National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

”Why would he entrust the legacy of the Paper Makers to you?”

Qi Chaoyu asked, his voice filled with confusion.

The very name ”Paper Makers” was enough to make ordinary people shrink back in fear.

Sometimes, if a Paper Maker’s shop opened on a street, it would hurt the business of its neighbors.

Many people would go out of their way to avoid it, afraid of being tainted by misfortune.

When Paper Makers looked for a successor, they usually chose a man.

And yet, one had chosen a sweet-looking young woman—someone nobody would ever imagine walking this path.

A night breeze swept in, lifting a few strands of Gao Liceng’s hair,

framing her elegantly defined features and making her seem all the more ethereal.

”My parents divorced, and they both saw me as a burden.”

”So they left me some money and went their separate ways, leaving the city.”

”They went off to start new families in places I don’t know.”

”Thankfully, the money they left was enough for me to grow up on.”

”I’ve always been a loner, so I sold my house in the city and bought a small courtyard in a village to live by myself.”

”As it happened, my courtyard was right next to the old man’s, and we got to know each other over time.”

”I felt sorry for him. He was all alone, too.”

”So I started helping him out from time to time.”

”Other people were afraid of the Papermen the old man made, but I wasn’t. To me, those Papermen had more warmth than living people.”

”So whenever I was free, I’d go to his courtyard to learn how to make Papermen,”

”and when he got a commission, I’d go over and help out.”

”To me, the old man was like a family elder, but also like a friend.”

”I’m sure he felt the same way.”

”To him, I was like a junior in his family, but also a friend.”

”Most importantly, I didn’t see him as a bad omen, unlike the other villagers.”

Gao Liceng slid her hands into her jacket pockets, her tone calm as she slowly recounted her past.

”I see.”

Chu He nodded.

’More importantly, the old man probably couldn’t bear to let the Paper Makers’ legacy die with him.’

’He was utterly alone at that point,’

’so his only choice was to pass the Paper Makers’ Secret Technique on to Gao Liceng.’

’The old man could never have expected that Gao Liceng, the successor he’d chosen out of desperation,’

’would have such an incredible, innate talent for this Secret Technique,’

’She’d even mastered the Paper Makers’ legacy, taking it to its highest level.’

”So, the highest level of the Paper Makers’ art is turning yourself into a Paperman?”

Qi Chaoyu asked, filled with wonder.

He’d never heard of anything like it.

”That’s right.”

Gao Liceng nodded, her expression unreadable. ”I’ve told you everything there is to tell. So what is it you want? It’s your turn to talk. I’m no match for you, so kill me or torture me. I’m at your mercy.”

”When I first arrived in the Great Xia Empire,”

”Her Majesty the Queen of the Great Xia Empire, Lu Yinxing, discussed a certain matter with me.”

”It was a project called the ’Leader Initiative,’ and she wanted me to take on the role of its leader.”

”The goal was to lead a group of people who would become the powerful, core pillar of the Great Xia Empire’s defense.”

”Although I was given the title of leader, I never actually started the project.”

”The reason was simple: I couldn’t find the right people.”

”But in you, and one other person, I see the first glimmer of hope for this Leader Project to finally begin.”

”That’s why I came to find you. My purpose is to invite you to join.”

”You have a heroic heart, but how many people can you truly help by fighting alone?”

”Right now, humanity’s greatest enemy isn’t the vermin hiding within our society. It’s the Evil Spirits.”

”The Evil Spirits have become increasingly active and brazen lately. I have a feeling...”

”...that they’re plotting something far more terrible for the Human Race.”

”If their terrifying plan succeeds, it will be a cataclysm for all of humanity.”

”There may be plenty of people in this world who are worse than animals, people whose methods are even more vile than the Evil Spirits’.”

”But ultimately, this world has more good, kind-hearted people. The good will always outnumber the bad.”

”Otherwise, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.”

Chu He said coolly, ”This is just my personal plan. Whether you join is entirely up to you.”

”If you refuse, you can continue doing as you wish. I can even grant you certain privileges.”

The Leader Project was no secret in the Great Xia Empire; rumors about it had been swirling for a long time.

Many individuals and factions within the Great Xia Empire had vied desperately for control of the project.

But then Chu He had forcefully parachuted in,

causing all their long-laid plans to fall through and bringing the project to its current standstill.

”Why me?”

Gao Liceng couldn’t help asking. ”A powerful figure like you... you shouldn’t be short on followers, should you?”

”You’re wrong. I’m desperately short on people.”

”To fight the Evil Spirits, I need partners I can truly trust.”

”How many people can I save on my own?”

”I’m no Holy Mother, but I do want to protect the last spark of hope for the Human Race.”

Chu He shook his head and spoke slowly. ”Besides, your ability as one of the Paper Makers is incredibly valuable.”

”I want this power, a product of human civilization, to be passed on, even in an age where Evil Spirits run rampant.”

”There are many people like you in the Great Xia Empire. Countless people who desperately want to live.”

”And there’s no shortage of people who are kind and who yearn for the light.”

”Good people should stand together. Don’t you agree?”

”Your words have moved me. I’ll join.”

”But if I come across injustice, I will still step in without hesitation.”

”I will cut down those wicked people. The evil deserve to die. It’s the only way to keep the world pure.”

”My personality is completely different from the old man’s. I will never let myself suffer in silence or take my own life like a coward.”

”I won’t hesitate to raise the Slaughter Knife against the wicked.”

Gao Liceng laid out her terms. Otherwise, she absolutely would not join.

”That’s not a problem at all,” Chu He said with a small smile.

”Mr. Chu, what about you? Do you trust me? I can join too. I’m not weak, you know.”

Yumizakura blinked her bright eyes and leaned in with a wide smile.

”I don’t.”

Chu He’s answer was blunt. ”To this day, I still don’t understand why you defected from the White-Red Empire to join me. If you could betray the White-Red Empire, who’s to say you won’t betray me one day? Isn’t that right?”

”That’s different. I always follow the strongest. Don’t you have that much confidence in yourself, Mr. Chu?”

The smile never left Yumizakura’s face.

Even after being so sharply rebuked by Chu He in front of the others, her composure remained unshaken.

Chu He waved a dismissive hand, not bothering to argue with Yumizakura any further. ”If I detect you making a single suspicious move, I’ll kill you without a second thought. Since you’ve chosen to follow me, just be a good little tool and do as you’re told.”

Gao Liceng, who had been listening quietly, had a look of admiration in her eyes.

’As the strongest person on Blue Star, he should be this decisive and ruthless. Not naively benevolent like the old man.’

Qi Chaoyu, meanwhile, was filled with envy. He had a very clear understanding of his own limitations.

He knew he wasn’t qualified to join the Leader Project.