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Chapter 4: The Quiet Exit
It was raining the day Han Yufei vanished.
The news came quietly—no media frenzy, no sirens, just a simple notice: "Han Yufei presumed dead in car accident outside Steel Cloud District. Body unrecovered."
Kai stared at the report on his communicator, expressionless. He knew it was coming.
Because he was part of the plan.
---
A week earlier, his father had called him into his study—a small, clean room tucked in the back of their home, filled with old paper files and a single framed family photo.
Han Yufei stood by the window, arms crossed, looking out at the city lights. He didn't turn around when Kai entered.
"You're early," he said.
"I finished training," Kai replied.
Han Yufei finally turned, eyes scanning his son. At fifteen, Kai looked older than his age—tall, calm, white-haired and stone-faced. He carried himself like a soldier, not a schoolboy.
"You're not like the others," Han Yufei said. "Not even like Han Sen."
Kai didn't respond.
Han Yufei gestured to the chair. "Sit. There's something I need to tell you."
---
What followed was simple.
"I'm faking my death," he said, voice low. "There are people watching me. Watching this family. Some in the military, some in business. If I don't disappear, they'll come for your mother… maybe even for you."
Kai didn't blink. "So you vanish. And then?"
"I've already arranged buyers for the company—quiet ones, through a shell trust. We'll liquidate our assets over the next few days. Luo Lan and I agreed. It's time."
Kai leaned back in the chair. "And Han Sen?"
Han Yufei exhaled. "He won't know. Not now. He's not ready."
Kai looked down. "And you think I am."
"You've always known more than you should," his father said. "You watch everything. You never speak unless you mean it. You remind me of myself, years ago. Only colder."
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly. "What happens after?"
"I'll go dark. Luo Lan and I already planned a communication route. But publicly, I'll be dead. You'll need to pretend. Even with Sen."
There was a pause.
Then Han Yufei added quietly, "You're going to need to protect this family one day."
Kai stood. "I already am."
---
The funeral was small, as expected.
The company had released a formal statement: "Chairman Han Yufei tragically lost in a vehicular accident. Investigation ongoing."
No one found a body.
No one was supposed to.
The casket was empty.
Han Sen cried at the service. Kai didn't.
Their mother, Luo Lan, stood with calm dignity. She placed a single white flower on the casket and said nothing.
Kai stood beside her in silence.
No one knew what was real.
---
At school, rumors flew.
"Did you hear? Han Sen's dad died in a car crash!"
"Wasn't he some company big shot?"
"Yeah. My dad said he worked with military contracts."
Han Sen walked through it all like a shadow, his usual cheer dimmed but not dead. He still smiled. Still joked. But the pain was visible in his eyes.
Kai didn't comment.
He just went to class, sat in the back, and read quietly.
Most students avoided him now. Not out of fear, but because Kai felt unreachable—like he was always ten steps ahead, living in a different world.
And he was.
---
The sale went through a week after the funeral.
The company, once known as Yufei Biotech, was now owned by a joint trust under a generic name. The Han family no longer held any official shares. Luo Lan received a clean transfer of assets, enough to live quietly, off the radar.
Han Yufei's name disappeared from business registries.
Gone—just like that.
Kai sat across from his mother that night, both of them sipping tea in the dim light of the kitchen.
"It's done," she said quietly.
Kai nodded.
She looked at him, tired but strong. "He wanted you to have peace. A clean slate. That's why we agreed to this."
Kai met her eyes. "I don't need peace. I need preparation."
Luo Lan's lips curved faintly. "That's what scares me."
---
Later that night, Kai stood on the rooftop, staring at the city skyline.
He was only fifteen, but already had more knowledge and strength than most adults.
His Falsified Sky Sutra had reached the third level. The Blood Pulse Sutra, gifted in secret by Han Yufei before the faked death, was growing stronger by the day—dangerous, intense, but perfect for someone with a body and mind forged by past lives.
He had spent nights researching gene locks, body structures, and ancient geno art theories. The papers he submitted under aliases were already circulating in high-tier forums. No one knew they came from a teenager.
That didn't matter.
Kai didn't need fame.
He needed strength.
And patience.
---
One afternoon, a week later, Kai walked home with Han Sen.
His younger brother was carrying a snack bag, talking with his mouth full.
"I swear, Chen Jun is the worst. He copied my homework again, and the teacher still gave him a better score."
Kai said nothing.
"You know," Han Sen continued, "it's weird. I keep thinking about Dad. I wonder if he would've been proud of me."
Kai paused.
Then, quietly, he said, "He was."
Han Sen blinked. "You think so?"
Kai gave a single nod.
Han Sen smiled a little. "He always looked so serious. Like you. But I think he cared. Just didn't know how to show it."
Kai didn't answer.
They walked in silence the rest of the way.
---
At night, Kai looked through an encrypted message on his private terminal.
One sentence:
"Phase One Complete. Stay in position. Your path is still ahead." — H.Y.
Kai deleted the message after reading.
No evidence. No trail.
Only memory.
---
The world thought Han Yufei was dead.
But Kai knew better.
He knew that the real games hadn't even started yet.
And soon, he would be stepping into the First God's Sanctuary.
Not just to survive it.
But to shape it.
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End of Chapter 4
Word Count: ~1,305 words
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