{"id":10179,"date":"2019-12-23T16:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T21:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/?p=10179"},"modified":"2025-09-08T18:27:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T22:27:18","slug":"death-progress-bar-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/death-progress-bar-66\/","title":{"rendered":"Death Progress Bar 66"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Enraged General
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The three of them returned to the car. While Gua Three dealt with the tranquilizer dart in Shi Jin\u2019s hand, Gua Two looked at Shi Jin and Shi Jin looked at Gua Two. The air solidified for a moment.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cEarlier, didn\u2019t you start to swear at me?\u201d Shi Jin attempted to change the subject.<\/span><\/p>

Gua Two glared at him, his hand clenching the phone tightening and loosening a few times. Finally, he choked out, \u201cYour acting is terrible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin wanted to ask, <\/span>If it is, then how come you still got fooled?<\/span><\/em> However, Gua Two\u2019s dirty expression made him swallow his words, and instead he squeezed out an apologetic smile. \u201cYes, it is\u2026 But I thought the attacker was stupid enough that he\u2019d get fooled.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Gua Two growled through gritted teeth, \u201cOh, you\u2019re so smart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin replied with modesty, \u201cIt\u2019s all thanks to you, you taught me well.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Gua Two: \u201c……\u201d <\/span>All of a sudden my hands are itching to beat him up.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>

Gua Three put the dart into an airtight box. When he turned back, he seemed to hear something and frowned, looking around with vigilance. In the end, his gaze fixed on the phone in Gua Two\u2019s hand. \u201cGua Two, there\u2019s a voice coming from your phone. Who are<\/span> you talking to?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Gua Two blinked, only then remembering that he\u2019d been reporting to Lian Jun as the whole chaos had happened. His expression changed, and after a moment of being frozen in shock, he stuffed the phone into Shi Jin\u2019s hand, saying, \u201cIt was your idea, you explain it.\u201d After that, he scrambled through the gap between the two front seats, got into the driver\u2019s seat, and started the car.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cExplain what? Hey, why did you give me your phone? I\u2026\u201d Confused, Shi Jin wanted to hand the phone back to its owner when he caught sight of the screen and the name of the person calling. He paused mid-word. Then, his hand faster than his brain, he hung up.<\/span><\/p>

Xiao Si: <You\u2026><\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin: \u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>

One person and one system were stupefied. A moment later, Shi Jin returned to his senses, bounced out of his seat, and frantically rummaged through the car. \u201cThe tablet, quick, give me the tablet!\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Silent, Gua Three took out the tablet and handed it to him. Before they drove away, he lowered the window and called the man with the rifle. He said they were going to take Shi Jin to the hospital, asked the man to take care of the situation there, and told him to tie up all the surviving members of Nine Eagles and send them to Lian Jun.<\/span><\/p>

The man didn\u2019t know Shi Jin was just putting on a play, and was both anxious and angry. He acknowledged the order without delay and motioned for everyone to get out of the way of the van. Watching the car leave, he glanced down at the member of Nine Eagles who had attacked Shi Jin, and kicked him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The attacker didn\u2019t bother to avoid it. His eyes were glued to the disappearing van, his expression full of an eerie fanaticism, like an addict who just took a hit of their drug.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The van raced toward the capital of L country, where their temporary base was.<\/span><\/p>

In the car, Shi Jin rubbed his face and used the tablet to make a video call to Lian Jun.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Gua Two\u2019s constantly ringing phone fell silent and the video call connected, Lian Jun\u2019s figure appearing on the screen. As usual, he was sitting behind the desk, but the documents in front of him were in a mess. He clutched the phone, his face anxious and his eyebrows furrowed in a tight frown. Pale and with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, he was hurling questions at them before he\u2019d even seen the video feed. {What happened to Shi Jin? What\u2019s wrong with him?! I heard him cry out in pain, he\u2014}<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin waved to Lian Jun and said, forcing a smile, \u201cI\u2019m fine, I was just pretending.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun: {\u2026\u2026}<\/span><\/p>

