The corners of Liu Junnan’s mouth quirked into an expression that looked like a smile, yet wasn’t.
“Do you know what that feels like? Qin Zhong’an, do you have any idea?”
Qin Zhong’an’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he didn’t answer.
Liu Junnan let go of his collar and took a step back, stumbling as he leaned against the wall. He tilted his head back, staring up at the light on the ceiling.
“From the time I was a child, I’ve always been the most special one in the organization.”
His voice suddenly became very soft, as if he were talking to himself.
“My sensing ability is unique! Those so-called geniuses and elites are nothing in front of me!”
“Standing right here, I can know what people five hundred meters away are thinking. I can see what they’re doing through walls.”
“Do you know what that means?”
He didn’t wait for Qin Zhong’an to answer.
“It means—no secret can be hidden from me, and no prey can escape me! No one can hide anything in my presence.”
He lowered his head and looked at his hands.
Those hands were currently trembling.
“But this person has been slapping my face since the very first day I arrived in Jiangcheng!”
“The first time, they ran out of my perception range within a single minute!”
“And this time at Jade Manor, I used the Source-Tracing Spiritual Jade. I paid such a heavy price, and the result?”
He snapped his head up. The calm in his eyes had shattered completely, replaced by a nearly crazed, burning intensity.
“The result is that I don’t even know if they’re male or female!”
He slammed a fist against the wall with a muffled thud, causing bits of plaster to flake off and fall.
“When has I, Liu Junnan, ever been played like this?! When?!”
His chest heaved violently as he gasped for air, looking like a beast trapped in a cage.
Then, he suddenly fell silent.
It was a terrifying silence.
“If you report this, the organization will send someone else...” His voice returned to a state of calm, as flat as stagnant water, but the undercurrent beneath it was more chilling than his previous roar.
He turned to face Qin Zhong’an. His face was expressionless, but the look in his eyes made the hair on Qin Zhong’an’s neck stand on end.
“They will find that person, catch them, and bring them back to the organization.”
“Then everyone will say—look, Liu Junnan struggled in Jiangcheng for so long and couldn't even find a shadow of the target, yet the organization sends someone and it’s handled in a few days.”
The corners of his mouth slowly curled up into a smile that looked more painful than crying.
“Then what am I?”
He pointed at his own chest, his finger poking the skin just below his collarbone, leaving a red mark.
“The organization’s unique Sensory-type Ability User? The genius raised by the Liu family? Or a piece of trash who can’t even track his prey?”
His voice cracked on the final word.
“Qin Zhong’an,” he said his name, his voice suddenly becoming as light as a string on the verge of snapping, “you know I can’t let that happen!”
Qin Zhong’an’s throat tightened.
Of course he knew.
He knew all too well.
Liu Junnan was capable in many ways, but he simply could not accept defeat.
He had never lost while growing up.
It wasn't that he had never met someone stronger than him; it was that his pride wouldn't allow him to admit anyone was superior.
For those who were stronger, he would always find a way to prove it was just “good luck,” a “shortcut,” or “favoritism from the organization.”
But now, this person in Jiangcheng wasn't about luck or shortcuts or any excuse he could find.
That person was simply stronger than him.
Their perception was stronger, their speed was too fast to track, their abilities completely crushed his, and they didn't even give him the chance for a direct confrontation.
To Liu Junnan, this kind of frustration was more painful than death.
“Young Master Liu,” Qin Zhong’an took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady.
“I understand how you feel, but this matter is not something we can—”
“Can what?” Liu Junnan interrupted. “Can decide? Can hide? Can handle on our own?”
He laughed, a light sound that sent a chill down Qin Zhong’an’s spine.
“I don’t intend to hide it. I just need a little time.”
He took a step forward. Qin Zhong’an instinctively stepped back until his back hit the door.
“Give me one month.” Liu Junnan’s voice was low and soft, carrying a fragile hint of what almost sounded like a plea.
“Within a month, I will definitely find them, catch them with my own hands, and bring them before the organization.”
His eyes stared straight at Qin Zhong’an. Too many things were churning within those bloodshot sockets.
Resentment, anger, pride, and a trace of fear that even he didn't want to admit.
Fear that he truly was inferior to that person.
Fear that everything he took pride in was worthless in the face of a true powerhouse.
“If I haven't done it after a month, you can report it however you like. I won't stop you!”
His fingers gripped Qin Zhong’an’s wrist with enough force to nearly crush the bone.
“But you cannot report it now. You cannot let someone else come and clean up my mess before I’ve even lost!”
Qin Zhong’an looked into his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
Then he spoke, his voice deep and steady, carrying an unquestionable resolve.
“Young Master Liu, you’re right! You’re not willing to give up, you want to prove yourself, you want time... I understand all of that.”
He paused before continuing word by word, “But the mission rank of that project is the highest in the entire organization!”
He emphasized the word “highest.”
“Headquarters has issued a death order. Any news related to the project, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, must be reported immediately!”
“There are no exceptions...”
He looked up, meeting Liu Junnan’s gaze.
“No exceptions, Young Master Liu! No one is an exception.”
Liu Junnan’s fingers tightened.
Qin Zhong’an’s wrist bones creaked, but he didn't struggle or back away.
“You know,” his voice trembled slightly from the pain, but every word was clear, “I didn't make this rule. Headquarters did, and so did—”
“Enough.”
Liu Junnan’s voice suddenly became very calm.
It was the calm of the sea before a storm.
Qin Zhong’an saw the thin layer of forced rationality in his eyes shattering piece by piece.
“Young Master Liu, please calm down—”
“I said, enough.”
Liu Junnan released his wrist.
Qin Zhong’an had just breathed a sigh of relief—
The next second, an icy palm pressed against his forehead.
A bone-chilling cold surged from that palm, like countless ice needles piercing his brow, penetrating his skull, and striking deep into his brain.
Qin Zhong’an’s pupils dilated instantly.
His mouth opened as if to say something, but only a garbled breath escaped his throat.
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