Later, the body parts of Kumo's father were found in the freezer.
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Cut into pieces, cleaned, and neatly arranged on the shelves.
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Hands that were cut off were covered with gloves.
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Feet that were removed were put in socks.
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Heads were also cut off and displayed side by side with Kumo's mother's head on the shelves.
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This horrifying incident, after being discovered by the police, was widely reported in the media.
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For a while, it became a hot topic of public opinion.
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Domestic violence.
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Child education.
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Psychology.
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Rebellious phase.
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Life stress.
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Anyway, related or unrelated, everyone had something to say.
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Those wanting to profit off the hot topic, seeking fame, casting stones, killing time, all sorts of people are there.
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But all of this had nothing to do with Kumo anymore.
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Since she was still a minor and under fourteen, Kumo did not need to bear criminal responsibility and was sent to the Children's Welfare Department (a national child supervision agency that is more favorable than juvenile detention) for supervision and education.
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Later, Kumo met Bai Yaxin.
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When they first met, Bai Yaxin was thirty-six years old, and Kumo was fifteen years old.
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At that time, Bai Yaxin asked Kumo,
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"Little girl, what do you want?" (Bai Yaxin)
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"I want an unbreakable rope." (Kumo)
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"Why?" (Bai Yaxin)
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"When I was seven..." (Kumo)
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"My father wanted to strangle me with a hemp rope." (Kumo)
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"At that time, I was puzzled." (Kumo)
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"Why didn't my dad use a kitchen knife to chop off my head." (Kumo)
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"Chopping off the head would have been so much better, I could decorate my head and display it on the shelves." (Kumo)
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"But in these past few years, I've come to understand." (Kumo)
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"Strangling people is better than beheading." (Kumo)
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"A complete intact body has more artistic value." (Kumo)
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"What do you think, sir?" (Kumo)
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"Well, I think the same." (Bai Yaxin)
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And thus began the story of Kumo and Bai Yaxin.
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Afterwards, Kumo killed many people for Bai Yaxin.
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Under Bai Yaxin's protection, Kumo remained unscathed.
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Now, Kumo has captured Chongzong for Bai Yaxin.
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This was Kumo's first time personally killing someone for Mr. Bai.
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This truly excited her.
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"Mr. Bai, are you going to personally kill Chongzong Sugi?" (Kumo)
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Kumo waved towards Bai Yaxin and shouted out.
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Hearing the sound, Bai Yaxin raised the gun in his hand, seeming determined to carry out the execution himself.
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Seeing this, Kumo raised her hand and gestured an "OK," all that was left was for Mr. Bai to come over.
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Then, an arrow pierced Bai Yaxin's shoulder.
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At the same time, another arrow pierced through Kumo's arm.
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From somewhere unknown, two arrows flying simultaneously changed the course of the battle in an instant.
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Chongzong, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised by these two arrows.
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Instead, he seemed to expect it, almost as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
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While Kumo and Bai Yaxin were struck by the arrows, Chongzong immediately broke free from the wire, stood up, and acted swiftly.
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Before Kumo could react, Chongzong immediately tied up her hands and feet with wire, stunned her, then rushed towards Bai Yaxin.
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Bai Yaxin, already injured and unable to resist Chongzong, was effortlessly disarmed (his gun was taken), subdued, and knocked unconscious.
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The entire reversal process took less than a minute to complete.
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Only then did Chongzong turn towards the direction of the Tenshukaku (heavenly watchtower), waved his hand in acknowledgment.
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On top of the Tenshukaku, there were three people, just setting down their bows, relaxing after exertion.
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They were Ito Shinran, Ito Yunai, and Uesugi Yui.
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Yes, besides Chongzong, Uesugi Yui was the other person who pretended to go on vacation to Hainan and then secretly returned to Japan.
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In reality, if Chongzong wanted to slip away from the Uesugi family's watchful eyes, it wouldn't have been easy without Yui's cooperation.
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It was only with Uesugi Yui's persuasion that they both took advantage of the opportunity during Yui's vacation itinerary to split up, then secretly flew back to Kyoto overnight on a private plane arranged by Manranyama Souren, making today's unexpected operation against Bai Yaxin possible.
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The trio of archers, with Uesugi Yui and Ito Yunai as the advance team, and in case of mistakes, the strongest archer, Ito Shinran, would swiftly take over and compensate.
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It was indeed a well-thought-out and creative combat plan.
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This time, Uesugi Yui also overcame her previous psychological barriers and could now calmly display her archery skills, aiming at human targets.
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At this point, the battle inside the palace had fallen mainly under Chongzong and his team's control.
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Thus, Chongzong did not move to kill Kumo, but merely neutralized her and left her aside.
