Awakening

"Haah... haah..."

Loud, ragged breathing filled the study. Several burly men leaned against the wall a little farther away, their chests heaving as they all stared toward the space behind the desk, their eyes brimming with fear.

Another man sat in the swivel chair. He wasn't particularly young, perhaps in his early thirties. He was dressed plainly, but his pair of deep blue eyes lent him an air of mystery. A book with a black cover lay open on the desk.

If Snake Woman could come back to life and take a look, she would be shocked to discover that Captain Zhou—the man Sand Ghost had drained of every drop of blood right before her eyes not long ago—was now standing alive and well by the wall, staring with wide, terrified eyes.

Luo He raised his head and looked toward the door. Three people lay there.

One was a stunning woman with a voluptuous figure. Another was a gloomy-looking Middle-aged man carrying a black hiking backpack. The last was an old man with thinning hair, dressed in pajamas.

He was also the person Luo He had come to protect: Old Man Huang, the head of the Huang family in Lincheng.

But now, all three were sprawled on the ground. Old Man Huang's chest rose and fell faintly; the other two had already breathed their last.

Strangest of all, neither of them had any visible wounds, and their faces looked as if they were sound asleep.

"Mr. Luo." A woman's voice came from behind him. She was a beautiful woman with delicate features, and her voice was filled with worry. "How is Grandpa? Why...?"

Luo He slowly closed the book without looking back at her. "Please don't worry. Old Man Huang is only asleep. He had a dream, that's all. He'll