Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Xie Yunshen was too wired to sleep, so he went for a night run, only to find that Top Star Gate was still tailing him.

He smirked, leading his tails on a few laps around the Yan family estate until he'd run their legs to jelly, then headed back, satisfied.

As he opened the door to his room, a pair of eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness gave him a start.

"Grandpa, it's illegal for old folks to stay up this late," Xie Yunshen flicked on the light, grumbling.

It was already 3 a.m.

"Where have you been these past two days, you rascal?" Old Mr. Xie sat on the bed, looking stern.

Before Xie Yunshen could answer, the old man shoved a phone in his face. "Look at this!"

Xie Yunshen glanced at the screen: 【Top Star Gate Offers Ten Billion Bounty for 'Black Impermanence'】.

"Who's Black Impermanence?" Xie Yunshen did a double take.

"Still pretending? Others might not recognize you, but I certainly do!" The old man was so mad he was practically puffing out his beard.

"Really? Ten billion?" Xie Yunshen finally clicked and took the phone for a closer look.

Ten billion...

Strange. He and Old Fifth had emerged together, even sharing the moniker Black and White Impermanence. Why was everyone fixated on him?

"Top Star Gate sure is rich."

"Are you sure this isn't you?" His nonchalant attitude made the old man suspicious.

"Why does it have to be me? I'm stuck with Mr. Yan all day, I don't have the time."

After a good deal of sweet-talking, Xie Yunshen finally talked the old man into going to sleep.

As soon as he closed the door, he immediately checked his phone.

Sure enough, the internet was flooded with discussions about "Black Impermanence."

Netizens were everywhere asking for links.

One trending post read: "Black Impermanence video resources on the dark web."

In the video, Shang Guanhong was bound hand and foot, blindfolded, lying on the ground like a worm. The shot was a first-person POV from above, showing the person filming using a fork to feed meat into Shang Guanhong's mouth, one bite at a time.

Shang Guanhong was clearly starving. At first, he struggled even to chew, but after tasting the meat, he began wolfing it down without any regard for his image.

The video lasted just over a minute. Apart from the sound of Shang Guanhong chewing, there was no other noise. Though devoid of any bloodshed or violence, it was eerily unsettling.

Since the person filming wore finger sleeves identical to Xie Yunshen's, netizens all agreed this was a video posted by Black Impermanence himself.

Now, this video had set the entire internet ablaze.

Netizens were hyped for Black Impermanence's next trial.

"Black Impermanence, start your trial stream already!"

"Big bro, I'm begging you to go live. I'll gift you a 'Grand Slam'."

"If even Shang Guanhong was caught, might Top Star Gate be dirty too?"

"What's the relationship between Yang Zhongxu and Shang Guanhong?"

What the hell was Lin Jin playing at?

The video was posted on a foreign website, with an IP address from some backwater country overseas.

The police had no way to trace it.

But, just half an hour after the video's release, Top Star Gate announced a global bounty of ten billion to capture "Black Impermanence"!

Clearly, Top Star Gate had been pushed over the edge.

Lin Jin, that show-off!

Xie Yunshen immediately called Lin Jin and gave him an earful.

"You show-off! Is it impossible for you not to flaunt yourself?"

The voice on the other end was calm. "Look, I was doing you a favor. Didn't you say you were being followed? This way, they won't have you on their radar anymore. You and Black Impermanence can be completely decoupled."

He had a point. This way, Top Star Gate would have no reason to suspect him.

"What was with that angle? Anyone seeing it would think it was some kind of fetish thing. Admit it, are you jealous I stole your spotlight?"

After a moment of silence, came the cheeky reply, "Heh, you figured it out?"

"..."

"..."

After all, just the day before yesterday, the news that should have been "Miracle Doctor Saves Charitable Elder with Cancer" had turned into "Black Impermanence Charges into Dragon's Den and Tiger's Lair, Livestreams Trial of Evil Old Fiend."

"Another piece of news for you: Yang Zhongxu has had a bounty put on him by some 'good Samaritan' on the foreign web. I heard the BKB organization picked up the contract."

"Protecting Yang Zhongxu is the police's business now, what does it have to do with me?"

BKB was a globally notorious assassin organization. According to the original story, every assassin within possessed lethal skills.

"Let me finish. Guess who else I saw on the bounty rankings?"

"Who?"

"Your boss, Mr. Yan."

"What?"

"The bounty is high. Someone on the assassin leaderboard has already taken the job. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Where did you get this information?"

"Oh? There's actually something you don't know? Xie Yunshen, I thought you were omniscient." Lin Jin's smug tone was downright punchable.

Xie Yunshen tsked and hung up.

The next day, the police announced that Yang Zhongxu had died in the hospital less than a day after being rushed there for emergency treatment.

Xie Yunshen was a little surprised.

When the old man was in the old house, he had such a fierce air about him—even with a stroke, he wouldn't have died that fast.

Now, there are two possibilities for Yang Zhongxu's death.

First is Top Star Gate. Yang Zhongxu knew so many secrets; they would never let him fall into someone else's hands.

The second possibility is related to that BKB killer organization.

Now he's feeling more and more threatened.

If BKB's assassins could silently kill Yang Zhongxu while he was with police protection,

wouldn't his own boss be in danger too?

He needs to become stronger.

The next morning, after his workout, Xie Yunshen went to the dining room as usual.

