"What do you want to do after this? Xiao Hong and the others are still around, aren't they? You could open a regular training class and teach the kids some basic skills. Wouldn't that be a nice way to pass the time?" Wang Yiyang said with a smile.
Wang Xinlong gazed calmly at his grandson. So much had happened, and so many people had died, yet he could still smile—and so easily, too.
It was as if what had just happened at the martial arts hall had been no more than a quick trip out for a meal and a walk.
That calm acceptance, that air of being used to it, made Wang Xinlong's heart ache a little.
How old was Wang Yiyang, really? And yet he seemed to have already grown accustomed to this brutal, violent life.
Perhaps the events at the martial arts hall had seemed serious and troublesome to him. But in Wang Yiyang's eyes, they might have been nothing more than a minor incident.
Wang Xinlong opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
His grandson had made something of himself and achieved success. He should have been happy. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to feel that way.
He could more or less guess how much Wang Yiyang had had to sacrifice to reach his current level.
After a long silence, he slowly reached out and gently patted his grandson on the shoulder.
"You've worked hard."
"It wasn't that hard, really. Just remember to keep this from everyone, Grandpa. Mom and Dad still don't know about my situation, and I don't want them to worry." Wang Yiyang gave him a gentle smile.
He had only had this hidden identity for a short while, yet it felt as though years had passed.
Every single day, he had been under tremendous pressure. He was constantly plotting and planning, and had to maintain his image at all times.
Though he could enjoy all kinds of top-tier services whenever he wanted, he simply didn't have the time or inclination.
Just dealing with threats had already taken up far too much of his attention.
So his grandfather's understanding struck a real chord with him.
You only learned to cherish something after you lost it.
All Wang Yiyang wanted now was to get everything over with as quickly as possible, then return to his peaceful old life.
Even if that life had been ordinary and unremarkable. Even if it hadn't come with so much power, wealth, and luxury.
At least it hadn't come with enormous pressure and threats.
Wang Xinlong had seen a lot in his life, and he could see the weariness in his grandson's eyes.
"I understand. But make sure you handle things properly. Some things can be kept secret, but others can't."
"I know." Wang Yiyang nodded.
On the drive back, Wang Yiyang kept reviewing every detail of the plan.
Several days earlier, right from the start, he had used special means to administer two kinds of poisonous gas and a batch of ultraminiature, controllable nanobots to Zhong Can.
The first two were meant to mask the injection of the latter, keeping Zhong Can off his guard so he wouldn't notice the ultraminiature, controllable nanobots.
The nanobots were extremely expensive and could only be used once.
They could enter the bloodstream through the stomach, then spread throughout Zhong Can's body along with his blood. Once inside, they could remain dormant for over a month.
After a month, they would dissolve on their own.
This was the crucial safeguard that had let Wang Yiyang rest assured his grandfather wouldn't be in danger when he fought Zhong Can.
The nanobots could not only monitor and collect data on Zhong Can's body at any time, but also paralyze his entire system in an instant when needed.
Combined with the suppressive effects of the other two kinds of poison gas, as well as the third kind that Wang Yiyang had secretly released at the scene, these layers of safeguards had ensured he kept the entire situation firmly under control, without a single flaw.
The only variable had been Wu Qi, who showed up later.
As a Grand Justice Rank martial artist, Wu Qi had an extremely high resistance to poison gas. If Wang Yiyang hadn't deliberately provoked him with his words, Wu Qi might really have caused some casualties.
Sitting in the car, Wang Yiyang went over the entire plan again. Suddenly, he felt a little dispirited.
He had simply used the powerful technology that had developed over thousands of years to crush so-called martial arts.
Compared to modern technology, the martial arts of these various schools were still rooted in theories from a thousand years ago.
Technology had gone through several industrial revolutions, while martial arts had remained stagnant.
It was a clash between two different paths of civilization.
And the truth was, the martial arts system had fallen far, far behind.
"Boss, the Martial Alliance sent a letter thanking us for our cooperation. Yanhu Sect sent one as well.
"There's one difference, though. Peijia, the deputy sect master of Yanhu Sect, refunded half of your fee. The reason given was that the incident had been resolved without them needing to step in, so the terms of the agreement hadn't been fulfilled."
Lei Wei quietly reported the latest developments from beside him.
"Oh? Sect Master Peijia certainly knows how to handle things." Wang Yiyang didn't care about the money now, but he wasn't about to turn it down either.
The deputy sect master of Yanhu Sect was clearly very good at dealing with people. Refunding half the fee because they hadn't needed to act was a thoughtful gesture.
"Also, as for Wu Qi, the Mantis Sect master, one of his disciples is still missing. We're searching for him.
"At the same time, the Mantis martial artists we captured gave up the locations of their hideouts. Our people found a roster of Mantis members there. We can use it to target them.
"Should we hand the roster over to the authorities and cooperate with them, or take action ourselves in retaliation?"
