A loud bang rang out. The taxi driver, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, was thrown headfirst through the windshield and landed on the ground, his face covered in blood. He died on the spot.
Shi Tianqun was also thrown forward, smashing into the steering wheel. His mind went blank from the impact, his body covered in cuts and bruises, and a deep gash on his forehead bled freely.
Shi Ting and her mother, shielded by her father's protective arms, were also violently jolted forward into the back of the front seats. Fortunately, the seats were padded leather and cushioned the blow. Though they suffered no major injuries, shattered glass had cut them in many places, and both lay sprawled in the back seat, semi-conscious.
Shi Tianqun shook his head forcefully, trying to snap back to consciousness. The pain from his injuries was unbearable, but his mind gradually cleared. His first thought was that they'd been in a car accident. He immediately got up and looked for his wife and daughter. Seeing them injured and temporarily unconscious, he relied on his forty-plus years of military experience to assess that their lives weren't in danger—for the moment, at least. That gave him some relief.
He then looked at the driver, who had been thrown out and now lay motionless on the ground, his head drenched in blood. With effort, Shi Tianqun kicked open the deformed car door and stumbled out, supporting himself with one hand on the vehicle. He panted heavily, his stomach churning from the intense impact, on the verge of vomiting.
He steadied his breath, wiped the blood from his forehead, and stepped to the front of the taxi. The front end had been completely destroyed by a collision with a massive truck, and the driver on the ground was clearly dead. Shi Tianqun quickly pulled out his phone, preparing to call the police.
Just then, a sharp click was heard—the door of the truck opened.
Before Shi Tianqun could dial 110, he instinctively ran over to check on the truck driver, hoping they weren't seriously hurt.
Naive as he was, Shi Tianqun still believed this was just an unfortunate traffic accident. His good intentions would soon become the prelude to his death.
From the truck, a man jumped down, holding an unusually long katana. He wore a black trench coat and a mask, and slowly approached Shi Tianqun with a sinister smile.
"Well, well. So you're Commander Shi of the military district. Even a crash like that couldn't kill you. Impressive," the masked man sneered, clapping his hands slowly in mock applause.
"Who are you?" Shi Tianqun demanded, his voice steady and commanding. Despite his injuries, the battle-hardened veteran showed no fear. His sharp eyes scanned the area, hoping for a car to pass through the tunnel. But from the way things were unfolding, he could already tell something was wrong. This wasn't just an accident—the enemy had come for him. It was too late to call the police. Regret filled his heart.
The masked man with the katana saw through Shi Tianqun's thoughts and smirked coldly. "Don't bother looking. No cars will be passing through here. My men have already blocked off both ends of the tunnel. No traffic for at least ten minutes. Killing you will take only ten seconds—and I'll have more than enough time to disappear afterward."
As he spoke, he burst into loud, triumphant laughter, the sound echoing through the tunnel like a cruel symphony.
Shi Tianqun was not afraid of death. If he feared dying, he would have died long ago on the battlefield. He had once faced armies without flinching. This killer was no different. But the thought of his wife and daughter lying behind him made his heart tighten with worry.
Snapping back to reality, he stared down the laughing assassin and asked, "Who sent you?"
The laughter stopped abruptly.
"Good question," the masked man clapped again. "But I'm not going to tell a dead man the answer. That would be meaningless. Go ask the King of Hell—he'll tell you everything."
With that, he slowly drew his katana. His eyes locked onto the blade as if he were admiring a work of art.
At that moment, Shi Ting and her mother let out faint groans and stirred awake. They each clutched their heads, their movements weak and disoriented. Clearly, their minds hadn't fully recovered yet.
Hearing the noise, Shi Tianqun immediately backed up against the car. He had to protect his family.
"Heh heh… Commander Shi," the masked man sneered, "I forgot to mention—this time, it's not just you. Your whole family has to die."
As soon as he finished speaking, the long blade came slashing toward him.