He glanced at Yi Wuyi next to him and thought it was weird—really weird.

"Old Five, did you get into a fight with a cat yesterday?"

"What?" Yi Wuyi said.

Xie Yunshen pointed at his neck, peeking out above his shirt collar, where two thin scratch marks were.

Even Yi Wuyi, who wouldn't bat an eye if he got stabbed, was acting uncharacteristically flustered today, trying to hide the little scratches.

"Look, they're still fresh—must be from a girlfriend, huh?" Xie Yunshen said with a meaningful smile.

Wait, no—he realized belatedly and his smile froze. Yi Wuyi almost never left the Yan family without Yan Shiqi's orders.

Other than when he was sleeping, he spent twelve hours a day with Xie Yunshen.

Where would he get a girlfriend?

Yan Shiqi, sitting nearby, watched Yi Wuyi without a change in expression.

His gaze seemed to see right through Yi Wuyi's secret.

Yi Wuyi felt a bitterness that was almost shame; a physical pang made him lower his eyes, feeling he had nowhere to hide under Yan Shiqi's gaze.

Yan Shiqi shot an even sterner look at Yan Shizhou.

Yan Shizhou quickly lowered his head, breaking his bread into pieces and dropping them in his soup.

Anyway, Big Brother would find out sooner or later—he should let him get used to it slowly.

Only Xie Yunshen was still in the dark—what exactly was going on?

Had he said something wrong?

All day, the mood in the office was kind of heavy.

Yi Wuyi had a somber look in his eyes, and although Yan Shiqi appeared normal, the tension hung around him.

By evening, Xie Yunshen finally grabbed a chance to corner Yi Wuyi.

"Old Five, what's really going on with you?"

Yi Wuyi looked at him: "Sometimes I envy you—acting on whatever you want right away, with no baggage."

"Thanks," Xie Yunshen gave him a dead-fish stare. "But that's not what I wanted to hear."

Yi Wuyi looked at him: "A-Shen, I'm going to the construction site tomorrow."

"Are you crazy? That's even less what I wanted to hear!" Xie Yunshen frowned, turning serious. "Didn't I say there might be an explosion?"

"Isn't that all the more reason to check it out? This kind of thing is my responsibility. Should the project stay shut down just because I'm scared to die?"

"Has the port construction stopped?" Xie Yunshen was surprised; he truly didn't know about this.

"Yes, Mr. Yan ordered all construction to halt."

"So you're set on going?"

"Such a large infrastructure project—once it stops, the Yan family faces pressure from the government. Plus, some people are stirring up trouble at the site. I have to go."

Xie Yunshen hadn't realized the situation was this serious.

So, Mr. Yan must be under serious pressure.

"But it's not just that, right? Does it also have to do with this morning?" he asked keenly.

Yi Wuyi said, "Maybe. Maybe I want to escape the current situation."

"What about me? Knowing there's danger there, how can I just stand by and watch my good brother walk into a death trap? If you really die there, how could I face myself?"

Yi Wuyi stared at him, speechless.

He suddenly smiled, like he'd drunk a bitter wine: "A-Shen, are you really the same person as before?"

Xie Yunshen abruptly said, "Wait here for me."

Without waiting for Yi Wuyi's response, he ran straight to Yan Shiqi's study.

In the study, a doctor was examining Yan Shiqi: "Mr. Yan, your condition is much better than during the last check-up—beyond my expectations."

"The headaches have eased a lot recently," Yan Shiqi sat on the sofa.

"It seems the insomnia has improved too," the doctor added.

"Did something help? I heard even sleeping pills weren't very effective before."

"Artificial hypnosis," Yan Shiqi said.

The doctor paused: "If it works, that's fine."

However, someone as calm, disciplined, and suspicious as Yan Shiqi—how could he tolerate someone else watching him fall asleep by his bedside?

Suddenly, the door swung open.

"Mr. Yan!" Xie Yunshen grabbed the doorknob, rushing in like a gust of wind, making the curtains sway.

Yan Shiqi looked at Xie Yunshen standing at the doorway, thoughtful: "Yes, the effect is always immediate."

The doctor caught on and smiled.

Xie Yunshen let go of the doorknob: "..."

"Mr. Yan, try not to overexert yourself. I'll be going now."

As the doctor passed by Xie Yunshen, his gaze lingered on him, curious.

Xie Yunshen felt like everyone was acting a bit off today.

Yan Shiqi looked at him, already guessing his purpose: "Fifth Brother said he wants to go to the construction site?"

Xie Yunshen was uncharacteristically serious: "Yes, don't let him go. He only listens to you."

Yan Shiqi leaned back in his chair, his gaze deep: "Wait one more day. If we still haven't found anything by tomorrow, I'll let the work continue."

At this point, what else could Xie Yunshen say? It seemed everyone had their own difficulties.

Could he really let Yan Shiqi bear such immense pressure and make Fifth Brother hesitate to complete his task, all based on his own unfounded "hunch"?

Xie Yunshen sat down beside him, speaking earnestly and with a hint of mystery: "Can you tell me what exactly happened this morning?"

At the mention of this, Yan Shiqi rubbed his temples. After a long while, he finally turned to look at him: "If you really don't get it, you're better off not asking."

"..." Xie Yunshen felt like he was being ganged up on today.

Author's note: Xie Yunshen: [Clown]