Recently, Zhou Ziwei has become interested in growing flowers and trees, and he actually sent the gardening workers in the Zhou family compound home for a long vacation. Of course... during the vacation, their salaries were still paid, and there were even subsidies. He said that he wanted those uncles and elders who had worked hard for the Zhou family for more than ten years to take their families abroad for a trip. As for the travel expenses, the Zhou family would fully reimburse them.
Faced with such a good opportunity, the gardeners naturally wouldn't refuse. However, they felt that even if the boss was considerate of his workers, there was no need to give them all a holiday at once! They could each take a two-week break and take turns going out to play. If all the gardeners were on holiday, who would take care of all the flowers and plants in the Zhou family's huge garden?
Zhou Ziwei, however, simply ignored them, forcefully drove everyone away, and then began to personally take on the responsibilities of a gardener. Every day, he would get up before dawn to tend to the flowers and plants, having a great time.
Seeing Zhou Ziwei's reaction, Wang Xuewei and the others couldn't help but feel secretly worried. They knew that usually only elderly people who were retired and had nothing to do at home would like to fuss over flowers and plants. How could a young man like Zhou Ziwei be so obsessed with growing flowers and trees? So they all felt that there must be something wrong with Zhou Ziwei's mentality. Therefore, they took turns talking to Zhou Ziwei, even bringing up his parents, to comfort him and persuade him not to be depressed.
So far, only Yang's father, mother, and Yu Xiaoru know that Zhou Ziwei is the reincarnation of Yang Hongtao.
Zhou Ziwei didn't think it was any big secret, but the matter was too unbelievable, and he was afraid of scaring Wang Xuewei, Liu Xiaofei, and the others.
Therefore, he simply told them that Mr. and Mrs. Yang were his godparents, so that when he addressed them as "Mom and Dad," it wouldn't sound strange to others.
Seeing that he had only been tending to the flowers and plants, Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but find it a little funny that everyone was so nervous. He then solemnly told everyone that he wasn't just killing time by growing flowers and trees... he was using them to understand the mysteries of life.
Who knew that his words would only make everyone even more nervous, as they all thought he had seen through the illusions of the world and wanted to go to seek immortality... After all, Zhou Ziwei had recently been frequently demonstrating his ability to control various natural energies, which was nothing new to those around him.
After witnessing Zhou Ziwei's abilities, they naturally attributed these miraculous skills to the top-tier skills of immortals and Taoist magic.
Therefore, I had long been worried that if Zhou Ziwei studied too much of these things, he might suddenly get tired of the mundane world and run away from home.
Wasn't this how it was described in many old novels and tales of the strange? So now, when they hear Zhou Ziwei talking about comprehending some mystery of life, they can't help but feel a chill run down their spines, and they become even more nervous.
Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei was both amused and exasperated. He could only explain in detail that he vaguely sensed a mysterious power hidden within these plants. If he could successfully decipher and master this mysterious power, he might find a way to achieve immortality. For example, an ordinary little plant is born in spring, grows in summer, withers in autumn, and dies in winter, just like a person's life coming to an end.
However, as long as the roots of this little grass are still there, when spring comes again the following year, the grass will sprout tender green leaves again, repeating its original life cycle once more. Although it is not endless, its tenacious vitality is still unmatched by human life.
Zhou Ziwei wanted to personally work as a gardener so that he could feel the vigorous vitality of plants by tending to them and could truly control this power.
Of course, Zhou Ziwei himself is practically immortal. As long as the Six-Syllable Mantra is present and his soul is not destroyed, even if his physical body dies, his soul can be reborn in another body.
Therefore, Zhou Ziwei's understanding of the vitality of plants was not for his own sake, but to help his parents and the women he loved find a possibility of immortality.
Otherwise, if decades later, Zhou Ziwei is still a young man in his twenties, but his parents have died and his women have become old women, then... this would obviously be a very cruel thing for Zhou Ziwei and his women.
Zhou Ziwei didn't want that day to come, and he didn't even want to see Wang Xuewei and Liu Xiaofei grow old, which is why he was in such a hurry to start researching this.
