After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

It's 11:30 p.m.

The black Range Rover was turned off and parked in a secluded spot one kilometer behind the municipal party committee compound.

On a moonless, dark autumn night, a cold wind swept through the vast birch forest, the leaves rustling violently against each other. The air was thick with the damp, earthy smell of the ground. This tranquil forest exuded a sense of impending doom.

Zhu Xun Chuan, dressed in a dark gray suit, pushed open the car door and strode into the woods.

He stopped when he was less than 100 meters from the back wall of the municipal party committee compound.

The system's perception activated silently. The thermal infrared distribution within a 500-meter radius was clearly outlined in the mind. Fifteen high-temperature red humanoid silhouettes were distributed around the red brick building, in the surrounding woods, at the corners of walls, and on high points.

Fifteen top-tier special agents, working in groups of three, with overlapping field of vision.

Song Xingyao indeed went to great lengths, using the lavish treatment of a top-tier special caregiver to place his daughter under house arrest.

Zhu Xun Chuan flexed his wrists, his muscles taut beneath his suit. With such a tight defense, it would be virtually impossible to infiltrate without alerting others.

He was prepared to use his explosive physical strength to force his way through the group of special agents. At worst, he'd let Fu Yuan have a headache afterward trying to cover it up.

Just as he pushed off with his toes, preparing to sprint forward.

The faint sound of dry leaves cracking suddenly rang out half a meter behind me.

Zhu Xun Chuan's eyes suddenly turned cold. He gathered power in his right elbow, and with his waist driving his arm, he slammed it directly backward.

However, a small, cold and unusually soft hand reached out from behind and covered his mouth tightly.

At the same time, the faint, unique fragrance of black datura odor entered his nostrils.

A faint, peculiar medicinal scent lingered on the palm—the advanced neural coating used by top assassins to shield themselves from military police dogs and infrared heat scans.

"Brother, your perception ability is fine for dealing with those soldiers with guns. But it's not enough to deal with me."

In the darkness, Bai He peeked out from behind Zhu Xun Chuan's shoulder. She was still wearing that tight-fitting black combat suit, her twin ponytails swaying slightly in the cold wind. Her dark eyes gleamed with a triumphant light in the night.

Zhu Xun Chuan released all his strength, raised his left hand, and pulled her hand away from her mouth. He turned around, put his right arm around her slender waist, pulled her into his arms, and pushed her against the rough birch trunk next to him.

Bai He offered no resistance. She leaned against the tree trunk, following Zhu Xun Chuan's lead, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her right leg, rather unruly, lifted up and rubbed against the hem of Zhu Xun Chuan's trousers.

"Why aren't you sleeping at home in the middle of the night? Why did you follow me all the way here to check up on me?" Zhu Xun Chuan lowered his head, and their breaths mingled together.

Bai He pouted, tracing circles on Zhu Xun Chuan's suit collar with her finger, her tone dripping with sarcasm: "Aren't the three women at home enough for you to torment? That female tycoon's neckline is so low, I feel cold for her. And you still have to leave them behind to sneak out and have sex in the middle of the night, which vixen are you hiding out there?"

She was using the harshest tone while throwing a tantrum in the most coquettish way.

Zhu Xun Chuan reached out and pinched her cheek. The soft flesh deformed under his fingertips, interrupting her fierce expression.

"Don't be so harsh. It's the municipal party committee compound, Fu Xinghe." Zhu Xun Chuan didn't hide anything and was straightforward.

Upon hearing the name, a morbid possessiveness flashed in Bai He's eyes, and her face instantly fell: "That professor from Peking University? Didn't she go home? Brother came to see her in the middle of the night, is it because she's pregnant with your child behind my back and wants to steal my progress?"

She had an extremely obsessive fixation on "getting pregnant." The reason she left a sick leave note at the hospital was to use this method to trap Zhu Xunchuan.

Zhu Xun Chuan was amused by her absurd logic. He pressed his thumb firmly against Bai He's rosy lips.

"To protect me, she lied to her parents and said she was pregnant. Now she's under house arrest." Zhu Xun Chuan's fingers slid down her cheek, pinching her chin and lifting it slightly. "Since she's my woman, she has to go in and make this a reality."

Baihe stared into his eyes for three seconds to confirm that he wasn't lying.

"In a head-on confrontation, I admit I can't beat you." Bai He tightened his arms, pressing his chest against Zhu Xun Chuan's suit. "But when it comes to stealthily eliminating monsters, I'm in a league of my own on the Heavenly Ranking."

