At Stronghold 111, the Kyung Clan.
At midnight, the copper bell in the center of the stronghold was rung by the Kyung Clan's staff.
The auspicious sound of the bell, which represented the new year, spread throughout the stronghold. Following that, many people who could afford to buy firecrackers lit up the firecrackers in front of their houses. The children were also watching excitedly on the streets. They were wearing their new clothes and holding small firecrackers that had been removed from the firecrackers in their hands.
Qing Zhen stood in the courtyard of the villa. His hair had grown a lot longer. As he and Luo Lan were under house arrest here, they could not even afford to hire a hairdresser.
Suddenly, a crow flew over from the night sky. It weaved through the sound of firecrackers but was not affected by it at all.
Qing Zhen raised his hand, and the crow obediently landed on Qing Zhen's arm. Qing Zhen picked up a small piece of bread and said with a smile, "Don't mind it. We don't have much food either, and Luo Lan has been starving lately."
The crow lowered its head and pecked the bread into its mouth. Meanwhile, Qing Zhen smoothed its feathers with a smile on his face.
A black crow had always been an ominous symbol in the eyes of people because it liked to fly to wherever there were dead people.
But Qing Zhen did not avoid the crow at all. Instead, it was as though he liked it from the bottom of his heart.
His gaze shifted to the crow's leg, where a small bamboo tube was tied to it. Qing Zhen removed the bamboo tube and took out the note inside. The more he read, the wider his smile became.
"Alright, the letter has been delivered. Go back and get your master to feed you something good. They won't let you rest even though it's the new year," Qing Zhen said as he shook his arm. The large crow immediately spread its wings and flew off into the night.
When Qing Zhen walked into the villa, Luo Lan was sprawled on the sofa. "Don't you think these old men of the Kyung Clan are too much? They don't even give us food to eat during Chinese New Year, don't let us get a haircut, and often cut off our water and electricity. We are the heroes of the Kyung Clan, and now they are treating us like this?"
Qing Zhen smiled and said, "You can eat that piece of bread of mine. Who asked us to lose the stronghold we were guarding?"
"Is that our fault?" Luo Lan was unhappy. "Who would have thought that there would suddenly be an earthquake? And it's Chinese New Year now. How can we go hungry during Chinese New Year!?"
"Don't worry." Qing Zhen smiled and said, "These days are coming to an end."
At this moment, the doorbell rang. Luo Lan got up from the sofa and said, "Are they here to deliver us food?"
"That uncle of yours isn't that kind-hearted. He's racked his brains to curry favor with the Kyung Clan, so why would he risk being ostracized to help us?" Qing Zhen said calmly, "This is a good time to draw a line with us."
Internal strife within an organization had always been dirty and despicable.
Not only did the Kyung Clan consortium imprison Qing Zhen and Luo Lan in this isolated villa, but they even sent Luo Lan's uncle to watch over them.
It was probably because the higher-ups of the Board felt that Qing Zhen and Luo Lan were suspected of betraying the clan. As such, they wanted to let Qing Zhen and Luo Lan experience the feeling of being betrayed by their loved ones.
Luo Lan and Qing Zhen had the same father but not the same mother. Meanwhile, Luo Lan's uncle had once gained some status in the Kyung Clan with Luo Lan's help. But now, he had been sent to watch over Luo Lan.
However, this uncle did not take their old friendship into consideration. Instead, he became even more aggressive while watching over them. He even tried to harm Qing Zhen and Luo Lan to show the consortium that he was determined to draw a line with them.
Reducing food supplies, cutting off water and electricity, and rejecting all of Qing Zhen and Luo Lan's requests were what this uncle did.
Sometimes, people really found it hard to imagine what a person could do in order to curry favor with those in power.
Luo Lan walked over and opened the door while mumbling, "I don't have a good relationship with him either. Don't tease me like that. Your uncle isn't a good person either …"
When he opened the door, he saw a middle-aged man standing at the door. He was holding a plate in his hand and looking at Luo Lan with a smile.
Behind this middle-aged man were two rows of soldiers. Ever since Qing Zhen had slipped away the last time, the consortium had increased the number of soldiers stationed around the villa. They did not let down their guard even on New Year's Eve.
Luo Lan looked at the middle-aged man at the door and asked, "What's the matter?"
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Aren't you going to call me uncle?"
Luo Lan said disdainfully, "Do you think you're worthy?"
However, the middle-aged man did not mind. He smiled and said, "It's New Year's Eve. I came to visit you guys and brought some food along with me."
"What food?" Luo Lan asked.
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "There were some leftovers from my family's dinner. I thought you guys must still be hungry, so I quickly brought it over."
Luo Lan laughed. "Do you think I, Luo Lan, am someone who eats leftovers?"
At this moment, the middle-aged man tossed the plate in his hand onto the ground. "Since you're not willing to eat, I won't force you."
Luo Lan's expression darkened as he stared at the middle-aged man he was related to by blood.
Qing Zhen suddenly said to the middle-aged man, "Hey, wait outside for a moment."
The middle-aged man was taken aback. But since the one who spoke was Qing Zhen, he was a little wary of the Kyung Clan's influence. After remaining silent for a long time, the middle-aged man finally left the villa.
He stood outside and looked at the fireworks that shot into the sky from the stronghold. He was in a very good mood.
Qing Zhen said to everyone with a smile, "On this New Year's Eve, we're very sorry that everyone can't go home and reunite with their families because of us. That's why we'd like to express our condolences to everyone."
Luo Lan said, "Yes, we'd like to express our condolences."
Qing Zhen smiled and said, "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Qing Zhen, and this is Teacher Luo Lan."
Luo Lan said, "Yes, that's me."
Qing Zhen looked at Luo Lan. "Since we're here to express our condolences, we'll definitely have to put on a performance."
Luo Lan asked, "Then what are we going to perform?"
Qing Zhen looked at the middle-aged man. "Let's perform a performance of … Let's cut our hair and kill our uncles in the first month of the lunar year!"
Luo Lan said, "Alright!"
The middle-aged man was so angry that he laughed. "Are you two children? Why are you still playing such a despicable game? "
"Shh." Qing Zhen put his index finger to his lips and raised the scissors in his right hand to cut off the ends of Luo Lan's hair.
The middle-aged man said coldly, "Take them back!"
Qing Zhen looked at him and said with a smile, "Happy New Year."
In the stronghold, a resplendent firework suddenly rose into the sky. The dazzling light illuminated Qing Zhen's smile. Amid the dazzling fireworks, a sniper bullet was fired from the muzzle of a gun several hundred meters away. The middle-aged man was killed on the spot.
The soldiers fell silent. Someone said in a trembling voice, "Aren't you afraid of being punished by the higher-ups?"
Qing Zhen smiled calmly and said, "They won't. They need me now."
At this moment, an off-road vehicle turned in from the street. Secretary Zhou got out of the vehicle and said calmly, "Qing Zhen, Luo Lan, pack your things and head to the front lines immediately to provide military assistance."
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