Zhou Ziwei didn't elaborate on his thoughts, but Wang Xuewei and the other women were all intelligent and quick-witted, so they were all very clear about his intentions. They were all moved to tears, and even forgot that Yang's parents were still present. They threw themselves into Zhou Ziwei's arms and became very affectionate with him.
The result made Yang's parents both happy and embarrassed. They couldn't help but think of how their son, reborn, was far more successful than before. In his previous life, he had worked like a slave for Yu Xiaoya, sacrificing so much, yet he was still a pitiful virgin when he died. But in this life... he suddenly had such a large group of beautiful women at home, and what was most remarkable was that these women seemed to get along well with each other, which was the most difficult thing to achieve.
When Wang Xuewei and the others asked Zhou Ziwei how his research was going, Zhou Ziwei could only give a wry smile and say, "I haven't made much progress yet, just some minor discoveries..."
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he pointed to the two flowerpots in front of him. One of the pots was thriving and flourishing, while the other pot had withered branches and yellow leaves, as if it were about to die.
“Look… these two pots of flowers are the same variety, and I’ve been tending to them using the same method. But… this one is thriving, so it’s growing well, while the other one is losing its vitality and is about to wither. But… if I were to transfer their vitality…”
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he suddenly stretched out his two hands and grasped the stems of the two flowers, then slowly closed his eyes, as if he were silently sensing something.
Before long, the onlookers were astonished to see that the once thriving plant slowly withered and turned yellow under their watchful eyes, while the other plant, which had also withered, rapidly recovered at a visible speed. The yellowed leaves gradually absorbed moisture from the air, making them plumper and turning green, and the bent stem straightened.
In just a few short minutes, the original appearance of the two flower plants was completely reversed. If they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes and hadn't dared to blink the entire time, they would probably have thought that Zhou Ziwei had switched the positions of the two flower pots while they weren't paying attention...
The group stared in disbelief, then overjoyed, thinking Zhou Ziwei had already mastered the power of the plant's vitality… Zhou Ziwei quickly explained that he had only discovered the unique vitality contained within plants and could use himself as a medium to separate and transfer it. However, he couldn't retain this vitality within his own body. Therefore, he had only just begun to make progress, and there was still a long way to go before he could truly master the secret of vitality…
Seeing that Zhou Ziwei's fascination with the flower garden didn't mean he wanted to escape the world, Wang Xuewei and the others were relieved. From then on, they let Zhou Ziwei do as he pleased, while they kept a close eye on his progress. After all, if Zhou Ziwei really figured out the problem, the biggest beneficiaries would obviously be these beauties. If they could receive that kind of vigorous vitality at all times, they probably wouldn't be able to grow old or ugly even if they wanted to.
The negotiations in Country M have finally come to an end. China has gained a great deal from Country M. According to conservative estimates, the contracts signed during this period alone will allow China to earn hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits from Country M every year.
Such a huge concession was simply unimaginable for the US, which has always been unwilling to suffer losses. As soon as the news broke, it immediately shook the whole world.
However, apart from China and the United States, other countries had no idea that the reason why the United States government made such a big concession was because its own thirteen nuclear weapons no longer allowed it to make its own decisions, and it was forced to sign a series of unequal treaties.
The leaders of other countries thought that the US had changed its usual political and policy style, so they also asked to negotiate cooperation with the US.
The Americans were open to all, whether they were official or private organizations, and they received all delegations, trade groups, or other similar groups. However, once the business negotiations began, the Americans suddenly changed their timid behavior in cooperation with China. They became very greedy and eager to take advantage of others. They were not going to let anyone else take advantage of them.
Zhou Ziwei could only watch the show and chuckle to himself. The cooperation between China and M had already been formally signed and was in effect. At this point, even if they wanted to back out, it would be too late.
Therefore, Zhou Ziwei no longer needed to control those nuclear weapons. So, after repeated requests and protests from the US government, Xiao Xin finally stopped controlling those nuclear weapons. Anyway, Zhou Ziwei had already had Xiao Xin secretly leave a mark on the core activation program of those nuclear weapons. As long as the US government didn't destroy those thirteen nuclear weapons, then... no matter where they hid them later, Zhou Ziwei could still find them through the mark left by Xiao Xin, and could even have Xiao Xin take control of them again.
Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 659: The Death of the Black God
After continuous evolution, Shin-chan has now evolved into a higher form of existence, similar to an electronic intelligent life form. Shin-chan no longer needs to be confined to a physical object to carry its life.
It can completely transform itself into a string of data and integrate into the entire global network. And if Zhou Ziwei wants Xiaoxin to withdraw from the online world, he can always prepare a high-spec computer and directly download Xiaoxin into the computer as electronic data.
Therefore, back in the United States, Shin-chan was delivered to the President by Emily in his physical form. However, after being integrated into the computer program carried by the President, he was connected to the networks of the US military and the outside world, enabling him to control the thirteen nuclear weapons at will.
However, if Shin-chan wanted to return to Zhou Ziwei's side now, he could simply leave from anywhere, without Zhou Ziwei having to go through the trouble of going to the US. But Shin-chan's abilities are ultimately limited; he can't be omnipresent or omnipotent.
Before this, in order to control those thirteen nuclear weapons, Zhou Ziwei dared not let Xiao Xin slack off in the slightest. Now that he was freed from the nuclear weapons issue, Xiao Xin was able to devote all his energy to helping Zhou Ziwei fight against the black market assassin network.
The Black Market Assassin Network had always been a thorn in Zhou Ziwei's side. Last time, in an effort to eliminate this menace, he risked becoming an assassin himself and successfully infiltrated the organization, only to find that he had only entered a local branch. He was even forced to join the network and had a chip implanted in his brain.
However, it was precisely because of this chip, which contained the extremely advanced technology of the Black Market Assassin Network, that Zhou Ziwei was able to create the monstrous Xiao Xin. Without Xiao Xin's help, Zhou Ziwei alone would probably never have been able to find the Black Market Assassin Network's hideout in his entire life.
In fact, after feeling threatened by Zhou Ziwei, the black market killer network did quiet down for a while, but then resumed its normal operation.
It seems that the Black God believes that no one can defeat him online with his methods, so he remains as fearless as ever. Recently, he has even brazenly posted a poster on the public homepage of the Black Market Assassin Network offering a bounty for the capture of Zhou Ziwei. According to the poster, this bounty was issued by seven clients, each offering a different reward, and when all the rewards are added together, they amount to a staggering 6.8 billion euros.
Zhou Ziwei himself hadn't expected that his life would be worth so much—6.8 billion euros…that's over 50 billion RMB! What Zhou Ziwei didn't expect even more was that the seven clients mentioned on the black market assassin website were completely fictitious. After three days and three nights of hard work, Xiao Xin finally managed to break into the backend of the black market assassin website and secretly obtained the highest level of access. Xiao Xin immediately searched for the clients listed in the bounty notice, only to discover that…the bounty was issued by the black market assassin website itself, and there were no other clients.
Zhou Ziwei was somewhat surprised by the result, but not too surprised. After all, ever since Zhou Ziwei came out of that pilot plane and the Black Market Assassin Network sent werewolves to find him, the two had been irreconcilable enemies and could no longer coexist. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei had been trying to find the Black Market Assassin Network's headquarters and kill the true mastermind behind it, Black God.
Only in this way can Zhou Ziwei truly be free from future troubles.
Black God felt the same way about Zhou Ziwei. After several of his powerful assassins were either killed or subdued by Zhou Ziwei, Black God naturally had to regard Zhou Ziwei as his number one rival.
Since the two cannot coexist, then naturally they must use every means to eliminate the other. Although the Black Market Assassin Network itself is no longer a significant threat to Zhou Ziwei, Black God simply uses the resources of their Black Market Assassin Network to issue an exorbitant bounty.
Generally speaking, bounties exceeding one billion have appeared in the black market assassin network before, but such high-value bounties cannot be directly posted on the public homepage. They must be high-level missions that only high-level VIP assassins belonging to the black market assassin network can see.
However, a bounty like this, which is posted directly on the homepage, can be taken by anyone, even those who are not originally assassins. As long as someone can get Zhou Ziwei's head and contact the black market assassin network, they can receive this astronomical reward from the black market assassin network.
