Chapter 2

【New book is out! Thank you to everyone who supported "Rebirth: The World of风云" (The World of风云is a placeholder for the actual title, as it's not clear what the exact title is), "Rebirth: The Official Path," "My Master is Wang Yuyan," and "The Official Path"! Please support my new book "The Urban Prince"! I beg for your collections, member clicks, and recommendation votes!】

In the North, in a highly confidential room of the General Staff's direct special forces, former special forces instructor Liu Yihua was holding a specially made military pistol, sitting motionless with a deathly pale face. He had been in this position for an unknown amount of time.

The reason he is referred to as the "former special forces instructor" is that Liu Yihua has been dismissed from his position! The reason is that he made a mistake during a hostage rescue operation that a special forces elite should never make—he accidentally killed a hostage! This hostage was a beautiful and attractive girl, someone Liu Yihua knew very well, as she deeply loved him! And Liu Yihua also deeply loved her!

Perhaps there is nothing more cruel in the world than killing the person you love with your own hands! Recalling the moment the gun went off, the girl was hit in the head, and she looked at him with a mix of confusion and unwillingness as she slowly fell to the ground... Liu Yihua's body began to tremble uncontrollably once again!

Lowering his head, Liu Yihua looked at the military pistol in his hand... This evil pistol had taken the life of the girl he loved! Since the day before yesterday, Liu Yihua's mind had replayed the scene countless times, each memory piercing his heart like a sharp, blood-soaked blade! However, Liu Yihua did not stop recalling the memory; he was guilty and used this cruel memory to torture himself, to atone for his sin!

Suddenly, Liu Yihua felt a tingling in his fingers. He glanced coldly at the cigarette butt burning his finger, then crushed it, releasing a smell of burnt flesh. But Liu Yihua remained unmoved, only to throw the extinguished cigarette butt on the ground, as if blaming the damn thing for not being effective enough. "Can't you make me feel some pain? Even a little bit?!" However, the cigarette butt on the ground was helpless. After all, for a special forces elite who could endure the most brutal torture in the world, a small cigarette butt was nothing, not even a fart!

Closing his eyes, Liu Yihua's mind once again replayed the moment his beloved girl was hit by his bullet and used her last bit of strength to look at him!

That look was filled with deep love for Liu Yihua, with a lingering attachment to the world... Of course, it was also filled with confusion, unwillingness, and委屈, but there was no anger!

Yes, she did not feel angry. Before leaving this world, she made a final, meaningful look at Liu Yihua, as if to say, "It's okay, Yihua. People are not computers or machines; mistakes happen... I don't blame you! But I have to go, you... take care of yourself! I... love you! I don't... want... to... leave... you..."

When Liu Yihua understood the deep meaning in that last look, the girl had already fallen to the ground, never to rise again!

Along with her body, her last, crystal-clear tear fell!

And with her body, her final, faint smile became a part of eternal history!

The smile was faint, visible only to Liu Yihua! The smile was pale, but it could move the heart! A smile that could charm a city... She had etched her smile forever in Liu Yihua's heart!

At that moment, Liu Yihua watched in a daze as his beloved girl went from being hit by his bullet to her life fading away! When the girl's tear hit the ground and shattered into dust, Liu Yihua's heart was torn apart and shattered in an instant! At that moment, his heart was cut like a knife, and Liu Yihua went mad! Without hesitation, he turned the kidnapper who had taken his beloved girl into a sieve, blowing his head off!

The criminal was a major suspect that the International Criminal Police Organization had repeatedly ordered to be taken alive! The moment Liu Yihua pulled the trigger, he knew his military career was over! This suspect could not be killed under any circumstances! The consequences of killing him were unimaginable!

But Liu Yihua did not hesitate at all, shooting the man in the head and chest, completely blowing his head off! Having lost the woman he loved, Liu Yihua no longer wanted to live, so how could he fear the punishment for killing a major suspect? What punishment could be more important than life? At that moment, if not for his desire to uncover a major mystery, he might have chosen to use the last bullet on himself, to follow her!

