Chapter 138: Xu Ruoshui Was Shocked and Envious!
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Yan Lingxiao, felt remorse and regret, plundering +9999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Yan Lingxiao, was enraged, plundering +29999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Yan Lingxiao, felt fear, plundering +50000 Destiny Value!]
...
The cascade of notifications rang like a funeral bell in the dusty, dim silence of the underground garage.
Suddenly, Yan Lingxiao calmed down. The rage that had fueled his breakthrough dissipated, leaving behind only the cold ash of despair. He lay in the rubble, his limbs useless, his cultivation shattered.
His gaze turned chilling, stripped of all hope, as he looked up at Shen Anyu, who stood above him like a judge.
"You and I... what hatred, what grievance, that you would harm me so?"
Yan Lingxiao's voice was hoarse, coughing up blood with every word.
"I have never met you before coming to Magic City. I have never offended the Shen Family. Could it be... just because you're worried I'll snatch Yuhe away?"
No matter how Yan Lingxiao thought about it, racking his brain through all his enemies in the Dark World, he couldn't understand. Why would a Young Master of a top aristocratic family go to such lengths—using nanobots, psychological warfare, and overwhelming force—to scheme against him?
Unless it was solely because of Luo Yuhe.
The cruel, playful smile on Shen Anyu's face slowly receded. He looked down at the fallen Dragon King. His expression shifted to one of terrifying sincerity and seriousness.
He crouched down, looking Yan Lingxiao in the eye, and slowly said:
"Because you are the Protagonist. And I... am the Villain."
"It is destined that we are enemies. Your existence hinders my path. Your 'Halo' steals the world's luck."
Shen Anyu's voice was low, echoing in the garage like a dark prophecy.
"Therefore, I can only strike first. I must seize your women and daughters to break your heart. I must kill your brothers to cut off your limbs. I must leave you with no way out but to die a miserable death."
"If you don't die, my heart will not be at peace! Your existence is an error in my world that I must correct."
"What...???"
Listening to Shen Anyu's words, Yan Lingxiao's pale face showed a look of shock and confusion. "Protagonist? Villain?"
He didn't fully understand the meta-context, but he understood the intent. He was prey. From the moment he stepped into Yanxia, he was being hunted.
At this moment, he was no longer the heroic and extraordinary Leader of the War God Alliance who could wipe out the entire Jin Family with a single word. He was not the Wolf King of the mercenaries. He was just a pathetic stray dog, trapped in a cage built by a hunter who knew his every move.
"So that's how it is... so that's how it is..."
Yan Lingxiao's expression became dazed. He kept muttering to himself, his eyes losing focus.
At this moment, everything clicked for him. Why his plans failed. Why he was always one step behind. Even if there were some doubts about Shen Anyu's strange terminology, he didn't care anymore.
It turned out that simply by existing, the War God Alliance had attracted a terrifying enemy—a predator from the top of the food chain.
Shen Anyu's expression was calm, his eyes reflecting the dim light of the garage as he continued to deconstruct Yan Lingxiao's life:
"If it weren't for me... You, the Protagonist, would have passed by Luojin Bridge five minutes earlier. You would have saved Luo Yuhe and Luo Xiaoxiao from Jin Shiming. You would have successfully won the beauty, gained a virtuous wife and a cute daughter, and lived a happy family life."
"You would have used the Luo Family's connections to rise. You would have eventually wiped out the Jin Family, and there would still be a Big Shot from the Imperial Capital—someone who owes your master a favor—who would appreciate your ruthlessness and protect you from the law."
Shen Anyu leaned in closer, his voice cold and absolute.
"However, with me here, there is no you."
"With the Yanxia Shen Family and the Yanxia An Family behind me exerting their power... with my grip on the political and business lifelines... even if that Big Shot appreciated you, he wouldn't dare to step forward after the Jin Family's demise."
"I am the Sky in Yanxia. And you are just a cloud I can disperse with a breath."
"Yan Lingxiao, you lost. Utterly defeated."
Yan Lingxiao's expression was dazed. Looking at Shen Anyu's calm, handsome face—a face that showed no guilt, only the indifference of a god crushing an ant—his whole body trembled.
His heart was terrified.
He realized that he wasn't just beaten in martial arts. He was crushed in strategy, in information, in background, and in ruthlessness.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Yan Lingxiao, completely collapsed, plundering +86666 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Yan Lingxiao's Destiny Value has been cleared! The Child of Destiny's Halo is shattered! He has lost his identity as the Child of Destiny!]
