Tang Yuyan’s eyes were closed, and her breathing weak. She had not been violated but the cold temperature had sent her into unconsciousness. She had lost consciousness before the illusion hit everyone. She did not react at all when Xia Lei went to her.

Xia Lei removed the snow combat clothing from the body of one of the black soldiers and put it on Tang Yuyan. He then wrapped her up in the snow camouflage and held her in his arms. Tang Yuyan was like a baby in his arms, sleeping soundly.

It was a good thing that she was unconscious, or she would need to have a lot of therapy for all the grotesque scenes she’d have witnessed.

Xia Lei went to the spot where Zhu Xuanyue had “melted” with Tang Yuyan in his arms. It was also the place where the blonde girl had climbed to, from the ledge on the peak.

There was a ridge about two metres high under the ledge, and a blonde girl lay flat on the snowy ground of the ridge. Her butt was in the air, and her head was in the snow. She was still holding that “Made in China” magic staff in her hand. The staff looked like it wouldn’t have cost more than twenty Chinese yuan.

Xia Lei looked around and quickly spotted a parachute hanging off a cliff. There were traces of some messy tracks under the cliff which led to where he was. Those were not footprints, however, but tracks of someone who had crawled on hands and knees. She seemed to have struggled a great deal to get here.

Xia Lei suddenly realised something. He hurriedly jumped down from the ledge, and drew close to the blonde girl’s ear. “Hello? Hello? Zhu… Xuanyue? Maritina?”

The blonde girl lay on the snowy ground, unmoving.

Xia Lei reached out and grabbed her arm to turn her over, but he discovered that her arm was broken when he grabbed it. He touched her knees and calves next, and was stunned. The bones of her arms, knees and calves were all broken.

“You…” Xia Lei did not dare believe that this was real.

The blonde girl’s eyelids moved for a bit, and her lips moved, but no voice came out. She was very weak, and in a condition ten times worse than Tang Yuyan.

Xia Lei stretched out a hand abruptly to her ribs. His heart sank. Her ribs were broken in several places too, and had pierced her insides.

The blonde girl finally opened her eyes. Her lips trembled and she spat out some words with great effort. “Hell… o… The One…”

The One.

Only one person in this world had referred to him this way. Princess Yongmei, Zhu Xuanyue.

“Y, You’re really… Zhu Xuanyue?” Xia Lei’s voice shook.

The blonde girl nodded, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“You…” There were thousands of things Xia Lei wanted to say, but only “you” came out.

“Sorry. Koff koff…” Zhu Xuanyue spat out clots of blood. “It’s my first time parachuting… I didn’t get the landing right and I h, hit the cliff. I c, crawled over to help you.”

Xia Lei felt like his mouth was filled with cotton, and he felt even more at a loss for words.

He had been anticipating their reunion, and imagined that it would be in a rather spectacular fashion, like her appearing in flowing white robes with a princess crown on her head and riding on a white horse.

But right now?

She had put on a parachute, come down from the sky with a “Made in China” magic staff, and ended up in her current condition.

If a film critic were to comment on this, then this encounter would be a ridiculous fairytale, followed by black humour, western fantasy, and a trope-filled Korean drama tragedy scene.

“If… If this body had not been damaged, I would have… koff koff… done it myself and not needed to ma, manipulate their brain waves… I, I am dying… koff koff…” Zhu Xuanyue spat out more blood.

“Huh?” Xia Lei was gobsmacked.

They’d just met, and she was dying?!

Even a trope-filled Korean drama wouldn’t have this sort of scene in it.

“The b, body is already… A, Anyway, I didn’t like this girl’s body… She, she was an Italian girl called Maritina. After you s, summoned me, I needed a body urgently. She'd just died, and I couldn’t find one that’s more suitable, so… Koff koff… Agh!” Zhu Xuanyue sputtered blood in Xia Lei’s face.

Xia Lei didn’t even think of wiping his face. He said anxiously, “What can I do to help you?”

“You don’t have to do anything. I, I will come look for you again. You… guh…” Zhu Xuanyue stopped breathing.

“Hello? Hey!” Xia Lei shook Zhu Xuanyue, but she was not responsive anymore.

She’d died, just like that.

But Xia Lei had no sadness in his heart at all, just a feeling of how absurd and weird this was. This was because he knew what sort of existence she was. To her, this was no true death. Bodies were like clothes to her!

Xia Lei stayed by Zhu Xuanyue’s corpse for a bit, then searched her clothing.

She had a jumble of things in her pockets — chocolate, magic poker cards, and cards only girls would play with. The cards all had something to do with magic, and there were cards with a witch on it.

