Chapter 1 The Night Before the Rebirth

• The Glacialrift Ocean.
• Far above the ocean, at an altitude of thirty thousand feet.
• Heavy, ominous clouds blanketed the sky, transforming the day into a stormy night, with not a hint of light visible.
• Amidst the storm of dark clouds, the VA888 civil aircraft en route from Modestria to Zayredonia trembled as it navigated through fierce lightning, diving into the thick layers of black clouds.
• And then it vanished.
• An eighteen year old girl sat in the economy class cabin, three rows from the front. Her long, sleek black hair cascaded down to her waist.
• She was a vision of serene, ethereal beauty—a quintessential beauty, quiet and extraordinarily stunning.
• The scene moved, capturing the girl holding an entire Vormesh newspaper in her right hand, perusing it with her vivid black eyes.
• "Little girl, you're from Zayredonia too, aren't you?" inquired the businessman seated beside her, intrigued.
• "The newspaper is entirely in Vormesh. Can you grasp its contents so swiftly?"
• After a brief silence, the girl glanced up, meeting his gaze.
• What kind of eyes were they?
• Her eyes, filled with a chilling intensity, bore into him with a gaze devoid of mercy, as though she were staring at a lifeless corpse.
• The man, terrified by her stare, abruptly sat upright, feeling an inexplicable cold sweat breaking out.
• He did not dare to inquire any further.
• A brief silence ensued.
• Bang! Bang!
• Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, startling everyone in the cabin.
• The aisle beside the passengers instantly transformed into a chaotic battlefield, bullets whizzing through the air.
• Without a moment's hesitation, five or six men clad in black stood at the front of the economy class, brandishing M10 submachine guns.
• "Hijack! Stay still!" one of them declared in Vormesh.
• Upon hearing this sound, all 196 passengers turned pale with fear.
• Silence hung heavy in the air at this critical juncture.
• The man in black, gun in hand, paced down the aisle of the cabin, then returned to his starting point and shook his head at the group's leader.
• "Boss, nothing," he murmured.
• They hadn't located their target.
• Among the more than a hundred people on board, confronted by this sudden group of hijackers in black, there was scarcely anyone who showed no trace of fear and continued to go about their business as usual—perhaps only this girl stood out in this regard.
• In that tense moment, the girl had somehow acquired a peach, replacing the newspaper she had read earlier.
• Unperturbed by the chaos around her, she casually bit into the peach, savoring its sweetness with deliberate, unhurried enjoyment.
• Her seat was situated not far from the group of hijackers.
• Just then, the leader furrowed his brow, scanning the cabin with a serious gaze before ominously declaring their intentions for the hijacking.
• "Who would have imagined that the infamous King of Assassins, Snake King, would disguise himself as an ordinary passenger and board this flight?
• "Come out, Snake King, and surrender the Blood Gem you stole from our organization!
• "Otherwise, we will kill everyone here until you reveal yourself!" the leader threatened sternly.
• Snake King?
• Who in the entire international underground was unfamiliar with the King of Assassins, a figure who had struck fear into commercial and political circles?
• Rumors swirled about this assassin, known as the Snake King, who had surfaced in the assassin world five years ago and gained international notoriety three years later.
• Within a mere trio of years, Snake King morphed into a specter haunting the minds of numerous influential figures worldwide, thanks to his bone-chilling methods of killing.
• Merely half a decade into the profession, he shattered numerous formidable records deemed unattainable by any other assassin, establishing himself as the lone virtuoso with an unparalleled hundred percent success rate.
• Put differently, those marked by the Snake King have already stepped half a foot into the coffin, a step away from death itself!
• However, observers remained clueless regarding the gender of Snake King.
• Their sole awareness was of his affiliation with the international top assassin organization, the Blood Shadow Organization.
• The leader was known as Tyrex, also a top assassin of the Blood Shadow Organization.
• Nevertheless, even he remained unaware of the true identity of the Snake King.
• Being a fellow assassin within the same organisation, he understood Snake King's prowess better than anyone else. Therefore, whenever he spoke, he remained vigilant, fearing a sudden assault from Snake King.
• "The person you're looking for isn't us! Why should you kill us? "
• At that moment, a male passenger spoke out loudly, attempting to reclaim justice for himself.
• Little did he know, reasoning with these assassins of the underground black market, who treated murder as casually as eating and sleeping, was the most foolish act one could undertake in this world.
• Bang!
• Whoosh!
• Tyrex raised his hand and squeezed the trigger without blinking, and a shot exploded through the man who dared to speak.
• Blood splattered like a torrential downpour, spraying in all directions.
• "Ahhh!"
• The crowd witnessing this scene let out harrowing screams.
• Everyone cowered, clutching their heads and daring not to even breathe heavily.
• Yet the young girl closest to the man whose head had exploded remained calm and furrowed her brows in concentration.
• "You've dirtied my peach," she suddenly spoke up.
• The half-eaten peach in her hand had been splattered with the man's blood. It was stained.
• The middle-aged man next to her was startled by her sudden voice, nearly choking in fear.
• He gently tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Are you crazy? They're armed!"
• Arguing over such a trivial matter? Is she asking for death?
• Unfortunately, the middle-aged man never had the chance to utter these words.
• With a single fluid gesture, the unremarkable peach pit in the girl's grasp transformed into a deadly projectile.
• She hurled it, and onlookers caught only a glint of silver slicing through the atmosphere.
• The peach pit found its mark with chilling precision, lodging squarely into the mouth of a black-clad man who had been yawning, blocking his airway.
• In moments, he crumpled to the ground with a soft "thud", his breath ceasing.
• The girl lifted her eyes boldly, casting a nonchalant gaze at the Tyrex's group, as if killing a man just moments ago was as mundane as any everyday task for her.
• She grinned, addressing the group of men dressed in black attire, "I heard you've been searching for me?"