Chapter 459: Beauty, Murderous Intent!
Ye Liyou looked out the airplane window at the changing clouds high in the sky, her beautiful eyes lowered as she pondered.
The world outside was a serene canvas of white and blue, a peaceful expanse that felt a universe away from the life she led. For years, her world had been one of shadows, contracts, and the cold finality of death. Though she never targeted the innocent, only the villains whose bounties screamed of their wickedness, her hands were still stained. As a gold-tier assassin known as Blood Shadow Rose, her 100% success rate had earned her a reputation for lethality—and a fortune that now amounted to hundreds of millions.
A small, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips. 'This money… it's enough. It's more than enough for me and Senior to live the rest of our lives in peace, away from all this.'
The thought sparked a rush of images in her mind. A quiet villa by the sea, the salty air carrying the scent of blooming flowers instead of blood. Waking up not to the cold steel of a dagger under her pillow, but to the warmth of his arm around her. She could almost feel it, the simple, domestic bliss she'd only ever read about in novels.
'If… if we could have children… a pair of dragon-and-phoenix twins, perhaps? He would teach them his strength, and I… I would teach them how to see the world's beauty.' Her mind painted a picture so vivid it made her heart ache—a little boy with his father's confident smile and a little girl with her own determined eyes, both running through a sun-drenched garden.
A sudden wave of heat flooded her cheeks. 'Ugh, stop it, Ye Liyou. Shameless. You're getting ahead of yourself.'
She shook her head, trying to dispel the daydream, and gently patted her face. The blush that blossomed on her usually cold, elegant features was a stark contrast to her icy reputation. It was a touch of vulnerability, a hint of warmth that was so unexpected it was utterly captivating. The change was so striking that it didn't just turn the heads of the men nearby; even the women found their gazes lingering on her.
An auntie sitting in the adjacent seat, a kind-faced woman with a penchant for matchmaking, couldn't contain her curiosity. She leaned over, her voice a conspiratorial whisper.
"Little girl, you're just so beautiful! Tell me, do you have a boyfriend? Because if you don't, I know a few wonderful young men I could introduce you to. They're all handsome, come from good families, and are Modu natives. We're talking at least several properties to their name, very stable!"
Ye Liyou's focus snapped back to the present. The warmth of her daydream evaporated, replaced by her usual cool composure. She turned to the woman, her voice clear and carrying a slight chill, a defense mechanism honed over years.
"I already have a man I like," she stated simply, leaving no room for negotiation. "This trip back to Modu is to find him. And if possible, to be with him."
The auntie's face fell with genuine disappointment. Around them, several men who had been surreptitiously listening in let out quiet, collective sighs. They could only imagine the man who had managed to capture the heart of such a stunning woman, a man they now collectively envied with a burning passion.
But the auntie wasn't one to give up so easily. "Oh, but little girl, are you sure? The young men I know are truly exceptional catches. We're talking assets in the tens of millions, at least. A secure future!"
A flicker of annoyance crossed Ye Liyou's face. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and the temperature of her voice dropped another few degrees. "I told you, I already have a man I like. I am returning to Modu for him." She paused, her next words cutting through the cabin's quiet hum with absolute certainty. "Furthermore, I don't care if my future man has money or not. He can use mine."
The statement landed like a thunderclap. The surrounding men went from envious to utterly, soul-crushingly jealous. What kind of scoundrel had saved the entire Milky Way in a past life to deserve a woman like this? Beautiful, independent, and willing to support her man? It was the stuff of legends.
It was in this atmosphere of simmering jealousy and quiet admiration that a new, jarring presence made itself known. From a shadowy corner of the first-class cabin, a figure in a gray hood rose slowly, deliberately. A low, mocking chuckle echoed from beneath the fabric.
"I never thought that Blood Shadow Rose, the famously cold gold-tier assassin of the dark world, would actually have a man she fancies."
The voice was rough, grating, and filled with a sinister amusement that instantly put everyone on edge.
"Heh heh, what a pity," the man continued, his voice rising in volume. "A terrible, terrible pity. You won't get the chance to see the man you like. In fact, you're going to die right here, on this plane. And every single person on board will be buried with you! Ha ha ha ha!"
His maniacal laughter ripped through the cabin's tranquility. As if on cue, several grim-faced men stormed in from economy class, their movements disciplined and menacing. They formed a phalanx behind the hooded man, their eyes cold and empty.
One of them leaned in and reported in a low, respectful tone, "Boss, everything is arranged."
"Good!"
The man in the gray hood snapped his fingers. With a dramatic flourish, he pulled back his hood, revealing a pale, scarred face twisted into a sinister grin. His eyes, small and cruel, locked onto Ye Liyou.
"Blood Shadow Rose. Do you recognize me?"
The moment she saw his face, the air around Ye Liyou turned to ice. Her beautiful eyes, which had just been softened by daydreams, sharpened into lethal points. Her expression froze over, becoming a mask of pure, absolute frost.
"Ash," she breathed, her voice a low growl. "It's you."
