Chapter 1: Killing the Soldier King and go home

The storm was raging, waves crashed against the shore, and on a small island, a burly figure, covered with wounds, was desperately rushing forward with a speed that greatly surpassed that of a cheetah sprinting at full throttle. He could see a cliff ahead, with waves surging up from below.

"Boom..." With an explosive sound, the ground cratered due to his all-out sprint, propelling him hundreds of meters forward. But in the next moment, he abruptly looked back, his European face filled with horror, and he almost collapsed. The young man behind him seemed to be strolling leisurely as he pursued, and when he saw him look back, he waved at him.

"Ah, how is he still behind me? Is he even human? I'm the African Soldier King, having dominated Africa for twenty years, how could I encounter such a terrifying situation on this damn island..." At this moment, the African Soldier King truly felt like crying.

He came to this mysterious little island to kill such a young man, only to be thoroughly defeated, an experience he now dares not recall as it seemed like a nightmare. But looking back and seeing that the man was still pursuing him confirmed that he wasn't dreaming.

This fueled his fear and humiliation even more, yet he was powerless to do anything about it. Once known as the 'Nightmare of Africa,' he had slaughtered an entire tribe by himself. As long as the price was right, he had slaughtered many a base for both the United States and the United Nations. Although he styled himself the African Soldier King, he would wreak havoc in Europe, America, and Asia if the money was sufficient. He was the nightmare of countless people, but at this moment, he truly felt like dying.

"You... What do you want, haven't you had enough?" Finally, unable to bear it any longer, the African Soldier King roared. He had fought in Africa where the Chinese had strong influence, and he had learned quite a bit of Chinese. This young man was clearly Chinese, so he roared in a somewhat stiff voice.

The young man trailing the African Soldier King seemed to be under twenty, about 1.8 meters tall with a fit and healthy physique, exuding a resolute temperament, and still smiling as he followed. While the African Soldier King caused explosions with every sprint, the ground under young man didn't crack in the slightest, as if he was merely taking a stroll.

"Hm?" Hearing the African Soldier King suddenly speak up, Lin Feng laughed and said, "Are you sick? Asking me what I want, if I'm finished. There are only two people on this island, you and the old man, and you came here looking for trouble with murderous intent. I don't believe you dared to bother the old man, so if you didn't come to kill me, what did you want? You come to kill me, I deal with you; what's so strange about that?"

"Uh..." The African Soldier King was at a loss for words because he did indeed come to the island to kill this young man, yet he never imagined the young man would be so terrifying, practically playing him to death in half a day. He never even dreamed that there could be such a formidable young man in the world. Is he even human? What is he doing on this little island?

And as for himself, why did he take on such a mission? It was like seeking his own death.

"There's a saying among your Chinese people, 'leave a line, and meet again another day.' I've given up on this mission, I will compensate tenfold, please just stop chasing me," the African Soldier King had never begged like this, but at this moment, he truly did not want to see this young man again, too abnormal, too frightening. He even considered retiring for good if he managed to return alive this time.

"You might have given up on the mission, but I haven't. If I don't kill you, I won't be able to explain myself to the old man. Watch out, I'm about to speed up..." Lin Feng said, his figure suddenly accelerating, closing dozens of meters between them.

"Ah... I'm all in... Boom..." When the African Soldier King saw that Lin Feng was able to speed up and had clearly not used his full strength before, he was terrified. As he faced the towering waves ahead, he suddenly unleashed all his power, blasting a deep crater in the ground, and leaped high into the air, preferring to drift in the boundless sea than confront this young man any longer.

"Hey, don't be rash!" Lin Feng raised his hand to stop him but was too late; he could only helplessly shake his head.

"Ah... Boom..." The next moment, a scream echoed.

Lin Feng slowly walked over. It was a cliff hundreds of feet high. The African Soldier King had just leaped towards it at full speed, thinking he could jump right into the sea, unaware that there was a distance to the water and that the waves kicking up were still far away. The wind here was unusual; sea water sprayed over and was carried by the wind in an arc, but below the cliff was solid rock.

That man ran out of strength, and this place's unique wind meant his fate was the same as if an ordinary person jumped from a hundred-story building.

"Another one gone, the old man's mission is done, but when will these days end? When can I go home?" Sitting at the edge of the cliff, the wind that could sway boulders felt no more than a gentle breeze on his face, hardly stirring him.

Glancing down at the African Soldier King, this was the fifth person over the years who thought they could jump into the sea and was mistaken. Lin Feng couldn't recall how many others he had killed. Looking out to sea, Lin Feng couldn't help but think back to five years ago, when he was still a profligate young master, taking a speedboat on a bet and ending up here by accident. An old man sat waiting for him on the island, saying he had calculated Lin Feng's arrival and was prepared to take him as a disciple.

