Yao Shunyu stared at him, not daring to let his guard down for a moment. He was badly injured, and his left eye was nearly blind. If it came to a fight, he and Li Bai might not be a match for Lü Zhangyuan.
"Don't be nervous. If I wanted to attack, you wouldn't have had a chance to cross the bridge." Lü Zhangyuan looked at them calmly.
It sounded like boasting, but Li Bai and Yao Shunyu both silently acknowledged the truth of it. After all, Lü Zhangyuan had been the one to suggest a way out.
"I have no intention of hurting you. I'm part of a secret unit under the Night Watch, one that specializes in handling difficult cases. I just can't understand why two people as capable as you would choose not to serve the country, but instead to associate with those beasts from Deep Crimson."
Yao Shunyu was taken aback, but quickly realized Lü Zhangyuan might have been deceived too. No—his memories had been altered. They had gone through something similar during the mission involving Old Lady Shui.
Li Bai thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Lü Zhangyuan, what's your unit's codename within the Night Watch?"
"We don't have codenames, only numbers. Mine is 1."
Lü Zhangyuan didn't hide the truth. He genuinely wanted to persuade the two of them to mend their ways. Someone as capable and kindhearted as them ought to serve their country.
Shao Tong, who had been possessed by the Night Watch Chairman, had been codenamed Zero. This Lü Zhangyuan was number 1—in other words, second only to the chairman among the second-generation Deep Crimson. Even at their peak, Yao Shunyu and Li Bai probably wouldn't have stood a chance against someone like him.
"Lü Zhangyuan, do you believe me?"