His expression eased a little, but he pursed his lips and looked to the side without speaking. Shi Jin\u2019s chest twinged with guilt. He let out a cough and rushed to explain, \u201cIt\u2019s like this: I suspected that Nine Eagles\u2019 attack was aimed at me, so I took the opportunity to perform a little play\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>

He explained the process as lightly as he could, then looked at Lian Jun\u2019s expressionless face, and put on a sweet, harmless smile.<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Lian Jun appeared indifferent. His lips were tight, his eyes dark, and his face still bloodless. He gave Shi Jin a deep look for a while, and without warning, said, {Move the camera down, make it face your body.}<\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s over\u2014is he so angry that he doesn\u2019t even want to see my face?<\/span><\/em><\/p>

Mouth going dry all of a sudden, Shi Jin gulped and lowered the tablet, explaining nervously, \u201cPlease don\u2019t be mad, I didn\u2019t mean to scare you. Drink some water, you look really pale\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>

{Undress,} Lian Jun\u2019s cold voice interrupted him.<\/span><\/p>

At that, both Gua Two and Gua Three, who were driving and working respectively, looked at Shi Jin as one, then looked away as if nothing had happened.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The atmosphere turned strange in an instant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin\u2019s hand holding the tablet was a little stiff. He glanced at the two other men, turned sideways, and moved the tablet up to look at Lian Jun\u2019s face. Lowering his voice, he said, \u201cThat\u2019s, uh, not a good idea, Gua Two and Gua Three are both here. I\u2019ll be back soon, just wait a little\u2026\u201d He leaned sideways to get closer to the camera so it could better capture his rosy complexion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun scrutinized him; seeing that Shi Jin truly didn\u2019t look as though he had been hurt, his tense body finally relaxed a little. Getting his expression back under control, he said, {I\u2019m hanging up. Let Gua Three answer the phone.} After that, he really hung up and the next second, Gua Three\u2019s phone rang.<\/span><\/p>

Gua Three dropped the work he was doing and answered the call.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin eyed the \u2018Call ended\u2019 image displayed on the tablet, then Gua Three, who was talking to Lian Jun, and a sour feeling overtook him. He raised a hand to pull at his collar, muttering in his heart, \u201cActually, if he insisted, then maybe not pants, but I\u2019d agree to take off the top\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Xiao Si: <\u2026\u2026><\/span><\/p>

Some people were alive, but their moral integrity was dead, dead and buried.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Shi Jin had already performed the first act, so to let the play continue, Lian Jun set the stage with a big wave of his hand.<\/span><\/p>

Moving as fast as he could, he first contracted a private hospital, ordered his subordinates to empty it out and replace the staff with their own, and sent people to surround the hospital and protect it. That taken care of, he hurried to bring over doctors, looking for all the world like a frantic boyfriend desperate to save his beloved.<\/span><\/p>

He also called Uncle Long and asked him to charter a flight to the hospital on the double. Basically, he made a show out of it on purpose, so that anyone interested would be able to find out what happened if they asked around a little.<\/span><\/p>

Finally, he asked L-country officials to help him open the road, to ensure that the van carrying Shi Jin could go straight to the hospital without stopping for red lights.<\/span><\/p>

Just like that, in less than two hours, the stage was ready.<\/span><\/p>

Fei Yujing, disturbed by the noise and commotion in the villa, came out of his room. When he got to the living room, he bumped into Lian Jun, whose wheelchair Gua Nine was just pushing out. Noticing the expression on Lian Jun\u2019s face, he frowned and asked, \u201cDid something happen?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cShi Jin was hurt,\u201d Lian Jun replied briefly, gesturing for Gua Nine to not stop and head straight for the front door.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

For a second, Fei Yujing\u2019s expression changed. He recalled that he hadn\u2019t seen Shi Jin since yesterday morning. He stood still for a moment, then caught up with Lian Jun, following him out.<\/span><\/p>

The van raced back to L country\u2019s capital and headed straight to the private hospital.<\/span><\/p>

