The way of the assassin, an ancient profession, harbors its own set of internal tenets. Though these rules appear ruthless and dark to outsiders, they must be perpetually enforced if the assassin lineage is to endure. One such rule mandates that children must engage in lethal combat from a young age; while outright killing is not required, outright defeat is. Of course, in such duels, a death is of no consequence—it is merely one life lost.

Beginning at the age of five, the scions of the assassin families are brought to unfamiliar environments for combat training. As they mature, these environments become increasingly harsh. Initially, each child receives a full ration supply; later, this dwindles to half a ration per person, or one ration shared among ten. When hunger, thirst, or cold set in, they have no recourse but to fight, to ambush, or to steal supplies from others. The assassin families term this process: forcing the children to battle.

Zhao Yingkong, as a young girl, thrived in this environment. No one was her match; no one could overcome her. She was a prodigy unseen in the assassin lineage for a century. Yet, she possessed a fatal flaw: once she accepted someone, she would cleave to them with fierce loyalty. But assassins require no such sentiment; they need only cold hearts and the absolute resolve of the killing blow—nothing more.

In this cloistered training ground, Zhao Yingkong encountered many individuals: enemies she had vanquished, targets she had ambushed, and a few who became her friends, or perhaps, comrades. Among these few was Zhao Zhuikong.

He, too, was a genius, but unlike her masterful use of assassin techniques, he was a genius of human perception. He could maintain an ice-cold heart in any situation while acutely sensing the psychology of others, using subtle guidance to disrupt them before delivering the final, fatal strike.

This group of youths lived quite comfortably amidst the harsh conditions. Because their strength was so formidable, they were no longer limited to pilfering supplies; they could independently forage in the hostile environment, hunting beasts or gathering wild edibles. Freed from the constraints of the outside assassin world, they considered this place a veritable paradise.

It wasn't until they reached the age of thirteen that the emerging adults were finally brought back by the ruling members of the assassin family. Only then did they begin accepting the missions assigned by the clan. Their blissful childhood abruptly ended. Each buried that childlike spirit deep within their core; they were no longer carefree children, but assassins. The mission was large-scale, commissioned by a Jewish individual: to assassinate the remnants of a Nazi faction hidden within a secret military base in Africa. Ten assassins were dispatched.

Excluding the three adult assassins, the remaining seven were youths. In the end, only one adult assassin returned, claiming to have survived a snakebite. According to him, Zhao Zhuikong had suddenly betrayed them, killing the other eight, and he had merely escaped by sheer luck during the chaos.

“Brother Yukong, Sister Mingkong, Sister Nikong, and