“Who’s that?”
Everyone was taken aback by the visitor and looked to the entrance curiously.
By now, the Chen family had been alienated by the same people who used to flood the Chen family’s residence to pay tribute to Chen Huaian. Now the house never got any visitors, and the only person coming in and out of the house was Chen Huaian’s house worker. Chen Huaian had even lost all of his chess buddies.
However, Chen Huaian was not begrudging about it. He knew that his chess buddies had to think for their families first.
“I got it.”
Chen Ning rose to her feet to answer the door. She had enough of the heavy and gloomy mood in the room and needed a breath of fresh air.
“Kacha!”
The door cracked open.
“Who are you looking for?”
Chen Ning asked before she looked up. As soon as she did that, she covered her mouth to stifle a cry and glared at the visitor in shock.
“What’s wrong, sister. Don’t you recognize me?”
Chen Fan gave Chen Ning a faint smile and held her surprised gaze.
“Ur….”
Chen Ning’s hand started to shake as words got stuck in her throat, letting tears streak across her cheeks.
The young man with neat short hair and a warm smile was her cousin who she thought was surely dead. Chen Ning never liked Chen Fan as a child, but there and then, no words could describe the glee and elation inside of Chen Ning. The warm and fuzzy feeling mixed with the sorrow and bitterness she had endured over the year finally made the girl break down in tears.
“Who is that? Xiao Nin, is that someone from the Song Family?”
Chen Zhenxin asked across the living room. View of the entrance from the living was blocked by a wall so no one had seen the visitor yet.
“Don’t worry, sister. I am back now and I will right the wrongs.”
Chen Fan gave Chen Nin a hug and then slid past her, through the hallway and walked into the living room.
“What did I say? The Song Family is hot on our heels! I think Xiao An is right, we might as well leave the third brother to their own devices—” Chen Qianxin went on with animated gestures.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Chen Fan.
Thinking that he had seen a ghost, his swinging arms stopped cold in their tracks and fear and disbelief crawled all over his face.
“And… and… and…”
The words got stuck in Chen Qianxin’s mouth and he couldn’t finish his sentence.
Chen Huaian had just brought a cup of tea close to his lips to take a sip, but the sight of Chen Fan had startled him so much that he dropped the teacup, spilling water everywhere. The old man didn’t seem to care about the hot water that was spilled, he rose to his feet as his body started to tremble uncontrollably.
The rest of the people in the living room were also stunned by the development.
Chen An was set back on his heels but quickly became alert and restless.
Great Auntie had her back against the entrance so she was the only one who didn’t notice Chen Fan. She carried on where Chen Qianxin had left off.
“Second brother is right. We have sacrificed enough for the family, especially my husband who just got demoted at work. I think it’s Third Brother’s turn to make some sacrifices. Stop it, don’t interrupt me. Why are you looking at me like that, you know I am right. I will say the same thing even if Wang Xiaoyun and Chen Gexin are right in front of me.”
“Shut up!”
Chen Zhenxin slammed the table and shouted at his wife.
Great Auntie was taken aback at first, but she quickly gathered herself and was ready to lash out again. Suddenly, she noticed that everyone in the room, except for her was looking toward the entrance behind her.
Chen Guoguo let out a cheer and rushed toward the entrance. Tears of joy welled in her eyes as she shouted: “Brother Chen Fan, you are finally back! I miss you so much, Guoguo missed you!”
“Chen Fan?”
The word sounded like a crack of lightning in Great Auntie’s mind.
She turned around in great trepidation and saw Chen Fan standing right behind her. Chen Guoguo threw herself into Chen Fan’s arms and started crying tears of joy.
“He… he is back?”
Disbelief and shock had turned Great Auntie into a frozen statue.
The mighty Chen Fan who was revered as a god by the people of Jin City was back. The Backbone of the Chen family was back!
But how? Didn’t he die under the relentless fire of the Russian army?
Li Wuchen had told Wang Xiaoyun in person all that he knew about the battle at the Warg Valley. No one had heard from Chen Fan for a year and just as everyone thought he was surely dead, he came back, alive and well.
Great Auntie was stupefied by the turn of the event.
“Pada!”
Second Uncle Chen Qianxin hurried to greet Chen Fan, but he slipped and fell to the floor.
“Grandpa, I am back.”
Chen Fan didn’t even spare the other relatives a glance and looked straight to Chen Huaian apologetically.
“Good… good…”
Chen Huaian’s body trembled in excitement as tears welled in his sheen-less eyes. He had so much to say to Chen Fan, but nothing came out of his mouth.
The year had flown by for Chen Fan as he was engrossed in his cultivation. However, every minute of the year seemed like a decade for the embattled old man.
The promise of losing a grandson had taken a toll on his health. If not for the Qi Harness Art of Foundation Establishment that Chen Fan had taught him, he might as well be dead.