Now, Shi Jin\u2019s clothes were covered with \u201cblood\u201d and his hair was messy. He was reclining on the lowered back seat, worrying whether Lian Jun was still angry as he absentmindedly played mahjong.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cSometimes, I really want to open your head and see if there\u2019s something non-human in there,\u201d Gua Two said, eyes narrowed as he glanced at him in the rearview mirror.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Both Shi Jin and Xiao Si were shocked, afraid they had been found out. Shi Jin kept playing, his movements stiff for a few seconds, then said as if there was nothing amiss, \u201cYou\u2019re wrong\u2014there is indeed something inside my head, but it\u2019s a human, and he\u2019s called Lian Jun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

That cheesy line choked Gua Two half to death. Suddenly, he spun the steering wheel. \u201cWe\u2019re at the hospital\u2014act like an injured person, will you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin discarded the tablet at once and let his body go loose, limbs and head lolling, his eyes closed.<\/span><\/p>

The van stopped at the entrance of the emergency department. The doctor who had been waiting at the door saw it coming and pushed a mobile stretcher closer. As soon as the car door opened, several doctors rushed forward, quickly and neatly moved Shi Jin to the stretcher, and pushed him inside the hospital.<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun had been waiting right next to the doctors. Seeing Shi Jin being carried out of the van, \u201clife and death unknown,\u201d he felt a moment of panic despite knowing it was all fake. He spun his wheelchair around and hurried after the doctors.<\/span><\/p>

Fei Yujing didn\u2019t know the truth. When he saw Shi Jin\u2019s bloody body, his brow furrowed. However, he didn\u2019t follow the stretcher but asked Gua Three, who was getting out of the car, \u201cWhat happened to Shi Jin?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cHe…\u201d Gua Three was just about to say that Shi Jin was okay but noticed they were still outside the hospital and caught himself in time. Instead, he said, \u201cLet\u2019s go inside,\u201d and strode towards the hospital.<\/span><\/p>

Fei Yujing naturally thought Shi Jin\u2019s situation was so bad it was hard to explain in a few words, and for a moment, his mood turned complicated. He glanced at the entrance the stretcher had disappeared through and caught up with Gua Three.<\/span><\/p>

Since they began the play, they should perform until the curtain call. The \u201ccomatose\u201d Shi Jin was pushed all the way to the operating room. A few minutes later, a doctor in a white coat and mask stepped out of it.<\/span><\/p>

In an instant, Lian Jun had grabbed his hand and pulled him into the nearest ward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Whatever complicated feelings swirled in Fei Yujing\u2019s chest, they froze the moment Shi Jin walked out, looking perfectly fine. His face slowly returned to its usual expressionless indifference, and he turned his head to look at Gua Three.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s just like you saw\u2014to outsiders, Shi Jin is heavily injured, but in reality he\u2019s well enough to play mahjong without a care,\u201d Gua Three explained, also expressionless.<\/span><\/p>

\u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Fei Yujing took a look at the ward Shi Jin and Lian Jun had disappeared into. Face as black as the bottom of a pot, he spat out, \u201cBoring!\u201d and stomped away.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In the ward, Lian Jun pulled Shi Jin into the bathroom, stood up from his wheelchair and, face blank, stripped Shi Jin naked.<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin covered the little JinJin and said with false shyness, \u201cThis, you shouldn\u2019t do this, everyone is still outside\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun reached out and squeezed his lips shut, then turned him around to see his back. It was only after confirming that Shi Jin was uninjured bar a few bruises that his heart returned to its proper place. He hugged the younger man and, legs going weak, fell backward toward the wheelchair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Finding that something was wrong, Shi Jin hurried to help stabilize him and sit him in the wheelchair. Anxious and not daring to play around anymore, he crouched in front of Lian Jun and rubbed his legs. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, does something hurt?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun shook his head. He leaned over, picked up the shirt on the floor and covered Shi Jin, then touched the teenager\u2019s face. Eyebrows still drawing deep lines on his forehead and voice a little hoarse, he said, \u201cShi Jin, don\u2019t scare me like that ever again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin\u2019s heart melted. He hugged him and caressed his still pale face. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, it was wrong of me to act on impulse. Please don\u2019t be angry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m not angry.\u201d Lian Jun held him fast in his arms, feeling the warmth from his body and the rise and fall of his chest, and at last, his mood settled down. He whispered, \u201cI was just afraid that you were lying when you said you were all right, because you didn\u2019t want to worry me\u2026 You can\u2019t do this again, you can\u2019t risk yourself like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin then realized why Lian Jun had asked him to direct the tablet camera to his body and wanted him to take off his clothes\u2014he was worried that Shi Jin was deceiving him, and wanted to confirm with his own eyes that he wasn\u2019t hurt. Heart aching more and more, and regretting his thoughtless actions with the fire of a thousand suns, he kept whispering apologies.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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After staying in the operating room for a day, \u201cShi Jin\u201d was transferred to the intensive care unit.<\/span><\/p>