Shi Tianqun instinctively dodged, but not fast enough—the blade left a long gash across his chest. Blood gushed out instantly. The searing pain made it clear: the attacker was no ordinary killer. That strike was just an appetizer. The next one wouldn't be so forgiving. Shi Tianqun immediately clutched the wound tightly with his hand.
"Aah!"
A sharp scream pierced the air. Shi Ting had just regained her senses and cried out in horror at the sight before her.
The scream shocked Wang Xiuzhen back to consciousness as well. Through the shattered car window, she saw a masked man in black standing in front of her husband, and the deep, bleeding wound on her husband's chest. She instantly came to, letting out a heart-wrenching cry: "No!"
She fumbled with the car door and staggered out.
Seeing the chaos unfold, Shi Tianqun's heart sank. With his left hand pressed against his bleeding chest, he stretched out his right arm and shouted, veins bulging:
"Xiuzhen, don't come over! Take Tingting and run—now! Don't worry about me!"
But this was the first time Wang Xiuzhen had ever heard him say something like that. She couldn't think of anything else—she ran straight toward him.
Tears streaming down her face, Shi Ting heard her father's words and suddenly snapped back to awareness. Summoning a burst of courage from somewhere deep inside, she lunged forward and grabbed her mother's arm.
"Mom, don't! It's dangerous!" she cried.
Being pulled back like that, Wang Xiuzhen felt more helpless than ever before. Her husband was only a few meters away, yet he felt impossibly distant. She collapsed to the ground in despair and cried out hoarsely,
"Who are you?! Why are you trying to kill my husband?!"
The masked man twirled his long blade with a grin and laughed.
"A family drama, huh? Touching. But I don't have time to watch. Don't worry—you'll all be dead soon. I promise it won't hurt."
Hearing those words, Shi Tianqun instantly knew—he wouldn't make it out alive. His only hope now was that they could escape. He had to buy them time.
He steeled himself and suddenly lunged forward, launching a powerful kick at the assassin while shouting:
"Tingting! If you're really my daughter, get your mother out of here now! If you stay, you'll only distract me!"
As the words left his mouth, he launched his attack.
Shi Ting wiped her tears, gathered all her strength, and dragged her collapsed mother up off the ground, pulling her toward the tunnel's exit.
Wang Xiuzhen had long since lost her strength. Shi Ting was dragging her, but she herself made no move to run. She just kept crying out for her husband, watching him grow smaller and smaller in the distance.
Shi Ting, overwhelmed by the sudden violence and chaos, had completely forgotten she even had a phone to call for help. Her only thought was to get her mother away from the nightmare.
The black-clad killer easily dodged Shi Tianqun's sudden attack. With a cold smile, he said,
"Not bad. Finally fighting back—and your moves aren't half bad either. You've got some skill.
But now, I'm getting annoyed."
His smile vanished.
In an instant, the killer's shadow seemed to engulf the space around Shi Tianqun. His speed was unbelievable. Before Shi Tianqun could react, a flash of cold steel pierced straight through the center of his brow—clean through to the back of his skull.
With a swift motion, the assassin yanked the blade back out. A stream of blood spurted from Shi Tianqun's forehead. The killer leapt backward to avoid getting any on his clothes.
Shi Tianqun collapsed to the ground. His eyes remained locked in the direction his wife and daughter had fled. His limbs twitched a few times, then went still. His breath faded away.
Not far away, Wang Xiuzhen and her daughter collapsed to the ground the moment they witnessed the scene. Having just lost their husband and father, the two broke down in uncontrollable sobs, completely forgetting about escaping.
The assassin moved fast—unbelievably fast. With just a few strides, he was already beside them. Watching the mother and daughter cry over Shi Tianqun's body, he spoke coldly:
"Sorry, I don't have time to play with you. Why don't you go down and join him?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, there were two muffled thuds. Wang Xiuzhen and Shi Ting fell to the ground together. Both had been stabbed in the center of the forehead—the blade piercing straight through the back of their heads.
The killer calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his blade. Then, with a speed beyond that of any ordinary man, he bolted toward the tunnel exit.