Chen Fan had registered the old man’s pain. As his guilt deepened, Chen Fan’s anger toward those who had done wrong to his family in his absence also multiplied.
“Xiao Fan, how did you… General Li told me that you are… you were killed by the Russians.” Chen Zhenxin managed to gather himself and asked.
“Just so!”
Great Auntie exclaimed.
The others in the room also looked at Chen Fan curiously. Li Wuchen had told them about what had become of Chen Fan based on the information collected by a secret agent called Red Sparrow.
The Chen family had hopped that Chen Fan would have survived, but as time went by, the death of Chen Fan became more and more certain. Just recently, Red Sparrow had stopped sending in reports, and everyone had taken it as confirmation of what they had feared the most.
“Ah. You mean the Warg Valley. Yea, the Russians used a Father of All Bombs on me, but I managed to stay alive and cultivated for a year in seclusion. I have come out of my seclusion just recently.”
Chen Fan answered readily.
“I see.”
Everyone nodded. By now, people had regained some of their calm that they lost to the sudden return of Chen Fan. But what Chen Fan told them next had blown their minds and set them on their heels once again.
“Since then, I have killed the Lieutenant General Scherchen Malenkov of the North Division as an act of revenge for dropping the bomb on me.” Chen Fan said casually as he picked up Chen Guoguo and squeezed her cheeks.
“What?”
Everyone gaped at Chen Fan in utter disbelief.
“Scherchen Malenkov, he is in charge of the North Division of the Russian Army.”
Chen Fan explained readily, adding even more disbelief, shock, and fear into the air.
He had killed a Russian General, a political heavyweight in one of the superpowers of the world who wielded no less authority in Russia as Li Wuchen did in China. Yet, Chen Fan had described his death in his hands with such great measure of levity.
“Xiao Fan, you are pulling your second auntie’s leg again.”
Second Auntie squeezed a smile onto her face.
“No, I’m serious.” Chen Fan shrugged. “I went straight into their Headquarters at Khabarovsk and killed Scherchen. It happened just recently, so you will hear about it in a few days.”
The living room suddenly became pin-drop silent.
“Sugoi ne!”
Chen Guoguo beamed from side to side and cheered excitedly.
“Why, of course. Your brother is the most cutthroat bad-ass out there. If they dare to bomb me with missiles, I will send them to meet their maker!” Chen Fan squeezed Chen Guoguo’s cheeks and said jokingly.
Chen Guoguo let out another peal of laughter. However, to some of the family members, such as Great Auntie and Chen An, Chen Fan’s words had sent a chill down their spines.
“Pada!”
Chen Qianxin’s legs gave in and brought him back to the floor as soon as he struggled to his feet.
Overtaken by fear, he had given up on getting up again. He slumped on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.
“Did the Russians let you get away with it?”
Chen Ning asked hesitantly.
“No, they tried to kill me again.” Chen Fan said as he slanted one of his brows. “But I was one step ahead of them. I crippled seventeen KGB branches and made my way to Moscow. I killed a few Blood Wolf Guards on my way.”
Chen Huaian’s face paled.”Xiao Fan, the Russians are not to be trifled with. They are vengeful people and wouldn’t let you get away with bringing such humiliation to them.”
“I’m OK, Grandpa.”
Chen Fan cracked a comforting smile at the old man and said: “I have already come to an understanding with the Russians. The head of the KGB escorted me to the border personally. Red Sparrow was there with me as well.”
“What? A pact with the Russians?”
Everyone was stunned.
He had killed a Lieutenant General and crippled seventeen KGB branches, yet he said the Russians had come to an understanding with him; worse, the head of the KGB had even seen to it that he left Russia safely.
Since when did the Russians become such pushovers.
They acted more like a banana republic rather than a superpower.
Disbelief had overtaken Chen Huaian as the old man gaped at Chen Fan stupidly.
“Sugoi Ne!”
Chen Guoguo cheered at the top of her lungs like a Japanese fan girl.
“Didn’t I tell you that your brother is the most badass fighter in the world? The fat leaders of Russia are afraid that I am going to spank them that they hid in the Kremlin.” Chen Fan patted the girl’s head and then said: “They are lucky that they stopped annoying me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t let them live longer.”
Chen Fan’s words sounded as chilly as winter wind to some listeners and turned Chen An and Great Auntie into bundles of nerves.
Chen Qianxin hurried to crawl to Chen Fan and hugged Chen Fan’s leg. “Xiao Fan, I am sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight. Please, please Xiao Fan, forgive me. I am nothing but a fool!”
Chen Ning watched from a distance as her uncle put on a cringe-worthy show.
Deep down, she finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Chen Fan was back and the Chen family was saved.