Chapter 193.1 – We are V587 (8)

◎ V587? Oh Nooooo! ◎

Among the 10 E districts of the New Asia Alliance, District E170 (Rainforest) is the most unique existence.

—Rainforest is a breeding ground for assassins.

Once you step into this mysterious primal forest, life enters a countdown, and every step is a perilous journey through “hell.” The climate here is hot, rain is frequent, and one must be cautious to avoid falling into dark rivers or swamps. The terrain is complex, the species are diverse, and lush vines can come to life at any moment to consume humans.

What is even more chilling is the ubiquitous presence of top predators: pythons, cannibal parrotfish, electric eels, poison dart frogs… The rainforest deserves its title as the “forbidden zone for humans.”

As an abandoned baby, Su Cha grew up in such harsh conditions.

No family, no friends, and apart from bloody killings, he knew nothing else.

Under the supervision of instructors, the minors in Rainforest receive guidance. After surviving the slaughter of a hundred children, Su Cha was assigned to Luo Wei.

Luo Wei is ranked 15th on the assassin list, once entering the top 10 at his peak. He was once on par with Anaconda, another renowned killer, but he was smarter. Shortly after Anaconda was thrown into Death Prison, Luo Wei retired hastily, quietly taking on the role of a whip-wielding man.

Luo Wei only took in one child, but his training of Su Cha was harsh to the extreme.

Su Cha is naturally taciturn, even when covered in injuries, he can’t utter a complete sentence. Often coming back from the training ground half-dead, he would collapse before reaching the door. Luo Wei would then kick him with the toe of his boot, coldly dropping food and medicine.

In the early days, Su Cha didn’t remember Luo Wei’s face but instead memorized his shoes.

Sometimes, when he was too injured to return on his own, Luo Wei would come to pick him up. Su Cha would lie face down in the mud, motionless like a dead person, with venomous insects and snakes crawling around, considering where to bite.

Luo Wei would sneer, “Useless kid,” and drag him away by lifting one foot.

The two rarely communicated, and for people living on the edge like them, having relationships was rather complicated.

But from the age of 7 to 17, Luo Wei watched as the little wolf cub’s nails gradually sharpened, and the hostility in his eyes grew stronger.

At the age of 17, Su Cha became an independent assassin, and he made a decision: to leave Rainforest, as killing was not his nature, nor could it bring him peace.

To leave Rainforest, he had to kill an assassin ranked higher than himself. At the time, Su Cha was ranked 107, quite impressive for his age, but everyone ahead of him was no easy opponent. When Luo Wei found out, he casually asked, “Made a decision?”

Su Cha nodded silently. Two days ago, he had submitted an application to leave Rainforest.

Luo Wei chewed on tobacco leaves, remaining silent for a while. He never smoked; a qualified assassin would not carry any lingering scent.

A few days later, Su Cha and Luo Wei went on a mission together, tasked with eliminating the military commander of a small country on the Luce Federation border.

The assassination went smoothly, but the counterattack caught them off guard! A sniper with eagle-like precision was shadowing them, and special ability bullets with “real damage” appeared mysteriously. Once penetrating the body, all healing became ineffective, leading to inevitable death. Fellow assassins quickly perished, leaving only Su Cha and Luo Wei.

Boom—!!

Luo Wei tossed a grenade, forcefully detonating it. Houses along the street collapsed, glass shattered, and the two escaped the scene. Passing through a certain block, Su Cha’s peripheral vision flashed, keenly identifying the person he intended to kill. He already knew; the opponent was also on a mission here.

Su Cha signaled Luo Wei to retreat with a gesture and charged alone.

Fighting, bleeding, as in the past thousands of nights.

Su Cha pinned the person to the ground, about to stab into their heart when, a second before, the person’s mouth curled strangely. Su Cha sensed danger, and suddenly, a cold blade, as frigid as the forest, cut across his neck, slicing the skin along the artery. Someone was trying to kill him! Su Cha dodged by tilting his head, unexpectedly finding that the assailant was even younger than him, appearing to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, with eyes filled with determination mirroring his own.

The opponent kicked Su Cha in the chest, and he rolled away in a sorry state, realizing that he was surrounded by four or five people.

With more and more wounds, fresh blood dripping down, the vision turned crimson, and just before losing consciousness, Su Cha saw a familiar pair of shoes.

