Chapter 88: Chapter 0088: Long Tianya_1
 

The car screeched to a sudden halt, and the crew-cut policeman along with the skinny policeman swiftly drew their guns, pointing them at Ye Xiong, “What are you doing, put down the knife.”

“I’ll go with you, but there’s no way I’m letting you blindfold me,” said Ye Xiong, his gaze sweeping over the two gun-wielding officers, his voice icy cold, “If I don’t want to go, no one has the ability to take me back.”

The crew-cut and the skinny one took stock of Ye Xiong’s ruthlessness, exchanged glances, and ultimately, the skinny young man got out of the car to make a call, clearly seeking instructions.

After a while, the skinny one came back, holding adhesive tape in his hand.

They used the adhesive tape to cover all the car windows and separated the back seat from the front with a cloth, ensuring that even without a blindfold, Ye Xiong couldn’t see the outside.

Only then did Ye Xiong put away his dagger, harrumphing as he moved to one side.

The whole journey, the car was clearly driving in circles; it was a full two hours before the car finally stopped.

When the car door opened, they were facing a courtyard, which somewhat resembled the quadrangle dwellings of the Capital City.

The yard was filled with numerous unrecognizable flowers and plants and tall trees, instantly revealing that the owner of this place was someone with taste, or at the very least, someone laying low.

“Go inside,” the crew-cut young man gestured for Ye Xiong to enter.

Ye Xiong traversed a long corridor, entering into the innermost hall.

At that time, in the hall, an elder dressed in traditional Tang attire stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing out. The familiar silhouette ignited a flame at the bottom of Ye Xiong’s heart.

Long Tianya turned around, his brows and the hair at his forehead had turned half white; in just a year, he seemed to have aged a decade or more.

Seeing the once vibrant elder reduced to almost twilight years made Ye Xiong’s hatred subside quite a bit.

This year must not have been easy for him either!

Long Tianya, the top man at Dragon Source, Ye Xiong’s former highest superior.

Back then, he was the one who founded the Reaper Squad, assembling this king of special forces units in Huaxia Country.

After an entire year, from among more than a thousand military elite, the final six members were selected to form what later became the Reaper Squad.

This was the most powerful squad in Huaxia Country.

Yet, what led to its establishment was ultimately its downfall; one decision he made was all it took to destroy the squad completely.

“I know you still hate me, but all of that’s in the past. Even if you continue to pursue this, it can’t bring your five team members back to life,” said Long Tianya.

“Are you done speaking? If so, I should be leaving,” Ye Xiong said, preparing to turn and leave.

“Wait a moment.”

“Is there something else?” Ye Xiong asked coldly.

“There’s something I need to give you.”

Long Tianya walked over, took out a sandalwood box from his person, and handed it over.

Ye Xiong didn’t take it, so Long Tianya opened the box to reveal a completely black dagger inside.

The dagger was crescent-shaped, with a scaly pattern all over, and the handle was engraved with a dragon’s head, along with some characters that Ye Xiong couldn’t understand.

The entire dagger looked ancient and bizarre, and as soon as the box was opened, a wave of coldness filled the room, as if the dagger had a life of its own, trembling slightly.

“Lone Star Blade Leng Mo.”

Even Ye Xiong, enraged as he was, couldn’t help but blurt out upon seeing the dagger.

“That’s right, it’s Dragon Soul’s heirloom, the Divine Soldier Leng Mo. The weapon on you, Mo Bing, is a replica of it,” Long Tianya said indifferently.

A fervent light burst from Ye Xiong’s eyes.

As a once distinguished member of Dragon Soul, he had long heard of the Cold Ink Dagger.

It was said to be an unparalleled weapon, the legacy of Dragon Soul, meant only for the mightiest and highest-ranking warriors in the organization; it had always been the token of succession for Dragon Soul’s leader.

Now that Long Tianya suddenly presented the Cold Ink Dagger to him, could it be that something had happened to the organization?

“Has something happened to Dragon Soul?” Ye Xiong suddenly asked.

“Indeed, worthy of the strongest warrior of Dragon Soul, you are the one I, Long Tianya, value the most.” Long Tianya nodded, a satisfied smile appearing on his face as he said, “Ever since last year’s mission failed, the entire Reaper Squad has been honored as martyrs. In this world, only three people know you’re alive—aside from me, there are Phoenix and Vermilion Bird.”

“What exactly has happened?” Ye Xiong pressed on.

“Do you really want to know?” Long Tianya’s eyes revealed a surprised expression.

Ye Xiong nodded vigorously.

Even though he had been away from Dragon Soul for over a year, he had fought many years for it. Dragon Soul had become his root, a part of his life. Hearing something might have happened to Dragon Soul, how could he not be anxious?

“Dragon Soul will cease to exist,” Long Tianya replied.

“Disbanded, how is that possible?” Ye Xiong exclaimed in shock.

“It’s not exactly disbandment, it’s just reorganizing under a new name. As for what the name is, I’m not at liberty to tell you,” Long Tianya explained.

Ye Xiong felt an inexplicable emotion growing in his heart, as if it was lodged there.

If Ye Xiong had no affection for Dragon Soul, he wouldn’t feel so distressed; if he didn’t feel grateful to Long Tianya, upon learning of the organization’s erroneous decision, he wouldn’t have chosen to hide away and would have gone directly to Dragon Soul to settle scores with Long Tianya.

Because he knew that even if he were to confront Long Tianya, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to him.

He was personally cultivated by Long Tianya, and that fact couldn’t be changed.

Now Ye Xiong finally understood why in just one short year, Long Tianya had aged as if by a dozen years. It seemed he too was having a rough time in Dragon Soul.

Long Tianya took out a document and handed it over, saying, “This classified document is from the intelligence department’s report on the Demon Hunting operation. It bears the stamp of the intelligence department, and it was after reviewing this intelligence that I decided to dispatch the Reaper Squad.”

Ye Xiong took the document and glanced at it. It clearly recorded the reports of four intelligence agents, which meant that Long Tianya’s decision at that time was entirely by the book. He couldn’t be blamed; the fault lay with the intelligence error.

“Every member of the Reaper Squad was my pride and joy. Do you think I wanted them to go to their deaths, do you think I didn’t want them to live well?” After saying this, Long Tianya’s face showed a pained expression.

“They died for the country, their death is a matter of pride,” Ye Xiong knew from that moment that he had completely forgiven Long Tianya.

“After the Demon Hunting operation, I wanted to find the original four intelligence agents to get things clear, but they disappeared overnight, even the intelligence department couldn’t track them down. So, I knew someone was plotting this conspiracy behind the scenes, with the aim of eliminating the Reaper Squad.”

Long Tianya took out the dagger and handed it over.

When Ye Xiong took it in his hand, he only felt his hand shake, and the entire dagger dropped to the ground.

Seeing this, Long Tianya’s face showed a disappointed look.

“What on earth is this dagger, how can it be so bitterly cold?” Ye Xiong asked in shock.

“It’s not the dagger that is cold, it’s your heart that is cold,” Long Tianya sighed sadly and asked dishearteningly, “Do you even know the origin of this Cold Ink Dagger?”