Chapter 1 A Dangerous Game

"Wait a moment, I'll call Cidao," Nie Yan said to Xie Yao.

Nie Yan picked up his phone and dialed Cidao's number.

Xie Yao stood beside him, looking very nervous.

"Where is Cao Xu now?" Nie Yan asked.

"I don't know exactly where he is, that guy is hiding very deep. But there's news that he's offering high prices to recruit assassins, probably to target you." Cidao said. Cao Xu's movements were very secretive, and this was news he had obtained with great difficulty.

"Is there a way to find him?" Nie Yan said. This was a dangerous signal. Cao Xu had recruited assassins, and their targets would naturally be Nie Yan and Nie Yan's family.

"There's no way to find him for the time being, but one of my brothers has already made contact with the people recruiting assassins. If nothing goes wrong, we might be able to follow the trail and find Cao Xu's exact location. This guy is really going all out, taking out ten billion all at once. If they successfully assassinate you, they get fifty billion, and successfully assassinating your parents and Xie Yao gets them ten billion each. As for the Xie family and Liu family, each of them is worth twenty million. That kind of money has alarmed the assassins. If it alarms certain people, I can't guarantee we can handle it." Cidao said. There were still many experts in the assassin and mercenary world, and Cao Xu had offered the highest bounty for assassination in history.

"Is there any other way? We can't just sit here and wait for death." Nie Yan said. Cao Xu's move was ruthless enough; he was practically forcing them into a dead end.

"I don't know either." Cidao shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"Help me put out the news. If anyone kills Cao Xu, I'll immediately offer fifty billion in cash, plus 5% of the Century Conglomerate's shares." Nie Yan gritted his teeth and said. He wanted to see who was more ruthless. Did Cao Xu dare to bet all his retirement money?

"If that's the case, things will be much easier for us." Cidao said. This would at least divert the targets. The assassins would no longer be just staring at Nie Yan; some of them would shift their focus to Cao Xu. Cao Xu's plan to hire assassins to kill Nie Yan would also be difficult to carry out. If he was exposed, he would only have a dead end. Countless assassins were staring at him.

"I'm going back to school." Nie Yan said in a deep voice.

"Back to school? With Xie Yao? That's too dangerous. A lot of assassins will definitely be targeting you." Cidao was a little worried and quickly tried to dissuade Nie Yan.

"No, just me. This is called drawing the snake out of its hole." Nie Yan said. If he hid and didn't show himself, then the assassins' targets would shift to other people, including his father, mother, and the people of the Xie family and Liu family. There were so many people, and it was impossible to defend against them all. Sooner or later, they would succeed. But as soon as Nie Yan appeared, everyone's attention would be focused on him. This was also a last resort. He didn't want his loved ones to be harmed in any way.

Cidao pondered for a long time. He understood Nie Yan's thinking. Although he was a mercenary, Cidao was not an emotionless being. He had been with Nie Yan for so long, and besides the pure mercenary relationship, a deep friendship had also been established between them. He didn't want Nie Yan to take risks, but if Nie Yan had decided, he could only execute it.

"With you guys protecting me, there's nothing to be afraid of. Let them come. The more Cao Xu moves, the bigger the flaws." Nie Yan said.

"I don't agree!" Hearing that Nie Yan was going to take the risk himself, Xie Yao suddenly became anxious.

"Listen to me, stay here and behave yourself. I have my reasons!" Nie Yan stroked Xie Yao's cheek. How could he want to take risks, but some things should not be done, and some things must be done. Before his rebirth, he already owed too many people. For their safety, for Xie Yao, Nie Yan had to do it. If Cao Xu was killed, then everything would be calm.

"No, you can't go! If you go, I'll go with you too." Xie Yao was so anxious that she was about to cry. She understood Nie Yan's character. Once he had decided on something, no one could deny it, but she still wanted to stop Nie Yan.

"Nothing will happen. Aren't there Cidao and Ying Sha? If you go, you'll only cause me trouble, and I won't be able to take care of you at all." Nie Yan smiled lightly.

Cidao on the phone was silent for a long time, then said, "Miss Xie, don't worry, even if something happens to me, nothing will happen to Nie Yan."

Cidao's words did not reassure Xie Yao, but she understood that she simply could not persuade Nie Yan. She was angry at Nie Yan's domineering nature and Nie Yan's arbitrary decisions, but there was nothing she could do.

"Stay here and behave yourself. Give me five days, and I promise you, I will definitely take care of that guy Cao Xu within five days!" Nie Yan comforted Xie Yao.

Nie Yan settled Xie Yao in an absolutely safe place and asked the Xie family to send people to protect her. He had to ensure Xie Yao's safety before he dared to go back to school.

"Are you sure you really want to show yourself? There's still time to think clearly." Cidao advised.

"If you were in the same situation, would you put yourself in danger to protect your brothers?" Nie Yan smiled calmly and asked. There was something in this world called brotherhood. Sometimes, people would not hesitate to risk everything for these two words.

