Chapter 322 Our Own People

Just as Li Yan was suppressing the bloodthirsty thoughts raging within him, he felt a murderous aura coming from the left, directly targeting the Zhang Family!

Just relying on that unspeakable, unprovable feeling, he could conclude that this was a killing intent that only an S-level assassin could emit!

This made his heart sink slightly.

The reason an S-level assassin can surpass an A-level one is because of the difficulty and success rate of their missions. Their exceptional comprehensive strength allows them, even when encountering obstacles or destined failures, to have a great chance of success if they are determined to complete their mission with a mutual destruction approach; even when abandoning or leaving, inflicting damage on the target isn’t a difficult task.

And these are within a controllable range; if they recklessly use hot weapons, even if Li Yan is the hunter waiting behind, it’s hard to protect everyone!

He is not afraid of any S-level assassin at all, just as it was in H City back then, even facing three parties, he remains calm and confident. But today, Yurong, Yue Yao, Zhang Tianyi, and Yang Yun’s couple are at home. Besides other innocent people, at least they are ones Li Yan must consider!

After concentrating and sensing for a moment, he quietly followed the shadow of the streetlights along the greenbelt, quickly heading towards the place where the assassin was hiding.

At the level they reached, just based on the murderous aura that everyone could feel, they already had a certain understanding of the opponent’s strength. This understanding is mainly from the mentality and momentum. For example, a candidate with less than 10% support versus a candidate with over 80% support in a debate, the confidence of both sides would naturally differ, and that invisible momentum would be revealed.

Li Yan’s feeling was that although this person had the strength of an S-level assassin, their killing intent didn’t feel overwhelmingly strong—it seemed to lack confidence or had the feeling of decline from years without action.

Of course, this might be a deliberate act of appearing weak. Regardless of intent, he must eliminate this person first!

Approaching the target, the bloodthirsty thoughts deep inside Li Yan’s heart surged a few degrees more. Facing a super assassin of the same level, even Li Yan has limits. At this level, people are not impulsive; they know to cherish life and honor, so it’s not necessary to fight to the death with an equally skilled peer unless absolutely necessary. So now, his subconscious also had a sense of excitement.

What surprised him was that tonight the consequences of the Heart Demon’s backlash hadn’t started to go out of control yet! It only stimulated him to reach a peak state, yet it wasn’t difficult to control.

What caused this unexpected situation?

Was it because of the concern for Yurong and others, filled with emotions rather than murderous intent?

Li Yan certainly did not believe it!

Whether it’s a sunny lifestyle, a cheerful life attitude, or healing in terms of family, friendship, love, etc. For one’s Heart Demon or psychological shadow, it works but gradually and imperceptibly as a long-term change, similar to traditional Chinese medicine’s comprehensive conditioning, not like modern medicine’s rapid effects.

After brief contemplation, he had a vague, uncertain idea. This backlash effect is certainly larger than usual, but now there isn’t intense outbreak, perhaps due to the impact of Liu Chen’s consciousness!

According to Li Yan’s own research, the so-called ’backlash’ of "Heart Demon" is inciting the Heart Demon deep inside him. This stimulation might not apply "Heart Demon" directly, for instance, when relating the unspeakable past to Qiao Huanxuan, it equally strongly stimulates. Tonight using "Heart Demon’s" ability should have strongly stimulated his internal Heart Demon, but the integration of Liu Chen’s consciousness, with vast amounts of information flooding his mind, might have diluted the Heart Demon’s stimulation.

Just like a bag of salt in water, without piercing the bag, salt won’t flow out, won’t turn the water salty. The larger the pierced hole, the more salt flows out, turning the water saltier. But even in the same case of piercing the salt bag, pouring almost twice more water, although salt flows out, it gets diluted, actually making it less salty.

And this kind of method might cause his biggest "backlash" right at the moment of integration, with a massive influx of outsider consciousness, almost feeling the brain bursting; then he felt a splitting headache, if not sustained, he might have shockingly fainted first, which would let the controlled wake up and become very dangerous.

...

Whether it’s indeed due to such a reason, Li Yan doesn’t have more experience to reference, nor time to ponder now. Now he has to disregard everything, disregard any physical response, and eliminate these assassins completely!

As Li Yan approached, a person standing like deadwood under a tree focused their gaze on him, and that killing intent aimed towards Zhang Family’s villa nearby quickly swept across Li Yan.

There was no one else here, this person naturally was whom Li Yan was searching for. But what surprised him was, this person... he had seen them before!

This was a man appearing around fifty or sixty, whom Li Yan, visiting the Zhang Family at least once a week for the past year, had seen several times; responsible for the greenbelt flowers and plants in the villa area, a landscaping worker.