...
The golden aura that Shen Anyu could see with his [Destiny Eyes]—the aura that usually protected Yan Lingxiao—shattered into countless particles of light and vanished.
Yan Lingxiao was now just a mortal. A crippled mortal.
Yan Lingxiao's face was ashen, the color of a dead man. He looked up at Shen Anyu. The hatred was gone, replaced by a beggar's pleading.
"Please... Shen Anyu... Please take good care of Yuhe and Luoxiao."
Tears mixed with blood streamed down his face.
"I'm sorry for them. I failed them as a protector. I failed them as a father. I beg you..."
"My international bank black card... it has eighty billion US dollars in liquid assets. It is the accumulation of my ten years of mercenary work."
"And the War God Token... the token that commands the 100,000 elites of the War God Alliance overseas... They are all in a safe in a hidden Villa in the suburbs of the Demon Capital. The address is [No. 13, Shadow Lake Road], the code is [9981]..."
He rattled off the details, desperate to trade his legacy for his family's safety.
"All of these are for you! I give you my wealth! I give you my army! I only ask that you treat Luoxiao and Yuhe well... Don't let them suffer anymore."
If an outsider saw this scene, they would probably find it hard to believe.
The Lingxiao War God! The man who was notoriously fierce and awe-inspiring in the international Dark World! The Leader who could wipe out an entire powerful clan with a single word!
He was actually begging his enemy so humbly. He was handing over his life's work to the man who cuckolded him.
Yan Lingxiao hated Shen Anyu. He hated him to the bone. But he also knew that he was utterly defeated. He could not retaliate. He was going to die.
And Luo Yuhe and Luo Xiaoxiao, mother and daughter, could only rely on Shen Anyu to survive in this cruel world. Shen Anyu was powerful. Shen Anyu was rich. Shen Anyu could protect them.
"I will raise your wife and daughter, you need not worry!" (汝妻子吾养之,汝无虑也)
Shen Anyu nodded lightly, accepting the request with the demeanor of a conqueror accepting tribute.
"Luo Yuhe is my woman now. I dote on my women. I naturally wouldn't mistreat her. And raising Luo Xiaoxiao is also not difficult; she calls me Daddy, after all. As long as it didn't threaten my interests, I will give her the best life."
"Good... Good..."
"I'll write you a letter... to let you accept the remaining forces of the War God Alliance..."
A smile appeared on Yan Lingxiao's pale face—a smile of relief and finality.
Using his remaining strength, he bit his finger. With his own blood, he quickly wrote several suicide notes on the concrete floor. He detailed his inheritance, the black card, the War God Token, and issued a final "Blood Order" commanding the remaining forces of the War God Alliance to submit to Shen Anyu and protect Luo Yuhe at all costs.
He was handing his sword to his executioner.
Afterward, without Shen Anyu's intervention, Yan Lingxiao slowly closed his eyes.
He took a lingering look at the direction of the garden, where Luo Yuhe and Luo Xiaoxiao were.
"Goodbye, Yuhe. Goodbye, my daughter."
He reversed his remaining True Essence.
Puchi!
A muffled sound echoed from his chest. He severed his own heart meridian.
His body convulsed once, then went still. The light in the Dragon King's eyes faded forever.
Shen Anyu watched this scene with a calm expression, his hands in his pockets. He felt no pity, only the satisfaction of a job completed perfectly.
"The victor is king, the loser is a bandit. If I had lost, my fate—and the fate of the Shen Family—would have been even worse than yours. You would have spared no one."
Shen Anyu stepped out of the ruins of the garage, dusting off his suit.
He looked at Aunt Xiao, the captain of the guard who was waiting respectfully outside.
"Aunt Xiao."
"Young Master."
"Notify the headquarters of the Yanxia Special Forces. Tell them that the Leader of the War God Alliance, the murderer who wiped out the entire Jin Family, the richest family in Jinling, and the top-level wanted criminal, Yan Lingxiao, has been killed on the spot."
Shen Anyu paused, a calculating glint in his eyes.
"Tell them to come and collect the body. And specifically... notify my Aunt."
Aunt Xiao bowed knowingly.
"Yes, Young Master. I will now notify the General Instructor of the Fire Phoenix Special Forces, Phoenix War God An Zhiyue."
Such credit and benefits naturally belonged to their own people. This was a massive political merit—taking down a terrorist leader. Giving it to An Zhiyue would solidify her position and increase her favorability towards her "capable nephew."
