Chapter 99: Coda (End)

The sun is about to set.

The corridor lights flickered on eagerly, yet they dimmed and brightened unevenly.

She glanced at the flickering light overhead and sighed softly.

"Zhang Xian'an, are you there?" She knocked gently on the wooden door before her, but waited long without the man's response.

Regarding his personal character in private, she could without hesitation spit on Zhang Xian'an as scum, pinning every base and filthy title upon his head.

But standing purely on the ground of employee and employer, An Xianyuan had to admit that someone was indeed a boss often immersed in work.

Like now, Zhang Xian'an busy with work and unable to respond was a situation she had encountered frequently before, so she did not urge him further.

Tomorrow is New Year, one of Korea's most important festivals, and the elders of the Zhang Family still attached great importance to it, repeatedly emphasizing that they must return home together to celebrate the New Year and worship the ancestors.

As for her personal opinion, it was irrelevant.

As the eldest daughter of the An Family who had already become a vassal, she had no right to say no to the vast Zhang Family.

Perhaps this cat-and-mouse game of "you chase, I flee" between the two after so many years would also draw to a close.

"Hey, Zhang Xian'an!"

Ten minutes passed, yet still no one responded.

This far exceeded the usual waiting time.

Frowning, her emotions, which had just calmed, began to surge again.

"Your old man wants you home for New Year! Hey? Answer!"

She pounded the wooden door hard several times; the thick structure returned the force doubly, making her fist throb with a faint pain.

"I know... You go pack first, I'll be there in a moment..."

After quite a while, his intermittent reply finally came from inside the door.

"Got it...! (Korean: Curse word)" An Xianyuan muttered a curse, turned, and walked away.

Only after confirming she had left did that thick wooden door slowly open a crack.

Zhang Xian'an leaned against the door, his legs somewhat weak.

Blood dripped drop by drop, forming a string of spreading crimson spots on the floor.

There were no wounds on his body, yet blood seeped out continuously from the pores of his skin.

He had never seen such a bizarre situation, let alone it appearing on himself.

"Hello? Mr. Paul! May I ask..." He slumped weakly into the pool of blood and finally dialed the help number.

"Being too stubborn is not good, Mr. Zhang Xian'an." Paul on the other end of the phone sighed softly after hearing the full story, "Even like this, you still refuse to let her see your vulnerability?"

"I dare not, Mr. Paul. If she knew, she would surely kill me immediately..." Following Paul's instructions, he pulled the blue pill from his blood-soaked pocket and swallowed it whole.

"After you return from the New Year, we will discuss your failed plan in detail." Paul said understandingly, though his tone was somewhat cold.

"Alright..." Zhang Xian'an gave a bitter smile, and only after feeling that his body no longer seeped blood did he breathe a sigh of relief.

◎

Four grand movements played slowly and steadily, and finally, the last golden note fell.

Melissa opened her eyes, yet her mind remained immersed in the soul-shaking grand music just heard, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

Rottweiler was slightly better, with only a touch of redness at the corners of his eyes.

"Rottweiler? We..." Melissa gently took Rottweiler's hand, just about to say something, when she was interrupted by a miserable scream from behind.

People were drawn by that piercing cry, all wanting to find who dared to profanely make such a sound and disturb the solemn Public Funeral Ceremony.

Xida and Lucy also opened their eyes, looking in the direction of the sound without prior agreement.

The source of the sound was a woman in a black robe.

At that moment, she covered her mouth, pointing at the man beside her who had fallen at some unknown time, her half-exposed face crawling with fear and unease.

"Someone is dead!"

Within the crowd, a few whispers arose.

A man wearing sunglasses lay prone on the ground; his face was unseen, and a shallow pool of blood had already gathered beneath him.

"What happened?"

A few similar murmurs came from within the crowd.

The scene thus became chaotic; those who knew the truth, anxious and pushing, wanted to leave their seats and flee outward; those who did not understand still craned their necks, even leaving their seats, curiously squeezing inward.

Chaotic and noisy.

It seemed that the believers who had just been devoutly watching the ceremony were, in an instant, sacrificed by Satan and replaced by hellish demons doing evil.

Now, no one cared about the so-called Public Funeral Ceremony.

Either to preserve themselves, exhausted from fleeing for their lives; or to satisfy private desires, acting with reckless abandon.

Yahweh frowned slightly and gently took the hand of the girl beside him.

The Church's security personnel, fully armed, had already arrived, intending to suppress this sudden disturbance.

"Their sacrifice is meaningless... foolish people are always foolish..." Lucy said softly.

Xida said nothing, only tightening her grip on Yahweh's somewhat cool hand.

"Let's go." Yahweh sighed, shielding the two of them, and silently wove through the surging crowd, heading out of the Church.

"You seem a bit regretful... regretting what?" Lucy looked at the expression on his face and asked curiously.

"Feeling it was too noisy, wish you hadn't come?" Xida guessed, receiving a reply that was half nod and half shake.

"Just now..." Yahweh paused, organizing the right words, "someone threw something into the Church... something like an Electronic Virus... it was that man wearing sunglasses..."

"You secretly acted to save them?" Lucy raised her eyebrows slightly; she had never heard this fresh term before.

"Pity the result was somewhat different from what I imagined... these people are even more despicable than my worst imagination..." Yahweh sighed gloomily.

"Just consider it saving me and Lucy." Xida blinked, "Does that make you feel better..."

"Although I don't quite understand, anyway you didn't do anything wrong..." Lucy added lightly, "By the way, I should remind you, you can let go of me... we've already left the Church."

"Holding hands a bit longer won't hurt..." Xida snorted through her nose and pinched her boyfriend's palm lightly.

Yahweh shook his head and laughed helplessly, deleting all irrelevant emotions from his mind.

"Let's go..." He glanced at the sun that was about to set completely.

The slanted light retreated bit by bit as they moved forward, as if avoiding something.

"Hey? V? Are you free tonight?... Want to eat Hot Pot?" Xida grabbed Yahweh and answered the call from a friend.

"I'm free!" Seeing the questioning look Xida cast her way, Lucy spoke up first.

"Could I possibly refuse?" Yahweh asked back, rubbing his girlfriend's head, a faint smile lingering on his lips.

The Church behind them was left behind with their laughter and chatter, leaving only a messy, chaotic scene.