Isn't It Good to Be Alive?

Under the cover of night, a black motorcycle quietly approached the Zuo Family Old Residence.

The villa stood alone outside Riverside Town, a full li from the nearest homes, making the place remote and desolate. Few people ever came this way.

The motorcycle stopped dozens of meters away.

Although it had the appearance of a racing bike, it was actually electrically powered, so it traveled in near silence.

Two people got off the bike.

The driver was a tall, burly man in a black jacket. He had short hair, a square face, thick brows, fierce eyes, and a long scar across his left cheek that made him look especially vicious.

The other man traveling with him was much thinner. He had pale skin, high cheekbones, and upturned lips curled into a mad smile, while an inexplicable light flickered in his narrow eyes.

"This should be the place..."

The pale, thin man raised his wrist and checked the GPS location displayed on his smartwatch. "Nice place. Our little lamb looks pretty fat, hehehe."

His voice was soft and effeminate, but his laughter was shrill and piercing.

Pfft!

The burly man spat out the gum he had been chewing and turned to ask, "What do we do?"

Although he was far stronger than his companion, he readily admitted defeat when it came to brains and intelligence. Thus, he usually followed the other man's lead in any operation.

This time was no exception.

The pale, thin man stared at the lit room on the villa's third floor. "Same old rules. Hand over the money and live. Cling to your money, and don't blame us for being merciless!"

Before acting, the two usually scouted their targets to find out exactly what they were dealing with, lest they run into someone they could not afford to provoke.

But this place was remote, and there were not many people in the house. They could do whatever they wanted without going through all that trouble.

"Fine!"

Without another word, the burly man reached out and opened the motorcycle's external storage case.

He first took out two bladed swords and a mask, handing them to his companion. Then he took out another mask and a pair of spiked gloves.

The pale, thin man crossed the two sheathed bladed swords over his back, then put on the mask.

He became Joker!

The burly man put on the fingerless gloves, flexed his ten fingers a few times, then pulled the mask over his head.

It was the face of a Wild Boar, complete with blood-dripping tusks.

The two exchanged a smile, savagery shining in their eyes.

Wild Boar took the lead while Joker followed behind. One after the other, they swiftly closed in on the Zuo Family Old Residence.

They did not storm through the front gate.

Wild Boar stopped before the courtyard wall, crouched down on one knee, and presented his broad back to Joker behind him.

Joker suddenly strode forward and sprang onto his companion's back.

The instant Joker planted his foot firmly, Wild Boar thrust himself upward. Joker used the force to leap into the air and easily flipped over the high wall.

He landed in the yard, rolled twice across the ground to dissipate the force of his descent, then quickly sprang to his feet.

Still outside the wall, Wild Boar gave a low shout, bent his knees, and launched himself upward from where he stood. His raised hands gripped the top of the wall firmly, and he soon climbed over as well.

The two worked together seamlessly and moved with practiced ease. They were clearly experts at this sort of thing.

Yet neither Joker nor Wild Boar noticed that, on a camphor tree not far away, a Gargoyle silently opened its crimson eyes. A pair of wings spread soundlessly behind it!

Joker looked around the yard. After confirming there was no danger, he swaggered toward the villa's front door.

Wild Boar followed behind him.

The moment the two stepped onto the stairs, Joker suddenly stopped.

Wild Boar nearly bumped into his back. He hurriedly stopped as well and asked in a muffled voice, "What is it?"

Joker looked uneasy. "Something's wrong."

Wild Boar was puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Joker was about to explain the inexplicable palpitation in his chest when his eyes suddenly widened. "Watch out!"

Screee!

Before Wild Boar could react, an extremely piercing sound suddenly tore through his eardrums. It was like a red-hot steel needle stabbing into his brain, the pain reaching an unbearable extreme.

This sonic attack came from the Gargoyle.

Zuo Yi had given it the mission of guarding the house. Normally, it remained motionless atop the camphor tree. But whenever anything unexpected occurred, its alert and defense mechanisms would immediately activate.

This Transcendent Grade Gargoyle had a normal detection range of several hundred meters, and in extreme conditions, it could even exceed several kilometers. Thus, it had already noticed the electric racing bike when Wild Boar and Joker approached.

