Chapter 139: Luo Yuhe's Shyness, An Zhiyue's Shock!
Shen Anyu's handsome face was filled with a rich, genuine smile. For once, it wasn't a mask of politeness or a predatory smirk, but the satisfaction of a farmer looking at a bumper harvest.
He was in a genuinely good mood. The notification chime of the System was still echoing pleasantly in his mind.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Luo Yuhe's favorability is full! Triggering Cashback Reward...]
He hadn't expected Luo Yuhe's favorability to reach full value (100/100) so quickly. It was a pleasant surprise, exceeding his calculations.
Currently, Shen Anyu had captured quite a few [Destined Heroines]: The proud tsundere Su Hongmian, the icy CEO Qin Ningbing, the mature Ruan Lingshan, the innocent Lu Yan, the capable Lin Keqing, the pure Jiang Linlin, the loyal Liu Mi, and the fierce Situ Yueying.
But so far, only Jiang Linlin's favorability had reached full value before this.
Shen Anyu reflected on this as he watched Luo Yuhe adjusting Luo Xiaoxiao's collar nearby.
'When favorability first starts, it increases very quickly—a few grand gestures, a saved life, and it shoots up to 80. But later on, it becomes increasingly difficult to raise. The jump from 90 to 95 takes months of emotional investment. And from 99 to 100? That is the chasm between "Love" and "Total Devotion."'
Ninety was already the level of life-and-death dependence. At that stage, they would die for him. But 100? That was the level where they lost their selfhood entirely to him.
It was unimaginable how difficult it was to reach full value for women with strong egos like Su Hongmian.
'It could only be said that Luo Yuhe, like Jiang Linlin, fits the "Foolish Woman" archetype,' Shen Anyu mused, not with disdain, but with possessive affection. 'Once she falls in love, she completely succumbs. She gives her body, her heart, her loyalty, and even her soul without reservation. She doesn't hold back a single piece of herself.'
What made Shen Anyu even happier was the payout.
Luo Yuhe's full favorability surprisingly rewarded him with [1,000,000 Destiny Value]. One million! This was an astronomical figure compared to the usual rewards.
'As the only Destined Heroine of the War God archetype—the true female lead of Yan Lingxiao's story—Luo Yuhe carried a massive amount of the world's Luck. And now, all of it belongs to me.'
"Husband? What are you thinking about?"
Luo Yuhe's soft voice broke his reverie. She looked at him with eyes full of water, her cheeks slightly flushed from the excitement of the roller coaster ride they were about to board.
"Nothing. Just thinking about how beautiful you are today."
Shen Anyu smiled, reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. His hand, which had just crushed a Grandmaster's heart meridian less than an hour ago, was now gentle enough to hold a butterfly.
"Let's go. Today, we play until we drop."
Afterward, Shen Anyu, in high spirits, took Luo Yuhe and Luo Xiaoxiao to play heartily at the amusement park.
They rode the Ferris wheel, looking down at the city. They ate cotton candy that stained Luo Xiaoxiao's lips blue. They played shooting games where Shen Anyu "accidentally" missed a few shots to let Luo Yuhe win a giant teddy bear.
It was a perfect picture of domestic bliss, built on the corpse of the rightful father.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
[Location: Yanxia Special Forces Temporary Command Center - Interrogation Room]
The atmosphere here was the polar opposite of the amusement park. The air smelled of stale sweat, antiseptic, and old blood. The walls were reinforced steel, soundproofed and cold.
"What? Yan Lingxiao took people to attack An'yu?"
When An Zhiyue received the call from Aunt Xiao and heard the first sentence, her entire body suddenly stood up from the metal chair. Her movement was so abrupt that the chair screeched against the concrete floor.
Her short-haired, heroic face was instantly filled with deep shock and worry. Her pupils contracted.
"Is An'yu okay? Where are they?" she demanded, her voice rising an octave.
If Yan Lingxiao—that lunatic mercenary king—kidnapped her nephew Shen Anyu, what would she do? Shen Anyu was the only heir of the Shen Family! He was her sister's precious son!
"Damn it! We underestimated Yan Lingxiao's madness!"
The other special forces team members present also had solemn expressions, their brows tightly furrowed. The air in the room grew heavy. If the Young Master of the Yanxia Shen Family were kidnapped by Yan Lingxiao, then they would fall into an extremely passive position. The Shen Family would be furious, and the country would be in turmoil.
"Hahaha! Boss is awesome! He actually found such a good opportunity to break the deadlock!"
Laughter erupted from the corner of the room.
The three Grandmasters of the War God Alliance—Dark Asura, Vulture, and Stone Rhino—who had been captured and tied up with specialized alloy chains, heard An Zhiyue's panic.
Their pale, beaten faces immediately showed extreme excitement and joy. They burst into laughter, the sound grating and mocking.
"I knew it! The Boss never abandons us!" Dark Asura shouted, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism.
"Behave!"
An Zhiyue turned around, her eyes flashing with anger. She kicked Dark Asura in the chest in annoyance.
Thud!
"Hmph! An Zhiyue, kicking me won't save your nephew!"
Dark Asura spat a mouthful of blood onto An Zhiyue's pristine uniform boots. His face was full of schadenfreude, and he spoke with absolute impunity.
"If you don't want Shen Anyu to die, then don't mess around! Treat us with respect!"
