After lunch, Lin Chuan took a leisurely stroll to the City Committee. Normally a half-hour or even twenty-minute walk, this time he took almost an hour, casually admiring the scenery, moving at a very slow pace.

Upon arriving at the City Committee.

Luo Guoqing asked curiously, "Why haven't you been coming to work these past couple of days?"

"Some family matters," Lin Chuan said with a smile. "I was just about to come here to resign."

"What?!" Luo Guoqing was taken aback and exclaimed, "What... What's going on with you?"

"Nothing much," Lin Chuan shook his head and said, "Just feeling a bit burnt out from the work."

"Brother, this is probably the most relaxed and prestigious job in the world, with good welfare benefits as well. What more could you want?" Luo Guoqing said in surprise, "Could it be... Could it be because of the threats from the Song brothers?"

"Stop joking, those two losers?" Lin Chuan said with disdain.

Cough cough...

Suddenly, Li Minghua coughed violently.

Luo Guoqing immediately froze. At this moment, the Song brothers were standing at the entrance of the rest area, their faces gloomy. Song Wen angrily said, "Lin Chuan, who are you calling losers?"

"The two of you, of course," Lin Chuan replied without any hesitation.

"Fuck your mother!" Song Wen immediately flew into a rage, grabbing a chair and smashing it hard towards Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan neither dodged nor flinched, and a folding chair was smashed to smithereens on the spot, showing the force behind Song Wen's throw. The chair was shattered on impact. Lin Chuan lifted his arm and smiled, "That's all the strength you have, and you want to fight?"

Song Wen's lips twitched. At that moment, a cold gleam flashed in Lin Chuan's eyes: "Let me show you what fighting is."

Whoosh...

Against everyone's expectations, Lin Chuan made his move without any hesitation. In a flash, he grabbed Song Wen's neck with lightning speed. Without pausing, he continued to charge forward. Song Wen frantically clutched at Lin Chuan's arm, trying to break free, but to everyone's surprise, Lin Chuan, still clutching Song Wen's neck, charged out and slammed him violently against the corridor wall.

Boom...

A heavy, muffled sound.

Spurt...

Song Wen immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. The killing intent in Lin Chuan's eyes vanished instantly, and he quickly released Song Wen. This near-fatal blow almost sent Song Wen to the afterlife. Lin Chuan swallowed, thinking, how had his inner Heart Demon acted up? This sudden uncontrollable emotion was always referred to by warriors as being demon-possessed.

'Demon-possessed' describes strange phenomena that cannot be explained by science, or folk superstitions like being 'possessed by a demon'.

In folk terms, it usually refers to symptoms of mental abnormality due to fright, intimidation, or extreme mental tension, as well as complex syndromes like cold chills, which were medically inexplicable at the time and commonly known as demonic afflictions, such as folk superstitions of "encountering spirits" and "yawning", exhibiting odd and antisocial behavior.

Almost every soldier who has retired from the battlefield will show such symptoms to some extent. Lin Chuan's condition was considered mild since he could effectively control his own demonic possession. Moreover, his outbreaks were brief. This outbreak was triggered by his restless thoughts over the past few days and the provocation. Plus, the sudden attack from Song Wen caused the Heart Demon within Lin Chuan to act out. In that instant, Lin Chuan almost killed Song Wen.

Song Wen slowly collapsed from the wall.

"Song Wen." Song Wu rushed over quickly, shouting, "You... Are you alright?"

"I... feel tightness in my chest," Song Wen said, then immediately fell to the ground.

Song Wu was shocked, "Lin Chuan, you... You're done for, you've committed murder."

Soon enough, everyone was in panic, with some calling the police and others calling for emergency medical services.

The ambulance arrived with sirens blaring, promptly taking Song Wen away, and the police came to the scene to investigate. After an investigation and evidence collection, they were about to take Lin Chuan away. At this moment, Tang Yumeng appeared. She had heard in the office that Lin Chuan had fought with the Song brothers again and that the police had shown up at the scene. She immediately became anxious.

"Wait a moment," Tang Yumeng immediately intervened.

"Secretary Tang," the police replied with a smile, "Do you have any instructions?"

"Leave the matter of Lin Chuan to me," Tang Yumeng replied. "Song Wen shouldn't be seriously injured. It was just a common fight. I guarantee it."

"Uh..." The police were momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, "Alright, since Secretary Tang is guaranteeing it, we will respectfully comply with your request. We will conduct further investigations once Song Wen wakes up, however, Lin Chuan may be summoned at any time to cooperate with the investigation."

"Mm." Tang Yumeng nodded.

The crisis was temporarily resolved, and Luo Guoqing was indeed scared witless by Lin Chuan's recent display. As a former soldier, Luo Guoqing realized that Lin Chuan's moves were definitely those of a veteran who had seen frontline action, each motion filled with lethal intent. Luo Guoqing stared at Lin Chuan in utter disbelief.