Shen Anyu smiled. The destruction of the Jin Family caused a huge uproar. The big shots in the Imperial Capital were overwhelmed, ordering a quick resolution. Since he solved this matter, he would definitely gain a lot of merit in the eyes of the state.
He could even be called a "Special Hero" of the nation.
Of course, Shen Anyu didn't care about this empty honor that ordinary people dreamed of. He cared about the power it brought.
As for Yan Lingxiao? The murderous king who massacred a family? He would naturally be executed publicly (posthumously) and be reviled for a hundred years as a violent criminal. His name would be mud.
History is written by the victors.
Afterward, Shen Anyu walked towards the villa gate. He saw his neighbor, Xu Ruoshui, standing there.
Her pretty face was still in shock, her mouth agape. She looked at the ruined garage, then at the elegant Shen Anyu.
Shen Anyu smiled—a gentle, gentlemanly smile that hid the blood on his hands—and nodded at her politely.
Then, he walked over to Luo Yuhe and Luo Xiaoxiao, who were waiting anxiously. He pulled them into a hug, shielding them from the sight of the garage.
"Let's go. To the amusement park."
"Okay!"
Xu Ruoshui's beautiful eyes, clear and bright, watched all of this from afar. She muttered to herself, her heart pounding:
"So... the person fighting Mr. Shen was the terrifying wanted criminal who wiped out the Jin Family..."
The incident of the Jin Family, the richest family in Jinling, being wiped out had shaken all of Yanxia. It was all over the news. Xu Ruoshui had been terrified.
She didn't expect that the "monster" was right next door. And she certainly didn't expect that the person who defeated him... was Mr. Shen!
"Mr. Shen is really amazing... He risked his life to protect us neighbors. He's a hero!"
Xu Ruoshui felt a wave of admiration wash over her. She also felt some lingering fear. That terrifying murderer was in this Villa area! If not for Mr. Shen...
"He is handsome, rich, and a hero who fights evil..."
Watching Shen Anyu lead Luo Yuhe and Luo Xiaoxiao away, seeing the way he held the little girl and guided the woman, Xu Ruoshui's beautiful eyes held a hint of wistfulness and envy.
"It's normal for an excellent man like Mr. Shen to have a wife and children... That woman is so lucky."
She sighed, feeling a strange sense of loss.
"Xu Ruoshui, what are you thinking about? Hurry back to the company, there's an important meeting later!"
Xu Ruoshui patted her flushed, pretty face, feeling a bit hot. She quickly shook her head to clear her mind of the handsome neighbor, took the documents, found a spare car in her garage, and headed to the company.
However, she didn't know that she was being watched.
Shen Anyu, through the nanometer monitoring robot that was still active in the area, noticed this scene on his retinal display.
A playful, predatory arc curved at the corner of his mouth.
"This Xu Ruoshui is surprisingly pure. Compared to Qin Ningbing, the Iceberg CEO, she should be easier to conquer."
"Admiration is the first step to falling in love. Once I find the Child of Destiny by Xu Ruoshui's side... I'll go and conquer her! Another flower for the collection."
Just then, a crisp, happy voice broke his train of thought.
Luo Xiaoxiao grabbed Shen Anyu's sleeve. Her small face was rosy, full of excitement and joy, completely unaware that her biological father lay dead just a hundred meters away.
"Daddy, Daddy, look! That poster! That's a roller coaster..."
Shen Anyu smiled warmly. He picked up Luo Xiaoxiao effortlessly and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
"Luoxiao, do you want to ride it?"
"Mm-hmm! Daddy, Luoxiao really wants to ride the roller coaster! And the Ferris wheel!"
"Then let's go ride it. Today, Daddy grants all your wishes."
Luo Yuhe walked beside them. She tucked a strand of hair that had been blown loose by the wind behind her ear. Her beautiful eyes gazed tenderly at the warm scene before her—the man and the child laughing together.
After experiencing Yan Lingxiao's assassination attempt, she felt even more joy and relief at having something back that she thought she had lost. The fear of death had only heightened the sweetness of life.
"This man... An'yu..."
She looked at his profile. He was her savior. Her lover. Her world.
"I never want to be separated from him. For my entire life."
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Luo Yuhe's Favorability +10! Plundering +30000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Luo Yuhe's Total Favorability has reached 100 (Max)!]
[Ding! Plundering +1000000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Luo Yuhe's favorability is full! Triggering Cashback Reward...]
...
Shen Anyu smiled slightly. The rewards were massive, but the woman was even better.
How could he miss such a captivating beauty before him? The night was going to be long.
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