Thinking of this, Liu Yihua's heart ached again, his head drenched in sweat, his body convulsing, but his face wore a strange smile—once again, he was atoning for his sin! Liu Yihua's body endured unimaginable torture, but his heart was excited! Come on, be even more intense!

Suddenly, a shrill phone ring interrupted the moment. Liu Yihua did not move, not wanting to talk to anyone at this time. He especially did not want to talk to the military disciplinary committee members on the other end of the phone. Yes, this incident was too big; Liu Yihua had killed a hostage and a major suspect, and the military disciplinary committee had already begun an investigation.

After the phone rang for a while, it stopped. Liu Yihua's body convulsed less, and he looked at the phone with a cold gaze. Then, with a slightly trembling hand, he lit another cigarette and took a deep drag. The floor was littered with cigarette butts. Nicotine was not a good thing, but Liu Yihua liked it now; he wanted to use nicotine to numb himself!

As Liu Yihua smoked, his hands and facial muscles trembled slightly. Two days without food or drink would not make a special forces elite like Liu Yihua's hands tremble; in fact, it was his heart that was trembling!

Exhaling a long puff of smoke, a hint of killing intent suddenly appeared in Liu Yihua's eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Who? Who replaced the rubber bullets in my pistol with real bullets? Could it be those comrades who fought alongside me, who shared life and death? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Thinking of his comrades... Liu Yihua's head ached! He did not dare to think about this issue! He could not bear to doubt his comrades; it would be a desecration of the word "comrade"!

But if not his comrades, who could it be? This time, due to the importance of the suspect, the superiors did not agree to use real bullets. Liu Yihua had personally loaded the rubber bullets, which were sufficient to incapacitate the suspect at close range while ensuring his life.

During the operation, Liu Yihua negotiated with the kidnapper for a while, during which time his pistol was away from him. But who could have replaced the rubber bullets with real ones during that time? This major mystery was something Liu Yihua could not figure out, and he could not rest in peace until he did!

"Ring... Ring..." Liu Yihua's highest-security phone rang. Only two people knew this number! Two women he loved deeply—Xiao Xue and Xiao Fei!

Yes, Liu Yihua loved both of them and could not give up either! For this, Liu Yihua had cursed himself countless times as a beast and a scoundrel! But no matter how viciously he cursed himself, he could not make up his mind to choose! For both of them, Liu Yihua could not decide!

Now, one of them was gone forever, and the other was calling him... Liu Yihua did not know what to feel. Logically, the decision should be made now; Xiao Xue was gone, leaving only Xiao Fei. Was the problem solved? Moreover, the dead cannot be brought back to life; shouldn't he turn his grief into strength and cherish the present and the people around him? The person in front of him was undoubtedly Xiao Fei. How should he treat Xiao Fei from now on?

Liu Yihua did not know, did not know what to do next. He hesitated, pressed the call button, and waited, not saying a word.

"It's me, Yihua, why didn't you answer the phone just now?" A cold, slightly pained female voice said.

"It's... you." Liu Yihua did not know what to say; his intelligence seemed to be lower than that of a three-year-old child.

"Yes, it's me. Are you... okay now?" The girl's voice on the other end of the phone sounded cold, but Liu Yihua could sense the deep concern in her voice. For some reason, Liu Yihua felt very wronged and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Yihua, why aren't you speaking? Ah, I know you're very sad and helpless now. This time, you're in big trouble, and even I can't help you... You might lose your freedom for a while. Yihua... you must hold on!" The girl on the other end of the phone sighed, and at that moment, the mask of coldness in her voice was completely gone. Only Liu Yihua could make the coldest military flower in the army reveal her true self.

