Chapter Eleven: Ignorant of One’s Own Limits

"You ask me what I want to do, but I should ask you the same—what exactly do you want?" Lei Tiangang seemed to have become an entirely different person. His tone had lost its severity, the authority in his expression faded, and his body relaxed completely as he leaned comfortably against the back of the sofa.

Only those who knew him well would recognize this as a sign that Lei Tiangang had entered a combat state. This was not genuine relaxation, but rather the poised stillness of a leopard before the hunt—a tension gathering in his muscles, ready to explode. In the next instant, the beast might spring forth like a whirlwind and tear its prey to shreds.

Lin Jiangbei hadn’t expected Lei Tiangang to speak to him in such a light, indifferent manner. In his estimation, even if Lei Tiangang wouldn’t be thrown into chaos or panic by today’s events, at the very least he would treat the matter with utmost gravity. By adopting an angry tone and exerting some pressure, Lin Jiangbei thought he might achieve an unexpected result. But the situation had veered wildly off course. Even someone as calculating as Lin Jiangbei was stunned for a moment. "What do you mean?"

Lei Tiangang snorted, picking up a file from beside him. "2018, Lin Tianyi, fourteen years old, eighth grade—attempted to assault his homeroom teacher. The result? Lin Tianyi transferred schools, the teacher was accused of misconduct, dismissed by the administration, left in disgrace, and now teaches in a remote mountain village.

"2019, Lin Tianyi, fifteen—assaulted his female classmate Wu. Lin Tianyi came out unscathed; Wu suffered a mental breakdown. Her father was so furious he coughed blood and hasn't recovered to this day.

"2020, Lin Tianyi, sixteen—drunk driving on the campus of Huaxia University, killed one person and injured three. Ten thousand paid in compensation, and the victim's family is still seeking justice, to no avail.

"2023, Lin Tianyi, nineteen—street racing on Ping'an Avenue, got into a conflict, opened fire in broad daylight, left the other party disabled. Again, Lin Tianyi walked away unharmed.

"2024, Lin Tianyi, twenty—organized an assault on a sixteen-year-old high school girl. Afterward, Hanjing police concluded that since Lin Tianyi was the first to have relations with the victim, it wasn't considered assault. Moreover, the girl was deemed provocatively dressed and thus had 'invited' it. Lin Tianyi escaped punishment.

"2025..."

"Enough!" As Lei Tiangang read through the list, Lin Jiangbei’s face flushed, then paled. Even without formal training in psychology, decades of navigating the political arena had taught him that if he allowed himself to be overwhelmed in a negotiation, it would put him at a severe disadvantage. He immediately cut Lei Tiangang off, "Even if Xiaoyi has made many mistakes, does that mean your son should cripple him for life? What of the law?"

At the mention of "lifelong disability," Lei Tiangang laughed inwardly. He knew all too well the force of his son’s actions. Lin Tianyi’s current condition was probably worse than death—at just twenty-one, he would never be a man again. Anyone would find that unbearable. When Lin Jiangbei invoked "the law," Lei Tiangang gave a derisive snort. "The law? You actually believe in that?"

Lin Jiangbei was at a loss. "What are you getting at?"

Leaning back into the sofa, Lei Tiangang extended a finger as if pointing at Lin Jiangbei, even though he was miles away. "First, with all the fine things your brat has done over the years, ending up crippled for life is letting him off easy. If my son turned out like that, I’d have killed him myself!" He raised a second finger. "Second, you actually dared let a brat like your son get close to An Jing? Aren’t you afraid he’ll really cause trouble? Aren’t you scared that old man will break your bones? Are you out of your mind?"

Leidong, already sitting on the bed, couldn't help but chuckle. "Dad is something else. That’s a political heavyweight he’s cursing out like a street punk!"

"You—" Lin Jiangbei was livid, nearly bursting with rage at Lei Tiangang’s tirade. Hearing his heavy breathing down the line, Lei Tiangang could easily imagine Lin Jiangbei’s ashen face, but he pressed on relentlessly. In that moment, he was no longer the imposing general in charge of the republic’s intelligence apparatus, but a street tough. "What do you mean, 'you'? You think I don’t know what you’re up to? You just want to climb higher, to secure support from the Tang family. If your useless son could marry An Jing, wouldn’t you be tied to them for good? You’re over fifty and still this naïve? You really think the old man would approve of you? You must be out of your mind!"

"Lei Tiangang!" Lin Jiangbei could no longer contain his anger and barked, "Do you have any idea? This time your son injured the sons of the Hou, Xia, Jia, and Li families as well... Aren’t you afraid of retaliation? Aren’t you afraid you’ll destroy everything?"

Lei Tiangang snorted in disdain. "Retaliation? Even if you all died ten thousand times over, my net wouldn’t break! Did you forget what I do for a living? I can’t be bothered to spell it out, but if I lay out everything those families have done in recent years, do you think they’ll join you in making things difficult for me?"