Since he never thought this landscaping worker, an old man, could actually be a super assassin, Li Yan also hadn’t investigated his details. Now thinking about it, this old man had likely been lurking here for nearly a year?

This shocked him immensely!

This definitely wasn’t an assassin hired by Fang William’s mission, impossible to time travel back for preparation. But he indeed harbored strong murderous intent towards the Zhang Family, could he be Zhang Tianyi’s enemy?

He originally lurked near the Zhang Family, waiting for revenge? Tonight, did he notice other assassins and wanted to fish in troubled waters?

But it seemed unlike!

Based on Li Yan’s earlier sensation, this old man indeed had the level of an S-level assassin, with a sense of decline easily understandable due to age and retirement, but even a declining S-level assassin, if wanting to kill Zhang Tianyi, wouldn’t find it difficult. The Zhang Family, employing some private security, guards against petty thieves, low-level thugs, and assassins; this old man already hidden here wasn’t discovered, undoubtedly having ample opportunities.

Could it be... previously Zhang Tianyi’s severe illness wasn’t due to past wounds in Kenyia along with accumulated distress, but rather due to a hidden attack by this old man?

This possibility isn’t small!

An S-class assassin doesn’t strike but lurks nearby, surely with a purpose. If not for money but for personal revenge, watching their enemy slowly tortured to death can extend the pleasure of revenge for longer, gaining more satisfaction from retribution!

Kill!

No matter the purpose, since they’re enemies and the tail is exposed, they must be cleaned up!

Li Yan moved directly forward; he didn’t waste words like "Who are you?". But given that the opponent is prepared and he is unarmed, he completely suppressed his killing intent, walking over with a calm demeanor.

Clearly, as he approached, the old man’s killing intent grew even stronger!

"Hello, may I ask you..."

Since this old man has been closely observing the Zhang Family, he evidently would notice and remember Li Yan’s appearance. As he couldn’t hide his looks, he could only pretend not to notice anything. His questioning wasn’t fast; he wasn’t trying to ask anything in particular, just using it to mask his approach and prevent an assassin ready to strike!

"Ask what?" Seeing Li Yan already near but not asking anything, the old man coolly inquired.

Strangely, Li Yan found that the killing intent directed at him had shifted direction. It hadn’t vanished but followed the old man’s peripheral gaze, turning towards the Zhang Family.

"What I wanted to ask is..." Li Yan put on a polite smile but swiftly made his move, lunging forward like a hunting leopard!

Upon arriving here, he noticed that besides this old man being near the Zhang Family, several other strong and weak killing intents had already appeared within the Zhang Family’s villa!

He had reason to believe those assassins had infiltrated the Zhang Family; even if they hadn’t subdued everyone, they were at a very dangerous point. And this old man was waiting! Waiting to watch others kill for him!

So, he had to kill this old man first!

But as an S-class assassin, Li Yan knows very well what effect his killing intent will have once released. To the assassins already infiltrated in the villa, it would seem like a giant crocodile coming to eat, which would prompt them to act immediately!

He couldn’t risk alarming them!

Therefore, even when he struck, he carried no killing intent, already suppressing his emotions, as if merely sparring with a friend.

Of course, he never learned the art of performance, and wouldn’t engage in complex sparring techniques; all his instinctual moves were lethal attacks designed to kill in one strike!

The old man focused on Li Yan while still distracted by the Zhang Family, naturally unprepared for Li Yan’s sudden attack. Plus, he was already in his fifties or sixties, movements impaired, whereas Li Yan was at his physical peak. As the old man barely thought to evade, Li Yan had already locked onto his throat!

One move!

Or perhaps half a move!

This is Li Yan’s efficiency, the hand-to-hand killing techniques he honed stepping over corpses — unless deliberately restrained, instinctual moves are kill strikes!

Is it not a sneak attack?

An assassin doesn’t sneak attack — should he fight rounds in the ring, score points to win?

"One of us...!"

Li Yan couldn’t crush his throat to kill him now, but he had to grasp his windpipe to make him faint. Only when overpowering the old man did he hear a swift whispered voice.

Li Yan chuckled coldly.

One of us?

Who’s one of us?

Perhaps peers count as allies against foreign oppression. But most of the time, peers are competitors; as the saying goes, ’Peers are enemies’. And now, all the assassins here are enemies he must eliminate!

However, Li Yan still gave the old man a chance to speak — if he considered himself a peer and wanted to share the current situation inside, he wouldn’t mind taking a reference.

"I am... Zhang Yurong’s... biological father!"

(A friend’s recommendation for a new book "Rebirth of Hunting Stars" — Book Number: 1851233, 250,000 words, already matured!)