In his opinion, since their Boss Yan Lingxiao had made a move personally, Shen Anyu would certainly be captured. There were no "ifs" or "buts." Yan Lingxiao was a Martial Dao Grandmaster, the King of Mercenaries! A pampered young master like Shen Anyu wouldn't last three seconds against him.
"That's right! Shen Anyu is soft meat. Boss will grab him like a chicken!"
Someone of Shen Anyu's status and position—the sole heir to billions—would be the ultimate bargaining chip. He would be exchanged for their three hostages without any problem. The Shen Family would beg to make the trade.
The other two captured Grandmaster powerhouses of the War God Alliance also spoke up, adding fuel to the fire:
"Hehe, An Zhiyue, if you have the guts, just kill us right now! Go ahead!"
"But remember, with the Young Master of the Yanxia Shen Family buried with us, our deaths won't be in vain! It's a profitable trade!"
"Fourth Brother, well said. We live by the blade, our lives always hanging by a thread, we're not afraid of death! But that Shen Anyu... I wonder if he'll be scared senseless when our Boss captures him? Will he wet his pants? Hahaha..."
"Shut up!"
An Zhiyue's face was extremely grim. Her fair fists clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white, making cracking sounds. Veins popped on her forehead. She practically wanted to punch and explode the heads of these three War God Alliance Grandmaster powerhouses right then and there.
However, she held back.
She looked at the phone in her hand, fear gripping her heart. Seeing the three of them acting with impunity, and then thinking that Shen Anyu might indeed be captured and fall into Yan Lingxiao's sadistic hands...
She could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger. She dared not provoke them further, lest Yan Lingxiao take it out on Shen Anyu.
Seeing this hesitation, Dark Asura and the other two became even more smug and delighted!
"Look at her face! She's terrified!"
In the battle at Ankang Hospital in Modu, they had fallen into an ambush and lost. They felt resentful and humiliated. But despite being captured, they had not felt the slightest despair.
Why? Because they believed in their god.
They imagined that their Boss, Yan Lingxiao, would surely find a way to rescue them. He always did. He was invincible.
And now, their faith was rewarded. Boss Yan Lingxiao had captured Shen Anyu! They had hope of escaping! They would walk out of this prison like kings!
"An Zhiyue! Get the keys! Prepare a car! We want to leave!"
But then...
"What? What did you say?"
Just then, An Zhiyue, who had put the phone back to her ear to listen to Aunt Xiao's report, froze.
Her entire delicate body trembled violently, as if she had been struck by lightning. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. She stood frozen in place, her mouth agape, unable to process the words coming from the other end.
"Repeat that. Aunt Xiao, say that again."
"General Instructor, what's wrong?"
A member of the Phoenix Special Forces team, noticing her strange reaction, asked with concern. "Did... did something happen to Mr. Shen? If it's really impossible, then we must exchange hostages immediately."
"An Zhiyue! Release us! You don't want Shen Anyu to be buried with us, do you?" Dark Asura shouted triumphantly, thinking her shock was due to Shen Anyu being tortured.
An Zhiyue slowly lowered the phone. She looked at everyone in the room with a blank, unreadable expression. Her chest heaved.
Then suddenly, a beautiful, relieved smile bloomed on her heroic and pretty face. It was radiant, like a hundred flowers in full bloom after a harsh winter.
She looked at Dark Asura and said softly:
"Yan Lingxiao is dead!"
"..."
The room went silent.
What?
When An Zhiyue's words fell, the silence was deafening.
Whether it was the elite powerhouses from several Yanxia special forces teams or the three captured Grandmasters of the War God Alliance... all were shocked speechless. They stood there, dumbfounded, like wooden chickens carved from stone.
Yan Lingxiao... is dead?
The Leader of the War God Alliance? The famous Martial Dao Grandmaster? The Lingxiao War God who had shaken the international Dark World and survived a hundred wars?
Dead? Just like that?
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Dark Asura screamed, breaking the silence. His face twisted into a mask of frantic denial. "You are lying! You are trying to trick us!"
"How could Boss die? Who could kill Boss? He is the Dragon King!"
He struggled against his chains, the metal clanking loudly. He couldn't accept this matter. He simply couldn't believe it. It shattered his entire worldview.
Through how many hails of bullets had Boss Yan Lingxiao led them to fight their way out? Through how many impossible missions? He was a god of war! Gods don't die in some random suburb!
"Ridiculous! It must be fake news! Psychological warfare!"
"Don't fool us! Our Boss is Lingxiao War God! In all of Yanxia, who can kill him one-on-one? Even you, An Zhiyue, couldn't do it!"
The other two captured Grandmaster powerhouses of the War God Alliance were also equally incredulous, sneering in denial, though panic began to flicker in their eyes.
Even the elite powerhouses of the Yanxia special forces team looked at their General Instructor with confusion.
"General Instructor... is it true? Who killed Yan Lingxiao?"
They had fought Yan Lingxiao at Ankang Hospital in Modu. They knew his strength deeply. He was a monster who could dodge bullets and crush steel. Even with such a luxurious lineup of snipers and Grandmasters, he had fought his way through them and escaped.
Who had the power to kill such a being?
An Zhiyue's heroic and pretty face also showed a trace of lingering puzzlement and confusion, mixed with immense pride.
She took a deep breath, looked at the trembling Dark Asura, and slowly parted her red lips to utter the name that would become a legend.
"Shen Anyu!"
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