settled Xie Yao in an absolutely safe place and had someone from the Xie family protect her. He wanted to ensure Xie Yao’s safety before returning to school.
“Are you sure you really want to show yourself? It’s not too late to think it over now,” Cao Xu advised.
“If you were in the same situation, would you put yourself in danger to protect your brothers?” Nie Yan smiled faintly and asked in return. There was something in this world called brotherhood. Sometimes, for the sake of such a word, people would even sacrifice their lives without hesitation.
After a long while, Cao Xu reluctantly said, “Okay, I can’t argue with you. Shadow Killer and I will be responsible for your safety.”
“They might not dare to act inside the First Military Academy. I’ll appear there first, and then head to the suburbs, making it convenient for them to make their move,” Nie Yan said. He didn’t know how many assassins Cao Xu would send or whether those assassins could be captured all at once.
“If that’s the case, Shadow Killer and I might not be enough. I’ll call Wang Duo and the others too,” Cao Xu thought for a moment and said. Besides Wang Duo and others, he also had some people under his command, all top-notch experts recruited at great expense. This battle would likely be a bloody one.
In a small bar in the suburbs of Huanghai, a middle-aged man in a black trench coat was sitting in a corner drinking beer. His beard was unshaven, his hair disheveled, and he looked haggard. Even an acquaintance probably wouldn’t recognize him as Cao Xu, the once powerful boss of the Century Group!
He saw a new message on his phone, opened it, and couldn’t help clenching his teeth. The Tianxia Group had also issued a bounty, offering fifty billion and 5% of the Century Group’s shares to whoever killed him. Cao Xu sneered, what a grand gesture!
Cao Xu almost hated Nie Yan to the core. Nie Yan’s appearance had ruined one of his plans after another, eventually bringing him to this desperate situation. He hated Nie Yan so much that he wanted to skin him alive to relieve his hatred. Former subordinates had left him one after another, and he had tasted what it felt like to be betrayed by everyone. The one responsible for all this was none other than Nie Yan!
After selling his shares, he had been recruiting killers everywhere, targeting Nie Yan! If he couldn’t kill Nie Yan, killing a few of Nie Yan’s relatives to make him feel guilty and suffer would also be good.
Cao Xu looked at his phone, which had just received a text message. A cruel smile appeared on his lips. He hadn’t expected Nie Yan to dare to show up at this time. Since you want to die, I’ll fulfill your wish. He replied with a message: Start the operation!
The news of Nie Yan returning to the First Military Academy caused a sensation. Almost all the students at the First Military Academy recognized Nie Yan. Previously, two sensational news stories circulating outside had been shocking. One was that the Bull Tribe defeated the Angel Dominion and the Century Group, unifying the Light Faction. The other was that the Tianxia Group, Zhengrong Group, and Longyue Group had merged with the Century Group, becoming its new owners. The protagonist of all these major events was Nie Yan.
With such a significant figure in their midst, and now actually returning to the First Military Academy, it was hard not to be shocking.
Nie Yan was walking along a tree-lined path on campus, and students passing by were pointing at him and stopping to watch. Nie Yan had truly become a prominent figure, overshadowing everyone else.
“Look, that’s Nie Yan—the Mad Bandit Nier in the game and the heir to the Tianxia Group in real life. His fortune must be worth at least seventy or eighty billion.”
“It won’t be just that soon. After the Tianxia Group merged with the Century Group, its strength skyrocketed, giving it a say in the industry. Making money will be a piece of cake.”
“If I could land such a golden goose, I wouldn’t have to worry for the rest of my life.”
“Stop dreaming. His fiancée is the daughter of the Zhengrong Group and the Longyue Group, worth hundreds of billions, beautiful, and the top beauty in the economics department. What do you have to compare with her?”
Hearing these whispers, Nie Yan couldn’t help but smile, still walking calmly and steadily. He knew there were countless eyes watching him secretly. Those assassins probably wouldn’t dare to act on campus, but it was hard to say for sure. Therefore, he needed to stay fully alert. If danger occurred, he could dodge in time.
He wore a watch around his chest, equipped with the most advanced instruments that could detect approaching bullets, emitting something like an electromagnetic field to interfere with the bullets’ flight path and cause them to deviate. This device, provided by Cao Xu, was said to be the latest military technology, only equipped for some national leaders, not available on the market.
Cao Xu and Shadow Killer were also in hiding. With their sharp eyes, they could even analyze from people’s subtle expressions and movements whether they were assassins. If Nie Yan was followed, Cao Xu and others would definitely know.
After receiving Cao Xu’s message, Wang Duo and others were all rushing to the First Military Academy. It seemed that Mo Yuntian had also learned about the news and sent some experts over. Although their people weren’t at the level of Cao Xu and Shadow Killer, they were all special forces personnel, naturally much stronger than ordinary assassins. Now they were all holding back, fearing that Cao Xu’s people wouldn’t act. Once they did, they would definitely wipe them out completely!
Nie Yan’s phone buzzed. He looked at it and saw a message from Cao Xu: Targets have been identified. Let’s begin.
Nie Yan put his phone back into his pocket, walked around the tree-lined path, and then, according to the plan, headed toward the outside of the First Military Academy.
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