She tilted her head back, raised a slender white index finger, and placed it on Zhu Xun Chuan's lips, her expression becoming extremely serious and aggrieved.

"Let me make this clear beforehand, this is the last one!" Bai He gritted her teeth, her voice soft yet laced with warning. "Including this one, how many vixens do you have around you? If you bring any more home in the future, I can't guarantee where I'll stab you with the knife in my sleeve."

Zhu Xun Chuan grabbed the back of her head with his other hand and pressed her down.

The punitive kiss lasted for half a minute. The white crane, who had initially protested fiercely, quickly softened into a puddle of water, leaning against the tree trunk and panting heavily.

"Alright, I'll do as you say." Zhu Xun Chuan brushed his thumb across the corner of her lips. "Since you're here, clear a path for me. Remember, they're all official special agents; just knock them out, don't draw blood."

Upon hearing Zhu Xunchuan's promise and order, Bai He's charming and aggrieved expression vanished instantly.

Those eyes, which had just been filled with jealousy and longing, suddenly transformed into a deathly stillness and coldness devoid of any human emotion. This was the demeanor of the most powerful assassin, who had crawled out of piles of corpses on the dark web.

"Wait for my signal."

The white crane left behind a single sentence. Her body fell backward, without any warning, disappearing directly into the deep darkness of the birch forest. Not even a sound of her clothes rustling was heard.

Zhu Xun Chuan leaned against a birch tree trunk, his hands in his trouser pockets. He looked at the dark forest ahead, a calm smile playing on his lips.

Having a max-level assassin as a support is definitely much easier than just smashing your way in with your fists.

Thirty meters ahead, on the crown of a towering birch tree.

Sentinels No. 1 and No. 2 were crouching among the tree branches, using infrared night vision devices to monitor the outer wall of the compound.

In the darkness, a petite figure, limbs clinging to the tree trunk, swiftly climbed upwards at an angle defying all logic. No marks of friction were left on the bark.

The white crane was hanging upside down from a thick branch above the two people. Suddenly, its legs gave way and it plummeted.

With long, powerful legs, he precisely locked the neck of the first sentry, while his left hand, holding the handle of a high-density ceramic knife, struck the second sentry three inches below his temple.

Two muffled thuds overlapped.

Sentry Number One instantly lost consciousness due to oxygen deprivation. Sentry Number Two didn't even have time to press the alarm button before collapsing limply against the tree trunk. Bai He grabbed Sentry Number One's 160-pound body with one hand and placed it steadily in the middle of the branch to prevent it from falling and making a sound.

Two people were dealt with in 2.5 seconds.

The white crane landed, stepping onto the muddy ground covered with fallen leaves. The wind blew just in time, perfectly masking the extremely slight sound of her landing.

She moved quickly along the base of the red brick wall.

Behind the bushes ahead, sentries number three, four, and five are conducting a triangular patrol.

Without pausing, Bai He glided out of the shadows. He clenched his right thumb and forefinger, and three glass beads, each the size of a fingernail, shot out and landed precisely at the feet of the three people.

The bead shattered without a sound. The colorless nerve gas rapidly evaporated along the ground.

The three highly trained special agents barely inhaled any air before their eyes immediately went unfocused, and they swayed and fell to the ground. Bai He swiftly moved, spreading his arms to catch the shoulders of the two in front, gently placing them on the grass. With a flick of his right toe, he hooked the third person's calf, cushioning the impact of their fall.

The whole process was swift and efficient, without making even the slightest noticeable noise.

The next three minutes saw a textbook example of one-sided domination unfold in this heavily guarded outer wooded area.

White cranes darted among the sentries. Sometimes it was a close-quarters chokehold, sometimes a powerful elbow strike to the opponent's carotid artery, sometimes a cloud of poison. Fifteen special agents, representing the highest level of official combat capability, were silently and completely eliminated.

Only the wind could be heard in the birch forest; even the usual chirping of insects had completely ceased due to the pervasive sense of menace.

Zhu Xun Chuan stood in the shadows, feeling the infrared heat sources in front of him gradually change from standing to lying down.

This stark visual contrast greatly satisfied his desire for control. One second the little girl was clinging to him, jealous and begging for a hug, the next she transformed into a top-tier harvesting machine, clearing away all obstacles for him.

This knife is safest and sharpest only when it is held in his hand.

"Coo coo. Coo coo."

Suddenly, two clear bird calls rang out from the darkness.