Lin Feng tried to ignore him and escape, but the old man quickly subdued him, coercing him into becoming his disciple, followed by an ordeal of training that Lin Feng couldn't bear to remember. And strange things happened frequently on this island, with ferocious beasts and occasionally murderers, assassins, and even Soldier Kings like this one appearing.

He had to deal with each of them while also learning various things from the old man. Before he knew it, five years had passed. Lin Feng had tried to leave, but never succeeded. Even now, with the strength to easily kill the African Soldier King, he could only sigh as he gazed at the sea.

He couldn't understand what the old man was thinking, teaching him so much on this broken island where only the two of them lived. But over these five years, the biggest change in Lin Feng was that he had lost his previous immaturity and naivety, and the person had settled into a calm maturity.

"Thump..." Just at that moment, Lin Feng's buttocks were suddenly kicked, and he soared toward the cliff like the African mercenary king he had just encountered.

"Damn, boom..." Lin Feng cursed without panic, his fists, already accustomed to such situations, punched out furiously. Even striking the air caused an explosive sound and the next moment, the rebound force brought his body back onto the cliff. Lin Feng flipped over and found himself standing on the cliff's edge, just in time to see an old man dressed in a loose white silk Tang suit, with a white beard, white hair, and even white eyebrows, his face brimming with a joyful smile as if he had stumbled upon a great fortune.

"Old man, can we not be so childish? You're not young anymore; stop playing around like this. Oh, by the way, why did you bring in an African mercenary king ahead of schedule? That's not normal. It couldn't be that you... have some issues in that department, could it?"

"Issues with your head, kid! Take this, you'll need it when you get back. There's a boat coming, you can go home now." The old man, having known Lin Feng for five years, naturally understood what he meant, but he still replied with a laugh while handing Lin Feng a business card holder and pointing out toward the sea.

A business card holder, a box of business cards? What was he up to?

But right now, Lin Feng was more concerned about the boat. Looking up, there was indeed a boat.

"Old man, for real?" Lin Feng turned his head to ask the old man, but when he looked back, he found that the old man had already vanished!

Gone, yes, gone. Lin Feng was sure that he still felt the presence of the old man nearby, but he was no longer in sight. Looking around at the endless surroundings, without any obstructions, Lin Feng really wanted to jump into the sea to see if the old man had jumped in.

But the old man had always been like this, and Lin Feng, with his current disposition, just smiled faintly. Turning his head and seeing a boat for real, he knew that if he couldn't get out, it must be the old man's doing. Now it seemed he truly could return.

Lin Feng immediately went back to pick up a suitcase he had packed on the island and started walking toward the boat. The cliff, a deadly spot for others, posed little challenge for Lin Feng. His previous attempts at escape had not failed because of it, but always because of the old man.

As expected, this time everything went surprisingly smoothly. Once on the boat, none of the bizarre events that had happened before occurred, and soon he entered familiar waters, quickly steering the boat ashore.

Five years had passed, a full five years.

Once ashore, the first thing Lin Feng did was find a place to call home. Fortunately, his mother's phone number hadn't changed, and after a few rings, the call was quickly answered!

"Hello, may I ask who you're looking for?" The voice of Lin Feng's mother, Zhang Lan, was still familiar over the phone, only devoid of the formidable presence and manner of the businesswoman she once was, making Lin Feng's heart sour!

"Mom, it's me, Lin Feng! I've returned!" After five years, he had finally returned and heard his mother's voice again...

"Ah!!! My... my son, is that really you? You've really come back! Where... where are you... you...?" Zhang Lan asked excitedly. After more than five years of searching for her son without any leads, suddenly there was news of him. How could she not be overjoyed!

"Mom, it's a long story, and I can't explain it all in one or two sentences over the phone. I'll tell you everything when I get back," Lin Feng said, wishing he could return immediately, for he was no longer the rebellious spendthrift, the prodigal son at odds with his parents, he once was.

"137 Xiangming Residential Community on Xiangshan Road, Tianhai City," Zhang Lan, too excited, began to sob, her voice trembling as she spoke.

"Mom, I've returned, safe and sound, and I'll be home soon, so don't worry, and don't be too anxious," Lin Feng comforted his mother, fearing she might be overly excited and anxious.

Hearing that Lin Feng had hung up the phone, Zhang Lan still clutched the receiver tightly. With some white hair now mingling in her locks, she was tear-stained, her hand still trembling. Truly... after five years, five long years, her son was still alive, and he had come back on his own—her son had finally returned!

This feeling couldn't be expressed in words. Tears streaming down her face, she thought of soon seeing her son and couldn't help but break into laughter through her tears, alternately crying and laughing. If an outsider who didn't know any better saw her at that moment, they might think she had lost her mind.