Xia Lei frowned and a strange thought entered his head. ‘Zhu Xuanyue went into the body of this blonde girl, so the soul and memories of the original wouldn’t be left behind, right? Interests and hobbies wouldn’t be carried over, would they? But why is she carrying these things on her? Does it mean that some of the original’s memories, interests and hobbies would remain after she enters a body? And these will be expressed?’

These questions could only be answered by Zhu Xuanyue the next time she returned.

Xia Lei took Tang Yuyan up in his arms. He looked back at the body of the blonde girl, and left.

Snowflakes floated down from the sky, and the cold wind whistled.

Xia Lei stopped in his tracks when he came to Gu Kewen’s body. He looked at her silently. She looked peaceful, and there was even a faint smile on her lips. Her skin had not lost its colour yet, and it looked soft, and warm. She looked beautiful.

“Don’t do any more evil in your next life.” Xia Lei sighed softly, and strode away.

Snowflakes fell. A snowflake landed on the corner of Gu Kewen’s mouth and slowly melted away…

When Xia Lei got to the ledge, he saw some flickering lights. It was the light from tactical torchlights. However, the people who came were not the enemy, but soldiers of China.

‘That guy must have run away. The Hattori family... I’ll settle the score with you,’ thought Xia Lei.

Hattori Tsukijin had disappeared long ago.

The troops met up with Xia Lei before he got midway down.

Tang Yuyan was carried down on a stretcher by two soldiers and medics who’d rushed over and began administering treatment. Xia Lei refused treatment. He took his satellite phone back from Tang Yuyan and walked off so a quiet corner to make a call.

He was calling Amanda.

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring…

After almost a minute, someone picked up but did not speak.

Xia Lei bit his lip. “Who are you?”

A woman’s voice came over the line after three seconds. She spoke in Chinese, but her pronunciation was stilted. “It’s you. You’re actually not…”

The voice was not an unfamiliar one to Xia Lei. It was Dark Mona’s voice.

Hearing Dark Mona’s voice over Amanda’s satellite phone confirmed what Gu Kewen had told him. Dark Mona and the FA were in charge of getting rid of Amanda, Bagu and the others, all four. Dark Mona was way more capable than his members of the Zodiac Team, and with the way she worked, she was not going to take action alone. She was sure to have a big group of FA agents. There was the bypass and the ambush too — his team was already in dire straits.

Xia Lei was not very willing to accept this truth but the truth was the truth and he had to face it.

“Dark Mona.” Xia Lei spoke only after some silence. “What happened to my men?”

“I killed two. Captured two.” Dark Mona’s voice was emotionless. “You surprise me. I thought we would meet in India.”

“We will meet, you don’t have to worry about that.” Xia Lei held back the grief and anger in his heart. “Name a price. I want my men back.”

“You want to settle this with money?”

“Money can solve a lot of things.”

“I don’t want money. I want you. Your life for two of theirs,” said Dark Mona.

“You can get a sum of money if you make this deal with me. If you kill them, I swear, I will do everything I can to seek revenge on you. I will destroy you, and the FA,” said Xia Lei.

“Are you threatening me?”

“You can take it that way.”

“Hahaha…” Dark Mona laughed. “You are the first to have dared to threaten a member of the FA since the FA was established. Me too. You’re the first to threaten me since I started working in this industry.”

“That’s because you’ve never met an opponent like me.”

“What conceit.”

“Speak. Money, or revenge?”

Dark Mona was silent for a bit. “Fifty million US dollars.”

“Deal.” Xia Lei did not even haggle, and agreed right away.

Dark Mona was unsettled by his quick agreement. “You’re willing to spend fifty million on ransom money for two of your underlings?”

“I’m not like you.” Xia Lei spoke coldly, “Tell me the time and location of the deal.”

“Wait for my call.”

“I’d like to know who you have.”

“Amanda. Park Taeyong.”

“I’d like to hear them speak.”

Amanda’s voice soon came over the line, sounding angry and anxious. “Don’t worry about us! She won’t keep her word!”

“Shut up!” Dark Mona cursed, and the sound of a fist hitting flesh came from over the line.

“Hello? If you dare hit her again…”

“Duu duu duu…”

Dark Mona had cut the line.

Xia Lei sent a stone flying with a kick. His foot stung, but he did not seem to feel it.

Bagu and Marcus were dead. The Zodiac Team had lost its Sheep and Ox, never to return.

Amanda and Park Taeyong were still alive, in Dark Mona’s hands. There was hope.

Every member of the Zodiac Team had been hand-picked by his father, and groomed for their roles. They were like sons and daughters to his father, and like siblings to Xia Lei; they were family. The deaths of two of the Zodiac Team, and the capture of two more cut at Xia Lei like the FA and Dark Mona had stabbed at him with knives!

Xia Lei looked up at the night sky. The sky was dark.

“I avoided you guys in the past because I was weak. I’m coming for you now!” The ice in his voice cut like a knife.