Ever since regaining consciousness, Lin Chuan had braced for the worst, silently smoking on the side, waiting for the police to arrive. To his surprise, Tang Yumeng came forward and vouched for him using her status as the Secretary. This gesture filled him with a silent gratitude. He gave Tang Yumeng a thankful glance.

"You, come with me to the office." Tang Yumeng's expression was somber, her face appearing somewhat haggard.

Lin Chuan revealed a bitter smile. After Tang Yumeng left, Luo Guoqing quickly approached and said, "You little rascal, did you go crazy just now?"

"I don't know," Lin Chuan said with a candid smile, "Maybe he provoked me."

"But you shouldn't have done that," Luo Guoqing said anxiously, "After all, this is Vice Secretary Song's territory, you have to tread carefully. Impatience may spoil great plans. Having beaten Song Wen like this, do you think Vice Secretary Song will let you off?"

"I was ready to resign and leave anyway." Lin Chuan extinguished his cigarette and turned to leave.

"Eh..." Luo Guoqing looked at Lin Chuan with a confused expression. He had always wondered why Lin Chuan wanted to leave when things were going well here. At this place, the only person the Song brothers didn't dare to provoke was Lin Chuan. Why would Lin Chuan still want to go?

......

Tang Yumeng's office.

Lin Chuan arrived at the door, lifted his hand, and was about to knock. In the end, he didn't knock but walked straight in. Tang Yumeng was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in her office, facing outside. When Lin Chuan entered, he gazed at Tang Yumeng's silhouette.

Tang Yumeng was a perfect woman with a perfect figure. Even from behind, her silhouette was mesmerizing. Her full, graceful figure could probably lead countless men down the path of crime. Lin Chuan dared not stare for long, and he quickly coughed to signal his presence.

Regrettably, Tang Yumeng ignored Lin Chuan and continued to have her back to him.

"Secretary Tang," Lin Chuan called out, "Lin Chuan is here to apologize."

At this, Tang Yumeng slowly turned her head, her face still frosty. She scoffed coldly, "Tell me, what are you apologizing for?"

"I shouldn't have caused you trouble," Lin Chuan said, with his head lowered.

"Is that so?" Tang Yumeng sneered disdainfully, "You causing me trouble, I've become accustomed to it. But, your constant absence from work, what does that mean? Lin Chuan, you're the driver I hired, and even if you don't show up for work, the City Committee still pays your salary. Do you know what others might think? They might think I used my influence to hire you. They might think I am a person who abuses power for personal gains."

Lin Chuan showed a bitter smile and said, "Secretary Tang, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you."

"Humph." Tang Yumeng huffed and irritably sat down in her chair.

At this moment, Lin Chuan slowly approached Tang Yumeng and said, "Secretary Tang, thank you for your help in the past; thank you for giving me a comforting and considerate job when I was down and out; thank you for your meticulous care all these days. Lin Chuan is infinitely grateful. It's just that..."

Lin Chuan trailed off.

"Just what?" Tang Yumeng looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"Just that I'm afraid I might let down your kindness," Lin Chuan bit his lip, facing Tang Yumeng with a sincere apprehension and nervousness that was even more intimidating than facing a formidable enemy. This unexpected fear made him extremely uncomfortable. Lin Chuan gritted his teeth as if making a firm decision, "I'm afraid I can't continue with this job. I want to resign."

Tang Yumeng was stunned.

For a long time, a long long time...

The two remained silent, and the air in the office seemed to solidify. Lin Chuan was finding it hard to breathe, feeling heaviness in his chest and heart.

Tang Yumeng was silent, head bowed. Lin Chuan couldn't bear the feeling any longer and decided to leave. He believed that Tang Yumeng's silence meant she had tacitly accepted his resignation. So, he turned to leave.

As he turned, tears fell from Tang Yumeng's eyes, splashing onto the mahogany desk, shattering into eight petals like a blooming flower. But this brief beauty was soon overwhelmed by a stream of tears.

Lin Chuan's steps were heavy; he felt sad, but deep inside, he also felt an immense relief. He told himself silently that he was finally free, truly free.

But just as Lin Chuan reached the doorway, suddenly, Tang Yumeng's voice came, "Are... are you really going to leave just like this?"

The voice was so faint, as if a gentle breeze brushed past his ear. Lin Chuan seemed to be under an immobilization spell, frozen in place, his right foot hovering in mid-air. Tang Yumeng's voice came again, "Are you really going to leave me behind and just walk away?"

Tang Yumeng's voice was like a heavy bomb dropped into Lin Chuan's heart, agonizingly sour. Lin Chuan felt tears almost coming out, him being someone who would rather bleed than cry. He was once captured alive at the base, and despite various tortures, he never divulged any information about the Dark Soldier. Until the third day, when he was rescued by a comrade, Lin Chuan's body was covered with dense scars. That time, he did not cry. At sixteen, the first year of training, Lin Chuan fell from a hundred-meter cliff, woke up with fractures all over, he didn't cry; at seventeen, the first time he was shot through the chest, he did not cry...

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