Chapter 1

In the southeastern province of San Shan City, on a winter afternoon.

In the southern suburban area of San Shan Square.

Amidst the hurried crowd, a young man with a slightly pale face was walking steadily forward.

His name is Xia Ruofei, 21 years old, a veteran who had just left the military.

Xia Ruofei was not tall, about 1.75 meters, with a slender build.

He had a neat round-cut short haircut, wearing a set of brown 07-style winter camouflage training uniform, and a pair of black high-top combat boots on his feet.

However, the old and washed-out camouflage training uniform had no military rank or branch insignia, and the combat boots were severely worn out, with several areas of the leather rubbed off, looking like ugly scars.

Although Xia Ruofei's clothes were old, they were very clean, giving a fresh and tidy impression.

However, no matter what, his appearance made him stand out in the urban crowd, even drawing some curious or contemptuous glances.

But Xia Ruofei paid no attention, his back still straight, walking with a standard 75-centimeter stride, exuding a strong military aura.

In his hand, Xia Ruofei clutched a remittance slip, his slightly pale face showing a hint of worry.

"Huzi, this is all I can do for you, I even sold the house my grandfather left behind..." Xia Ruofei muttered to himself, "With this money, at least our mother won't be unable to afford dialysis... As for a kidney transplant, I really can't do anything, sigh, I hope you understand... In a few days, we'll meet in the afterlife, and then I'll apologize to you in person..."

After saying this, Xia Ruofei sighed deeply, feeling melancholic.

Huzi was Xia Ruofei's best comrade and brother in the military, who was killed in action while covering him during a border conflict.

Two years after Huzi's sacrifice, Xia Ruofei was diagnosed with motor neuron disease, also known as ALS, during a routine medical examination. In the early stages of this disease, symptoms are mild, with patients experiencing some weakness, muscle twitching, and fatigue, but gradually progressing to full-body muscle atrophy and difficulty swallowing.

Under current medical conditions, motor neuron disease is still incurable, with most patients dying from respiratory failure within a few months to two or three years.

After learning about the disease, Xia Ruofei resolutely requested to be discharged from the military, unwilling to be a burden to the organization.

Of course, more importantly, Xia Ruofei was a proud person. He had always been a top performer in the Lone Wolf Special Forces, and he did not want his comrades to see him in his final state, unable to move a finger, lying in bed and watching death consume him.

After his discharge, Xia Ruofei immediately visited Huzi's mother, only to learn that she had developed uremia. The limited compensation for Huzi's martyrdom had been spent, but her condition had not improved at all.

Without hesitation, Xia Ruofei sold his grandfather's small house at a low price as quickly as possible. He had just gone to the bank to transfer the more than 400,000 yuan from the house sale and his 80,000 yuan discharge settlement, totaling about 500,000 yuan, to Huzi's mother's account.

But he himself was now penniless.

Now, apart from the two months' rent he had prepaid, the few hundred yuan in his pocket for living expenses were all he had left.

Rounding the corner of Xinrong Road next to San Shan Square, the scenery suddenly changed. The bustling city was left behind, and in front of him were low, dilapidated houses, tangled wires, and haphazardly built structures. The ditches by the roadside emitted a foul odor, and garbage was scattered everywhere.

This was a shantytown on the outskirts of the city, exuding an old and decaying atmosphere in this rapidly changing era. Fortunately, it was rumored that the shantytown would be demolished within a year or two.

After selling his house, Xia Ruofei rented the cheapest single room here as his new home.

He walked quickly down the street, not even wrinkling his nose at the foul smell that occasionally wafted into his nostrils—during his military service, he had experienced far worse environments, so this was nothing.

"Let me go... Help!"

In the distance, a voice faintly called out. He frowned slightly and quickly walked in the direction of the sound.

Xia Ruofei was not usually one to meddle in other people's affairs, but the security in the shantytown was poor, with all sorts of people mingling. The voice seemed to be that of a young woman, filled with intense fear. If he did nothing, something serious might happen.

He quickly walked through a narrow alley and, in front of an abandoned house, saw three drunk thugs grinning and surrounding a frightened girl.

The girl was wearing a white short down jacket and faded blue jeans. She had long, slender legs, and even in her winter attire, her tall and graceful figure was evident.

She had a classic oval face, but her usually lively eyes were now filled with terror. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her body was trembling uncontrollably, adding to her pitiful appearance.

Xia Ruofei thought to himself, how could such a beautiful girl come here alone? Isn't she asking for trouble?

"Help! Big brother... Please save me..." The girl, seeing Xia Ruofei, clung to him like a lifeline and pleaded.

This place was remote, and it was rare for anyone to pass by, which is why the three thugs felt free to act so recklessly.

They clearly did not expect anyone to come, and they all stared at Xia Ruofei standing at the alley entrance, stunned.

The leader, a punk with yellow hair, sized up Xia Ruofei and sneered, "Hey! You're a soldier, aren't you? You don't want to play the hero, do you? I'm in a good mood today, so I won't make a fuss. Just get lost!"

Xia Ruofei looked calmly at the yellow-haired punk, "I'll give you three seconds to let the girl go. I'll pretend nothing happened."

The yellow-haired punk was taken aback, exchanged glances with his two companions, and they all burst into laughter.

