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

Zhu Xun Chuan opened his arms to catch her, wrapped one arm around her slender waist, and let her cling to him like a koala.

"Where did this thing come from?" Zhu Xun Chuan looked down at the assassin who was still convulsing on the ground.

"It seems to be a lone assassin who's ranked high on the Southeast Asian assassin list, codenamed 'Poison Bee.'" Lu Nianxi wrapped her arms around Zhu Xunchuan's neck and rubbed her face against his chest. "I installed a listening device in your garage and knew that Chen Pojun, that good-for-nothing, had hired someone, so I waited for him on the balcony beforehand. He didn't even get over the security bars before I drugged him."

The sickly and delicate nature of the daughter of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee member became an impenetrable defense at this time.

"He tried to hurt you, so I took him out." Lu Nianxi looked up, her peach blossom eyes filled with fervent infatuation. "Brother, am I the best girl?"

"Of course, you're the best." Zhu Xun Chuan pinched her soft cheek. "Well done."

Receiving the praise, Lu Nianxi squinted her eyes contentedly and leaned forward with her red lips, wanting to ask for a reward.

Just then, the electronic lock in the entryway beeped again.

The door was pushed open. Jiang Yao walked in carrying two brown paper boxes. She was still wearing her black leather jacket and pants, her Doc Martens clicking on the wooden floor.

"Honey, I just grabbed some of your favorite egg noodles from that old-fashioned shop downstairs, they're still hot..."

Jiang Yao's words came to an abrupt halt.

Her gaze passed through the entrance hall and she clearly saw Lu Nianxi clinging to Zhu Xunchuan, and the pure white silk nightgown with its wide neckline.

Then, she saw the bloody, mangled "zongzi" on the ground.

The little wildcat from the North's face instantly darkened.

"Smack."

The takeout box was placed heavily on the entryway cabinet. Jiang Yao flipped her right hand, and the butterfly knife gleamed coldly at her fingertips.

"You mad dog from Tianjin, who allowed you to enter this door?" Jiang Yao, wearing Martin boots and carrying a knife, strode into the living room, the tip of the knife pointing directly at Lu Nianxi. "Get off him right now, or I'll cut you up and use you to fill the sea today."

"I let you off the hook at the airport last time! You've got some nerve! Watch out or I'll throw you in a pig cage!"

Lu Nianxi wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she shrank closer to Zhu Xun Chuan, deliberately rubbing her chest against the man's shirt, and turned to give Jiang Yao a provocative smile.

"I caught a mouse for my brother, this is my reward," Lu Nianxi said sweetly. "But you, you're always out fighting and killing, bringing back a stench of sewage. What if you bother your brother?"

"You're asking for it!" Jiang Yao roared in fury, gripping the butterfly knife in reverse and closing in.

Two completely different, frenzied killing intents collided violently in the living room.

That's enough.

Zhu Xun Chuan's voice was not loud, but gentle yet firm, and it exuded an absolute sense of oppression.

He reached out and patted Lu Nianxi's lower back, gesturing for her to get down. Although Lu Nianxi was unwilling, she instinctively obeyed Zhu Xun Chuan's orders and obediently stood aside.

Zhu Xun Chuan strode up to Jiang Yao and grabbed her wrist holding the knife with his left hand.

"Put the knife away." Zhu Xun Chuan looked into her eyes, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Jiang Yao's chest heaved violently as she bit her red lips. She glanced at Zhu Xunchuan, then glared fiercely at Lu Nianxi, before finally flipping her wrist and putting away the butterfly knife.

"Go wash your hands. Bring the noodles over." Zhu Xun Chuan pulled Jiang Yao to the dining table, pressed her shoulder to make her sit down, and turned to Lu Nian tide, "You come and sit down too."

In short, the two crazy beauties who were ready to tear someone apart just minutes ago are now sitting obediently on opposite sides of the long dining table, ignoring each other but not making a move.

Zhu Xun Chuan turned and walked towards the assassin on the ground.

He crouched down, his leather shoe pressing against the assassin's chest, and with one hand, he grabbed the man's chin, forcibly dislocating his jawbone. He then probed the assassin's mouth, fumbling for a moment before prying out a tiny, waterproof USB drive, no bigger than a fingernail, from between his molars.