This sigh was like a warm current, making Liu Yihua's body move. He wiped away his tears and said calmly, "Don't worry, I don't care about losing my freedom. I'm like a walking corpse now; it doesn't matter where I drag out my existence."

"Yihua, don't be like this, okay? Do you know how much it hurts my heart to see you like this? Sob... Sob..." The girl on the other end of the phone could no longer bear it and started to cry.

"Uh! Yihua was at a loss, then quickly said softly, "Xiao Fei, don't cry. It's my fault, I'm sorry to you... But I don't want to lie to you. Even now, I still can't choose between you two. Forgive me, okay?"

Liu Yihua's voice was full of guilt. He knew this would hurt Xiao Fei, but with Xiao Xue just gone, Liu Yihua did not have the heart or the mood to be intimate with Xiao Fei.

"Yihua, don't say that. I understand how you feel. Xiao Xue is gone, and I'm just as sad as you. She was my good friend too! But no matter what, you must hold on. I... will always wait for you... until the day you accept me!" The girl on the other end of the phone choked up, and at that moment, her voice was no longer cold but full of pain, care, and hope.

"Ah, maybe you'll never wait for that day, never..." Liu Yihua muttered. Yes, he did not want to exist in this world anymore.

"Ah, Yihua, what are you going to do? Don't do anything foolish... By the way, do you want to know who replaced the rubber bullets in your pistol with real ones?" Xiao Fei was very smart; she knew that the only thing keeping Liu Yihua alive was his hatred! Liu Yihua would never forgive the person who replaced the bullets!

Liu Yihua's originally dull and blank eyes suddenly sparkled! His heart was shaken, and he roared, "Who! Who is it? Have you found out? Tell me quickly!"

"Ding... Ding..." Liu Yihua's phone indicated that he had received a file.

Xiao Fei said seriously, "Yihua, I've sent you a file. It's super-encrypted. There's a video inside. I'll decrypt it for you in a few years when you regain your freedom. Trust my hacking skills; don't try to decrypt it! But I swear on 'Xiao Xue's' name—the video inside definitely has the bastard who deserves to be sliced a thousand times!"

Liu Yihua was very excited when he heard this! He held the military phone in his hand, his face twisted, and he breathed heavily.

Although his heart was surging, he was helpless. Since Xiao Fei had said it, it could not be changed; that was Xiao Fei's character. Liu Yihua could only wait for the truth to be revealed in a few years. Forcibly decrypting the password? Liu Yihua admitted he did not have the skills; Xiao Fei was a world-class computer expert!

Liu Yihua knew that this was currently the only reason for him to continue "living."

However, the next moment, Liu Yihua suddenly felt very guilty! If he really did not want to live, what about Xiao Fei? The loss of Xiao Xue had already made Liu Yihua heartbroken; how could he hurt Xiao Fei again?

In fact, Liu Yihua did not really want to leave this world; he still had family! He was not an irresponsible person! He had just wanted to "give up" before! The greatest sorrow is the death of the heart... Once the heart dies, everything is over!

The girl on the other end of the phone knew that Liu Yihua might be very agitated, but now she had to seize the opportunity! She said softly, "Alright, Yihua, I know you haven't eaten for two days. I know you're deliberately fasting for Xiao Xue. Now, listen to me, get up and move around, turn on the computer and TV to relax, okay? I'm begging you..."

"Okay..." Liu Yihua struggled to say the word.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Fei suddenly said, "Yihua, if... I mean, if we could go back to the past, Xiao Xue and I wouldn't fight anymore. You wouldn't have to choose. We could both be with you, okay?"

"Uh!" This sentence made the already numb Liu Yihua's body tremble, and his eyes suddenly sparkled with a glimmer of hope. He hesitated, then hung up the phone. He muttered, "If I could really go back to the past, I would consider your suggestion..."

Liu Yihua smiled bitterly, then tried to pull himself together. He admitted that Xiao Fei's call had achieved its purpose; Liu Yihua had decided to live on. He did not want to make Xiao Fei sad, and he had to force himself to be strong. Moreover, only by living could he seek revenge!