Given such a huge lure of profit, there must be quite a few people willing to take the risk. Although ordinary assassins, mercenaries, or adventurers would be throwing their lives away if they tried to kill Zhou Ziwei without considering their own capabilities, even Black God himself probably didn't dare to hope that any assassin would get lucky and kill Zhou Ziwei. But... nothing is absolute... Even if those assassins and mercenaries couldn't kill Zhou Ziwei, who knows if someone close to him would be tempted after learning about the bounty... then it's hard to say.
For example, it would be extremely easy for the workers in the Zhou family compound to add poison to Zhou Ziwei's food. And as long as someone could poison Zhou Ziwei and prove to the black market assassin network that he was the one who killed him, the black market assassin network would absolutely not renege on their promise.
Black God clearly had this in mind, hoping to make Zhou Ziwei die a quiet and pathetic death at the hands of his own people.
Unfortunately, most poisons in the world are completely ineffective against Zhou Ziwei, and unless one is a truly formidable individual, where would an ordinary person obtain any extraordinary poisons?
In the days leading up to Xiao Xin's discovery of the black market assassin network's backend, Zhou Ziwei had indeed experienced more than a dozen assassination attempts, including two internal ones: one involving the head chef in the kitchen and the other involving a security guard at the Zhou family compound...
Zhou Ziwei didn't deal too harshly with the two traitors. He simply hypnotized them, erased some secrets they couldn't reveal, and then cut off one of their arms before kicking them out of the Zhou family. After all, these two weren't originally members of the black market assassin network, nor were they undercover agents sent by any organization. They were simply blinded by the huge bounty of over 50 billion.
It's like a hot, beautiful woman taking off her clothes and running up to a hot young man. But when the young man can't resist the temptation and tries to do something, the woman wraps herself in a cloth and then accuses him of being a pervert.
Zhou Ziwei felt that if he were in the same situation as the chef and the security guard, he might also have acted impulsively and done the same thing. After all, it was a reward of more than 50 billion RMB... and... it didn't even have to be taxed. With more than 50 billion RMB, one could probably become one of the richest people in China. How many people wouldn't be tempted by such a temptation?
Therefore, under these circumstances, Zhou Ziwei did not kill them, but only broke one of their arms. He also gave them a sum of money to settle down, so that they could at least live out the rest of their lives, even though the rest of their lives were destined to be incomplete.
Next, to avoid a similar tragedy from happening again, Zhou Ziwei simply left home and moved to a villa outside with only Zhuihun.
People like Zhuihun are impossible to sway with money. To them, 50 billion and 500 yuan make almost no difference. He didn't become an assassin entirely for money. After working as a professional assassin for several years and earning more money than he could ever spend, he stopped taking on any missions for money. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei completely trusted Zhuihun. Their presence in this location would naturally facilitate assassinations by other assassins, but... how could Zhou Ziwei be afraid of ordinary assassins? With dozens of Kun Chong guarding the area, Zhou Ziwei didn't even need to fight Zhuihun himself. Anyone with ill intentions who entered the vicinity of the villa would be immediately killed by the Kun Chong.
Although Xiao Xin had obtained the highest level of access to the Black Market Assassin Network and had basically determined the location of the Black Market Assassin Network's headquarters through information feedback on the internet, he was still unable to confirm that the leader of the Black Market Assassin Network, Black God, was also there. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei did not allow Xiao Xin to make any rash moves for the time being, nor did he himself go to the Black Market Assassin Network's headquarters. He did not even bother to delete the bounty on his own that was posted on the Black Market Assassin Network's homepage.
Instead, they patiently waited for the appearance of the Black God...
More than ten days passed, and finally... the account that symbolized the supreme being in the black market assassin network logged into the black market assassin network in the background and then began to modify the bounty post for Zhou Ziwei, raising the bounty for Zhou Ziwei to a terrifyingly high price of 10 billion euros in one go.
Zhou Ziwei was overjoyed and immediately notified Xiao Xin to find out the true identity of this Black God at all costs and to determine his location.
