Volume Two: The Many Faces of Youth, Truth and Falsehood Intertwined Chapter 105: Concealing Wood Within the Forest, Fishing in Troubled Waters

Decapitation strike—this is a military term. Generally, it refers to a missile attack aimed at the enemy’s leadership and command centers, with the goal of wiping out their top brass through precise strikes, thereby shattering the opponent’s will to resist.

The saying “capture the ringleader first” vividly reflects this strategy. The key elements of a decapitation strike are speed, precision, and inside help.

In the era of supernatural abilities, the most crucial asset for such an operation is a ruthless and accurate assassin. Now, to eliminate Dai Hua’an of the Blue Faction, the Red Faction has deployed the duo Night Rain Cold Crow and Ice Dance Princess—that is, Huo Ye and Shangguan Yudie.

If it were just about assassinating Dai Hua’an alone, with no guards around him, Shangguan Yudie would be more than sufficient. But Dai Hua’an’s ability to foresee enemy moves is truly exceptional, so cooperation is essential.

Though the battle has yet to begin, a silent contest of wits is already underway. Who will outmaneuver whom?

Huo Ye and Shangguan Yudie sat together atop the Red Faction’s tower. Without a ceiling overhead, sunlight gently warmed them, lending a lazy, leisurely feeling.

Huo Ye pointed toward the Blue Faction’s tower, barely larger than a thumb from their vantage point, and asked Shangguan Yudie, “Where do you think their commander is hiding?”

After a moment of thought, Shangguan Yudie pointed to the tower’s flagpole bearing the Blue Faction’s banner. “Not on the top floor. Otherwise, after the assassination, they’d just climb over the wall and seize the flag immediately.”

Her words were simple but clear to Huo Ye. “Elimination by exclusion—not a bad method, but with too many possibilities, it’s difficult to act. If it were me, I’d hide like wood in the forest. If you have the skill, come find me.”

As he spoke, Huo Ye pointed in a certain direction. Shangguan Yudie seemed to understand, taking a pair of binoculars from their storage box and peering toward the opposing side.

They saw that over a hundred people had donned identical masks, all carved with animal motifs—foxes or something similar. Combined with Huo Ye’s insight, it was clear the enemy sought to conceal their commander’s whereabouts by masking everyone. It was indeed a clever tactic; when the obvious leader becomes a target, this approach undoubtedly complicates identifying Dai Hua’an.

But this time… it seemed they had only shot themselves in the foot. After all, Huo Ye himself was masked. While they hid like wood in the forest, they allowed someone like him to blend in like a fish in muddy waters, concealed by the same kind of mask. Such a figure could infiltrate their ranks unnoticed, and they might never know how they died.

Unfortunately, before the battle officially commenced, neither side could cross the no-man’s land dividing their territories. Otherwise, Huo Ye would have already begun his covert infiltration—a true mission impossible.

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On the Blue Faction’s side, Dai Hua’an was conducting his command with meticulous orderliness: “The Tiger-Leopard team will charge at the front, but do not recklessly rush forward. Your role is to draw enemy fire, not to absorb damage. The Fox team will provide support, while the Lynx team must seize the opportunity to attack the enemy’s ranged attackers first—especially the defenseless sorcerers. If they succeed in chanting large-area attack spells, we will be in serious trouble.”

“Furthermore… over eighty percent of their actions will be attempts to assassinate me and then capture the flag. So our grand strategy must revolve around this. Most of the enemy’s energy will be spent creating opportunities for their assassins. Since we cannot predict their tactics, rather than reacting to each move, we should respond with immovable steadiness. Assign a strong guard to protect me, and send the rest to open the front line. I want to entrust the protection to you, President.”

Dai Hua’an turned to Feng Wuming, who had just been brought over. Feng Wuming swept his dust whisk and casually said, “I’m fine. But are you?”

“President, what do you mean?” Dai Hua’an asked, puzzled.

Feng Wuming counted on his fingers, “This morning, I casually cast a divination for you. The result was hexagram 64, Wei Ji—‘Before Completion.’ It means smooth sailing at first, then sudden adversity. You face a trial today.”

Dai Hua’an was momentarily stunned, then laughed, “President, put away those mystical things. What era do you think this is? The Book of Changes is just a kind of statistical science, nothing to be taken seriously.”

Feng Wuming snapped back angrily, “Do you understand the respect owed to the wisdom left by our ancestors? Do you think this is mere fortune-telling? There is profound truth hidden within!”

Seeing Feng Wuming so riled up, Dai Hua’an said, “Alright, alright, I was wrong. But compared to these intangible things, I trust what I hold in my hands. Before the dust settles, there is always a turning point. If there is no turning point, that means nothing is over yet.” With that, he removed his fox mask, revealing bright, clear eyes shining with confidence.

Feng Wuming saw this and didn’t argue further—he knew Dai Hua’an wouldn’t believe him anyway. He hadn’t finished the hexagram’s meaning: “Water and fire not yet unified, initial six line. Softness without rectitude. At the time of incompletion, rushing for success without cautious balance leads to overestimating oneself and bringing disgrace.”

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Lin Zhengfeng harbored a grudge against Eddy for over twenty years—resenting Eddy’s status, his merits, his reputation; everything that gave him cause for envy. Yet there was one thing he admitted he had never matched Eddy at: raising a son.

That son was a child Eddy had rescued from ruin, who had grown into a warrior of remarkable merit, upright character, and formidable strength—undeniably among the most outstanding of the younger generation.

There was only one detail Lin Zhengfeng got wrong: if Huo Ye ever beat him until his face was bloody, he would never think Huo Ye was upright.

In short, when it came to raising sons, he had utterly failed. His own boy thought that having a father like him gave him the right to act recklessly, strutting about with his nose in the air, arrogantly treating Eddy’s son as a rival—who did he think he was? Thankfully, despite being somewhat foolish and scatterbrained, the boy hadn’t done anything illegal or immoral. Otherwise, Lin Zhengfeng wouldn’t hesitate to act righteously and disown him.

“Father, please let me participate in the inter-colonial university competition! I will definitely win the championship!” Lin Qijie, weighted down with dozens of kilograms of additional load, stood in a horse stance and pleaded.

“Win the championship? Are you dreaming? Do you really think you can beat your so-called ‘archrival’? You once told me he wiped out an ultimate-level disaster over level 120 with just five people. Neither his strength nor his team compares to yours. A person should know their limits, understand?”

Lin Zhengfeng spoke as he tapped Lin Qijie’s body with a wooden stick, inflicting slight pain to remind him to hold his posture properly.

Lin Jiayin, also in weighted horse stance, practiced alongside. This was their daily basic training. “Dad, I think my brother is overestimating himself. But with our strength, even if we can’t beat Bankloff, second place should be within reach.”

They say daughters are a father’s cozy little quilt. Lin Zhengfeng was a bit kinder toward his daughter, though not overly so. “And you still have the nerve to say that? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re really up to. You just want to use the competition as an excuse to go to Bankloff’s place and look for that kid named Huo! What bad luck has fallen on me, having two such useless children—one dumb, one lovesick!”

“Dad, my taste in opponents is sharp, how am I dumb?”

“Dad, what’s wrong with liking my brother? He’s so outstanding!”

The siblings spoke in unison, rare harmony fitting for twins.

Lin Zhengfeng clutched his stomach and went to find some medicine. Two unlucky rascals.