Standing up, he turned on the TV and brought a case of beer. Liu Yihua began to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

"Bo Re Bo Luo Mi..." On the TV screen, a beautifully dressed ancient woman held an antique box and shouted loudly! The box had two sentences written on it: "Time flows backward, return to the past!" Yes! This was the legendary time-traveling device—the Light Crossing Box!

Liu Yihua was stunned, grabbing his hair and saying, "Is there really such a thing as rebirth and time travel? If there is, please give me one more chance! Heaven, God, Buddha, Monkey King, Guanyin... Can you hear my plea?"

As he spoke, his voice grew louder, and the room seemed to shake with his roar!

However, heaven and the gods clearly ignored Liu Yihua's plea.

After roaring, Liu Yihua began to numb himself with bottle after bottle of beer. In just a few minutes, a dozen bottles were empty. Two days without food or drink, plus physical and mental exhaustion, made Liu Yihua half-asleep. At this moment, facing his predicament, Liu Yihua suddenly thought very much of his white-haired father and deceased mother!

His father had retired early for his sake, otherwise, he might have had a more successful career. What made Liu Yihua feel even more guilty was that due to his own failure, his father had a falling out with his legendary grandfather!

Liu Yihua had a grandfather he had never met, who was said to be very powerful, according to a secret his mother revealed on her deathbed. She said that if Liu Yihua had not failed, his father might have reconciled with his grandfather, and the Liu family would have been completely different.

Liu Yihua had never met his legendary grandfather, so after hearing this from his mother, he felt a bit regretful but did not take it to heart. Moreover, he was a bit resentful about his grandfather calling him a failure. However, Liu Yihua now knew he was wrong! After all, that was his grandfather, his father's father, a blood relative! It was his own failure that led to the Liu family not being reunited, a huge mistake! Alas, there was no chance to make amends.

Compared to his grandfather, thinking of his mother made Liu Yihua's heart ache even more! It was all his fault! He did not study hard in school and was a complete wastrel, causing a childhood betrothal to be broken off! Thinking of the day the other party dissolved the engagement and betrothed to someone else, Liu Yihua's eyes turned bloodshot! It was a great humiliation! On that day, his mother, enraged, fainted! From then on, her illness recurred and never healed. Would his mother have died so early if not for that?

"Mom and Dad, I'm a failure! I was too ignorant before! Mom, I shouldn't have let that damn betrothal upset you... Dad, if I had known the truth, I would have worked hard to make my grandfather proud! And I would never have traded your career for mine! Your career has become a poison that has taken my life!"

Liu Yihua wept bitterly, knowing he had made a huge mistake and felt guilty toward his parents!

The beer seemed to be finished? Liu Yihua stumbled and found two bottles of Erguotou. He downed one in one gulp. Under the influence of alcohol, Liu Yihua temporarily forgot his troubles and fears, even forgetting where he was.

"Mom and Dad, I'm a failure! If I had another chance, I would be a good child and make you proud! I would take good care of you! I would help Dad become a high-ranking official and marry many beautiful wives to make Mom happy!"

Liu Yihua mumbled, and in a daze, he felt as if he had really gone back to the past. His father and grandfather had reconciled, and his father had become a high-ranking official. He had really married a bunch of beautiful wives, making his mother smile from ear to ear.

Liu Yihua was drunk, lost in a daydream.

After an unknown amount of time... a knock came from the door! Liu Yihua's ears perked up, and he heard someone outside say, "Comrade Liu Yihua, are you there? Please open the door! We are from the military disciplinary committee!"

Liu Yihua smiled bitterly, knowing he was about to lose his freedom. But it did not matter; Liu Yihua was not afraid of death.

While Liu Yihua was in a daze, the knocking at the door became more urgent, "Comrade