Soon... Xiao Xin had confirmed the login location of that account, and to Zhou Ziwei's slight surprise... the person was actually in Dangyang City. It turned out that, unbeknownst to him, his formidable enemy had already infiltrated his very being. Then, with lightning speed, while the other party was still connected to the internet, Xiao Xin directly hacked into their computer. And that guy was clearly a very skilled user; almost the instant Xiao Xin entered the computer, he discovered it had been compromised.
And so... a battle between computer genius and electronic intelligence unfolded on this tiny computer. The result was clearly that Xiaoxin had the upper hand, ultimately defeating the mastermind behind the notorious black market killer network, Black God, by a narrow margin, and forcibly activating the webcam on the opponent's computer...
When Zhou Ziwei saw that his computer screen displayed a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, he was stunned. The boy was frantically trying to force the computer to shut down, but the moment the camera lights on the computer came on... the boy stopped what he was doing, because he knew it was too late. His appearance had been completely exposed, and any further struggle would be futile.
The little boy simply sat down again, even adjusting the camera angle so that his slightly pale and sickly-looking childish face was facing the lens. Then he smiled slightly and said, "Zhou Ziwei, I know you're watching me. I really didn't expect... that you would have such a powerful figure under your command. Hmph... Actually, it's not surprising. Without such methods, how could you control the nuclear weapons of the United States, and how could you manipulate such a superpower like this?"
Oh...right, about my identity, I think you've probably guessed it by now, right? That's right, I'm Dr. Hong, the fourth son of the Hong family, hahaha...my second brother was killed by you, and my father also suffered a lot of suppression because of you...so...we've actually been enemies for a long time, hmph...I really should have had you killed a long time ago, but I didn't expect you to go to the black hole space and come out completely transformed, to the point that I'm powerless to kill you anymore.
Oh…you're wondering why I allowed you to use the Black Market Assassin Network's power when I kidnapped Liu Xiaofei, right? Heh…actually, that was just a test for you. My original plan was to absorb you into the core of the Black Market Assassin Network, and entering the core requires going through a complicated procedure. That's the rule, a rule set by my teacher, and even as the Black God, I can't break it. But you were just too emotional.
Therefore... you are unqualified, hahaha... At the time, I felt very sorry for you, and even felt sorry for you... But I never expected... a few years later, you have reached a height that I can never reach. This... really is the unpredictability of life... hahaha..."
As the little boy finished speaking, he suddenly pulled out an exquisite gold-plated pistol from his person, then grinned and said to the screen, "I know... now that you've exposed my identity, I have no hope of surviving. In that case... I won't trouble you to take action yourself. I only hope... that our feud can end here... After I die, the Black Market Assassin Network will immediately disband and cease to exist, and the large sum of money accumulated by the Black Market Assassin Network will be used to establish a charity fund for disabled children. I think with Mr. Zhou's considerable wealth, he wouldn't want to fight with a group of pitiful children for such a small amount of money!"
Zhou Ziwei finally couldn't help but let Xiao Xin connect to Dr. Tong Hong's video call, then frowned slightly and asked, "Are you sure... after you die, the wealth left behind by that black market assassin network will establish that charitable foundation? And why would you do that? I don't think the mastermind behind a ruthless criminal organization would be a merciful person."
The little boy sighed sadly and said, "I am indeed not a kind person, but... I am still a human being, and I still have some human compassion, right... Moreover... this charity foundation is less about helping disabled children around the world and more about finding solace for myself after I die, since I am... also a disabled person..." As he spoke, the little boy adjusted the webcam on the computer, and then the camera showed the little boy's lower body, with both of his legs broken from the knees down.
With a "bang," a gunshot rang out, leaving a pool of crimson blood on the screen, along with the little boy's last self-deprecating smile... A legendary figure, a dark god who hid behind the scenes of the assassin world and stirred up storms from time to time, thus perished.
Zhou Ziwei stared silently at the bloodstain displayed on the computer screen for a long time. He originally didn't believe that child prodigies really existed in this world, but now, seeing Dr. Hong, he couldn't help but believe it. Why did such a child prodigy have to get involved in that black market assassin network instead of being a proper young doctor? Or... perhaps it was because he was disabled that, although he was exceptionally intelligent and talented at a young age, his mind was already twisted!