Top assassins carry this level of data storage device when they go on missions, and it's definitely not just for storing mission briefings.

Zhu Xun Chuan took a tissue from the coffee table, wiped the USB drive clean, and sat down at the head of the dining table.

Jiang Yao had already opened the takeout box, and the steaming hot egg noodles emitted an enticing aroma. She pushed a bowl in front of Zhu Xunchuan, deliberately ignoring Lu Nianxi across from her.

Zhu Xun Chuan picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of noodles, took out his encrypted phone, and connected the USB drive to the phone port.

He dialed Shen Tianxi's personal number.

"Honey!" The call connected instantly, and Shen Tianxi's soft, sweet, and slightly spoiled voice came through, accompanied by the clatter of keyboard keystrokes. "Have you finished checking up on me?"

"I have a little gadget, help me unlock it." Zhu Xun Chuan sent the data packet directly.

"Give me three minutes." Shen Tianxi's tone instantly switched to that of an absolutely confident tech expert.

At the dining table, Jiang Yao picked up a few noodles, her eyes fixed on Zhu Xun Chuan's phone. Lu Nianxi, on the other hand, rested her chin on her hand, shamelessly admiring Zhu Xun Chuan's profile as he ate the noodles, as if it were more attractive than any delicacy.

The strong smell of blood in the entryway, combined with the steaming egg noodles on the dining table, created an eerie yet harmonious warmth in this single-level apartment.

Two and a half minutes.

Shen Tianxi's voice came out again, filled with undisguised shock.

"Honey, where did you get this?" The keyboard clicks stopped, and Shen Tianxi gasped. "This is a top-level dynamic key fob from UBS. It's linked to seventeen anonymous overseas accounts. All the illicit money the Chen family laundered from selling active-duty equipment from the Seventh Military Factory is in this fund pool."

The puzzle is now complete.

The ledgers that Shen Tianxi obtained from the Tianjin Military Region last night only prove that Chen Pojun is suspected of trafficking in arms. With his immunity from execution, the Chen family patriarch could easily find a scapegoat to take the blame and claim that Chen Pojun was merely negligent.

But now, with this dynamic key that directly points to overseas vaults, money laundering networks and arms trafficking have formed an impenetrable, perfect closed loop.

Zhu Xun Chuan put down his chopsticks. The photo he had found in the safe of Guangying Media last night flashed through his mind. Thirty years ago, during the fire at the Qingcheng Orphanage, the bodyguard wearing the special fire-resistant suit patented by the Seventh Military Factory.

The Chen family is not only a protective umbrella for live experiments, but also a termite that undermines the foundation of the nation's military industry.

This is no longer a simple matter of taking sides or clashing interests; it is a nuclear bomb capable of completely annihilating the entire Chen family.

"Seal the data and send it to your grandfather simultaneously," Zhu Xun Chuan said coldly.

"Understood," Shen Tianxi replied crisply.

He hung up the phone. Zhu Xun Chuan pulled out a tissue and wiped his mouth.

He stood up and walked to the assassin lying on the ground. Half of a satellite phone antenna was sticking out of the assassin's combat uniform pocket.

Zhu Xun Chuan bent down and pulled out the satellite phone. There was still an unread one-way command on the screen: Confirm target clearance status.

Zhu Xunchuan pressed the call-back button.

A few monotonous beeps came from the loudspeaker, then the call was answered. The background was extremely quiet, with the occasional faint ticking of a cardiac monitor.

"Poisonous Bee, keep your hands and feet clean." Chen Pojun's voice was low and filled with a sinister expectation.

The only sound in the large apartment was the faint hum of the central air conditioning.

"Young Master Chen, I've received your package." Zhu Xun Chuan looked at the blood-soaked assassin at his feet, his tone as calm as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Chen Pojun's heavy breathing and the sound of a water glass being knocked over and shattered.

"Zhu Xun Chuan! How could you...?"

"Your trump card isn't even worthy of making me shed a drop of blood." Zhu Xun Chuan interrupted his hysteria, his gaze passing through the floor-to-ceiling window as he looked towards the deep night in the direction of the Western Hills.

"Tomorrow, I will personally come to the retirement home to return the courtesy."