Chapter 32: A Moment Between Life and Death

Suddenly, Lin Fan’s expression changed as he caught a glimmer of light reflected from a lens.

“A sniper.”

Those three words flashed in Lin Fan’s mind; it was a special light only reflected by a sniper scope. Sure enough, the next moment, Lin Fan sensed the sound and trajectory of a bullet slicing through the air. He hadn’t expected the enemy to have a sniper lurking nearby. At that moment, Lin Fan happened to be standing in line with Zhao Ying. With his skills, he could easily dodge, but Zhao Ying would be in danger.

“Watch out,” Lin Fan shouted without hesitation, diving forward and pinning Zhao Ying to the ground. The bullet whizzed just over Lin Fan’s head as they fell, striking the pavement a short distance away. Simultaneously, a figure rushed toward the spot from which the shot had been fired.

“I nearly met my end there,” Lin Fan thought to himself, recalling the scene with a touch of emotion. Ever since he became the leader of Dragon Soul, he rarely faced such brushes with death. He hadn’t expected the Purgatory Angels to go so far as to deploy a sniper against him. This only strengthened Lin Fan’s resolve to drag them out from behind the scenes.

It was summer, and their clothing was scant. Now, Lin Fan and Zhao Ying found themselves in a suggestive position—Lin Fan pressed atop Zhao Ying, their faces inches apart. He could feel the softness of her ample chest against him, her smooth skin beneath his hands. The corners of Lin Fan’s mouth curled into a mischievous smile, showing no intention of moving away.

The masculine aura emanating from Lin Fan flooded Zhao Ying’s senses, causing a blush to bloom across her cheeks. She felt the firm presence between them pressed against her lower abdomen, and her face flushed so deeply it seemed the color would spill from her skin. Unable to help herself, she buried her face in Lin Fan’s chest. In that moment, Zhao Ying realized that having Lin Fan by her side brought her an overwhelming sense of safety, and she wished time would freeze right then, for Lin Fan belonged only to her.

Zhao Ying revealed her softer, more vulnerable side, and Lin Fan noticed it all. It seemed that every woman—whether a police officer, a nurse, or anything else—displayed her desire to be protected before the man she loved.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you home,” Lin Fan said, sensing the moment had passed and standing up.

“Come have a drink with me,” Zhao Ying replied, rising and tidying her clothes, her gaze once more complex as she looked at Lin Fan.

“All right,” Lin Fan agreed without a moment’s hesitation. He knew Zhao Ying must have many questions for him; it would be difficult for her to accept the truth about him so suddenly. After all, Zhao Ying was a police officer—an embodiment of justice in Lin Fan’s eyes, renowned in the precinct for her impartiality and iron will. In her worldview, there was no gray, only black and white, right and wrong. Lin Fan, however, walked the blurred line between those extremes, measuring the world by his own standards.

Under the dim streetlights, Lin Fan walked ahead and Zhao Ying followed, the two moving slowly along the roadside. Their shadows stretched long behind them, neither speaking. Lin Fan didn’t know what to say, while Zhao Ying’s heart was tangled with conflicting emotions.

“Did you kill Hong Tianxiong?” Zhao Ying finally asked after some time, her eyes fixed on Lin Fan’s back.

“Yes. He deserved it,” Lin Fan replied crisply, stopping but not turning to face her. He saw no reason to hide the truth from Zhao Ying anymore; in fact, even if he didn’t say it, Zhao Ying, after tonight’s events, would surely deduce that Lin Fan’s appearance near Hong Tianxiong’s villa was no accident.

Unbeknownst to Lin Fan, the police had assigned Zhao Ying full responsibility for Hong Tianxiong’s case, and she had long suspected Lin Fan. Hearing him admit it, Zhao Ying suddenly found his reasoning compelling. Her investigation had revealed Hong Tianxiong as the leader of a second-tier gang in T City, notorious for withholding his subordinates’ wages. His operations were rife with contraband, drug trafficking, and even connections to the death of Su Zhennan, the owner of the Su Group. Such a man was a menace to society; his death was no loss. Unconsciously, Zhao Ying found herself agreeing with Lin Fan: Hong Tianxiong deserved to die.

“And those men just now?” Zhao Ying pressed, still watching Lin Fan’s back. She could see that those people had truly been out for Lin Fan’s life. Under the dim streetlights, she realized how enigmatic this man before her was—always impossible to read, yet his presence brought her a sense of security and happiness. When he called her his girlfriend, she even felt a sweetness and joy.

“You know if I don’t kill them, they’ll kill me,” Lin Fan replied, turning to look at Zhao Ying, his tone unwavering.

Lin Fan was no ordinary man—never had been, and now even less so. Once, he was the king of soldiers in the Falcon Special Forces, undertaking missions that risked only his own life. Now, as the leader of Dragon Soul mercenaries, his every word and action represented the organization. Enemies arose before him one after another, but he could not retreat. Behind him stood brothers who had followed him through life and death, and for their sake, he could neither die nor dare to die. This society was one of the strong preying upon the weak; only strength mattered. Kill or be killed. Dragon Soul had climbed to its current heights over countless corpses, and Lin Fan’s journey could not pause. With his family’s vengeance yet unfulfilled, he dared not relax for a moment. He must lead Dragon Soul step by step to the summit of the world—anyone who blocked his path would fall, deity or mortal alike.

“Yes,” Zhao Ying instinctively agreed with Lin Fan again. In legal terms, this could be called self-defense, she reasoned silently. She had always believed in a society ruled by law—killers must pay with their lives, debts must be repaid. Yet Lin Fan’s actions kept challenging her boundaries. The first time Lin Fan beat up Wei Liang, she would have stopped him, but she told herself that someone like Wei Liang deserved a lesson. The second time Lin Fan fought Wei Liang and was brought to the station by Yan Dong, Zhao Ying felt it was her fault Lin Fan got involved, so she defended him fiercely at the precinct. Now, learning Lin Fan killed Hong Tianxiong, she found herself agreeing with his actions. And now, once more, she stood beside Lin Fan on the same battlefield.

“Let’s go. Didn’t you want a drink? I’ll keep you company,” Lin Fan said, seeing Zhao Ying remain silent.

“Mm.” Zhao Ying nodded gently.

……