She knew him. Ash, the depraved leader of the Ash Organization. A B+ rank expert, a monster at the peak of the Grandmaster realm. His organization was a spreading blight on the underbelly of the world, dealing in human trafficking and leaving a trail of blood and misery wherever they went. His bounty on the Dark Night Home forum was a staggering ninety million US dollars. After uncovering the true extent of his atrocities, Ye Liyou had been consumed by a cold fury and had personally taken the contract. She had systematically dismantled his empire, but Ash himself, along with a handful of his most trusted dogs, had vanished through a secret escape route.
And now, he was here. On the same plane. This was no coincidence. This was an ambush.
"Ash, this is a commercial flight. What do you think you're doing?" Ye Liyou questioned, her voice dangerously calm. A storm of killing intent began to swirl in the depths of her eyes. Ash was weaker than her, yet he stood there with such brazen confidence. A cold knot of dread tightened in her stomach. Feigning a step forward as she spoke, she coiled her muscles, ready to neutralize him in a heartbeat.
"Heh heh, what am I doing?" Ash mocked, his pale face a canvas of manic glee. "Blood Shadow Rose, you destroyed me! You destroyed everything I built! You killed my brothers! You took away my life's work! Of course, you have to die for that!"
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper laced with triumph. "And now, you get to enjoy a grand fireworks show, just for you."
As the final word left his lips, a deafening explosion ripped through the aircraft.
BOOM!
The entire plane lurched violently, throwing passengers from their seats. The sound was a physical blow, a gut-wrenching force that stole the air from everyone's lungs.
Before the first wave of screams could even reach a crescendo, a chain reaction of detonations followed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Fire erupted from the tail section, a blossom of orange against the blue sky. Another blast tore through the fuselage, and a third ripped a gaping hole in one of the wings. The most devastating explosion engulfed the cockpit entirely, a massive fireball that instantly silenced the pilots.
The cabin plunged into chaos. Panic was absolute. Shrieks of terror blended with the groaning death-cries of stressed metal. The aircraft, now a dying hulk, shuddered and vibrated so intensely that it felt like it would tear itself apart. The sound was unbearable, a high-pitched screech of metal scraping against metal, like nails on a blackboard amplified a thousand times.
Through the windows, the world began to tilt. The horizon skewed at an impossible angle as the plane's nose dipped, then plunged. Gravity asserted its brutal, unforgiving claim. In the desperate, horror-stricken eyes of every passenger, there was only the reflection of the ground rushing up to meet them. It would be over in minutes.
BANG!
With a powerful kick, Ash blasted the cabin door off its hinges. It cartwheeled into the void, swallowed by the clouds. A hurricane of freezing air roared into the cabin, a savage, physical assault. The pressure difference created a powerful suction, violently ripping luggage, debris, and loose items out into the sky. The temperature plummeted instantly, the biting, high-altitude wind frosting over the windows and painting every surface with a thin layer of ice. The shrieks of the passengers were snatched away by the gale, lost in the deafening howl of the wind.
Ye Liyou's face was a mask of ice, her hair whipping wildly around her.
But Ash was ecstatic, his triumphant roar barely audible over the pandemonium. "Blood Shadow Rose, farewell forever!"
With that, he threw himself out of the gaping doorway. A moment later, a sharp crack echoed as he pulled the cord on his parachute, the white canopy blossoming against the sky. Several of his subordinates moved to follow him, their own parachutes ready.
In that split second, Ye Liyou moved. A deck of ordinary-looking playing cards appeared in her hand as if by magic. With a series of sharp flicks of her wrist, she sent them flying.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The cards sliced through the chaotic air, unerringly and true. They became miniature guillotines, imbued with her internal energy, impervious to the raging wind.
Fast. Accurate. Ruthless.
Agonized screams were torn away by the gale. Ash's men were shredded. The cards pierced their parachutes, their packs, and their bodies with equal, brutal efficiency. They tumbled into the abyss, dead or dying before they understood what had happened.
Ash, already descending, let out a cold snort. His own internal energy flared, forming a protective barrier that deflected the cards aimed at him and his canopy. "Blood Shadow Rose, you have no chance! Just wait for death!" he screamed back, his face alight with victory. He knew his strength was slightly less than hers, but at this distance, deflecting a few projectiles was simple. Both were at the Grandmaster Peak. In just over a hundred seconds, the plane would be a crater. Unless she was a Heavenly Human who could walk on air, her fate was sealed. This was his perfect revenge.
"Is that so?"
Ye Liyou's voice was a whisper of ice. Her expression was cold, her fair chin lifted slightly as her gaze fixed not on him, but on a point just above his head.
Puzzled, Ash looked up. His expression of triumph instantly shattered, replaced by one of pure, sheer horror. Clinging to the top of his parachute canopy was a single, long strand of her black hair. It had sliced a clean, inch-long tear in the delicate fabric. Under the immense pressure of the descent, the small rip was all it took. With an explosive tearing sound, the parachute disintegrated, shredding into useless ribbons of nylon.
"No—"
Watching Ash fall, screaming. Ye Liyou felt little joy, her gaze fixed on the rapidly approaching land below, and she sighed softly: "Senior, farewell…"
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