The sentence hit him like a thunderbolt! He froze in place, his eyes widening. This was the outward appearance of Chang Yu, but inside, it was a volcano covered in snow, beginning to erupt once more.

Chang Yu gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly. After a few moments, his nails nearly pierced the flesh! But he felt no pain.

The veins on his head swelled like a raging flood about to break the dam. Suddenly, his roar echoed through the forest, like a beast howling with the word "Wu Chi!" accompanied by a tone of intense anger!

The storm that had been trapped inside his heart was finally unleashed all at once with the explosion of that dam! It drenched the trees' leaves, which shook violently as if trying to calm his pent-up rage.

"Wu Chi! You were the one who urged me to come to this cursed place! You told me you would contact me as soon as I arrived... A month has passed since then!"

A few tears welled up in his eyes, his body trembling like small crystals. Drops of sweat fell from his forehead as his heartbeat quickened. He paused for a moment to catch his breath.

He inhaled the cold air, filling his lungs, then expelled it quickly, shouting, "Did you intend for me to suffer?! Only to come here and mock me after everything I've been through?!"

A cold voice emerged in Chang Yu's head. It cut through his emotions, bringing an icy chill that turned the flames of his heart into ash, devoid of warmth.

In addition to its lack of emotion, the voice showed no concern for the previous storm, but it had the power to crush it. This was Wu Chi when he said, "I didn’t guide you to power so you could display foolishness. You have a specific task: to protect that girl and keep her safe until the critical point."

"I told you to leave your past behind and focus on your future. All your childish past must be erased from your mind, or it will become a strong obstacle on your path ahead."

"Any foolishness from now on, I will consider a challenge to my orders. I shouldn't have to remind you of what happened back then every time, should I?"

The snowstorm that Wu Chi had brought froze the floodwaters. It weighed heavily on the air of Chang Yu's scorching storm. It turned the molten lava of his emotions into cold, solid stones!

With a slight shudder, indicating his fear, Chang Yu stiffened in place! The color drained from his face. He had become pale, as if the blood in his veins had frozen!

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

In front of his eyes appeared images of that city… or should I call it a human grinder? Piles of human emotions, their fear, hopes, love, screams of pain, crying voices, and terror.

The bodies of children, dismembered in a disgusting display! A hand here, a head there. The distortions and burns on their bodies added a repulsive touch. The abandoned houses that had been burned, and the elderly who had been left behind. A puddle? No! It was a sea of blood covering the bodies! If only it were just blood, for it was mixed with pieces of intestines, hearts, and pulverized brains.

A paste made from blood and powdered skulls had formed. The air was so heavy, it carried the scent of death and terror. Ravens gathered to feast on this abhorrent scene!

Outside this city, one person emerged from it, walking slowly and staggering as though dancing between life and death. Pieces of flesh and some bones stuck to his crimson clothes, which were soaked in blood. There was no part of his body untouched by that nauseating red. Upon closer inspection, those lifeless features were still familiar. It was Chang Yu!

Chang Yu fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and vomiting as thoughts crept into his mind, "No... no! This demon is not me! I am Chang Yu! I am still human!" The last trace of life faded from his face, replaced by terror! Those fleeing tears from his eyes soaked the ground as if they were expelling all his previous anger. Only fear remained, along with the sensation of a hand clutching his heart, stabbing it with needles of frost.

He slumped his body and leaned against a tree. It shook slightly, dropping a few green leaves. It seemed as if it was trying to embrace his misery and joy. He laughed bitterly, thinking, "Even the tree has more humanity than me, cursed killer. I hate this." He raised his hand and covered his eyes, as if not wanting this side of himself to exist.

After a while, suddenly, he opened his eyes with force as another message appeared in his mind. "Move. Forget these feelings. Get ready. In a week, you will go south, where you will find what guides you."

A bitter smile crept onto his lips. He placed his hand on the cold earth and pressed down. While his other hand still covered his eyes, he straightened up, slowly lowering his hand. This hand revealed eyes as cold as ice. They showed a will that would not break this time, a will that would not waver. One word echoed in his mind: "A mission to be completed."

He placed his hand on the tree and pushed with his weight. He moved slowly until he disappeared from the tree. Suddenly, a leaf fell where he had been sitting, as if recording the birth of a new person.

Between Chang Yu, the emotional one who loved his family and could be shaken easily by memories of the past, and Chang Yu, the cold one, who would now care for nothing but his mission, with his priority being orders.

After some time, Chang Yu returned, and once again, those troubled atmospheres appeared before his eyes. Previously, he might have been slightly disturbed. Now, there was no trace of emotion on his face, his eyes had become indifferent.

A cold breeze hit his face, he closed his eyes, and silence enveloped him from all sides. It felt as though time had stopped, while his emotions were like a leaking boat sinking slowly in the raging sea of his heart. It had not yet stopped, but it was being sealed little by little.

He opened his eyes, looked again at the blackness of the night, the group of trees, and the flames rising from the cold winds. All seemed to create an atmosphere full of life, dancing together to please that introverted girl.

His expression remained unchanged. He continued walking until he sat near the fire. Suddenly, the cold winds became heavy, lowering the flames, and those green leaves stopped dancing.

Previously, his heart would have shaken with anger, and he would have said, "Even nature hates me. What did I do?!!" But now, he would never again engage in such childish behavior. He showed no change in his expression. Still as solid as stone. Only the reflection of the flames appeared in his eyes.

Amidst all this dry, dark atmosphere, while Chang Yu tried to hide his emotions, to show an indifferent attitude, he thought, "Calm down, Chang Yu, calm down. Your only task is to complete it. There is nothing else. Forget family, forget the past."

"You are the one who accepted to be a tool for completing tasks in exchange for revenge. Calm down."

The internal conflict within Chang Yu escalated, but this time, the balance tipped in favor of Wu Chi's approach.

Chang Yu's emotions continued trying to break the seal placed on them until midnight, when they decided that there was no use in continuing. They quieted down and resigned themselves to their fate inside the seal for the time being. With the cessation of his emotional attacks, drowsiness overcame Chang Yu, and he fell into a deep sleep.