A Father’s Plea and a Knight’s Resolve

After aligning himself with the Godfather, Investigator Liao hesitated for a moment before dialing another number.

“Hello?” The call connected quickly.

“My daughter, it’s me… how are you?” Investigator Liao paused, his voice softening.

Liao Xinyi’s response was far from polite. “Old man? Hah, don’t bother coming! My birthday’s already over. Or is this just another one of your usual check-ins, like always?”

“No, this call isn’t about that.”

“What do you want, then? Hurry up and say it; I have things to do with my friends~” The voice on the other end sounded considerably impatient.

“About that… sigh, daughter, you must not continue to associate with Li Chunsheng, the man you met today!” Investigator Liao decided to be direct.

Hearing his words, however, the other end fell silent for a long time, before a reply came that clutched at Investigator Liao’s heart.

“Since you came, why didn’t you come to see me…? Do you… not want to see me?” His daughter’s voice held a hint of sadness, but it was overshadowed by a chilling coldness.

Investigator Liao quickly explained, “No, it’s not like that! Dad still has a mission; I can’t just leave! So about that Li…”

Before he could finish, the other end erupted.

“Heh, ‘mission’ again! At the end of the day, these are all just excuses, aren’t they? Why is it that other investigators can often see their children, but you never come to my birthday?”

“I’m truly fed up with your excuses! Mom, too—she had a husband, yet she raised me alone, and how many times did I hear her crying alone late at night?”

“From childhood to now, my allowance was always the smallest among everyone around me…”

“Do you have another family outside? Heh, is this your unwavering knight’s spirit?”

“Oh, right, you’re just a vocational school graduate anyway. You can’t become a Paladin, so knight’s spirit means nothing, does it?” His daughter’s words grew increasingly cutting.

“No, no, it’s not what you think!” The poor father desperately tried to explain.

“I…” Suddenly, he was rendered speechless. He couldn’t possibly tell her that he was always assigned troublesome, low-bonus missions because he often obstructed his colleagues from “advancing” or earning extra money, could he?

Such dark matters behind the scenes were not something a young girl should know. Letting his daughter find out would only bring her unwarranted disaster, utterly meaningless…

“I’m sorry…” Investigator Liao sighed deeply. “We’ll talk about the specific reasons properly later.”

“But you absolutely cannot continue to see that Li Chunsheng! I heard you’re even going on a date with him; cancel it immediately, you absolutely must not go!”

“Oh, so you were eavesdropping on our conversation? Is that even legal?” Liao Xinyi scoffed.

“And why should I listen to you? This Young Master Li is someone backed by Miss Mu’s status, you know? Haven’t you always wanted me to get close to people like that? I’ve worked hard to learn etiquette and expand my network precisely to seize such a ‘sparrow-turns-phoenix’ opportunity!”

“No! This time, absolutely not! Your father will agree to any other request, but only this one—you absolutely cannot go! Trust your father!” Investigator Liao pleaded desperately.

“Then tell me why! Why?!” A shout echoed from the other end of the phone.

“…I’m sorry, I can’t say.”

Liao Xinyi fell silent. “If that’s the case, then why should I listen to you?”

“Xinyi! I’m your father! I know I haven’t been a good father, but everything I’ve done has been for your own good!”

“Heheheh…” However, a series of cold laughs was her only reply.

“Don’t bother. I’m definitely going… After all, what kind of good father are you?” Her voice turned utterly frigid, and then the call abruptly ended.

In the air, only the residual electronic beeps of the disconnected phone echoed, “Drip, drip, drip.”

Investigator Liao leaned against the wall, then sank weakly to the floor. At that moment, he felt his heart had truly been torn apart.

A searing, throbbing, aching pain consumed him.

[‘Has my entire life truly been a mistake?’]

[‘Was my approach to parenting fundamentally flawed? I clearly, clearly only wanted to uphold justice to the best of my ability while also creating a bright future for my daughter!’]

Unconsciously, hot tears streamed from Investigator Liao’s eyes. He closed them tightly, as if that alone could stem the flow.

*Give up, give up.* A voice suddenly resonated in his mind.

*It’s too tiring, truly too tiring.*

This man had lived his entire life in such exhaustion.

For the sake of the justice he believed in, he had rejected all temptations from various factions, striving tirelessly to reach this point.

He had worked hard to help many people, yet the result was a life that only grew more arduous.

It was too difficult!

Thus, just moments ago, to protect his daughter, he had finally abandoned the pure justice he had always upheld and chosen to align himself with the underworld.

This had indeed eased his financial burden considerably.

But now…

Since his own daughter was so cold, unwilling to even acknowledge him as her father, why should he continue to bear this responsibility?

*Abandon her, abandon that family! If you just climb higher, you can marry a better woman, have a more affectionate child.*

*Your life is still long; you can start anew.*

This inner voice held such tempting allure.

The temptation to shed all responsibility was so sweet.

Yet, as he closed his eyes, he invariably saw a scene from long, long ago—a little girl happily hugging his leg, calling him ‘Papa.’

At that moment, he had distinctly sworn in his heart to forever protect that precious little life!

To keep all darkness far away from her!

“Sigh…” Investigator Liao let out a breath, his eyes snapping open, once again filled with renewed determination.

[‘No, even so, I absolutely cannot allow Xinyi to fall into their clutches!’]

[‘Li Chunsheng! No matter your background! Liuxia! No matter what kind of monster you are! I will bring you both to justice! This is not just for justice, but for my daughter!’]

“It’s not yet time to give up!” he murmured.

****

Investigator Liao rose from the floor, his steps firm as he headed towards the location the Godfather had given him—Changheng Street No. 41.

He soon arrived at his destination.

It was an unremarkable little street, lined with equally unremarkable storefronts.

His destination, however, was merely a nondescript small clinic.

Investigator Liao stepped inside. There was only one person there: a strange doctor in a white coat, with dirty, disheveled hair, who looked more like a thug than a medical professional.

Just as he was wondering how to initiate a conversation, the strange doctor spoke.

“You’re here, then. I knew you were Investigator Liao.” The doctor took a cylindrical object from a medicine cabinet, which resembled a peculiar syringe filled with blue-silver liquid.

“Take this!” He tossed the syringe towards Investigator Liao.

“What is this?” Investigator Liao quickly caught it, asking instinctively.

“A Knight Awakening Potion,” the strange doctor replied with a slight smile.