"Smack—" With a sound, the room's lights went dark.
"What kind of small fry dares to make trouble on your granny's turf!"
She held her breath, rolled from the bed to the window in one motion, and as she spoke, she suddenly struck out, pulling a man in from outside the window.
Her moves were ruthless, and the man was no less so—every punch was a killing blow.
Jiang Shanhuan's gaze was cold and sharp. She sidestepped the incoming fist, used the momentum to grab the man's wrist and gave it a fierce twist, then swept her leg at his lower body.
As the man staggered, she spun and drove her elbow into his shoulder, then followed with her knee to his waist. The entire sequence flowed like water, yet not a single sound was made.
She gradually gained the upper hand, a vicious smile curling at the corner of her lips. When her fingertips clamped around the man's throat, her killing intent surged violently.
And in that instant, a cold glint flashed from the man's wrist.
Jiang Shanhuan immediately withdrew her hand and yanked the pearl hairpin from her head. With a "smack—" the pearl hairpin hit the switch, and the room lit up instantly.
The moment she saw the man's face clearly, Jiang Shanhuan was speechless.
"Why are you here?"
Ethan tilted his head, rubbing his wrist. The silver bracelet on his wrist gave off a cold gleam—this was the insignia of the first mercenary of the Mercenary Group, 'Shanxiao's' subordinate.
Ethan didn't answer Jiang Shanhuan's question. Instead, he said, "Boss, how have your skills regressed this much?"
You see, he had once passed layer after layer of selection and finally qualified to be sent to 'Shanxiao.' But he never expected that everyone under 'Shanxiao' was a bunch of freaks.
Not only were their skills freakish, their mental fortitude was unmatched by anyone.
He often felt out of place among them because he wasn't freakish enough.
In the first elimination assessment, he was personally cut by 'Shanxiao.' However, because he had a high IQ and a talent for making money, 'Shanxiao' handed all her businesses over to him to manage.
From the moment he joined the Mercenary Group, he had made 'Shanxiao' his goal. Although being cut meant he couldn't follow 'Shanxiao' through life-and-death battles in the chaotic war zones, being recognized by 'Shanxiao' for a certain ability was still something worth bragging about.
"You nearly scared the piss out of me today. Boss, how did you come back to life?"
Jiang Shanhuan sat on the sofa, slightly out of breath. Hearing this, her gaze unconsciously drifted downward toward Ethan, and a playful smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Ethan quickly stepped back, wearing an expression that said, Don't you covet me.
Jiang Shanhuan withdrew her gaze and shook her head. "I don't know either. I woke up in this body."
She leaned back against the sofa, also feeling helpless. "I didn't dare expose my identity, nor did I dare rashly contact the organization. Who knew I'd run into you today?"
Ethan nodded thoughtfully, acknowledging her words. "So what does Boss plan to do from now on? Be the second young lady of the Jiang family, or return to the organization?"
Jiang Shanhuan didn't speak. Instead, she tilted her head to look at him. "What do you think?"
Ethan poured her a glass of water and said, "Boss, I'll be honest with you. Ever since news of your death spread from the war zones, the black and white forces of various countries have been eyeing us like fighting cocks, dying to swallow us whole. The organization is in an uproar too—internal fighting between districts, external forces watching us like hawks. And the war zones, not to mention—they're in chaos again."
"Internal strife?" Jiang Shanhuan frowned. In a mercenary group, martial prowess was supreme—only the capable rose to the top. With her, the number one, gone, the number two would naturally take over, inheriting her missions and influence in the war zone. How could there be internal strife?
"What about Haha and Red Crab? Aren't they going to do anything?"
Ethan shook his head. "Those two gentlemen—one is in the Golden Triangle, about to take the top seat. The other is in Northern Europe, sweeping through all the major gangs there, already ranked number one in Northern Europe, sitting on the throne as the godfather of Northern European organized crime."
Jiang Shanhuan: "…" Great, very fast. That was just like those two.