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Some say that there's only a difference between zero-sum and non-zero-sum killings.
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Only the difference between having killed or not.
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But Chongzong believed that there was a discrepancy between one and two.
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Without a life-or-death situation, he wouldn't take a life.
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As for the sins he had committed, someone would naturally pass judgment on him later.
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He would not evade redemption.
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Killing is killing, regardless of whether the victim was good or bad; there's no deeper sin for killing a good person nor a lighter one for killing a bad person.
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Next, as long as he reunited with the outside police and handed over the criminals, this chapter would come to an end...
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—Although that was my expectation, it seems like things won't go as smoothly.
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The sound of a helicopter drew closer and closer, immense pressure descending from above.
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On the other side, Officer Bai Shi, who had been attacked by Kumo and injured, also required urgent medical attention.
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Chongzong looked up, witnessing the helicopter arriving and preparing to land directly above the courtyard of the palace.
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Simultaneously, in the direction of the Tenshukaku, an arrow was shot towards the helicopter, but as it neared a few meters from the helicopter, the trajectory was swayed by the tremendous force of the helicopter rotor blades and deviated off course.
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Subsequently, several gunshots were heard from the helicopter, presumably fired by a sniper rifle or a large-caliber rifle, targeting Ito Shinran and his team on the Tenshukaku for counterattack.
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Internally praying for them, Chongzong swiftly tended to Bai Shi's wounds while under fire.
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Bai Shi's injuries were severe, having lost consciousness for an unknown duration. Chongzong could only do his best to stop the bleeding and stabilize his wounds.
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In reality, Chongzong faced three choices: to kill Bai Yaxin and Kumo; to escape before the helicopter landed; or to assist Bai Shi.
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Without hesitation, he chose to save a life.
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After providing emergency care, Chongzong carried Bai Shi into the bushes, covered him with branches and other camouflage, then returned alone to the courtyard and observed the helicopter's situation once more.
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By this point, the helicopter was already hovering above the courtyard of the palace and appeared to be slowly descending.
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But before the helicopter landed, several figures leaped out from it.
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Based on intuition, Chongzong suspected that a tactical team was descending vertically using ropes.
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Given Bai Yaxin's strength, it wouldn't be surprising if such armed forces were hidden by him in secret.
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Indeed, the black figures rapidly began their descent, and something else seemed to have fallen as well.
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Then came the crisp clanging sound.
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Something had fallen to the ground.
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Before Chongzong could ascertain, he instinctively dropped and lay flat on the ground, immediately followed by deafening explosions and blinding flashes.
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His ears rang intensely, his eyes flashed with white light incessantly, tears streamed down, his eyes stung, his vision blurred, unable to see clearly.
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Unable to see or hear anything, Chongzong writhed in pain on the ground, relying solely on instinct and fleeting memories to crawl towards the shrubbery in the opposite direction of Bai Shi.
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If the enemy gunmen were accurate and shot downwards while descending, then he, lying prostrate on the courtyard, would undoubtedly be a massive sitting duck.
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Fortunately, Chongzong's fears were not realized. The enemy's purpose in throwing flashbangs was simply to mask their descent.
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Once Chongzong partially regained his sight and hearing, Bai Yaxin's tactical team had just descended to a height of four to five meters from the ground.
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Today, Chongzong had already experienced countless life-threatening moments.
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Nearly every minute, his life dangled by a thread, ready to transition to another world at any moment.
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Every encounter forced him to make constant choices.
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Choosing the right one saved his life, while a wrong choice meant bidding farewell in the next life.
Now, he had to make a choice once again.
Barely catching Bai Yaxin and Kumo.
Dying Bai Shi.
His own life.
Chongzong, enduring pain all over his body, gritting his teeth, his mind racing.
To take Bai Yaxin and Kumo away, or wait for the police to arrive and reunite with them – it was clearly a pipe dream.
For now, he could only temporarily abandon these two important criminals.
Although he had fought hard all the way to achieve this interim result, now he had to let go.
And then, Officer Bai Shi's way to save his Yui was to attract attention as much as possible, not allowing the enemy to have extra energy to execute Bai Shi.
Ultimately, his own life.
Exhausted, facing three heavily armed elite commandos, what else could he do besides using all his tricks to escape for his life?
With a careful thought, there weren't many good choices.
As Chongzong staggered to his feet, he smiled bitterly.
The only optimal solution in this situation was clear.
Escape while diverting the enemy's attention in the opposite direction from Bai Shi.
And then, hope for the best.
Chongzong stood up, punched his own heart, as if pouring the last of his strength into his heart, making it beat faster and stronger, generating more energy to drive this broken body.
The enemies landed.
The battle began.
