Ice skates forward, regardless of east or west.

1

"Click".

A soft sound rang out clearly in the abandoned warehouse, as if it were a signal that some ancient mechanism had been triggered.

Ling Wuwen used all his strength to forcefully press the crooked, almost detached antenna deep into the rusty interface on the back of the television.

Her fingertips turned white from the force, trembled slightly, and her knuckles made a soft "crackling" sound.

The black and white static on the screen was as if it had been roughly smoothed out by an invisible hand.

The violent shaking gradually subsided, as if a restless wild beast had finally been tamed.

The noise from the electric current gradually subsided from a piercing scream into a low, oppressive hum, like the breathing of some giant beast in the dark, filled with an ominous premonition.

The picture is clear now.

Although it still has a rough black and white texture, with a grainy feel so heavy that you can almost touch the texture of the screen, every detail is clearly visible and so clear that it is breathtaking.

That was—three years ago, the final thirty seconds of the men's singles figure skating final that changed everything.

2

In the center of the image.

The enormous ice rink, smooth as a mirror, reflected a cold light under the spotlights.

Gu Xidong is bringing his entire show to a climax.

He stood on one leg, the other raised high, his body spinning at an astonishing speed on the ice like a bowstring stretched to its limit.

The ice skates rubbed against the ice, making a sharp "sizzling" sound, as if even the air itself was being torn apart.

That's his signature move—the "Burning Black Swan".

His posture was breathtakingly perfect.

Every muscle line gleamed with power and beauty under the lights, exuding explosive energy.

Sweat slid down his forehead, tracing a glistening arc under the light.

He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed, lost in his own world, oblivious to everything around him.

He seemed to be the sole king on the ice, and the whole world had to submit to his rotation.

From the television, the commentator's almost hysterical shouts came through the screen. His voice was severely distorted due to excitement, but it could still penetrate the electrical noise and slam into Ling Wuwen's eardrums.

"...Incredible! Gu Xidong's rotation speed reached 320 revolutions per minute! This is simply a miracle of physics!"

"...He's too perfect! He's a genius born for figure skating! He's God's favorite!"

"...The entire audience rose to their feet! They were cheering for the birth of a king! This is the era of Gu Xidong!"

The camera zooms out.

In the stands, countless spectators waved their glow sticks, creating a surging wave of cheers.

Red and white lights converged into a boiling, dizzying ocean.

That was an ocean of glory.

That was Gu Xidong's coronation moment.

Ling Wuwen stood in front of the television.

Her body was as taut as a stone, completely still.

She stared intently at the screen.

Staring at that radiant figure spinning on the ice.

For the past three years, this is the scene she has hated the most.

She thought he was using this method to flaunt his victory to the world.

She boasted that he had ascended the throne by stepping over the corpse of her brother, Ling Wufeng.

Countless times in her dreams, she wanted to rush into that scene and tear that perfect face to shreds.

But now, looking at Gu Xidong, who was immersed in his own world and even had a slightly intoxicated expression.

She suddenly realized.

he does not know.

He really didn't know.

What terrible accident is happening on the ice behind him?

He thought he was simply enjoying his crown.

He didn't even know that the crown was bought with her brother's life.

3

Just then.

From the perspective of the cassette tape, it seems that it was startled by some sound, and the picture suddenly shook.

The camera no longer focused on the dazzling protagonist in the center of the ice rink, but rather hurriedly shifted its focus away from Gu Xidong.

His gaze swept across the roaring audience.

The image was shaky and full of noise.

But in that fleeting, blurry image...

Ling Wuwen's pupils suddenly contracted.

She saw several faces.

A few faces that stood out awkwardly amidst the cheering, excited, and thrilled faces around them.

They did not wave glow sticks.

There was no standing ovation.

They didn't even look at the "king" spinning in the center of the ice rink.

Their gaze.

He stared intently at another corner of the ice rink.

That corner where Ling Wufeng is gliding.

Their expressions.

tension.

dignified.

There was even a hint of... anticipation.

That was the look in a hunter's eyes as he watched his prey about to fall into his trap—cold and cruel.

Ling Wuwen's heart sank suddenly.

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head.

She instinctively leaned closer to the screen.

I wanted to see those people's faces clearly.

But the picture is too blurry.

