In the early morning, Ye Zi'an was awakened by the ringing of his phone, but he noticed that Liu Qinghuan was not beside him.
Not bothering about it, Ye Zi'an picked up his phone.
The caller ID displayed was none other than Li Wei's number.
As soon as the call connected, Li Wei spoke with a tone of self-satisfaction, "Ye Shao, I had everything arranged last night. Not only did I give that Su Chen kid a lesson, but I also sabotaged the surveillance in his neighborhood, and the evidence has been secretly placed in the seat of his electric scooter."
Ye Zi'an was pleasantly surprised by Li Wei's swift actions. "Alright, once Su Chen is released today, you can initiate the next steps."
In his mind, Ye Zi'an was scheming: "Now that something has happened to Su Chen, his sister Su Wei won't sit idly by. If I can just create chaos for her, driving her to a loss of reason, capturing her will be a piece of cake."
As a doctor at the Central Hospital of Xia City, Su Wei appeared strict and meticulous, but her biggest weakness was her brother, Su Chen.
Ye Zi'an realized he could also extract some fortune from Su Wei and Lin Qianqian.
Upon refreshing the shop, Ye Zi'an's eyes lit up.
[Heavenly Path Shielding Card]—spending points can create a barrier that shields one from the Heavenly Path.
This was a valuable item, especially since he had just acquired points for free yesterday.
He immediately exchanged for it.
Ye Zi'an went downstairs, where Liu Qinghuan had already prepared breakfast.
Unsure of what Ye Zi'an liked, she had made a mix of both Chinese and Western dishes.
Seeing Ye Zi'an come down, her steps were still a bit awkward, but she quickly served a bowl of steaming millet porridge, homemade sandwiches, and several delicious side dishes.
Fortunately, the ingredients were all available in the Ye family's refrigerator.
Looking at Liu Qinghuan's timid demeanor, Ye Zi'an couldn't help but swallow hard; she resembled a little maid waiting for her master to finish eating before she could have her meal.
Ye Zi'an pulled Liu Qinghuan into his embrace and said, "You'll stay at the Ye family for these days. If you feel bored, let Ye Yu take you out shopping. As for the Liu family, you don't need to worry about anyone; I'll handle everything."
After finishing breakfast with Liu Qinghuan, Ye Zi'an drove away from the Ye family, heading to the construction site in the suburbs to check on the progress.
The fortress in the suburbs was of utmost importance.
Hundreds of heavy machinery were already digging the foundation at the site, and various raw materials were piled high. The project manager repeatedly confirmed the blueprints before directing the construction.
Strictly speaking, although the project looked massive on the surface, it was not complicated in essence.
As long as the foundation was properly excavated and reinforced concrete was poured, it was a simple task for Da Xia, known for its exceptional infrastructure capabilities.
Everything was in order, and Ye Zi'an returned to the city, arriving in front of a villa.
His second uncle was waiting there with ten mercenaries, all exuding a fierce aura.
Their target was just an ordinary college student, yet the commission was lucrative, which is why the mercenaries arrived quickly.
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While they weren't the top-tier mercenaries, they were all seasoned fighters.
With strict regulations in Da Xia, they couldn't get heavy weapons, but these individuals quickly gathered here, ready to complete the mission early and return.
Ye Zi'an's gaze swept across the group, landing on the only two women among them.
One appeared to be a blonde, blue-eyed Western woman with distinct features, sporting a ponytail and wearing a black tracksuit. Although her body was concealed by thick clothing, her physique rivaled that of Zhao Wanrong.
The other seemed to be of East Asian descent, petite with a short, neat haircut that partially covered one side of her face. Dressed in ordinary casual attire, she looked like any passerby.
Yet, just from the exposed half of her face, Ye Zi'an could confidently conclude that she was certainly a beauty.
[Anna Marshall]
[Strength]13
[Agility]11
[Stamina]13
[Spirit]14
[Potential]SS
[Favorability]60
[Hoshino Keiko]
[Strength]12
[Agility]13
[Stamina]12
[Spirit]15
[Potential]SS
[Favorability]30
The physical capabilities of these mercenaries were not inferior to the current Su Chen, and their combat experience far surpassed that of the reborn Su Chen.
(Su Chen in his first life was an ordinary person, unaware of the impending apocalypse. On New Year's Day, he stayed at home with his sister Su Wei and childhood friend Lin Qianqian. On the seventh day after the apocalypse began, Su Chen ventured out alone to gather supplies. When he returned to his community, other survivors had closed the gates against him, leading to his death by zombies.
In his second life, which is where the original storyline begins, Su Chen was reborn seven days before the apocalypse, aware of the event, so he started selling his house and stockpiling supplies. Now, Su Chen's memories only include those seven days after the apocalypse, and he is unaware of future plot developments such as attempting to kill Ye Zi'an or establishing a base in Xia City, which would later be destroyed by Liu Qinghuan.