"We'll handle it ourselves." Wang Yiyang thought for a moment. "Then double the bounty for every Mantis member on the authorities' wanted list."
"Understood."
Wang Yiyang let out a breath. The martial arts hall incident had finally reached a conclusion.
The Mantis Sect clearly wasn't the real mastermind. There had to be an even more powerful force lurking behind them. But all he wanted was to take out the people directly responsible for the killings. As for the mysterious power behind them...
Based on the intelligence they'd gathered,
the Mantis Sect was no more than an organization on the fringes of that group. Its attack on Yuekong Martial Arts Hall had been its own decision.
So letting the matter end here was the best outcome.
Of course, more importantly, he had to face Mister's internal power struggle as soon as possible.
Now that he had the backing of the Mister identity, he naturally had to shoulder its responsibilities and risks.
He had already enjoyed the power and wealth. It was time to face the new problems, too.
"What's the date today? What day of the week?" Wang Yiyang suddenly asked.
"March twentieth, Friday," Lei Wei replied immediately. As his personal assistant, she naturally had to keep track of such information at all times.
"So only nine days have passed..." Wang Yiyang murmured.
He remembered waking up after being reborn on the eleventh.
And now, only nine days had passed.
There were still twenty days until the one-month deadline.
At most, twenty days amounted to just three weeks.
Wang Yiyang gave a wry smile. He'd just dealt with this mess, and now he had to plunge straight into the next one.
At least he had a little more time this round.
He thought it over, then opened the chip menu on his own and went to the intelligence section to look up the information he wanted.
After looking through it, Wang Yiyang finally understood just how powerful this mysterious system was.
His first hidden identity, as a behind-the-scenes director of Mister Pharmaceutical who also served as security minister, hadn't appeared out of nowhere.
It came with a vast web of connections, too.
Wang Yiyang had only received a basic download of information, so the data in his mind was just a summary. On top of that, he'd been busy with the martial arts hall incident and hadn't had time to sort through it.
Now that he could finally relax and focus on studying this identity, he was increasingly surprised.
As one of the board members of Mister Pharmaceutical, Wang Yiyang held a 2.3 percent stake.
That wasn't a small share, but it wasn't a large one either. Thinking he could rely on it alone to secure his position as security minister was pure fantasy.
After all, the security minister nominally controlled the armed forces of the entire Mister Group.
For a position that important, it was only natural that many people wouldn't trust a man in his twenties with it.
Which meant there had to be a powerful force supporting Wang Yiyang, one strong enough to secure his position as security minister.
And now, Wang Yiyang was finally beginning to make contact with the force backing him.
He glanced through the information in the intelligence section, then took out his phone.
He soon found the corresponding names in his contacts.
I'll take some time to sort out and memorize all the information first, then figure out what trouble I'm facing, and start planning. Wang Yiyang didn't rush.
As a director of a pharmaceutical group, with three weeks to spare, he might even randomly get some useful identities to use as trump cards.
After all, his strongest asset right now was the Mister identity. If even that identity couldn't handle the threat, then turning things around with his current abilities would be extremely difficult.
Rather than force it, he might as well wait and see if a new identity showed up and changed things.
Once he'd roughly worked out his plans, Wang Yiyang rode back to Green Tree Residential Complex without a hitch. As soon as he got home, he tossed all the clutter from his mind.
The plans, the intelligence—all of it. He didn't want to think about any of it.
Today, he just wanted to completely unwind and clear his mind.
Back in his rental apartment, he looked at the familiar furniture, the familiar computer, and the familiar keyboard, stained all over.
Then there was the familiar, messy single bed. Especially the strange blanket rolled up into a cylinder on it.
Wang Yiyang liked to roll his blanket up and then wriggle around until he was wrapped up like a cylinder.
Sleeping like that meant his whole body was covered, which was extremely comfortable.
But rolling himself up like that every day took some effort, so he'd come up with a solution.
He'd roll the blanket into a cylinder first, then crawl out of it in the morning after sleeping. He absolutely never made the bed.
Then, after getting home from work in the evening and washing up, he'd crawl back into the cylinder.
That way, the blanket stayed warm and comfortable, and he didn't have to bother making the bed.
But Wang Yiyang wasn't in the mood for an afternoon nap now.
He picked up his phone and opened an app called Food, Drink, and Fun. It was the most popular app these days, a little guide to helping people live better.
As soon as he opened it, all kinds of short videos began playing one after another. They showed interesting and fun things at different shops and venues.
Wang Yiyang cleared his mind, lay back on the bed, and scrolled through his phone, page after page, looking for somewhere worth visiting and having fun.
He felt as though he'd returned to his old self, with no hidden identities, neither a doctor nor a Mister director, but simply a white-collar worker who'd just quit his job.
Seeing life again through the eyes of an ordinary office worker slowly eased the heaviness and tension in Wang Yiyang's heart.
Before long, he settled on a place.
A swimming pool that looked pretty nice...
Before you continue