However, regardless of the circumstances, it is said that a dying man's words are often wise. At least Dr. Hong's plans after his death are quite admirable. Zhou Ziwei decided that as long as it is confirmed that Dr. Hong's words are true, and that after his death, the massive wealth accumulated by the Black Market Assassin Network over the years is indeed used entirely for the charity fund, then Zhou Ziwei will absolutely not interfere. He will even help the Black Market Assassin Network to strictly implement the use of this money, ensuring that those corrupt officials in the country do not enrich themselves and treat the charitable donations as their personal coffers.
Of course, if the VIP members of the black market assassin network, who are used to a life of bloodshed, want to continue living that kind of life, then Zhou Ziwei will not interfere.
Although being an assassin is a profession that operates in the shadows, and most of them are not good people, there are often many deserving people in this world who can never be punished by normal laws and order, so... this world really does need these assassins.
Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 660: Family Destroyed and People Died
As expected, the Black Market Assassin Network disbanded immediately after Dr. Hong's death, and the massive sum of money accumulated by the Black Market Assassin Network over the years was immediately transferred to a special account. Under the manipulation of a group of professionals, a charitable foundation for disabled children was quickly established.
Throughout the entire affair, Zhou Ziwei did not participate in these matters, nor did he attempt to seize the fruits of victory that could have been his.
Although the black market assassin network's wealth would make even the world's richest man envious, Zhou Ziwei remained unmoved. He simply instructed Xiao Xin to keep a close eye on the charitable foundation, to see if it was truly a charitable organization and if there were any shady dealings involved. He also wanted to monitor whether the staff were fulfilling their duties and whether they were embezzling the funds intended for charity.
Zhou Ziwei could choose not to steal the money and pocket it, but he wouldn't let it go to someone else for nothing. As it turned out, Dr. Hong wasn't lying; he did indeed allocate this large sum of money to a charitable foundation, which was indeed used to help disabled children around the world.
Once established, the charitable foundation immediately underwent a rigorous review process before embarking on relief efforts for 58 disabled children from different countries.
Moreover, this assistance goes beyond just providing money. The charitable foundation has also acquired five large children's hospitals of different types. Generally, all eligible disabled children are admitted to these hospitals for free medical treatment, and even their daily living expenses are fully waived.
Furthermore, even after recovering and being discharged from the hospital, the children who receive assistance will receive long-term special care. For those disabled children who have no chance of being completely cured, they will even be cared for until they reach adulthood.
It must be said that although Dr. Hong did a lot of bad things by relying on the black market assassin network, he did do something really gratifying after his death, which made Zhou Ziwei feel a little ashamed.
Not to be outdone, the Zhou Group also funded the establishment of a charitable foundation. However, the Zhou Group's charitable foundation provides assistance to a wider range of people, regardless of age or gender. Anyone who is truly in need of help can receive corresponding assistance from the Zhou Group's charitable foundation once their identity has been verified.
Since ancient times, people have died for wealth, and birds have died for food. Sure enough, not long after, a few parasites appeared in Dr. Hong's charity foundation for disabled children. After all, the funds that Dr. Hong left them were too huge, so huge that people would inevitably have greed. Even the most upright and selfless person would have some strange thoughts when watching countless amounts of money flow through their hands every day.
These parasites were naturally exposed under Xiao Xin's surveillance. However, just as Zhou Ziwei was considering whether he should take the place of the deceased Dr. Hong to clean up these parasites, a mysterious organization suddenly appeared in Zhou Ziwei's field of vision. This was a ruthless organization that was terrifying. Almost all the people in the organization were disabled people who were missing limbs, blind, or deaf. However, each of these people was incredibly powerful, and each of them was no less than one of the world's top ten assassins.
These people had only one thing to do after they appeared: to torture and kill all those who had embezzled funds from the charity foundation for disabled children in the most brutal way. No matter how well they hid, or how many skilled bodyguards protected them, these disabled killers eliminated them all in the shortest possible time; none of them escaped.