Bound Captive

The exceptionally cold sea breeze blowing into Mao City at night caused a significant temperature difference between day and night in this tropical city.

The blond youth who had come with his senior to carry out the mission was wearing a short-sleeved hoodie and inexplicably felt a chill.

At this moment, he was quietly approaching an elegant mansion with his senior.

Their next target is Yang Wen, a member of the Academic Faction in Mao City.

"Asheng, once I go in, you go straight for the target. Leave the rest to me."

"After completing the mission, crush the teleportation item I gave you and leave immediately."

The middle-aged man lowered his voice and gave the order.

Upon hearing his senior's arrangement, Luo Sheng readily agreed.

"Good."

He didn't ask his seniors how to evacuate.

There's no need. As Earth Realm Fifth Realm, it's not his place to worry about such matters, given that he's Second Realm cultivator in the Earth Realm.

He walked behind, unaware of the complex expression on the face of the senior in front of him, as if he had sensed something.

The two quickly infiltrated the mansion, and the moment they stepped over the wall, a thin barrier silently formed.

The enormous building was temporarily isolated within the net.

Inside the house, Pei Qinglan, who was chatting with Councilor Yang Wen in the living room, paused in her voice.

Yang Wen noticed Pei Qinglan's unusual behavior, and immediately realized what was going on, becoming alert as well.

Pei Qinglan channeled her Psychic Energy, and a gentle breeze began to swirl around the room, completely enveloping the two of them.

The hall fell into a deathly silence, the only sound the rapid beating of their hearts.

Pei Qinglan released her senses and merged with the wind. The next moment, she keenly sensed the gap in the wind.

"Call out!"

The arrow of light grazed Yang Wen's left arm, but Pei Qinglan pulled her behind him in time, saving her from a blow aimed at her heart.

Before Pei Qinglan could retaliate in the direction from which the shot came, the gleaming blade was already in front of her.

"Clang!"

A metal folding fan appeared out of thin air and then unfolded instantly, its surface directly blocking the slashing blade.

However, she was still pulled back several meters by the middle-aged man wielding the long knife.

Naturally, she and Yang Wen instantly became separated by a distance.

Pei Qinglan sensed the power of the newcomer, and with a quick effort, the smooth surface of the fan deflected the longsword.

She then spun around, the fan creating a sharp gust of wind that swept across the area, slicing directly at the black-clad assassin in front of her.

At the same time, Yang Wen also took out a short knife and blocked all the light arrows that were fired again.

She definitely needs protection; after all, she's not young anymore.

However, this does not mean she is completely defenseless.

It's important to know that she earned her position as a councilor through military merit.

For now, the situation is at a stalemate.

However, since the Human Race high command dispatched these two to eliminate dissidents, there must be a reason for it.

Just as Pei Qinglan's attention was completely diverted, the middle-aged man shifted his stance, barely avoiding the attack.

After dodging the attack from the folding fan, he feigned a missed strike.

The next moment, the slash traversed space and suddenly appeared behind Yang Wen.

Exhausted from dealing with the dense barrage of light arrows, Yang Wen, whose attention and perception were already far less than before due to her age, was momentarily unaware of the danger.

"Hiss! Pfft!"

The attack pierced into Yang Wen's flesh and blood, causing her to pause, and then the light arrow pierced her brain.

Target dead, mission accomplished.

Outside the mansion, Luo Sheng immediately crushed the teleportation device covered in red patterns and disappeared from the spot.

The middle-aged man no longer suppressed his cultivation level; the power of the Fifth Realm Peak of the Earth Realm instantly repelled Pei Qinglan's renewed attack.

He turned to leave, but was frozen in place by the word "Senior Brother".

"Senior Brother Lian Hong, is that you?"

Lian Hong's hand holding the long sword trembled slightly, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

He didn't turn around, nor dared to respond; he simply stood there, bound in place by the chains of the past.

"Senior brother, it's no use if you don't respond. I won't fail to recognize your swordsmanship."

Pei Qinglan's hands were trembling uncontrollably, tears welled up in her eyes but refused to fall, and her voice involuntarily choked with sobs.

"Why did you leave without saying goodbye and then disappear for three years?"

Everyone is looking for you—your master, your senior master, and your fellow disciples at Shengtian. Everyone is looking for you!

She began to ramble, a mixture of confusion, grievance, and longing overwhelming her reason.

Lian Hong didn't reply; he simply forced himself to lift his foot and start walking out.

In the now quiet hall, the chains around his waist made a series of grating noises.

Just as he was about to step out the door, he heard the woman's tearful voice again behind him.

"Is it because you became Bound Captive?"

The Bound Captive term "detainee" was like the last straw that broke Lian Hong's back, leaving him instantly unable to move an inch.

Behind him, the originally sorrowful Pei Qinglan watched helplessly as her once spirited senior brother, whom she remembered so fondly, bent his back in disbelief.

In her astonished gaze, as if finally crushed by a heavy weight, she hunched over, clutching her waist and abdomen in agony, convulsing.

"Senior brother? Senior brother, what's wrong!"

Pei Qinglan could no longer care about other emotions; worry overwhelmed everything, and she pushed her forward.

Then, she saw Lian Hong's face clearly under the hood.

Clear tears welled up in his numb eyes, sliding down his lips as he silently screamed.

When she came to her senses, Pei Qinglan realized that her tears had already fallen to the ground.

"Senior brother, come back, come back..."

"No... no..."

As if awakened by the nearby voice calling him "Senior Brother," Lian Hong once again suppressed his breakdown.

He was like a tool that had been reset.

If it weren't for the lingering watermarks and trembling sounds, everything that had just happened would seem like an illusion.

"I... I can't go back, junior sister, I... I can't go back."

If he could, he would like to go back to those school days when he worked together to allocate resources.

No matter how much they regretted their initial choice, or how much they longed to break free from the constraints imposed by the Human Race high command.

At this moment, the chain around his waist, which began to heat up because of his slight will to resist, clearly told him this.

You are the Bound Captive, a domestic dog with a collar put on it by the higher-ups. You have no choice but to obey.

He pushed aside his junior sister, who was already sobbing uncontrollably, who was blocking his way.

It was as if I had pushed away my lingering attachment to the past and my last remaining illusion of freedom.

Lian Hong disappeared as if he had fled.

Pei Qinglan slumped down in the hall, then suddenly seemed to remember something, wiped away her tears, and stood up.

She ran out of the mansion and raced towards the Academy Island.

And she was always surrounded by an invisible spatial barrier.

After she left, Lian Hong reappeared in front of the mansion.

His eyes remained numb, but his expression had returned to normal.

"You've been following me all this way, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Oops, we've been discovered. No wonder you're a space-age user."

Suddenly, Shisui figure appeared on the eaves, swinging his feet in a rather cheerful mood.

"What a heart-wrenching scene! Now I really want to know, is being 'Bound Captive' bitter or salty?"