(I'm a new writer, so please bear with me if anything doesn't make sense. I'll do my best to fix it all.)
(Brain storage)
(Don't worry, no zombies will sneak in and eat them.)
--Main text--
In a low-key but tasteful office, a tall, lean man lounged on a sofa, holding a cup of coffee and slowly blowing on it with his head lowered.
What stood out were the wings on his back. The enormous dragon wings extended from his shoulder blades and hung quietly at his sides, bearing an indescribable majesty.
Lu Yingheng wore a military cap and a specially designed military overcoat. Two holes seemed to have been deliberately left in the back to allow his dragon wings to extend.
Although his military cap obscured his face, his tall, sturdy build perfectly matched the young marshal of countless girls' dreams.
Lu Yingheng took a sip of coffee, paying no attention to the middle-aged man who entered through the door.
The middle-aged man merely glanced at him, then walked over and sat down behind the desk. "What brings you here?"
Lu Yingheng continued blowing on his coffee. "I came to mooch some coffee. Can't I?"
The middle-aged man seemed unconvinced and glared at him. "Don't you have coffee in your own office? You're a grown man. Why are you still drinking that stuff?"
Lu Yingheng didn't even look at him. "Do you think everyone's like you? Other people still see me as a teenager."
The middle-aged man slapped the desk. "Now that you mention it, I'm getting angry! Tell me, how is that fair? I wasn't that old when I met you, was I? How come I've become an old man, but you still look like that?"
Lu Yingheng finally deigned to raise his head, his azure eyes settling on the middle-aged man's face. "You don't need to envy me. I don't have long to live anyway."
The middle-aged man's pupils contracted sharply, and the document he had just picked up fell from his hand.
"What kind of joke is that? Aren't you members of the Immortal Dragon Clan undying and indestructible?"
The middle-aged man roared, seemingly unable to stand the young man before him making such a joke.
Lu Yingheng pursed his lips, raised his right hand to his face, and removed both his colored contact lenses:
"Even being undying and indestructible has its limits, Mr. Mayor. Your loyal Void Hunter will probably have to retire."
Lu Yingheng finally revealed his true eyes, a pair of brilliant golden pupils filled with majesty.
Whenever those eyes were uncovered, they seemed to burn the air fiercely, so majestic were they.
But at that moment, they looked slightly dim, entirely unlike the proud eyes the mayor remembered.
The mayor finally grew serious. "What was it? It's been a long time since an Ethereal of that level appeared, hasn't it? Is heaven determined to destroy New Eridu?"
Lu Yingheng drained his coffee in one gulp. "Don't worry. I've already taken it down with me. Don't let anyone enter that Hollow for now."
"Then what about you?" The mayor's voice was full of anger. "Do you know what news of the death of one of the few first-generation Void Hunters means?"
"I do," Lu Yingheng said unhurriedly.
"It'll only cause public concern. Besides, you can always send someone to take my place. Isn't that young lady from the Hoshimi family a good choice?"
The mayor gave him an ambiguous smile. "She's one of yours, isn't she? First she owed you an enormous favor, and then you gave her your [Jealousy]. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Lu Yingheng: (￢_￢)
"What am I thinking? Of course I'm giving the people I leave behind some protection. It's not like I've fallen for the young lady, is it?"
The mayor seemed not to have expected him to be so blunt, making no attempt to hide his intentions, and froze for a moment.
"You old immortal, you're still so shameless."
Lu Yingheng touched his own face vainly. "Hey, hey, I'm still a handsome young man in my teens. Watch what you say."
The mayor had completely run out of patience. "So what exactly happened? Why do you say you're dying?"
Lu Yingheng finally sighed and unbuttoned his military overcoat. Surprisingly, he wore nothing underneath; he had simply thrown the coat over himself.
Lu Yingheng's slender yet powerful upper body was fully exposed. If not for the horrifying hole in the left side of his chest, his figure would have been the stuff of countless girls' dreams.
The hole was the size of a bowl, with nothing but air inside. The heart that should have been there was gone, and even his ribs had vanished completely. The military overcoat behind him was visible through it.
Even though the mayor had seen countless wounded people, he had never seen anything like this...
It was a wound that hardly seemed to belong in this world. The hole was as if Lu Yingheng had been turned into a painting and his heart erased, leaving nothing but a blank space.
The mayor fell silent, but Lu Yingheng grinned. "So you know why I came to see you, right? I'm here to make my final arrangements."
The mayor looked at him, an unreadable emotion in his eyes:
"Protect Vivian, right? Actually, with the Dragon Emperor Guard there, no force would dare make a move against her."
Lu Yingheng nodded. "In terms of strength, that's true. But if someone wants to make a move politically, I'll still need your help."
"All right, but I have one condition..."
Lu Yingheng cut him off. "The moment you lift your ass, I know what kind of fart you're going to let out.
"You can call on half of them at most. I've already given strict orders: no matter what happens, half the Dragon Emperor Guard will stay by Vivian's side."
Lu Yingheng buttoned his military overcoat again and stood up. "Before I go, I'll help you clear out the rot while I'm at it. As for news of my death, announce it tomorrow."
The mayor looked at the door, which was almost closed, and said softly, "How long do you plan to stay 'dead,' then? I might not be able to hold on for long..."
The door closed completely, and a faint voice came through:
"Until they show their hand."
The mayor was finally reassured, and he recalled the day they first met.
It was a dark and windy night. He still couldn't forget that day: a black-haired youth had taken down all his guards single-handedly and stood before him.
His very first words were, "I want to see your elder, the current mayor. I have something to discuss with him."
The instant he saw the youth's brilliant golden eyes, he was already afraid. They were clearly the same age, yet all he could do was lower his head in fear.
"Wh-what did you come to see me for?"
The youth stared straight at him. "The elder in your family is too busy, and you're the next heir. If I kidnap you, he'll naturally get anxious."
At the time, he had foolishly asked what the youth wanted.
He still remembered the words:
"I need a position from which I can judge all injustice, a position from which I can save everything. I want your elder to personally grant me the title of [Void Hunter]."
How sacred the youth's brilliant golden eyes had been in the darkness, as though they truly could pierce the eternal dark and bring people the dawn, just like the sun in the sky.