Only a rough outline can be seen.

One of them appeared to be wearing a dark trench coat.

The collar was turned up high.

It covered half of her face.

But only one of his eyes was visible.

That eye gleamed eerily under the light.

Those eyes were as cold as a venomous snake, flicking its tongue and locking onto its prey.

Ling Wuwen thought this face...

very familiar.

Very familiar with it.

Like a poisonous thorn, it was deeply embedded in the depths of her memory, causing a dull ache.

Where have I seen her before?

At which press conference was it?

Or is it in some corner of an awards ceremony?

Or was it during that chaotic press conference after my brother's accident?

She couldn't remember.

Memory is like a tangled mess of paste.

But she could sense it.

That malice.

Even after three years, the malice emanating from that old cassette tape still made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

Those weren't the audience.

Those weren't fans.

That's... a hunter.

The mastermind behind all of this...

They were there at the time.

They were in that audience section.

I witnessed all of this happen with my own eyes.

Just like Gu Xidong is now, watching her from outside the door.

4

"Sizzle..."

A faint electrical hum came from the television, like some kind of signal interference.

The commentator's voice rose again, filled with an almost manic excitement, startling Ling Wuwen from the shadows of the audience.

"...The final sprint! This is the moment that will decide the outcome!"

"...Look! Ling Wufeng is accelerating! He's launching a final sprint! He's going to challenge Gu Xidong's authority!"

Ling Wuwen suddenly snapped out of his daze, his heart pounding wildly, almost leaping out of his chest.

She stared intently at the ice.

on the screen.

Gu Xidong had finished that dizzying spin.

He was like a true black swan, stretching out his arms, gliding gracefully and calmly toward the finish line.

His face bore the smile of a victor, confident and smug.

And behind him.

Another figure is rapidly approaching.

That was Ling Wufeng.

He was like a white lightning bolt.

The gliding speed was astonishing, as if it was releasing all its power in this moment.

The distance between him and Gu Xidong was rapidly shrinking.

five meters.

three meters.

one meter.

Their shadows overlapped on the ice.

Ling Wuwen's breathing almost stopped.

coming.

Right now.

That moment that she had cursed for three years.

That moment when she thought Gu Xidong would turn around, swing his elbow, and push her brother into hell.

Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, almost embedding themselves into her flesh.

The pain kept her conscious for the last moment.

She stared intently at the screen.

His eyes didn't blink.

She wants to see.

She wanted to see Gu Xidong.

What exactly did they do?

5

on the screen.

Gu Xidong's back view.

It is broad and towering, like an insurmountable mountain peak.

He seemed to sense the wind behind him.

It seemed as if they could sense the approaching shadow.

He did not turn around.

He did not swing his elbow.

He didn't even slow down.

He simply tilted his head slightly.

Use the corner of your eye.

I glanced back.

That one glance.

There is no hatred.

There was no intent to kill.

There was no scheming involved.

There is only one kind of... a detached, indifferent scrutiny of a junior as a senior.

And a hint of... an unquestionable confidence in victory.

He seemed to be saying, "You're too late."

He seemed to be saying, "I won this round."

then.

He looked away.

Look forward.

The cheers from the stands reached their peak, almost lifting the dome of the entire stadium.

Everyone was waiting for the moment he crossed the finish line.

Waiting for that grand coronation ceremony.

Ling Wuwen's breathing stopped completely.

She saw it.

The moment Gu Xidong looked away.

The shadow behind him.

Ling Wufeng was rapidly approaching.

His speed.

The pace did not quicken because Gu Xidong turned around.

She was not angry because of Gu Xidong's confidence.

in contrast.

His body.

He suddenly froze for a moment.

It was as if a sophisticated machine had suddenly jammed its core component.

His legs.

On the ice, he seemed to have tripped, and his movement resulted in an extremely minor yet fatal mistake.

His center of gravity.

He suddenly leaned back.

His face.

He revealed an expression of...extreme pain and terror.

He did not run into Gu Xidong.

He didn't even think about arresting Gu Xidong.

He was just like a kite that had run out of control.

It was less than half a meter away from Gu Xidong's back.

In that moment when everyone thought he would achieve a breakthrough and create a miracle.

Suddenly... he fell backward.

"Bang--!"

A dull thud came through the television speakers.

