The serene night sky was adorned with the radiant moon, illuminating the world below in a gentle glow. Twinkling stars added to the captivating beauty, as if painting a celestial masterpiece for all to behold.

Xu Ming looked up at the beautiful night sky before checking the time, realizing that it was past 10 p.m. Despite the fact that Xu ming don't feel tired or drowsy as he woke up late that day, he knew he had to go to work the next day. So, he decided to sleep.

…

There was a magnificent western-style mansion with wide gardens and beautiful white walls amid a busy metropolis that outshone even Shanghai. Within its walls, one dimly-lit room held a man, covered by a warm blanket as he slumbered soundly. The darkness obscured his features, but the peacefulness of his sleep was abruptly interrupted by the shrill ringing of his telephone.

The man stirred slowly, eyes still heavy with sleep, but his hand instinctively reached out to the nearby table and grasped the phone. He pressed it to his ear and spoke groggily, still in drowsiness, as the voice on the other end crackled to life.

“What’s the matter?”

“WHAT?”

He was startled awake by the voice on the phone, quickly removing his blanket and jumping out of bed stumbling around for the light switch, straining to hear the person on the other end of the line.

His towering, powerful body flashed in the glaring light of the room when he finally managed it to switch on. Despite his nearly 50-year-old age, he possessed a toned and athletic figure scarred by scars.

The room was completely messy. The covers on the bed were flung around, and the furniture was out of alignment. The room was scattered with discarded c*ndoms, and numerous attractive young women were naked about the room. One woman was lying on the floor, two on the bed, and one on the sofa. Given the state of the room, it was clear that the night had been anything but ordinary.

In a frenzied rush, he quickly grabbed his uniform from the floor and hastily began to put it on while speaking hurriedly, "Wait for me there. If this news is true, then my position as Deputy Commissioner-General will be even more ideal."

His unexpected shout jolted the young women out of their slumber, making them to groggily question about the noise. However, he did not bother to respond and hurriedly left after donning his outfit.

…

Xu Ming crouched on the ground, his eyes red with sobs, clutching a small child with closed eyelids who resembled him. They were in a street surrounded by numerous houses, one of which was on fire, with flames licking at the walls and overflowing out of windows.

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The street was deserted, and Xu Ming's youthful face was stained with dirt and tears. Despite his want to yell for help, he felt it would be dangerous given the scene he had witnessed before. So, he rushed down the street with the little child in his arms, huddled in a corner, and looked back at the blazing home.

After a moment, he heard voices shouting in the distance.

"Damn, where are those brats?" someone shouted.

"Hurry and find them, they would have run towards the road to find help," another voice urged.

Xu Ming's heart sank as he knew who those voices belonged to - the people who had set the fire. He gripped the small child even tightly in his arms, feeling her weight and warmth. Xu Ming's eyes filled with wrath and hatred for those responsible as he listened to the voices become louder.

Xu Ming's heart trembled, knowing that he and the little girl will be in danger if they were found. Panic seized him as the figures moved but he was relieved as they moved in the opposite direction of his hiding spot.

Xu Ming's gaze pierced towards the direction of the fleeing figures with a burning rage. Then suddenly, the scene abruptly came to a halt, and he found himself, no longer a young boy, in a gloomy and dark place surrounded by nothingness.

Then a voice, deep and heavy, echoed in the darkness, sounding just like Xu Ming's own asked: "Do you regret?"

When the voice came to a halt, the alarm jolted Xu Ming awake, as he jumped up in bed, his eyes wide with panic. Yet the panic vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, replaced by cold, emotionless expression on his face.

"I never regret," he said in a chilly voice, the words heavy with unspoken pain.

Despite the haunting memories that had filled his dreams, Xu Ming went about his morning routine as if nothing had happened. He took a bath, did breakfast in the kitchen, and dressed in his work attire. But beneath his calm appearance, there was a deep well of pain and sorrow that he kept locked away, a testament to the horrors he had experienced and the trauma he carried with him every day.

As Xu ming walked to the bus stop and then to the workplace, he tried to force the dream out of his mind but the weight of that dream persisted like a heavy fog. It was a reminder of the darkness he had been through, and the vicious and cold-hearted man he had become as a result.

After entering the building, Xu Ming navigated through the corridors towards his workplace. Just before he turned a corner, he bumped with someone, forcing both of them to stumble slightly. Xu Ming quickly regained his footing.

He bent down to help pick up the files that had scattered on the floor along with the person he had bumped into. Xu Ming's combat training had honed his reflexes to avoid a collision, but he chose not to rely on them when he accidentally bumped into someone in the building's corridor.

Despite his heightened senses and body, he refrained from using them to dodge the collision or remain steady. Xu Ming had to be cautious and avoid leaving any traces of his extraordinary abilities on camera.

"Sorry," he apologized as he handed the files to the person.

"No problem, no problem," the person hastily replied, glancing at Xu Ming's handsome face before quickly composing himself and continuing on his way.

Xu Ming sensed something off about the person's aura, aside from his reaction to his appearance. It was an indescribable feeling that lingered even after the person had left his sight.

‘What aura was it...’ Xu ming asked himself.