Night had fallen over the city, but sleep was a luxury Li Tian had never known—not in the warzones he crawled through, and not now, inside the gilded cage that was the Wu family villa.
The system's voice echoed in his mind like a whisper in the dark:
Ding! Warning: Host's life is in danger. Hostile presence detected nearby. Activate Hunter Vision?
"Yes," Li Tian said under his breath, already sitting up from the bed.
His eyes glowed faintly as the Hunter Vision activated.
Red silhouettes bloomed through the walls—three of them. One by the back balcony, another near the side entrance, and the third already inside, moving stealthily down the hall.
Professionals.
Li Tian moved quickly, grabbing a letter opener from his nightstand—nothing fancy, but in the right hands, even a toothpick could kill.
The door creaked open.
Li Tian pressed his back to the wall.
The intruder entered, wearing a black mask, armed with a silencer pistol and a combat knife. He stepped into the moonlit room—only to find it empty.
Too late.
Li Tian's hand snapped forward, jamming the letter opener straight into the man's neck.
The assassin gurgled, dropped his weapon, and collapsed silently.
Ding! Host has neutralized enemy. Reward: [Combat Reflex Boost] unlocked. Skill gained: Instant Kill (Level 1)
No time to celebrate.
Another red silhouette was approaching rapidly from the corridor.
Li Tian grabbed the dead man's pistol, switched off the safety, and moved out into the hallway. His steps were soundless. His breath was calm.
The second assassin turned the corner and raised his blade.
Too slow.
Bang.
One shot. Clean through the forehead.
The body crumpled against the marble floor.
Suddenly—
A scream from the other side of the house.
Yanyu.
He bolted.
In the dimly lit corridor, Li Tian's world narrowed to two things: the red dot racing toward her room and the image of her terrified face in his mind.
He burst through the bedroom door just as the third assassin raised a curved dagger above Wu Yanyu's throat.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three shots. Precise. Controlled.
The man stumbled back, blood splattering across the cream-colored curtains. His body hit the floor with a sickening thud.
Wu Yanyu gasped, clutching her chest, her eyes wide in terror.
Li Tian dropped the gun, rushed to her side, and checked her for injuries. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head slowly. "You… you just…"
"I had to," he said quietly.
Her hands trembled as they touched the blood on her cheek. "Who were those men? Why would anyone—"
"They weren't here for you."
Her eyes met his.
He meant every word.
"They came for me."
Fifteen minutes later, the Wu villa was on lockdown. Police arrived. So did an unmarked van filled with men in black suits and earpieces.
But it wasn't the police who questioned Li Tian first—it was Captain Zhan, a high-ranking official from a covert military unit.
He stared at the dead assassins as if recognizing the tattoos on their necks.
"Southern Alliance defectors," Zhan muttered. "Elite kill squad. Someone expensive hired them."
Wu Yanyu stood nearby, wrapped in a robe, silent and pale.
Captain Zhan turned to Li Tian. "You need to tell your wife the truth, Commander."
Li Tian shot him a warning glare. "Now's not the time."
Captain Zhan nodded, lowered his voice. "We traced the contract. Someone paid 30 million yuan for your death. But the funds came through a proxy—Jinlong Group."
Li Tian's jaw clenched. "Zhao Heng again?"
"No. Above him. The board. They've been laundering money for years, and your return threatens their entire operation."
Li Tian nodded. "Tell the Alliance to prepare. This is war."
Ding! Major threat neutralized: Survived elite assassination squad.Reward: [Enhanced Awareness], Secret Skill Tree unlocked: Phantom Protocols.Story Progress: Act I Complete. New arc unlocked: "The Rise of the Phantom King."
Bonus Reward: Wife's affection +10. Total: 34/100. Trust Level: LOW, but rising.
Later, after the authorities left and the bodies were removed, Wu Yanyu sat silently in the living room, watching Li Tian pour two glasses of water.
She didn't speak.
Not for several long moments.
Then she finally asked, "What… what kind of man did I marry?"
Li Tian stared at her.
"I was a soldier. Then I was a commander. Then I became a ghost—hidden, forgotten, living in the shadows of your family."
"Why?" she whispered. "Why would you do that to yourself?"
"Because someone had to protect this family when the real war started. And I knew they'd never trust an outsider. So I became the trash husband."
She covered her mouth, tears brimming. "And you let us all humiliate you... mock you... for years."
He looked away. "You were worth protecting."
Her heart twisted.
And for the first time, she didn't see a loser.
She saw the man she married.
And maybe... the man she was beginning to admire.
The next morning, the Wu household was a storm of activity. News of the attack had reached the business world. Rumors swirled. Reporters camped outside. Shareholders demanded answers.
Wu Zhiguo summoned an emergency board meeting.
Li Tian didn't attend.
He had other plans.
That afternoon, in the ruins of an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, Li Tian met with a shadowy figure.
She wore combat boots, a leather jacket, and an earpiece.
"You're alive," she said.
Li Tian smiled faintly. "Good to see you too, Fox."
Fox—his most loyal scout and hacker—handed him a drive. "Everything on Jinlong Group. Internal documents. Assassin contracts. Offshore accounts. And one more thing…"
She paused.
"…a traitor."
Li Tian narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
Fox looked grim. "Someone in the Wu family is leaking information. The contracts were routed through an account connected to Wu Gang."
Li Tian didn't even blink.
He had suspected it.
Now he had proof.
Back at the Wu mansion, Wu Gang sat by the pool, sipping champagne, texting someone with a smug grin.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
[You tried to kill me. I'm coming for you next.] —L.T.
Wu Gang paled.