Once again, Lin Jiangbei fell silent. After a long pause, he spoke in a cold, sinister tone, "You’re not afraid. But is your son not afraid? He’s only eighteen—can he stay hidden for the rest of his life?" The threat in his words was obvious, but his momentum was clearly faltering.

Lei Tiangang burst out laughing. "I knew you’d say that. No surprise at all! Tomorrow—tomorrow I’ll send my son back to the army. If you’ve got a way, go ahead and try!"

Lin Jiangbei was fuming. "Lei Tiangang!"

Lei Tiangang laughed contemptuously, his tone turning airy. "Calm down, mind your manners... If you ask me, you’d best not provoke me, or your dirty laundry might come spilling out!"

His words sounded almost teasing, but Lin Jiangbei was clearly unnerved. Even Leidong, eavesdropping, could feel the tension, the stifling oppression in the air. After a long silence, Lin Jiangbei finally managed, in a trembling voice, "What do you mean?"

But even as he spoke, his confidence was gone. Even Leidong could hear the tremor in his voice.

"Heh heh heh..." Lei Tiangang sneered. "Forget what I do for a living? You really think I don’t know about your skeletons? Tongmi County, Ziyu Villa!"

Suddenly, the breathing on the other end grew heavy, then without warning—Bang! The phone was slammed down.

Lei Tiangang exhaled deeply, frowning in thought for a long while. Then he gently picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Swordfish Operation—prepare to close the net!" He quickly hung up, cursing, "Don’t even know how to avoid alerting the enemy... Arrogant fools!"

Though his voice was soft, Leidong heard every word clearly, puzzled. "What exactly is Dad up to?"

But as Lei Tiangang had said, there were some things Leidong did not know, and did not need to know. Battles fought at such a level drew no blood, yet they were more brutal and unpredictable than any war zone.

Leidong knew his father never boasted idly. If he said he would bear the consequences, it meant he was at least eighty percent sure of victory.

"Having a father who’s so sharp-tongued, yet absolutely reliable in action—it really is a comforting thing..." With a warmth and peace he hadn’t felt in days, Leidong, who hadn’t slept soundly in over a week, finally drifted off into deep, restful sleep.

Drowsily, Leidong’s consciousness seemed to float away from his body, watching himself walk step by step toward two points of light. He realized those lights were a pair of eyes—eyes that felt strangely familiar, as if he’d seen them even before he was born, yet also unfamiliar, so much so that each encounter felt different. The eyes seemed enormous, filling the world, and yet tiny, just two pinpricks of light, but their piercing brilliance made even Leidong’s mid-stage golden core soul feel uncomfortable.

In confusion, Leidong’s body walked steadily toward the eyes.

"You’ve come." A drifting voice sounded, sometimes near his ear, sometimes from the ends of the earth, sometimes booming as if to fill the entire space, sometimes so faint only he could hear it.

In the dream, those eyes, as if conjured from the depths of his soul, stared at him for what felt like a century. Then, with a sudden flash, Leidong found himself in an utterly unfamiliar scene.

It was a battlefield of carnage, a hellish Asura field. Creatures with two, four, even twelve wings, grotesque and monstrous, surged forward with murderous intent, blotting out the sky and light. Figures Leidong had never seen before—yet who seemed deeply familiar—rose to meet them, robed in simple cloth or splendid garments, some with hair tied in ancient styles, others with long hair flowing freely. Undaunted, they soared into the sky to confront the onrushing "bird men".

Explosions rocked the air again and again, dazzling white light flashing without end, illuminating the once-darkened space as if it were day.

The ground was littered with severed limbs. Both sides fought desperately, wielding weapons of every conceivable kind in the sky, as people fell continually from above.

Judging by individual strength, the side with those ancient-looking figures held the advantage. Among them, one man and one woman were especially formidable—the man wielded a radiant divine blade, the woman a short sword less than two feet long, but its aura pierced the heavens. With every swing of their weapons, divine light flashed, and the bird men fell from the sky like flies sprayed with poison, shattered and destroyed.

Yet, faced with the endless tide of winged enemies, those warriors were inevitably driven into a desperate battle.

At last, when the ground was heaped with layer upon layer of bird men corpses, only the man and woman remained on the battlefield, fighting on with grim determination, refusing to retreat.

"Go, go!" Leidong wanted to shout at the pair—so familiar, yet unknown—urging them to flee, but no sound would come.

Time lost all meaning. Perhaps an instant passed, perhaps decades, perhaps millennia. The two, battered and scarred, exchanged a deep, resolute glance, clasped hands, and with utter determination launched themselves toward the endless swarm of bird men, facing them head-on.

A silent white explosion filled the world in an instant. The blinding light seemed to set the entire universe ablaze.