Chapter 292: Past Events

About an hour later, the people Wan Caixuan sent arrived at the villa. They were familiar faces—the members of Wan Caixuan’s White Night Squad.

“Mr. Lin,” one of the squad members said respectfully to Lin Xiao.

They were thoroughly impressed by Lin Xiao. Not only had he single-handedly dismantled the trap set by Wan Shixuan last time, but this time, after all their efforts to track Wan Shixuan had failed, Lin Xiao had captured him alone. Their admiration for him was now boundless.

“Hmm.” Lin Xiao nodded in acknowledgment and handed the unconscious Wan Shixuan over to them. “I knocked him out. He’ll be unconscious for another three to four hours. Watch him carefully.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lin. We won’t let him escape.”

“Good. I’ll be on my way, then.”

After handing Wan Shixuan over to the White Night Squad, Lin Xiao drove away in his Porsche Cayenne.

Back at Yuan Yu’s house, Lin Xiao removed his bloodstained clothes from the fight and stepped into the bathroom to clean himself while reflecting on the day’s events.

The deaths of Uncle Wang, Black Fury, and Fang Haoyan left no impression on him.

Each of them had committed countless heinous acts and deserved their fate. Killing them came with no burden on his conscience.

A trace of sadness flashed through Lin Xiao’s eyes as his mind wandered back to the day Yuan Yong died. It took him a while to calm down, but the murderous intent in his heart remained unshakable. He was determined to eradicate every last one of those cowards hiding in the shadows, to settle the score in blood.

Unfortunately, this group was extremely cautious. Even when delegating tasks to the Hundred Seats Society, they covered their faces and refused to reveal themselves.

Still, Lin Xiao was confident. Now that they’d left traces, it was only a matter of time before he caught their trail and uprooted them completely.

Another matter that lingered in Lin Xiao’s mind was Zhao Yu’s sudden appearance—or rather, the fact that Zhao Yu had sought him out.

Zhao Yu’s presence stirred up memories Lin Xiao had buried deep within him. Even someone as strong-willed as him couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy.

When Lin Xiao emerged from the bathroom, he found someone sitting in the living room.

Someone he had just parted ways with.

“You got here quickly,” Lin Xiao said, his lips twitching slightly.

Zhao Yu, with her hands clasped behind her back, was examining the decor of the living room. The black longsword she had been holding earlier was nowhere to be seen.

She didn’t answer his comment directly, instead, “I finally understand why you chose to retire. A man’s sense of responsibility, huh…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, shaking her head in what seemed like either mockery or admiration.

“I have a responsibility to take care of Yuan Yong’s family,” Lin Xiao said calmly. “That’s something a brother must do.”

Not to mention, he now had leads on the organization that killed Yuan Yong—but he didn’t voice that thought.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zhao Yu, but…

“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” Zhao Yu interrupted his thoughts, turning to face him. “But you should have at least told me where you were going before you left. Do you know how much effort it took me to find you?”

“I didn’t want to trouble you,” Lin Xiao replied after a brief silence.

“Forget it. I’ve known what kind of person you are for a long time.”

Zhao Yu stepped closer, standing face-to-face with Lin Xiao, just half a foot apart. Lin Xiao could see his reflection in her dark pupils.

“But it seems you’ve changed,” she added.

“Changed?” Lin Xiao asked, inexplicably uneasy under Zhao Yu’s piercing gaze. “I don’t think so.”

“You’ve become more human,” Zhao Yu said with certainty. “Before, your face wouldn’t show so many emotions.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No, it’s not. It means someone has captured your heart.” Zhao Yu glanced at him. “If I find out who it is, I’ll kill her with a single strike.”

Her tone was cold, laced with killing intent, making it clear she wasn’t joking.

Zhao Yu’s personality had always been unpredictable and at times unreasonable. It was why Lin Xiao often ended up fighting with her in the past.

Unwilling to engage further on the topic, Lin Xiao changed the subject.

“How long do you plan to stay in Jinghai?”

“I’ll leave as soon as I’ve seen you,” Zhao Yu said calmly.

In truth, Zhao Yu had taken a detour specifically to see Lin Xiao, even putting her mission on hold.

“You violated the mission manual?” Lin Xiao frowned, familiar with her character. “Don’t forget your duty. Personal matters shouldn’t interfere with your assignments.”

“Hah, you’re no longer the captain of Dragon Sword Squad, so stop lecturing me. I’ll do as I please.” Zhao Yu’s usually emotionless face finally showed a trace of warmth. “Now that I’ve seen you, I’ll take my leave.”

True to her word, Zhao Yu turned and headed for the door without hesitation.

Just as she was about to step out, Lin Xiao’s voice came from behind. “Stay safe. If you need help, you know how to find me.”

“I know.”

A faint smile flickered across Zhao Yu’s lips before she disappeared down the stairs.

She had arrived suddenly and left just as quickly. She left no trace of her presence as if she had never been there at all.

Lin Xiao stood in the living room, dazed for a moment, before letting out a long sigh. He sank onto the sofa, gazing at the pristine white ceiling with a somewhat distracted expression.

The reason he hadn’t mentioned the clues about the organization behind Yuan Yong’s death was due to a lingering doubt in his mind.

More accurately, it was a suspicion.

Lin Xiao vividly remembered the day Yuan Yong died. While his own command errors played a role, the main issue was that the mysterious organization seemed to know everything about them. It felt as though they were under constant surveillance, as if the enemy could anticipate their every move and counteract it.

No matter how Lin Xiao arranged things, the enemy always seemed to be one step ahead.

Lin Xiao couldn’t believe his command skills were so poor that they were completely at the enemy’s mercy.

After all, his abilities, while not the best in the military, were among the top tier. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have become the captain of the Dragon Sword Squad.

This led him to a chilling conclusion. There was a mole.

He didn’t suspect Dragon Sword Squad or Phoenix Feather Squad. The members of those teams were his brothers and sisters in life and death, entrusting their lives to one another during every mission.

If they were traitors, he would have died countless times by now.

The ones he suspected were in the command center.

Compared to the purity of the Dragon Sword and Phoenix Feather Squads, the command center was far more complex. Although everyone there had undergone rigorous screening, there was no guarantee that there weren’t traitors among them.

This was another reason why Lin Xiao insisted on retiring. While a large part of it was to care for Yuan Yu, he also wanted to step away from the Dragon Sword Squad and uncover the mole.