In an instant, he vanished into the night.
At that very moment, Shi Kai—exhausted after being tormented by 20 grueling laps—was deep in a dreamless sleep, completely unaware that his entire family had just been wiped out on this tragic night.
What was meant to be a joyful family trip had turned into the beginning of a nightmare.
Not long after the assassin disappeared into the darkness, violent explosions erupted at both ends of the tunnel. Collapsing rocks sealed off the exits completely.
Meanwhile, the black-clad assassin arrived at a public phone booth. The phone was ringing—ding! He picked up the receiver swiftly and let out a cold, sinister laugh.
"Mission accomplished. Plus, I took out three extras. Make sure our client pays a little bonus for that. Ohoho…"
A woman's voice came through the receiver, her tone filled with disgust:
"Smiling Wolf, cut that revolting laugh. I hate it."
"Oh really? Hahaha!" Smiling Wolf continued laughing, amused.
The woman's voice spoke again:
"There's a car parked across the street. Inside, you'll find a passport. Go to the airport immediately. You're flying to Thailand. There's another job waiting for you. The flight leaves in twenty minutes. Move."
Click! The line went dead.
Still laughing, Smiling Wolf hung up the phone.
This cold-blooded assassin—Smiling Wolf—was no amateur. He was a professional killer. The woman on the other end of the line was his agent.
He quickly walked across the street, got into the car, and tossed the long blade into the back seat. Then he changed into a casual summer outfit, started the engine, and drove toward the airport. From time to time, eerie laughter echoed from within the speeding car.
Five minutes later, the car came to a halt. Smiling Wolf, now dressed casually, stepped out, put on sunglasses, and casually shut the door behind him. Pulling the passport from his pocket, he kissed it, then sneered coldly:
"Goodbye, beautiful W City."
With that, he turned around and walked into the airport with a smile on his face.
The plane took off on schedule.
"The mission is complete—and Shi Tianqun's wife and daughter have been dealt with, too. By tomorrow, I want to see a satisfying amount deposited into my Swiss bank account. Goodbye."
This call came from Smiling Wolf's agent. After hanging up, she calmly removed the SIM card from the phone and dropped it into a burning bin in front of her.
In the assassin world, very few killers deal with clients directly. Most have dedicated agents who handle all communication, negotiations, and logistics. The killers simply carry out the job when the time comes.
By now, chaos had already begun to engulf W City.
The first person to call the police was a taxi driver.
In fact, the whole thing was rather absurd—he had originally dialed 110 just to report the road conditions. About two kilometers from the tunnel entrance, large rocks were scattered across the highway, completely blocking traffic. Vehicles had been stuck for over half an hour.
The police arrived promptly. By then, the highway was packed with cars. After taking a quick look at the road situation, it was obvious: the rocks were not there by accident. The obstruction stretched on for a full two kilometers—it was clearly man-made.
The officers immediately called headquarters to request backup to clear the road. Then, they began heading toward the tunnel on foot to check for possible injuries or casualties.
As they got closer to the tunnel, they were stunned—the entire entrance was sealed off.
Realizing the severity of the situation, the officers' expressions changed. They quickly organized a team to investigate the tunnel's exit and made another urgent call to headquarters to report the situation.
Things were escalating quickly.
Upon receiving the alert, the Public Security Bureau immediately contacted the chief. Awoken from his sleep, the bureau chief shot out of bed, dressed in record time, and rushed to the office.
One by one, other officers were also woken and mobilized. No one had the heart to keep sleeping. They scrambled to report in and prepare for action.
Meanwhile, the sound of wailing sirens had awakened many residents. People knew something major had happened. Curious onlookers gathered along the blocked highway, and the crowd continued to grow. Everyone was talking at once, speculating, guessing.
The police worked hard to maintain order and begin the investigation.
Soon after, the fire department (119), emergency medical services (120), and traffic authorities (122) all arrived on the scene. The situation was quickly spiraling into a full-blown crisis.