After a long time, Cidao said helplessly, "Okay, I can't win against you. Ying Sha and I will be responsible for your safety."

"They probably won't dare to make a move inside the First Military Academy. I'll show myself inside the First Military Academy, and then go to the suburbs, which will be convenient for them to make a move." Nie Yan said. He didn't know how many assassins Cao Xu would send, and whether he could wipe them all out.

"If that's the case, just Ying Sha and I might not be enough. I'll call Wang Duo and the others over." Cidao thought for a moment and said. Besides Wang Duo and the others, he also had some people under his command, all of whom were top experts recruited with a lot of money. This battle would probably be a bloody one.

In a small bar on the outskirts of Huahai, a middle-aged man in a black trench coat was sitting in a corner drinking beer. He had a stubbly beard, messy hair, and a haggard face. Even acquaintances probably wouldn't think that the person in front of them was Cao Xu, the once-powerful boss of the Century Conglomerate!

He saw a new message on his phone, clicked on it, and couldn't help but gnash his teeth. The Tianxia Group had also offered a bounty. As long as they killed him, they could get fifty billion and 5% of the Century Conglomerate's shares. Cao Xu snorted coldly. What a generous offer!

Cao Xu almost hated Nie Yan to the bone. Nie Yan's appearance had ruined one plan after another, ultimately leading him to such a dead end today. He couldn't wait to skin Nie Yan alive to relieve the hatred in his heart. One subordinate after another had left him. He had tasted what it was like to be betrayed and deserted by everyone. And the originator of all this was Nie Yan!

After selling his shares, he went around recruiting assassins, and the target was Nie Yan! If he couldn't kill Nie Yan, killing a few of Nie Yan's relatives and making Nie Yan blame himself, feel guilty, and live in pain would also be a good thing.

Cao Xu looked at his phone. A text message appeared on his phone. A cruel smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He didn't expect that Nie Yan would dare to show up at this time. Since you want to die, I'll help you. He sent a message back: "Make your move!"

The news that Nie Yan had returned to the First Military Academy caused a sensation. Basically, all the students of the First Military Academy knew Nie Yan. The two news stories that had been going viral outside before could be described as shocking. One was that the Nirvana Guild had defeated Angel Corps and the Century Conglomerate and unified the Light Faction, and the other was that the Tianxia Group, Zhengrong Conglomerate, and Longyue Conglomerate had merged with the Century Conglomerate and become the new owners of the Century Conglomerate. And the protagonist of all this was Nie Yan.

The protagonist of such a major event was right next to them, and he had actually returned to the First Military Academy at this time. It would be difficult not to be shocked.

Nie Yan was walking on the tree-lined path in the school. The students passing by were all pointing and staring. Nie Yan was really a celebrity now, overshadowing everyone.

"Look, that's Nie Yan, the Crazy Thief Nie Yan in the game, and the heir to the Tianxia Group in reality. His net worth is at least seven or eight hundred billion."

"It will be more than that soon. After the Tianxia Group completes the merger with the Century Conglomerate, its strength will increase sharply, and it will also have a say. Making money is easy."

"If you can hook up with such a rich and handsome man, you won't have to worry for the rest of your life."

"Don't even think about it. His fiancée is the daughter of the Zhengrong Conglomerate and the Longyue Conglomerate. Her net worth is also hundreds of billions, and she is also beautiful. She is the belle of the Economics and Management Department. What do you have to compare with her?"

Hearing these people's whispers, Nie Yan couldn't help but smile. He still walked calmly, with steady steps. He knew that there were probably countless people staring at him in the dark. Those assassins probably wouldn't dare to make a move on campus, but it was hard to say, so he needed to be fully alert. If he encountered danger, he could also dodge.

He wore a pocket watch on his chest, which was equipped with the most advanced instruments. It could sense the approach of bullets and emit something similar to electromagnetism, which would interfere with the flight of the bullets and cause them to deviate from their trajectory. With this thing, he could prevent bullet attacks to a certain extent. It was made by Cidao and was said to be the latest technology from the military. Only the leaders of some countries would be equipped with it, and it was not available on the market at all.

Cidao and Ying Sha were also in the dark. With their sharp eyes, they could even analyze whether those people were assassins from some people's subtle expressions and movements. If Nie Yan was being followed, Cidao and the others would definitely know.

Wang Duo and the others had received Cidao's message and were rushing to the First Military Academy. Mo Yuntian also seemed to have learned the news and sent some experts over. Although their people were not at the level of Cidao and Ying Sha, they were all from special forces, which were naturally much stronger than ordinary assassins. Now they were all holding back, just afraid that Cao Xu's people wouldn't make a move. If they did, they would definitely wipe them all out!

Nie Yan's phone rang. He glanced at his phone. It was a message from Cidao: "Target has been found, let's begin."

Nie Yan put his phone back in his pocket, circled around the tree-lined path, and walked out of the First Military Academy according to plan.