“If you really want to thank me, just be practical and compensate me with a new phone.” Henry Lawson picked up his own “big brick,” fiddled with it briefly—it still worked, but the screen had a few cracks that ruined its appearance.

“Then give me your contact information.” Ashley Young solemnly opened her handbag, ready to take out her phone to make a note.

But this startled Henry Lawson. If she found out he was secretly holding onto her student ID, he’d be in big trouble. He quickly waved his hands and said, “No need, no need. My phone is still under warranty. I’ll just take it to the boss to get it fixed.” With that, he stuffed the “big brick” into his pocket and turned to leave.

“Hey, then what’s your name?” Ashley Young called out to him from behind.

“They call me Red Scarf!” Henry Lawson waved his hand at Ashley Young behind him without looking back.

“Red Scarf? Tch, you really came up with that. Even the ‘Mad Dragon’ of Longyin isn’t all that tough. But not just anyone can get their hands on my student ID.” Ashley Young watched Henry Lawson’s departing figure, a beautiful curve appearing at the corner of her lips.

Chapter 3: Visitors from the Capital

After saying goodbye to Ashley Young, Henry Lawson walked alone with his hands in his pockets, ambling toward his rented place. He wasn’t afraid that that punk would come looking for revenge—what he feared was that he wouldn’t.

Setting aside the father he’d never met, Henry Lawson had only two relatives: one was the grandfather who adopted him and gave him his name, General William Lawson, the current Deputy Chief of the General Staff. The other was his master, who raised him from childhood. At thirteen, he followed his master into the military; at fifteen, he joined Longyin, completed all the basic courses of the Longyin unit with top marks, but during the “Hellfire” training, his identity as the son of a traitor was exposed and he was expelled.

After leaving the Longyin unit, Henry Lawson came to Donghai City. He’d lived here for three years but never felt like he belonged, because every month money was deposited into his bank account for his living expenses, so he never had to hustle for survival. He simply drifted through the city’s nightlife, living for the moment.

He couldn’t and didn’t want to return to Longyin, because Henry Lawson didn’t want his former brothers to look at him with prejudice.

“Where should I go have fun tomorrow? Golden Years, or Heaven on Earth?”

Henry Lawson stretched lazily, casually pulled Ashley Young’s student ID from his pocket, and glanced over the brief information about its owner again. When he saw the words “Donghai University, Computer Science Department,” he suddenly had an idea.

Although he’d never attended school, Henry Lawson was fluent in four languages, knew the optimal ratios for making explosives, understood how to survive in the wild without food or fresh water, and possessed hacking skills above the average person. So he wasn’t worried about feeling inferior academically at Donghai University. What he was considering was how to get into Donghai University aboveboard—he might even need to ask his master for help.

The colder and more aloof a woman is, the more she stirs a man’s desire to conquer. Ashley Young, you should be glad you’ve successfully piqued my interest. The corners of Henry Lawson’s mouth curled up slightly as he stuffed the student ID back into his pocket and continued walking toward his rented place.

At this moment, Ashley Young still didn’t know that her curiosity after seeing Henry Lawson’s information had drawn the attention of a “wolf” to herself.

Henry Lawson’s rented place was a private two-story courtyard house. The owner had gone abroad with their children, and because it was remote and far from bus and subway stations, it couldn’t fetch a high rent. So the owner rented it to Henry Lawson for 1,500 yuan a month, and Henry Lawson paid the rent upfront for a year.

Though the courtyard was remote, it was clean and cheap. When Henry Lawson got bored, he’d go to a chemical store to buy materials and make small, low-powered IEDs for fun. Living here was indeed very convenient for him.

As Henry Lawson took out his key and put it into the iron gate’s keyhole, he noticed something odd about the doorknob. Every time he left, he’d tie a thin black thread to the handle—if anyone opened the door without permission, the thread would break. This was one of the basic skills taught in the Longyin unit, meant to prevent others from planting bombs in your luggage.

Now, only half of the black thread remained wrapped around the handle—someone had been inside. Quickly assessing the situation, Henry Lawson gripped his butterfly knife, quietly unlocked the iron gate, and entered. He didn’t think whoever broke in was here for a friendly visit—after all, he had no acquaintances in Donghai City.

After confirming there was nothing unusual in the yard, Henry Lawson bit down on the butterfly knife, crouched low, sprinted forward, stepped on the edge of the pool, and used the momentum to leap up, grabbing the second-floor balcony railing with both hands. With a flex of his waist and abs, he flipped over the railing.

Knife in hand, he crept quietly toward the second-floor room. Just as Henry Lawson reached the door, it was suddenly opened from inside. A young man stepped out of the room, and Henry Lawson darted from the corner, pressing the butterfly knife to his neck in a flash.

“What are you doing? Trying to kill me?!” Before Henry Lawson could speak, the other man shouted at him angrily.

“Jack Shaw?!”