That wasn't the sound of bodies hitting each other.

That was the sound of a body, crashing heavily and without any cushioning, onto the hard ice.

The sound comes through the screen.

It hit Ling Wuwen.

It hit her heart hard.

All the hatred she had accumulated over the past three years.

All the perseverance.

All the logic of revenge.

At this moment.

With that dull, loud bang.

It collapsed with a crash.

Gu Xidong did not kill anyone.

Gu Xidong did not kill her brother.

Gu Xidong...

I just beat him.

But behind him, he won.

And he.

It's myself...

It fell down.

6

"Sizzle...sizzle..."

The image on the television screen was once again swallowed up by glaring black and white static, following that loud bang.

The noise of the electric current became piercing again, sharply cutting through the air.

But Ling Wuwen could no longer hear him.

She knelt down in front of the television.

My whole body felt as if all my bones had been removed.

He collapsed to the ground.

Her face was ashen and bloodless.

Tears silently slid down her cheeks.

It dripped onto the dusty floor.

Small, black flowers bloomed out.

original.

She was wrong.

These three years.

She hated the wrong person.

She tormented the wrong person.

She even...

I almost killed the wrong person.

She thought she was a righteous messenger who had come to seek revenge.

result.

She's just a ridiculous, exploited clown.

Her brother's death.

It wasn't because of Gu Xidong's jealousy.

It's not because of the competition for the gold medal.

Rather, it's because...

She suddenly raised her head.

Looking at the television screen, I saw a few blurry faces in the audience that flashed by.

It's because of them.

It was because of that cold malice lurking in the shadows.

"Oh……"

A soft chuckle.

It was squeezed out of her throat.

It smelled of blood.

It tastes like tears.

Filled with endless regret and madness.

She slowly got up from the ground.

She looked at the door, which was soaked in kerosene.

Outside.

A dead silence.

Gu Xidong did not light the fire.

He was just waiting.

Wait for her to come out on her own.

or.

The truth revealed in this cassette tape.

They were burned alive inside.

Ling Wuwen walked to the door.

She didn't open the door.

She simply pressed her ear against the cold, kerosene-soaked iron door.

Outside.

A soft, suppressed breathing sound came from behind.

and also……

A soft sound of leather shoes stepping on gravel.

That sound.

It's very light.

very slow.

They are slowly moving away.

He is leaving.

He thought she was finished.

He believed in his "burning the city" plan.

It has been successful.

Ling Wuwen pasted it on the door.

A cold, blood-stained smile slowly crept onto her lips.

She stuck out her tongue and licked her chapped lips.

The taste of blood filled her mouth, making her feel dizzy, yet incredibly clear-headed.

She pulled the cold lighter, engraved with her brother's initials, from her pocket.

This was her only remaining thought, and also the tool she used for revenge.

"Smack."

She pressed the lighter.

Orange flames.

In the dim ruins.

Leaping.

It reflected on her face, which was half in light and half in shadow.

Half of it was wet with tears.

Half of it was a crazy determination.

She looked at the cluster of flames.

He said softly.

"Gu Xidong..."

"You want to burn the past..."

"But I..."

"I'll show you..."

"A dead man..."

"How did you crawl back from hell?"

She suddenly pulled the door open a crack.

That tiny yet deadly flame.

He peered through the crack in the door, which was seeping with kerosene.

"call--!"

fire.

It was instantly ignited by kerosene.

Along the crack in the door.

It suddenly spread outwards from the door, forming a wall of fire.

Outside.

A suppressed, low groan was heard.

It was Gu Xidong's voice.

He didn't go far.

He was right at the door.

He was watching.

He was waiting.

He is...

They were caught in the sudden fire and burned.

Ling Wuwen looked at the rapidly spreading sea of ​​fire outside the door.

Looking at that figure in the firelight, still upright but looking somewhat disheveled.

She opened the door.

They walked into that sea of ​​fire.

The heat wave hit her face, scorching her skin, but she did not back down.

"Gu Xidong!"

She shouted.

Her voice carried a hint of a sob.

With a hint of madness.

With a hint of... determination.

"Didn't you want to burn the city down?"

Come on!

"I'll stay with you!"

She wanted him to know.

What he ignited was not a city.

Rather, it is the rage of an avenger.

A demon returned from hell.