The living room was bathed in silence, save for the rhythmic ticking of the antique clock on the wall. Yanyu stood with her arms folded, her face pale, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Li Tian sat casually on the couch, still wearing his blood-stained shirt, the edge of a blade just barely peeking from beneath his jacket. The air between them was thick — not with fear, but something more dangerous.
Unspoken truths.
"How long?" she finally asked, voice flat.
He glanced at her. "Since the beginning."
"You were never a waste."
"No," he said simply.
Her breath hitched. "So the pathetic man I married—the loser everyone mocked—was just a mask?"
Li Tian didn't flinch. "It was a shield. I wore it to protect something."
"What? Your pride?"
"No," he said, eyes narrowing. "You."
Yanyu blinked. Her mouth opened, then closed. She stepped closer, fuming.
"You let them insult you. Let me insult you."
"I didn't need your approval then."
"Then why now?" she asked, louder.
Li Tian stood slowly. "Because now... the war has started. And I need you to survive it."
Her throat tightened. "Is this about the Jinlong Group?"
Li Tian's gaze darkened. "It's deeper than that. Wu Gang was just the first thread. The rest is buried beneath years of rot."
"You think you're the only one with secrets?" she said bitterly. "You think I don't know what my father is hiding?"
"Do you?" he asked coldly.
Yanyu took a shaky breath. She hated how calm he looked. How unbothered.
"I want the truth, Li Tian. No riddles. No half-lies. Just tell me—who the hell are you?"
He turned away, walking to the window where the curtains still fluttered from last night's chaos.
"The world knows me as the trash husband," he said quietly. "But in the shadows… I was Phantom Zero."
Yanyu's heart skipped.
"That's not possible. Phantom Zero died in the Northern raid three years ago."
A cruel smile twisted his lips. "That's what I wanted the world to believe."
She stepped back, stunned.
"I faked my death to escape the chains," he continued. "I was a tool. A living weapon for the Southern Alliance's Ghost Unit. When I disappeared, they replaced me. But they never stopped watching."
Yanyu's pulse thundered in her ears. "So last night… those weren't just hired killers."
"No. They were ghosts like me," he said. "Sent to erase a liability."
She swallowed. "And you're telling me this now?"
Li Tian stepped closer. "Because you need to choose. Either you walk away now… or you stand beside me."
Silence.
Then, from deep within her, something shifted. The fear was still there—but layered now with something fiercer. Determination.
"I don't trust you," she whispered.
"Good," he said. "Trust gets people killed."
"But I'll follow you—for now."
Li Tian didn't smile. But for the first time, his shoulders relaxed.
Later That Night – System Interface[Affection +15] [Trust Level: 35/100] [Bond Level: 2 – Suspicion Weakening]
Ding! You've unlocked Relationship Skill: "Shared Shadows" ‣ When partnered with Yanyu in missions, critical damage +5%, stealth synergy bonus active.
New System Quest: "Unmask the Southern Alliance's True Mastermind." Objective: Investigate ties between Jinlong Group and Phantom Unit's command base. Reward: +1000 EXP, Skill Upgrade Token, Hidden Passive Unlock.
Three Days Later – Wu Residence, Underground ChamberWu Gang's body was barely cold in the grave when his estate was seized by investigators—at least, that's what the news said.
But Li Tian wasn't interested in the public face of justice.
He wanted blood.
He moved silently through the underground chamber below Wu Gang's personal wine cellar. The space reeked of gun oil, sealed documents, and rot.
Fox's voice buzzed in his earpiece. "You've got five minutes. Guard patrols change soon."
"Copy."
He reached a biometric-locked vault.
Ding! Passive Skill: Phantom Touch – Lv.1 Effect: Mimic the last user's fingerprint for 30 seconds.
He placed his hand on the scanner. The light turned green.
Inside were rows of hard drives, photos, and... black envelopes.
He scanned quickly. The labels chilled him.
"Yanyu – Monitoring Log"
"Li Tian – Surveillance Terminated"
"Directive 0A – Phoenix Protocol"
Ding! Secret File Found: [Phoenix Protocol – Red Tier] Downloading…
Fox's voice returned, strained. "You're not going to believe this. The Alliance… they knew about Yanyu's bloodline."
Li Tian froze. "Explain."
"She's part of the Phoenix project. That's why Wu Gang wanted her married off—to a nobody. They thought her blood would never activate unless under trauma."
Li Tian's fingers curled around the edge of the table.
"That night," he whispered, "when she almost died... it wasn't just about me."
Back at the Apartment – Rooftop BalconyYanyu stood alone, the wind tugging at her silk robe. She watched the lights of the city flicker like fireflies.
She didn't hear him approach. But when she turned, he was there.
"You found something," she said.
He nodded.
"It's me, isn't it?"
He looked at her then—truly looked. "You were never meant to live. The moment your mother died, they marked you."
Yanyu's eyes burned. "So marrying you was just... insurance."
"At first," he said. "But now... it's war."
Silence stretched.
She stepped closer. "You still don't feel anything, do you? No anger. No sadness."
"I buried those emotions with my comrades."
Yanyu shook her head. "Then maybe you need someone to dig them up."
Before he could speak, she rose on her toes and kissed him.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't romantic.
It was pain. Fire. Fury.
When she pulled back, she didn't say a word. Just walked inside.
Li Tian stood still, his heart racing—not from desire. From fear.
Not of enemies.
But of feeling again.
System Update[Affection +20] [Trust Level: 55/100] [Bond Level: 3 – Fragile Alliance] New Passive Unlocked: Emotional Trigger – Lv.1 ‣ When emotions flare, increase reaction speed and combat instinct by +10%.
Hidden Stat Revealed: Emotion Core: Awakening… 5%