Chapter 158: Power Of Friendship

Wenzhi was caught completely off guard as those words hit him like a physical blow.

Why... did his chest tighten when he knew, deep down, the reality of their situation?

He was living Gu Luhan’s life.

In the original book, Gu Luhan was the main character. He was the one destined to be at Shao Xinyuan’s side. But in that original, tragic timeline, they were never free.

They loved each other, yes, but they were permanently shackled, surrounded by fake people, controlled and manipulated over and over again by the CEA. That plot ended in pure misery. Gu Luhan was brutally killed, and Xinyuan, consumed by grief and rage, destroyed the entire world.

Sovereign didn’t exist in that story, the rebellion against the Old Blood, none of it was there.....

But it didn’t change the truth. Wenzhi had taken Luhan’s place.

Wenzhi parted his lips. "Why are you even here, Luhan?"

"To rant," Gu Luhan said, letting out a dry, humorless laugh. His shoulders slumped. "I..." His voice cracked, and he glared at Wenzhi, his eyes burning with a sudden desperation.

"You know... I overheard Chenxi talking to Kaiwen a few days ago. He said Xinyuan was planning to propose to you." Luhan’s gaze flicked downward, landing directly on the blue diamond ring glinting on Wenzhi’s finger. "I guess he actually did it. Congratulations,"

Wenzhi remained silent.

"He also said..." Luhan choked on the words. "He said he was going to propose to me, too. Following Xinyuan’s footsteps..."

That caught Wenzhi completely by surprise. "If you knew that... then why did you fight with him earlier today? Why didn’t you just talk to him?"

"Because I am prideful!" Luhan snapped, his voice rising into a cracked, desperate pitch. "I wanted him to chase me. But he’s so terrified of pushing too hard. He lost Suye, and he’s so traumatized by that loss that he’s being so... so fucking cautious..."

Luhan looked like he was about to burst into tears, but he forced them back, staring at Wenzhi with a heartbreaking mix of reverence and hatred.

"You are really cool, you know? I admire you so much. And I envy you so deeply that I don’t think I can even tell the difference between the two feelings anymore. But you have to..."

Before the sentence could finish, Luhan’s hand whipped out from behind his back.

BANG.

The gunshot blasted through the quiet room.

The bullet tore directly into Wenzhi’s shoulder. The force of the impact jarred him backward, and he dropped heavily to the floor, gasping as he clutched his bleeding shoulder.

"What the..." Pure adrenaline rushed through his veins; he gritted his teeth, throwing his weight forward to grab Luhan’s legs or reach for a weapon...

BANG.

A second bullet shattered Wenzhi’s other arm. He collapsed onto the cold floor, a sharp, choked gasp escaping his lips as his limbs failed him.

"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry," Luhan sobbed.

Tears were streaming down his face, sweat dripping from his forehead as his grip on the gun trembled. He stepped closer, his boots clicking softly on the floor, until he was standing directly over Wenzhi. He raised the barrel, aiming it straight between Wenzhi’s eyes.

"They took Chenxi," Luhan whispered, his voice disintegrating into sheer terror. "And they are going to kill him to death if I don’t kill you."

"No... wait." Wenzhi rasped, the puzzle pieces slamming together in a horrific, bloody picture. But he didn’t even have a second to process the words.

BANG.

The point-blank shot to his forehead cut everything to black.

Wenzhi’s head snapped back, his body falling completely limp on the floor as a dark, heavy pool of blood began to flow across the floor.

"No..!" Gu Luhan collapsed onto his knees, the heavy metal of the gun clattering against the floor as he grabbed Wenzhi’s limp, cooling hand. He squeezed the fingers tightly as racking sobs tore through his chest.

"I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry," he chanted like a broken record while Wenzhi lay entirely still, the dark pool of blood spreading outward, staining Luhan’s knees.

"I’m..." Luhan lifted a trembling finger and pressed his earpiece. "He’s... he’s dead,"

"If there is no evidence of his body, Gu Luhan, then there won’t be any evidence of your dear Chenxi’s body either," Jiang Zhaohe’s voice crackled through the comms.

Luhan flinched. He tapped the interface of his watch. A holographic video screen projected into the dim room, displaying Zhaohe’s smiling face.

A secondary blue laser light emitted from the rim of the watch, sweeping over Wenzhi’s unmoving frame to scan for vital signs.

On the projection, Zhaohe’s eyes gleamed as she reviewed the feed. "Ah. You did exceptionally well. And you shot him straight in the forehead just like I told you to. Good boy."

Luhan glared up at her hologram, his eyes red and brimming with pure hatred.

Zhaohe only beamed back at him, entirely unfazed. "Now, listen to me very carefully. Dump his body in the Red Zone. My recovery team will assist you with the transport."

Luhan’s pupils dilated in horror. "What?! He’s already dead! We don’t have to drag him out... why do we have to drop him in the.."

"You will dump him in the Red Zone," Zhaohe interrupted, her voice dropping into a cold, commanding tone. "And I don’t mean Yanjing City’s outer limits. I mean deep in the center of the deep Red Zones. His body must be completely obliterated. It needs to be gone."

Luhan let out a desperate breath, his fingers tightening painfully around Wenzhi’s lifeless wrist. "Why are you going to this level? You guys... you guys were once allies. Were you not even friends?"

Zhaohe frowned, her holographic projection flickering slightly. "What is this? Are you trying to lecture me on the power of friendship? Lin Wenzhi would have slaughtered me the exact second he caught my scent anywhere near him, and let’s not even start on what Shao Xinyuan would do. Hurry the hell up and move the body before he realizes his Guide’s life force has dropped, you moron. Your extraction is arriving now."

The video feed abruptly cut black, the hologram dissolving into static.

Luhan let out a sharp, frustrated grunt, dropping his head. He looked down at Wenzhi’s face. The grey eyes were still open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Shivering, Luhan slowly and reluctantly reached out, using his palm to gently slide Wenzhi’s eyelids closed.

Gulping back another sob, Luhan grabbed Wenzhi under his arms, dragging the dead weight of his body upward as he struggled to stand.

Suddenly, a cold voice chimed from his watch.

[Incoming teleportation scan in three... two... one...]

A massive, blinding column of blue light erupted from the watch face, instantly enveloping both Gu Luhan and Wenzhi’s bloodied body. The light filled the entire room, and in the next second, the space was left completely empty save for the dark, steaming pool of blood left behind on the floor.