In the ward, Lian Jun adjusted his mood and listened to Shi Jin\u2019s detailed report, then called for a meeting.<\/span><\/p>

The connection between Hydra and Gunfire was an accidental discovery, worth following up. Lian Jun put Gua Three in charge of a more thorough reinvestigation of Hydra, looking to see if they could ferret out more organizations that Gunfire was controlling behind the scenes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

It was almost certain that Gunfire had no idea that Nine Eagles attacked Shi Jin, and with Shi Jin fooling Nine Eagles into believing they\u2019d managed to poison him, Zuo Yang was likely to get carried away and let down his guard. There were many openings for them to take advantage of but Lian Jun decided not to make a move, and wait for Zuo Yang to come over and deliver his head to them himself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As for Long Shi\u2014Lian Jun asked Gua Two to interrogate him again, mainly to find out if the man knew that Hydra was actually connected to Gunfire, and the exact details of what happened after he was captured by Zuo Yang.<\/span><\/p>

The meeting took no time at all, and everyone left to carry out their respective orders.<\/span><\/p>

Noticing Lian Jun was still absorbed in thought, Shi Jin asked with concern, \u201cIs something wrong?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun returned to himself. \u201cI just have some doubts about this cooperation between Gunfire and Nine Eagles. Why would Gunfire agree to it? What is their agenda?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cAgenda?\u201d Shi Jin repeated, surprised. He sat next to him and poured him a glass of water. \u201cWhat\u2019s making you so doubtful?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun received the glass and the hand along with it. Kneading Shi Jin\u2019s palm, he analyzed, \u201cNine Eagles has developed rapidly in recent years. It\u2019s not only arrogant on their home ground but also quite high-profile abroad. Gunfire is an organization local to the Southeast. It\u2019s very strange that when faced with an aggressive foreign competitor, they not only didn\u2019t suppress it but even chose to cooperate with it. Now, you\u2019ve discovered that Hydra, the small organization Long Shi was hiding in, is connected to Gunfire. It makes me suspect that Gunfire leaking Long Shi\u2019s whereabouts was deliberate, in order to make Nine Eagles focus their attention on China and strike at me. And do you remember? Gunfire tried to get one of it\u2019s subordinate organizations established in China with Nine Eagles\u2019 help.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

During the last conference of underworld organizations, Nine Eagles had recommended that Rattlesnake, Gunfire\u2019s subordinate organization, be listed as legal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin frowned. \u201cSo you mean, Gunfire wanted to stir things up between Annihilation and Nine Eagles, then take advantage of the chaos to let their forces infiltrate China?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s just a possibility\u2014after all, the conditions in China are a bit special and foreign forces always had trouble getting in. It would be easy to understand Gunfire being this careful.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

If Shi Jin thought about it that way, he could admit that Lian Jun\u2019s speculation was reasonable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Just think about Nine Eagles\u2019 current situation. In China, it provoked Annihilation by using Long Shi to try to blackmail Lian Jun; it also offended the authorities, and therefore restricted its avenues for domestic development. Abroad, it antagonized Phantom, and its business network was now on the brink of collapse.<\/span><\/p>

