The news of Deceitful Fox’s death, of course, reached the ears of Fire Phoenix and the Butcher.

The two were on a video call.

"I really can’t imagine that Ye Fan survived. Did Deceitful Fox go crazy? He had a golden opportunity but gave it up, pushed Ye Fan out of danger, and then killed himself. It’s just foolish." The Butcher complained angrily.

"You’re happy he’s dead, aren’t you?" Fire Phoenix shot a glance, with a hint of reproach.

Ye Fan had narrowly escaped a life-and-death ordeal at the hands of Deceitful Fox; of course, they knew about it.

Fire Phoenix and the Butcher secretly sweated regarding Ye Fan’s close call, their hearts racing with tension.

If Deceitful Fox had been truly determined to kill, then Ye Fan would have been doomed this time.

Ultimately, Ye Fan was lucky, for otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how he died, not even a fragment of his remains left, dying without a trace. Thinking of such an outcome naturally worried Fire Phoenix and the Butcher, fearing it might actually happen.

"Happy? Of course, I’m happy. He needs to learn a lesson. What made him think there were no bombs at Deceitful Fox’s place? Isn’t that arrogance? Luckily, Deceitful Fox acted irrationally; otherwise, Ye Fan would indeed be dead." The Butcher continued to complain, "I think we weren’t there to assist him; his alertness decreased, his judgment fell three levels, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so careless, willingly walked into Deceitful Fox’s death trap, only surviving due to Deceitful Fox’s actions."

"This time was indeed dangerous; this guy nearly left us without a complete body." Fire Phoenix spoke with relief.

"Serves him right; who told him to be careless? If not, would such a thing have happened?" The Butcher remarked unkindly.

Fire Phoenix and the Butcher, upon hearing about the events afterward, naturally were filled with worries, also blaming Ye Fan relentlessly.

So, naturally, it was Ye Fan to blame, who else could they blame but Ye Fan?

"Do you think Deceitful Fox lost his senses? Otherwise, how did he make such a foolish decision?" The Butcher was quite interested in this question.

"Ye Fan was too involved to see the situation clearly." Fire Phoenix explained, "Deceitful Fox was terrified of Ye Fan, fearing that one day Ye Fan would come after his life. For a long time, unable to eat or sleep, terrified Ye Fan would suddenly appear before him to kill him; Ye Fan was Deceitful Fox’s shadow and nightmare."

"This time, Deceitful Fox finally found a chance to coerce a meeting with Ye Fan, naturally took the opportunity to mock Ye Fan thoroughly, trying to dispel inner shadows and nightmares, no good intentions for Ye Fan naturally."

"I guess, during the conversation, Deceitful Fox miscalculated. Hence, he presented his final card to intimidate Ye Fan, Ye Fan presumably didn’t believe it. You think, given Deceitful Fox’s nature and the Terminator’s reputation, Deceitful Fox assumed Ye Fan guessed wrong, a great opportunity to triumph over Ye Fan once, naturally wanting Ye Fan to remain alive to acknowledge his victory."

"How could Deceitful Fox take a killing stroke against Ye Fan under such circumstances?"

"Even if he died, Deceitful Fox wouldn’t admit how much the Terminator increased his shadows and nightmares."

"Thus, he gave up on killing Ye Fan, winning over him once. That would be Deceitful Fox’s most proud moment."

"After all, the Terminator never lost; neither of us defeated the Terminator, so a little comprehension on why Deceitful Fox gave up killing Ye Fan."

Fire Phoenix spoke a long paragraph akin to witnessing the events firsthand, based on her assumptions and understanding.

"Hearing you say that, I can bear and understand a bit." The Butcher laughed, saying, "So, Ye Fan survived because he didn’t know he was Deceitful Fox’s shadow and nightmare. Deceitful Fox would rather die than let Ye Fan know that. If Ye Fan knew, he’d be doomed to die. In the end, Ye Fan’s own mistake saved his life, indeed lucky. Turns out, sometimes this kind of error can be permissible."

"I think Deceitful Fox was too strong-minded, valuing dignity and face above anything else, this character flaw led him to let Ye Fan go." Fire Phoenix said, "If he hadn’t been unwilling to let Ye Fan know how terrible his shadow and nightmare were, the situation would have been different."

"Saying so much is pointless; this guy survived, and that’s good enough." The Butcher shifted the topic, "I’ve got everything prepared here, just unsure if Ye Fan will mess things up, in case, according to the plan, if something happens to him, hostages are still in Sky Net’s hands, then we have no retreat."

"This time, the operation to kill Deceitful Fox is proceeding faster than planned." Fire Phoenix said.

"Naturally quicker; he can only delay as much as possible. But Sky Net’s people aren’t fools, they understand the importance of time, wouldn’t give him much time, letting rescue personnel find the hostages?" The Butcher said, "This time has been long enough, still haven’t found the two hostages, truly incompetent."

"That’s Ye Fan’s headache, us worrying is useless, can only hope for the rescue personnel to quickly determine the hostages’ whereabouts, so we can be free of worries, or who knows what might happen." Fire Phoenix said.

"Your words don’t fit your character; everything in your control is the right way. Placing hope on others, that’s gambling; a lack of winning odds. When did you become unreliable? Relying on one’s abilities, that’s true skill; hoping on others, that’s incompetence." The Butcher reprimanded.

"I know, but sometimes there’s no other way." Fire Phoenix replied, "We don’t know how far the rescue operation has progressed, can only harbor some lucky thoughts."

"You, I don’t know what to say anymore." The Butcher said helplessly.

"Rest assured, just don’t let the major plans be delayed." Fire Phoenix replied with lack of confidence.

"You should know, Sky Net’s next target is the Blood Wolf Base. If the hostage rescue isn’t completed, don’t forget our wager, I’ll surely become the second brother." The Butcher reminded.

"What you think about won’t happen, just wait and see." Fire Phoenix laughed comfortably, "My third brother, just wait and call me second sister obediently."