A Viper's "Longing"

A delicate wine glass was gently placed on the gleaming ebony wooden table, making a soft "tap." The room was dimly lit, with soothing classical music playing, and the air was filled with a somewhat contradictory scent—a mixture of fine cigars and a faint hint of disinfectant.

Xie Yunchuan slowly put down his phone, which already displayed "Call Ended." His face was reflected on the screen—his usual gentle, even somewhat scholarly smile remained on his lips, as if what had just ended was merely a pleasant academic discussion, rather than a confrontation involving life and death, full of threats and insults.

However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that the smile seemed frozen on his face, and the lines of his muscles appeared somewhat stiff.

Even more noticeable was his right hand, which was gripping the phone. His fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles, but now they were white from excessive force, and the veins on the back of his hand were slightly bulging, as if he wanted to crush the metal and glass body of the phone.

The phone screen made a slight "creaking" sound under the weight of his palm, its hard edges digging deep into the flesh of his hand.

This posture, a coexistence of extreme control and loss of control, exposed the surging, almost bursting rage within him, as well as some more twisted and intense emotions. K's last two words, seemingly casual yet extremely insulting, were like two red-hot steel needles, piercing deep into the extremely arrogant and morbid soul beneath his elegant exterior.

The silence lasted for about five seconds.

Suddenly, Xie Yunchuan's shoulders began to twitch slightly, and a suppressed, strange gurgling sound came from his throat. The sound grew louder and louder, eventually evolving into a hysterical, almost manic fit of laughter.

Hahahaha--!!!

He laughed so hard he was doubled over, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. He slammed his hand on the smooth tabletop, making a dull thud. The laughter echoed in the well-soundproofed room, sharp and piercing, creating an eerie contrast with the melodious classical music in the background. There was little joy in the laughter; rather, it was the extreme excitement and rage that followed being thoroughly provoked, and a morbid possessiveness as if he had discovered a "priceless treasure."

He laughed for a while before gradually stopping, elegantly wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his fingertips, as if he hadn't been the one who had lost his composure. But his eyes were even deeper than before, gleaming with a cold and excited light unique to predators locking onto their prey.

He turned his head slightly and looked at one of his subordinates who stood with his hands at his sides in the shadowy corner of the room. The subordinate was muscular and had an ordinary face, but under Xie Yunchuan's gaze, he involuntarily shrank back and lowered his head even further.

Xie Yunchuan didn't speak, but simply beckoned to the man with his finger.

His subordinates hurriedly ran forward, bending over extremely low, almost at a ninety-degree angle, with cold sweat already beading on their foreheads.

Xie Yunchuan extended the hand that had been gripping the phone, his fingers still slightly white. Instead of scolding or hitting him, he gently placed it on the thick neck of the man beneath him with an almost tender gesture. The coldness of his fingers sent a shiver down the man's spine.

Then, Xie Yunchuan slowly leaned forward, bringing his lips close to his subordinate's ear. His voice was extremely low, like a lover's whisper, yet it carried a venomous hiss and an undeniable madness:

"Hurry up..."

With each word he spoke, he would lightly tap his finger on the neck of his subordinate—a light tap, yet enough to send chills down one's spine.

"Hurry up..."

"Hurry up..."

"Bring him back to me..." His breath brushed against his subordinate's ear. "Do you know... how much I miss him? Hmm? I've never missed anyone like this before."

His tone was filled with an almost obsessive longing, as if K were not an enemy, but a rare treasure or a perfect "work of art" that he had dreamed of and must possess immediately.

The subordinate felt a chill run down his spine, his throat went dry, and he could barely swallow. He could only nod stiffly, his voice trembling, "Yes... yes! Boss, don't worry! The men we sent... should... should already be outside his residence! Soon, very soon they'll have succeeded, and bring... bring him back to you, Boss!"

"Where do you live?" Xie Yunchuan released his grip on his subordinate's neck, but then shoved him forward with a sudden jerk!

Caught off guard, the subordinate staggered back several steps, nearly falling, before quickly regaining his balance, his face deathly pale.

Xie Yunchuan sat up straight, picked up the wine glass on the table, and gently swirled the dark red liquid inside. His gaze seemed to pierce through the glass, as if he could already see a distant scene. His voice returned to its previous calm, even carrying a hint of joyful anticipation:

"Let them... go live. I want to see it first thing. To see the... interesting expression on our dear Mr. K's face when he discovers he's being visited by a 'guest.'" He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if savoring fine wine, or perhaps imagining the scene. "I think it will be very interesting. Terror? Astonishment? Or feigned composure? Ah... just thinking about it makes me look forward to it."

The subordinate felt as if he had been granted a pardon and understood his boss's intentions—not only to arrest the person, but also to enjoy the "fun" of the arrest process and thoroughly humiliate them. He dared not be negligent in the slightest, and quickly took out a specially made satellite phone from his pocket, walked to the control panel on the other side of the room, and quickly dialed a number.

After exchanging a few whispered words, the subordinate began typing rapidly on the computer at the control panel, connecting the projection equipment. Soon, a clear video image was projected onto the pristine white wall on one side of the room.

The image shook a few times before stabilizing. The background appeared to be a dimly lit stairwell outside an apartment building; the lighting was poor, but the environment looked old. A foreign man wearing a baseball cap and a mask, revealing only his sharp blue eyes, appeared in front of the camera. He lowered his voice and spoke in accented English:

"Boss, I'm in position outside his residence. The tracking signal is stable, indicating he hasn't left." The foreign man's voice was calm, but his speech was slightly rapid. "However, Boss, I need to remind you that this is China, and very close to their capital. Once the operation begins, causing too much of a commotion, or delaying for too long, we may face enormous risks, and evacuation will be extremely difficult. Requesting confirmation of final instructions and the rendezvous plan."

The camera pans slightly, briefly gliding over the house number and the closed security door, then quickly moves away to avoid revealing too much detail.

Xie Yunchuan leaned back in his expensive ergonomic chair, leisurely swirling the red wine in his glass, his gaze fixed on the projected image with interest, as if enjoying a good show about to begin. Hearing his subordinates' concerns, he smiled slightly, his voice clearly transmitted through the Mike on the control panel, full of confidence in complete control:

"Relax, my brave buddy. I've got everything arranged. Escape route, backup vehicles, backup identities... even the necessary 'smoke bombs' are ready. You just need to complete your mission—invite our guests back to visit in the most 'gentle' way possible."

He paused, tilted his head back, and downed the remaining red wine in his glass in one gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing. When he put down the glass, his eyes became incredibly fervent and expectant as he stared at the ordinary security door on the screen, as if he could see through it the figure behind it that haunted his dreams.

"Now," Xie Yunchuan's voice trembled with barely suppressed excitement as he softly gave the order.

"Let your performance begin."

"I... can't wait."