The yellow-haired punk pointed at Xia Ruofei and cursed, "You damn fool! Did you get stupid in the army? How dare you talk to me like that..."

"Time's up!" Xia Ruofei said softly.

As soon as he spoke, the yellow-haired punk felt a blur, and Xia Ruofei, who had been two meters away, suddenly appeared in front of him.

Then, the yellow-haired punk felt a powerful force hit his chest and abdomen, and he flew out, landing in a puddle, splashing dirty water all over himself.

Xia Ruofei's movements were so fast that the three thugs had no time to react.

Xia Ruofei's skills frightened the three thugs, and a hint of fear appeared in their eyes.

Xia Ruofei, however, frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "This damn disease is getting worse..."

In the moment he acted, he felt his limbs weakening. He should have completely incapacitated the yellow-haired punk with that kick, but now, although the punk was covered in dirty water and looked miserable, he quickly stood up.

On the other side, emboldened by alcohol, the yellow-haired punk reached for his weapon, his fear gradually subsiding. He glared at Xia Ruofei, pulled out a dagger, licked his lips, and said menacingly, "Kid, you're asking for it..."

The other two thugs also pulled out their daggers and, leaving the girl, surrounded Xia Ruofei.

The girl, terrified, covered her mouth.

Xia Ruofei calmly shielded the girl behind him, gritted his teeth, and charged at the three thugs.

The girl, looking at Xia Ruofei's slender figure, felt a mist in her eyes, and his back seemed to grow taller.

Xia Ruofei delivered a beautiful roundhouse kick to the yellow-haired punk's shoulder, and with a crack, the punk fell to the ground, screaming in pain—facing three daggers, Xia Ruofei did not hold back.

After taking down the yellow-haired punk, Xia Ruofei dodged a stab from another thug, the dagger narrowly missing his face. The situation was extremely dangerous, and the girl screamed in fear.

The two thugs exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and charged at Xia Ruofei again with their daggers.

Xia Ruofei stepped forward calmly, always positioning himself between the thugs and the girl.

Seizing an opportunity, Xia Ruofei lunged forward and, in the midst of the daggers, accurately grabbed one thug's wrist.

If it were before, the thug's wrist would have been broken in the next second, but at that moment, Xia Ruofei felt his limbs weakening again.

He cursed inwardly, gritted his teeth, and pulled the thug to the side.

However, his movement was still a bit slow, and a cold blade flashed, slicing through his camouflage uniform and leaving a long cut on his arm, blood gushing out.

Despite the unexpected injury, Xia Ruofei's face remained unchanged as he delivered an elbow strike to the thug's face, knocking him unconscious. Then, he grabbed the other thug's wrist and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground with a loud thud.

The thug rolled his eyes and fainted.

The girl was stunned, never expecting this seemingly frail man to be so strong. In just a few seconds, he had taken down three armed thugs with his bare hands!

Xia Ruofei, however, frowned slightly—without the damn disease, he could have taken down these untrained street thugs in one move. Now, he had even been cut, which was a disgrace to the Special Forces!

He shook his head bitterly, looking at his trembling hand. Was there really no hope?

He composed himself, turned to the girl, and said, "You should go now! This place isn't safe, and you shouldn't come alone in the future..."

"Thank you! I understand..." the girl said gratefully.

Then, she exclaimed, "Oh! Your arm is bleeding..."

Xia Ruofei casually looked at the wound on his arm, waving his hand, "It's nothing, just a minor injury."

"I... I'll go with you to the hospital to get it bandaged!" the girl said, "You got hurt saving me!"

"No need, you should go! I need to get back," Xia Ruofei shook his head.

"But what if it gets infected?" the girl grabbed his sleeve, "You should go to the hospital! I'll go with you!"

Xia Ruofei gently pulled his hand away, "Really, it's fine. Goodbye!"

With that, Xia Ruofei walked away quickly. The girl tried to follow, but her foot was injured from the struggle with the thugs, and she could not keep up with his swift steps. She could only call out, "Hey! I don't even know your name..."

Xia Ruofei did not respond, just waved his hand without turning back and soon disappeared around the corner.

The girl, seeing the screaming yellow-haired punk and the unconscious thugs, was very afraid. She did not dare to stay, so she looked deeply in the direction Xia Ruofei had disappeared and then limped away quickly.

Xia Ruofei soon returned to his new home, a small room of less than 10 square meters, with only a bed and a table, leaving almost no space to move.

He pulled out a box from under the bed and started searching through it.

Xia Ruofei had just moved in and had not had time to organize his things, so he had first gone to the bank to transfer the money to Huzi's mother.

He remembered putting the first-aid kit in this box when he moved. The wound on his arm was quite long and deep and needed to be treated promptly.

The box was a bit messy, containing military medals and small gifts from his comrades, as well as some old items left by his deceased grandfather. Finding the small first-aid kit was not easy.

Xia Ruofei did not notice that, as he searched, a drop of blood from his arm fell onto an unassuming, ancient scroll in the box.

The blood dropped onto the scroll's surface, like snowflakes falling into boiling water, disappearing instantly.

After absorbing Xia Ruofei's blood, the scroll suddenly emitted a faint golden light, immediately catching his attention.

Xia Ruofei was stunned. What was happening?

...