But the Gargoyle had taken no action then, waiting until the two secretly infiltrated the old residence.

Intruders die!

A Gargoyle in battle mode was terrifying. The high-frequency sound waves it emitted could directly attack the human brain. Unless its target possessed powerful mental strength, they would either collapse unconscious or become an idiot on the spot.

The tall, burly Wild Boar did not even have time to scream. His eyes rolled back, and he fell backward onto the ground, instantly losing consciousness!

Joker fared slightly better than Wild Boar. Under the sonic attack, his body swayed unsteadily. He could not help raising both hands to clutch his head tightly, convulsing all over as he lost control of himself.

The next moment, a sinister black shadow descended from the sky. Black claws seized Joker's shoulders like lightning, and with a flap of wings, it soared into the air and flew out of the Zuo Family Old Residence in an instant.

A moment later, the black shadow descended again and carried off the unconscious Wild Boar as well.

The yard returned to silence.

In the study on the villa's third floor, Zuo Yi secured the grappling hooks he had just finished making onto the dragonhide collar and dragon tendon leash.

The grappling hook attached to the leash was an easily unlocked slip knot, while the Falling Star Core Iron made it incomparably sturdy.

At the very least, Taike had no ability to break free.

Zuo Yi was quite satisfied with his new creation. He beckoned to Taike, the glutton lying on the floor.

Although it knew nothing good would come of this, Taike obediently answered the Great Demon King's summons.

It crept over timidly and cautiously, wagging its tail at Zuo Yi in an attempt to please him.

However, Zuo Yi was completely unmoved. He reached out, grabbed the scruff of its neck, lifted it up, put the collar back around its neck, and tossed it onto the floor again.

With another restraint added, Taike drooped its head in dejection. It did not even wag its tail anymore.

Zuo Yi tugged on the leash and found it felt quite good.

He did not deliberately make things difficult for Taike. Tossing over the dragon toe bone handle connected to the leash, he said, "Go on."

The dragonhide-collared leash was worth far more than the Dragonblood Wood Sword, and it was worthy of an Abyssal Cerberus's status.

So stop being ungrateful and wear it properly!

Taike hurriedly opened its mouth, bit down on the handle, dragged the leash behind it, and fled at once.

Its sorrow surged like a river flowing backward in its heart—Mommy, the Great Demon King is too terrifying!

After sending Taike away, Zuo Yi stood up.

He spread his arms to stretch his muscles, then clasped his hands together and cracked his fists.

His finger joints popped loudly.

Now it was time to deal with those two clowns!

Because of the Gargoyle, Zuo Yi knew everything that had happened outside. Everything was under control.

Walking over to the windowsill, Zuo Yi opened the sealed window, and a wave of hot air immediately rushed into his face.

He took a deep breath and silently leaped out the window.

While he was in midair, a pair of nearly translucent platinum wings silently unfurled behind Zuo Yi.

The tips of the wings trembled lightly, scattering specks of sacred radiance.

These were the Wings of Light manifested from Faith Power.

Whoosh!

With a sweep of his wings, Zuo Yi shot high into the sky and vanished in an instant.

But he did not fly far. In the blink of an eye, he landed on the riverbank embankment not far from the Zuo Family Old Residence.

The Gargoyle was crouched there, with the two intruders lying at its feet.

Interesting!

Zuo Yi withdrew the Wings of Light and looked at Wild Boar and Joker in their masks, letting out a disdainful snort.

Neither of these two was a supernatural being, yet they had dared to come to his home with ill intentions.

If he had not wanted to question them for the truth, the Gargoyle could have easily torn them apart without Zuo Yi lifting a finger!

Zuo Yi waved his hand.

The Gargoyle nodded and gave a low cry, then spread its wings and flew back to the Zuo Family Old Residence.

Wild Boar and Joker had yet to awaken.

Zuo Yi was in no hurry. He pulled a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.

After lighting the cigarette, Zuo Yi stood atop the embankment and gazed at the bustling nighttime cityscape across the river.

He felt deeply moved.

Life was so beautiful. Living was so beautiful. Wasn't it good to be alive?

Why did some people insist on seeking death when they had no reason to?

Here's the first update. As usual, please send your votes!