Moreover, Nine Eagles actually had the opportunity to cut its losses by returning Old Ghost\u2019s subordinates to him. However, they were in Gunfire\u2019s hands and Gunfire refused to let them go, so Nine Eagles lost that chance and had no choice but to continue the war with Phantom, exhausting itself.<\/span><\/p>

Taking things further\u2014perhaps the initial conflict between Phantom and Nine Eagles also had been one of Gunfire\u2019s schemes? After all, Phantom had quite a solid foundation in the southeastern region, enough to be an influential force there. As such, it was a threat to Gunfire as well.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIf all of this really was set up by Gunfire, with the goal of drawing the Chinese organizations into internal struggles, then what should we do? Are we still fighting with Nine Eagles?\u201d Shi Jin asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun held his hand tighter, and the expression in his eyes cooled. Voice sinking, he replied, \u201cWe are. Stupidity isn\u2019t enough of a reason to be forgiven. They did too many wrong things and joined the wrong side\u2014it\u2019s only right they should pay the price for their choices.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Uncle Long flew in early the next day. As soon as he arrived, he went into the laboratory and began to study the drug in the tranquilizer dart.<\/span><\/p>

With plenty of the experimental data from Hydra\u2019s secret lab, it didn\u2019t take him long to determine what kind of substance it was, and find Lian Jun to report the results. \u201cIt is indeed a neurotoxin. The exact composition is unknown, but it can cause either mild or severe symptoms. Mild cases present with headaches, nausea, vomiting, and so on; more severe cases include damage to the brain, dyspnea, and multiple organ failure, leading to death. If detoxification can\u2019t be carried out in full and some poison remains in the body, it will continue to spread and exacerbate the symptoms. Even if the patient presents with mild symptoms initially, if not treated in time, the poison will consume their strength bit by bit, leading to their death.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As Uncle Long spoke, Lian Jun\u2019s face sank more and more. Shi Jin grabbed his hand to appease him.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIn addition, I found that the other drug you sent me is exactly the same as this one. Based on the information you sent later, I can confirm that these drugs were made by Long Shi.\u201d With this, Uncle Long finished his explanation. Although his tone was still a little unnatural when he mentioned Long Shi, his mood didn\u2019t fluctuate too much.<\/span><\/p>

The other drug? Didn\u2019t they get it from the boy? So that kid had actually been arranged by Nine Eagles?<\/span><\/p>

Frowning, Gua Two disclosed the results of yesterday\u2019s interrogation of Long Shi: \u201cJun-shao, Long Shi said that after he was captured by Nine Eagles, Zuo Yang seized several poisons he had hidden on his body. Zuo Yang knew their effects, but there\u2019s no antidote. I\u2019m also certain that Long Shi didn\u2019t know about the relationship between Hydra and Gunfire\u2014the reason he stayed with Hydra was because he thought they had the backing of an official of L country.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

All the clues they pointed to Gunfire playing Nine Eagles like a fiddle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun pondered for a moment, then asked Uncle Long, \u201cAccording to the doseage in the dart, how long can a person last without receiving the correct treatment?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWith the best medicine to ease the symptoms and sustain the body? Up to two months.\u201d Uncle Long gave a conservative estimation.<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun\u2019s finger tapped on the wheelchair\u2019s armrest. He turned to Gua Two. \u201cHow\u2019s the situation on Gua One\u2019s side?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThey\u2019ve finished cleaning up two of Gunfire\u2019s smaller subordinate organizations and are now getting ready to deal with a medium-sized one,\u201d Gua Two replied. \u201cBoth our country and L country\u2019s authorities are providing covert assistance.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun\u2019s face looked a little better. \u201cGo give them a hand. Tell Old Ghost to increase the pressure on Nine Eagles\u2014if he doesn\u2019t have enough resources, I will make up for what he lacks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

That was unexpected; Lian Jun was going to continue cracking down on Nine Eagles?<\/span><\/p>

Surprised, Gua Two shot a quick glance at Shi Jin and asked, \u201cBut aren\u2019t we putting on a play, Jun-shao? I thought\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWe are, but that doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ll compromise,\u201d Lian Jun interrupted him. He returned Shi Jin\u2019s grip on his hand, tightening his fingers so much they turned white. \u201cThere\u2019s no such word as \u2018compromise\u2019 in my dictionary.\u201d Targeting the wrong person meant paying the price.<\/span><\/p>