Ye Zi'an, on the other hand, understood the entire plot from a god-like perspective, knowing all of Su Chen's movements and storylines.)
Ye Zi'an glanced at his second uncle, who immediately understood the cue and took out several photos of Su Chen from his pocket, handing them to the ten mercenaries.
Ye Zi'an spoke slowly, "This target is quite simple. Su Chen is just an ordinary college student, but his physical abilities are on par with yours. He lacks combat experience, though."
The reborn Su Chen's physical condition had received some enhancement, making him roughly equivalent to an average mercenary.
Pausing for a moment, Ye Zi'an continued, "If Su Chen is successfully captured by the police, you will receive the remaining payment and can leave. If he escapes from their grasp, your mission officially begins. You may use any means necessary; the goal is to eliminate Su Chen."
The mercenaries nodded, exchanging glances filled with competitive spirit.
It seemed that his second uncle hadn't clarified things for them. Ye Zi'an didn't want them to compete against each other and allow Su Chen to escape.
Seeing this, Ye Zi'an promptly warned, "You are not competitors in this mission. Whoever completes the task, as long as they bring Su Chen's corpse back, will have their payment settled automatically. However, the deadline for this mission is five days. Complete it within this time frame, and each of you will receive an additional two million dollars."
Ye Zi'an's lavishness stunned everyone present. If it weren't for their intelligence departments confirming Su Chen's identity as merely an ordinary college student, these mercenaries might think Ye Zi'an was targeting a high-ranking official.
Noticing that Ye Zi'an had finished speaking, the mercenaries began to disperse, preparing to execute their tasks.
As Anna and Hoshino started to leave, Ye Zi'an called out to them, "You two ladies have other assignments; for these days, you will stay by my side as my bodyguards."
Hearing Ye Zi'an's words, Anna looked at him with a playful expression, while Hoshino's eyes flashed with disdain.
Hoshino's favorability surprisingly dropped to 25!!!
"I'm not forcing you to do anything against your will. Just don't leave my side by more than one kilometer."
"Of course, in addition to the task bonuses, I will pay an extra 100,000 yuan per day for your security services."
Upon hearing this, Anna shrugged, showing no objections, as nobody would turn down money. Hoshino pondered for a moment before silently nodding in agreement.
Not having to complete a task while still earning money was indeed a great deal.
Seeing them agree, Ye Zi'an couldn't help but sneer inwardly, thinking, "Once the apocalypse arrives and the Tower of Babel is built, I will immediately use the four control slots to take control of you two."
The combat capabilities of these two were far superior to Su Chen's in the early stages, significantly exceeding the average person.
They only needed to protect Ye Zi'an nearby, which wouldn't interfere with their other activities.
Ye Zi'an arrived at the Century Community where Su Chen lived, observing him from a temporarily rented room as he was about to return home.
Su Chen, with tear-streaked cheeks, limped while pushing his electric scooter, feeling an indescribable oddness in his heart.
Recently, everything had been going wrong, and many of his plans had been ruined by Li Wei. Not only could he not execute them, but he felt worse off than in his previous life.
He had been humiliated by a group of black men! Even Kun Kun had received several kicks, and he wondered if he could ever recover after the apocalypse.
He wasn't worried about his sister's safety during the apocalypse; Su Chen genuinely wished he could just end it all.
This pathetic reincarnation felt worse than death.
It seemed like an invisible hand had been influencing everything since his rebirth.
Could it be the butterfly effect following his reincarnation?
An elderly neighbor, not understanding the situation, saw Su Chen pushing his scooter and kindly asked, "Xiao Chen, is your electric scooter out of battery?"
"Yes, I'm really unlucky," Su Chen replied.
He didn't dare mention the piercing pain that shot through him whenever he sat on the seat; he merely shook his head helplessly and continued pushing the scooter.
Suddenly, two sturdy men approached him. Before Su Chen could react, they seized him, pushing his scooter to the side.
Not again?
Surrounding him were a dozen men in casual clothing, restraining Su Chen and preventing him from breaking free.
"Who are you? Let me go!"
The memories of last night flooded back. Unlike the previous small-time thugs, this group of ruffians was openly provoking Su Chen.
The men today were well-trained and had ambushed him; before he could respond, they had already subdued him.
"Captain, we've found something."
A bag weighing over a pound containing contraband appeared from the sponge seat of Su Chen's scooter.
"Caught red-handed! Take him away!"
"Who set me up?"
Thinking about being dragged back to the detention center again, a fierce glare flashed in Su Chen's eyes, emanating an invisible killing intent. In those few days of the apocalypse, he had killed many survivors who had coveted his supplies.
The men who had restrained him felt a shiver run down their spines. That fierce gaze surely belonged to someone who had committed multiple murders.
This time, their lives were at stake. Su Chen couldn't afford to hold back.
Su Chen's latent potential exploded. After all, his physical capabilities were still intact. Taking advantage of the moment the men hesitated, he quickly broke free and ran toward the weakest point in the encirclement.