Chapter One: Return

Pegasus Star, Beikun Icefield, underground secret training base.

In the cramped room, there was only a bed and a desk, the furnishings extremely simple. The empty, iron-gray walls gave off a cold and oppressive feeling.

On the desk sat a small paper cupcake, the only thing in the room that could bring a sense of warmth.

Sitting upright on the bed, William Carter rolled a piece of paper into a stick, then stuck the little paper stick into the cupcake.

A hint of satisfaction appeared on William Carter’s aged face, as if he was quite pleased with his paper-rolling skills.

He said to the young man standing in front of the desk, “088, today is your eighteenth birthday. From today on, you are an adult. You can leave the training base and officially serve the organization.”

William Carter said with some emotion, “I still remember when you first arrived, you were only six years old. You were the chattiest, always talking nonstop. I always thought you wouldn’t live long. I didn’t expect you to actually survive the hellish training. Congratulations.”

“It’s all thanks to your guidance, teacher.”

088 was an exceptionally handsome young man. His smile was like the afternoon sun in autumn—clean, bright, and full of charm.

Even William Carter, who had seen much of the world, had to admit that this youth was truly unmatched in looks. The clear and pure aura between his brows made him seem almost otherworldly.

Plastic surgery could change a person’s appearance at will, but could never achieve this effect.

The organization injected the youths with spirit race gene serums, raising them like poisonous insects, making them fight and eliminate the weak.

Through this method, the youths constantly evolved and mutated. The evolution of No. 088 was particularly strange—his appearance kept becoming more perfect, and he possessed extraordinary charm.

With such a talkative mouth and only average skills, 088 had probably survived mostly thanks to this extraordinary charm!

William Carter also had to admit that his own fondness for 088 was influenced by this charm.

This special charm was especially useful in social interactions. It was more valuable than an ordinary assassin.

A special talent like 088 would not be sent to the front lines as a killer. This kid was sure to live a long time and had a bright future ahead.

“You’ll be leaving the base tomorrow to officially serve the organization.”

William Carter said, “We are master and apprentice. I hope you’ll rise step by step, and maybe one day you can look after this old man.”

“Teacher, you’re joking. You’re an elder of the Blood God Society. How could it be my turn to look after you?”

088 said with some emotion, “I remember it clearly—there were six batches, a total of 1,200 people, and in the end, only a few dozen were left. If you hadn’t looked after me, I’d have died long ago. How could I have survived the hellish training!”

William Carter nodded, quite satisfied with 088’s attitude. This youth was annoyingly talkative at times, but when it was time to say the right things, he said them very well.

He sighed deeply again. “Hell training is extremely cruel, with only a 4% survival rate.”

The Blood God Society spared no expense in raising their ‘poisonous insects’. But such a high elimination rate made William Carter a bit emotional.

More than ten years had passed, and finally, his efforts had not been in vain. This batch of youths had grown up, each with their own unique abilities. They would become the backbone of the organization in the future.

Look at No. 088—only eighteen, yet when talking about tragic past events, his expression was calm and indifferent, without a ripple of emotion. That’s what makes a good assassin.

William Carter put away the emotion on his face and said calmly, “Only by being tough and ruthless can you control your own fate.”

He gave an example: “I remember very clearly, during your trial at fifteen, there was a girl with extraordinary talent, I think her number was 006. If she hadn’t taken a sword for you and left the healing serum for you, how could she have died?”

“Yes, 006 was too soft and sentimental.”

A look of reminiscence appeared in 088’s star-bright eyes. To him, that incident had happened so long ago that he could barely remember it.

That bright and gentle girl had died of excessive blood loss right in front of him.

He could no longer recall her exact features, only that as she was dying, she tightly held his hand. Both their hands were covered in blood, sticky and unable to grip tightly no matter how hard they tried.

That feeling of being unable to hold onto anything always made him wake up in the middle of the night.

And the girl’s eyes, slowly dimming as she died, were like a flame going out, leaving only cold ashes in the end.

That cruel, cold, and ugly death was forever branded deep in his soul on that day.

“Life cannot be lived again. In our line of work, we must make decisions with even more caution and calm.”

William Carter, wanting to show goodwill, uncharacteristically shared many of his own insights.

“Teacher, what if life could be lived again?”

088 suddenly asked, “For example, if you could return to being eighteen, would you still walk this path?”

William Carter waved his hand dismissively. “Such hypotheticals are meaningless. Time can never be changed, and life can never be lived again.”

088 said seriously, “Teacher, if you could live again, would you choose to be an ordinary person, or continue as a cold-blooded butcher?”

“What did you say! How dare you!”