"But everything is still under control. It's just a bit restless."
"Not as good as your current leisurely and wealthy life."
Jiang Shanhuan: "How can you tell I'm leisurely and wealthy?"
Ethan: "Boss, do you know how much the crown you're wearing on your head today is worth?"
Jiang Shanhuan shook her head. "Is it very expensive?" Before washing up, she had casually tossed it onto the sink.
"The pink diamond crown auctioned at Port X last month. Final bid: two hundred eighty million."
The moment Ethan's words landed, a gust of wind swept past, and Jiang Shanhuan vanished on the spot.
A short while later, Jiang Shanhuan emerged from the bathroom, holding the pink diamond crown in her hands.
"A two-hundred-eighty-million item, and I treated it like that." Jiang Shanhuan was filled with anguish.
Ethan couldn't stop laughing. This money-grubbing look—she was indeed his boss.
"Boss, you can tell the Jiang family treats you very well. Didn't you always say that once you earned enough money, you'd retire and live the life of a slacker? Well, you've achieved it now."
Jiang Shanhuan held the crown and turned to look at him. "So you think I should stay?"
Ethan nodded. "The mercenary line is ultimately not a proper path. The risk is too great—life and death in an instant. Boss, you've been through it once. You should understand."
Jiang Shanhuan fell silent. Her current life was indeed what she had once dreamed of. But…
"So, boss, are you going to stay?"
"Of course not!" This time, Jiang Shanhuan spoke without hesitation. "I still haven't found that bastard who blew me to bits. There's no way I'm letting it go just like that."
Ethan wasn't surprised by this answer. Or rather, he had long anticipated it.
This tit-for-tat, repay-a-drop-of-kindness-with-a-gushing-spring personality—that was "Shanxiao."
"So what are you planning to do now, boss?"
Ethan began to get excited, his whole body filled with hot blood, as if the next second he would charge into the Mercenary Group alongside Jiang Shanhuan, sweeping away everything in their path.
"Now? The priority right now is to make this body completely mine. At my current level, I can barely handle you alone. How could I go back and compete with those animals?"
He was afraid that when the time came, not only would he fail to reclaim the title of number one mercenary, but he'd be kicked off the altar and mocked for ten thousand years.
"You go build me a training ground. It has to be exactly like the old one. All kinds of weapons must be fully equipped too."
Ethan looked troubled and didn't respond.
Jiang Shanhuan: "What's wrong?"
Ethan deliberated for a long time, then slowly spoke: "Um… well, boss, it's not that I won't do it. It's that—there's no money in your account."
"No money!" Jiang Shanhuan let out a sharp shriek.
No money? No money? No money!
"I spent my last life diligent and hardworking, bearing hardship without complaint, going without sleep to save up hundreds of billions of US dollars—and you're telling me there's no money in my account!"
Jiang Shanhuan no longer cared about anything, praying that Ethan would reach out and grab his neck, interrogating him ruthlessly.
"Insolent commoner!"
"Where's my money! Did you embezzle it!"
"Boss, I'm innocent! I didn't touch a single cent, how would I dare."
"Then where's my money!"
"Donated… donated it."
"Donated it?!"
"Did you forget? The will you made before, saying if you kicked the bucket, your savings would be split in two—one half to serve the motherland, donated to Project Hope, and one half to the International Children's Rescue Foundation."
Jiang Shanhuan thought about it—son of a bitch, there really was such a thing.
"So you really donated it all?" Jiang Shanhuan was grief-stricken. "Didn't embezzle a bit?"
Ethan: "Boss, how would I dare."
Jiang Shanhuan completely lost his strength and his means. "Then what about the company? My company in M Country didn't get donated too, did it?"
Ethan: "That can't be. If it had been donated, how could I be here?"
"That's good, that's good." Jiang Shanhuan patted his chest, finally getting a bit of comfort.
But before she could finish her sigh of relief, Ethan added: "However, the money won't reach your account."