Only now did the taxi driver who had first called 110 begin to realize just how serious the situation really was.
One by one, reporters started arriving, all eager to be the first to cover such a major event.
It was a sleepless, chaotic night.
Around 2 a.m., the phone beside Mayor Zhao's bed finally rang.
With a groggy grunt, Mayor Zhao turned over, smacked his lips sleepily, and reached out blindly toward the nightstand, feeling for the receiver.
He finally found it and picked up the phone, answering in a weak voice,
"Hello?"
An urgent voice came through the line.
"Mayor Zhao, something terrible has happened. The city's artificial tunnel has collapsed—and both entrances are sealed. We don't know if there are any casualties inside."
The mayor became slightly more alert.
"And you are…?"
"This is Yang Wengan from the Public Security Bureau."
"Oh, it's Director Yang. Are you serious about what you just said?"
"Oh my god, Mayor Zhao, now's not the time for jokes! The situation is critical. Please come immediately!"
Mayor Zhao finally snapped fully awake.
"All right, I'm coming right away. Do everything you can to open the tunnel before any survivors inside suffocate."
After hanging up, Zhao's sleepiness was completely gone. He jumped out of bed, turned on the lights, and quickly began getting dressed.
"Where are you going at this hour?" asked the woman sleeping next to him, squinting as the light hit her face.
"Go back to sleep. Something big has happened—I have to go. Don't worry about me," Mayor Zhao replied as he pulled on his clothes.
The woman didn't ask further and soon drifted back to sleep.
By the time Mayor Zhao arrived at the scene, his young secretary, Xiaoli, had already rushed over after receiving the call—and had even arrived before him.
Looking at the chaotic scene in front of him, Zhao was both shocked and furious.
Yang Wengan walked over and reported,
"Mayor Zhao, the Department of Transportation is clearing the rocks from the road. Once they're done, we can get the excavators through to dig open the tunnel entrance."
Mayor Zhao had not expected the situation to be this serious. Upon arriving at the scene, he shouted,
"Focus everything on the rescue effort—move quickly!"
With a major political meeting scheduled for the next day, Mayor Zhao could no longer contain his fury. A disaster like this at such a critical time? Hours had passed, and there was still no word on whether there were any casualties. How could he possibly proceed with the meeting tomorrow? What would others think—wasn't this just handing them a laughingstock?
By the time the rocks on the road were finally cleared, it was already past 3 a.m. Several excavators moved in and began digging at the tunnel entrance, launching the official rescue operation.
After nearly an hour of excavation, the entrance to the tunnel was finally opened. The air inside was thick with dust, and the lights had all been destroyed—it was pitch-black.
Yang Wengan quickly dispatched an inspection team inside, followed immediately by the rescue team.
What happened next was exactly what everyone feared.
Four bodies were dragged out of the tunnel.
After verifying the victims' identities through their ID cards, Mayor Zhao's face turned pale on the spot. He nearly fainted.
With trembling hands, he pulled out his phone and called Zhang Shunmin, who was still sound asleep in a luxury hotel.
The call nearly knocked Zhang Shunmin out of bed. Upon hearing the news, he roared into the phone, demanding that Mayor Zhao get to the bottom of this tragedy immediately.
Zhang Shunmin quickly got dressed and rushed to the morgue to confirm it with his own eyes. He simply couldn't believe it. If what Mayor Zhao said was true, this incident would be catastrophic.
Back at the hospital, Mayor Zhao was pacing frantically in the director's office, chain-smoking, his forehead drenched with sweat, anxiously awaiting Zhang Shunmin's arrival.
When Zhang arrived, his expression was grim. Accompanied by Mayor Zhao, he finally laid eyes on the bodies of Shi Tianqun and his family. The shock nearly stopped his breath.
He pointed a trembling finger at Mayor Zhao's face and exploded,
"How could this happen?! And what the hell are you still doing here?! Go find out how they died—now!"
Mayor Zhao's face turned several shades of pale. Cold sweat poured down his back as he tucked his tail and ran off in a panic.