It was Luo Wei.

Luo Wei did not retreat; he killed the attackers, just like countless times before. He dragged the battered Su Cha through the artillery and flames, carrying him away from the blood-soaked battlefield.

Upon reaching a safe zone, Luo Wei threw Su Cha to the ground and sat down cross-legged himself.

Su Cha lay silently, eyes dry and sore. The person just now was the only one he was sure of, but he failed to kill him.

Luo Wei glanced at him, with trembling fingers, he pulled out a carefully wrapped cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag. “Leaving Rainforest isn’t that simple. Even if you’re lucky enough to survive, you’ll have to shed some skin. From the moment you expressed your intention to leave, you’ve been on the hunting list.”

“If you kill others, naturally, others will want to kill you. That’s the rule of Rainforest.”

Su Cha remained silent. As Luo Wei finished his cigarette, he took out his own dagger from his military boot and handed it to Su Cha.

Then, he sighed and smiled, “Come on, kid, kill me.”

Su Cha’s eyes turned bloodshot, staring at him in disbelief, “…”

Luo Wei reached out and ruffled his hair. It was the closest contact the two had in the past ten years. Then he took off his tactical suit, showing wounds on his knees, abdomen, and shoulders that weren’t fatal. The only fatal wound was on his back, a gunshot wound bleeding profusely.

Su Cha’s gaze froze. It was “real damage.” Luo Wei had been hit by a sniper.

Only then did Su Cha notice Luo Wei’s pale face, looking gray and gloomy due to excessive blood loss.

“Hurry up, don’t dilly-dally, or I’ll be dead.”

Su Cha’s chest heaved rapidly, his throat dry and scratchy. Some words were difficult to utter and choked him up.

“Do it—!!” Luo Wei’s pupils were already dilated, and he gritted his teeth, shouting fiercely.

The cold dagger pierced through his heart.

Luo Wei smiled satisfactorily. With his last strength, he took Su Cha’s communicator, scanning himself, leaving indisputable evidence of his murder.

“Go, kid. Don’t look back, never come back.”

Su Cha never returned to Rainforest. His hands stained with Luo Wei’s blood, he wandered like a lonely wolf cub with dirty fur, a walking corpse.

He had always wanted to leave Rainforest, prepared for death, but he never imagined the horrific price he would have to pay.

Half a month later, exhausted, Su Cha wandered to Ferrara. He collapsed beside a garbage bin in a dark alley, rain pouring down heavily. Untreated wounds caused a high fever, and he couldn’t open his eyes under the deluge.

Indistinct voices sounded in the ears, mixed with a woman’s playful scolding, ethereal like an illusion.

At the age of 20, Lin Youyou, with delicate eyeliner and sparkling eye shadow, had a fresh and sweet makeup look. However, after the performance, she hid in an empty space to smoke and unexpectedly saw a person lying in the shadows.

Completely devoid of a refined image, she exclaimed, “Oh my god, what the hell? You scared the hell out of me!!”

“Hey, did you see me smoking?” Lin Youyou kicked him with the tip of her shoe.

“He’s dead… he’s dead…” Su Cha rolled over, revealing his face, repeating meaninglessly.

“Who’s dead?”

“…Family.” Su Cha hoarsely replied, and for him, Luo Wei had long replaced the role of a “father.”

Lin Youyou’s hand holding the cigarette paused, her lowered eyelashes expressionless. Today was the anniversary of Lin Xiu’s death, and she came out to smoke in a bad mood, not expecting to encounter another grieving person.

The manager chased after her from the back door, urging repeatedly, “Youyou, go back. I’ll have the driver come over.”

“Okay.” Lin Youyou exhaled a puff of smoke, the white mist in the rain blurred her bright eyes.

Car lights reflected from a distance, and her expression fluctuated. Just before getting into the nanny car, Lin Youyou turned around, stepped through the dirty water despite wetting her skirt, and came to Su Cha.

She used the umbrella to shield Su Cha’s head and kicked him again with the tip of her shoe. “Hey, you seem to have a good physique. Do you want to be my bodyguard?”

Su Cha didn’t react.

Lin Youyou chuckled self-mockingly, “My family is also gone, leaving only me. Today, let’s just say I’m acting out of sisterly kindness. Time waits for no one, okay?”

Su Cha’s pitch-black pupils gazed directly at her.