Shi Jin\u2019s hand was in a lot of pain, but his heart fluttered. He almost wanted to swoon, and poked Xiao Si: \u201cSo, Lian Jun is going to play the role of the enraged general rushing home to avenge his beloved?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Xiao Si: <\u2026\u2026><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Zuo Yang realized that something was wrong with the situation on the afternoon of the same day. He sent a message demanding to speak to Lian Jun in person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun agreed. He took the video call in the ward.<\/span><\/p>

{What are you doing?} Zuo Yang asked without preamble, voice tinged with desperation and pent-up rage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun gave him an icy look. \u201cWhat am I<\/span> doing? You touched my people, outright provoking me, and now you\u2019re asking what am I doing? Zuo Yang, I have tolerated you for many years\u2014did it perhaps make you think you\u2019re untouchable?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This wasn\u2019t in the script!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

{Are you out of your mind?} Zuo Yang snarled. {I\u2019ve got you little lover\u2019s life in the palm of my hand, but you keep fighting with me. Don\u2019t you want him to live?}<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun\u2019s face was expressionless, but his words sent a shiver crawling down Zuo Yang\u2019s back: \u201cIf he dies, I will bury the whole of Nine Eagles along with him. I don\u2019t have long to live anyway\u2014let\u2019s see which one of us will bite the dust first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

{You\u2019re insane!} Zuo Yang slammed his fist on the table. He forced himself to calm down and speak his conditions: {If you stop Old Ghost and no longer encourage the authorities to target me, I\u2019ll hand the antidote over to you.}<\/span><\/p>

Lian Jun sneered. \u201cDo you think everyone is as stupid as you? It\u2019s obvious that the poison you shot Shi Jin with was created by Long Shi. He grew up in Annihilation, which means I know his habits better than you\u2014if he tended to make antidotes, my legs would have been better a long time ago. Zuo Yang, forget an antidote, you don\u2019t even know the formula of that drug, do you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

With the truth thrown in his face like that, Zuo Yang\u2019s expression changed, but he regained control after a moment. {Lian Jun, do you think Long Shi is the only person in the world with the knowledge to make poisons? Aren\u2019t you too sure of yourself?}<\/span><\/p>

\u201cAm I? The doctor said that Shi Jin has at most two months to live. Zuo Yang, I\u2019m very curious to see if your Nine Eagles will manage to last two months. I\u2019d also like to inform you that Hydra, where Long Shi had been hiding, is actually one of Gunfire\u2019s subordinate organizations, and that \u2018Bliss Pill\u2019 Gunfire sells was developed by Long Shi. You\u2019re really stupid\u2014you\u2019ve let the enemy use you like a tool!\u201d\u00a0 At that, Lian Jun hung up without waiting to see Zuo Yang\u2019s reaction.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Translator’s Notes:<\/h2>

1.\u201cThe Enraged General\u201d<\/i><\/b> – this chapter\u2019s title demands an explanation – actually, it\u2019s \u51b2\u51a0\u4e00\u6012, lit. \u2018in great fury with hair standing on end.\u2019 This phrase comes from a poem <\/span>Song of Yuanyuan<\/span><\/i> by Wu Weiye (here\u2019s <\/span>Wiki page<\/b><\/a> with an excerpt, <\/span>here<\/b><\/a> you have a complete poem, by a different translator). More complete and poetic version:<\/span><\/p>

One wave of headgear-lifting anger propelled him, all for the sake of the fair-faced one<\/span><\/i><\/p>

or<\/span><\/p>

The General was so angry that his hair uplifted his hat<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>Simply for a beautiful concubine<\/span><\/i><\/p>

Shi Jin paraphrases it in the latter part of the chapter.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Translator: Eques<\/em>
Editor: Con
Proofreader: Kiri<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Eques:<\/strong><\/h4>

I said I wouldn’t mention it again but somebody contacted me, so for the last time, this is my position:<\/p>