Kyoto's First Prison.

The heavy and sturdy gate slowly opened, and for many years, this door had remained closed. This gate had imprisoned numerous individuals of despicable crimes, stripping them of their freedom. At the gate, a man wearing a ragged white athletic suit slowly walked out.

This man appeared to be in his twenties, but his face was full of hardship. It seemed as if he had experienced more than most elderly people. If you looked closely at his eyes, you'd notice that they were deep, deep to the point where they were inscrutable.

The man emitted an aura that made him hard to approach. Despite his worn-out appearance, no one would assume him a down-and-out man.

Just as the man stepped out of the prison, a red flag sedan with a military license plate stopped in front of him. If someone were to see this license plate, they'd wonder what kind of situation it was that necessitated the military's involvement coming directly to the prison.

The car door slowly opened, and an elderly man walked out. The old man seemed to have aged quite a bit, but his face was full of determination. He stared at the man in front of him for a long time before finally breaking into a smile.

The man's face remained expressionless as he opened the car door and sat in the back seat.

The red flag sedan slowly drove away from Kyoto's First Prison. Standing at the prison gate, the warden smiled wistfully as he watched the slowly receding car.

"Director, what crime did he commit to be sentenced here?" A prison guard asked with a puzzled tone.

"He didn't do anything wrong, at least in my eyes. Everything he did was right. However, sometimes the power forced him to bend, just like the dirty world we live in. I think he's a real man. Whether outside or inside the prison, he never bowed his head!" The warden's eyes were full of admiration.

"No one can argue with that. He spent three years in prison. In his first year here, he was crowned the 'Dragon of the Prison' by the other inmates. In these three years, there has never been a riot in prison. People fear his iron fist but respect him for his character.”

"Actually, I don't want him to leave either. Managing this prison has been simpler with him here. But he was never meant to be confined in a place like this. One day, when the dragon raises its head, it will inevitably dye half of the sky with blood!"

...

Military Headquarters.

The red flag sedan stopped inside the yard, and from the car came the man who had just been released from prison and the elderly man. With mutual understanding, the two of them walked together into the house further inside the military headquarters.

The two of them sat on the couch in the living room. The old man remained silent for a while before looking at the man before him and smiling warmly, "Finally, you're out, Xiao Feng!"

Ye Feng responded with a smile, "Mr. Li, I was able to get out so early thanks to your efforts, right? It's surprising that the place I had once despised almost became my home. Heh, thank you, Mr. Li. Otherwise, I might have been trapped there for the rest of my life."

"Do you need to be saying all this to me? It was my fault that I couldn't protect you back then. Xiao Feng, you must have suffered a lot in there over the years," Mr. Li looked at Ye Feng with a touch of guilt.

"Mr. Li, I've been doing pretty well these years. They say that the Kyoto First Prison holds the most ruthless people, but I don't think it's as terrible as the rumors make it out to be. Those people are just ordinary folks with extreme thoughts. I learned a lot from them. At least I now know that some people who are labeled as villains are pushed to despair by reality, while others, who seem bright on the surface, are cloaked in filth worse than a dog's!"

"Xiao Feng, are you still holding a grudge regarding the incident three years ago?"

"I have no reason to forget, or the ability to make myself forget. Even if I were given another chance, I would still have made the same choice. I just didn't anticipate that this system could be so foul. The many things I've done for the country are nothing compared to the halo some people are born with!" Ye Feng's gaze turned cold.

"Xiao Feng, you're being too radical. You need to consider your own actions too. Back in the day, you killed all the drug lords at the Golden Triangle, leaving no survivors. This was completely against your mission. Yes, those people deserved to die, but you panicked the drug lords and broke our last lead."

"That's not the main point, Mr. Li. Actually, you know very well that if there hadn't been a leak of military intelligence, Big Bear, Little Scorpion, and Tiger, who went along with me, absolutely would not have been wiped out while completely unprepared!"

Tears brimmed in Ye Feng's eyes, "Those three were my brothers and sisters, the people I cared about most in this world. Do you know, Mr. Li? I had to watch as their bodies lay in pools of blood. Little Scorpion was stripped naked before Big Bear, whose eyes were filled with fear when he died. Before the mission, I had promised them that once the mission was done, I would arrange their wedding. But what happened? Little Scorpion was violated by those beasts right under Big Bear's eyes. A man's greatest hatred in life is to kill his father and steal his wife. Big Bear died with a grudge, his whole life filled with resentment. Was that the ending he deserved?"

"..." Mr. Li looked at Ye Feng, whose eyes were alight with tears, and didn't say anything.

"I will remember Tiger's death for the rest of my life. I watched as he fell to the ground, face towards the earth, next to two military dogs. The dogs were licking their paws like hungry wolves, and Tiger's hands were mangled in a pool of blood. I couldn't even clearly see his face..."

Ye Feng seemed to recall the scene from that time, leaning on the wall with his legs trembling, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, "Mr. Li, before departing, I promised them that we would return triumphantly. But... I will never see Little Scorpion and Big Bear's wedding, and I couldn't even bring back Tiger's body. A lifetime of dedication to the country, but in the end he died with his bones lost and his spirit wandering in a foreign land. Mr. Li, do you think I could forget this blood feud? The country pursued my faults, but who thought about getting justice for my three loved ones? Is it just because the people behind everything are bathed in the light of their family? Can the family's light surpass a soldier's life of battling in blood?"

"Xiao Feng, you need to accept this reality. The darkness within the system is something we cannot overthrow."

"Reality, to hell with your reality!" Ye Feng suddenly lost control of his emotions, his fist landed directly on the wall, and just as Mr. Li picked up a cup, Ye Feng's punch made the cup explode.

The shattered shards cut across Mr. Li's hands, leaving several wounds, but there was no surprise in his eyes. Instead, he frowned at Ye Feng, "Xiao Feng, let it go. You are too obsessed. These two years in prison not only failed to cleanse your obsession, but also made you even more terrifying. Do you know that? You were not this cold before, nor would you lose control of your emotions. This is dangerous!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Li." Ye Maple stared at the bloodstains on the table, drew a deep breath, and then said: "This time, I was thrown into the military court. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been released so soon. Rest assured, I won't be so impulsive again."

"Good, you are correct in thinking that way. You are the child I have raised since young, and moreover, a soldier under my command. In fact, you are the most formidable soldier in my... no, the entire Huaxia Military Area. You should not let emotions cloud your judgment." Old man Li sighed a bit helplessly. He understood the nature of the man standing in front of him -never had this man succumbed to anyone during his tenure in the military, even openly opposing the instructors. Convincing such a man to let go of the past was almost impossible.

"Hmm." Ye Maple nodded, his eyes fixed resolute ahead. "But, this deep-seated hatred, I must avenge it. Once I find out who the instigator behind all these is, I will honor the three deceased relatives of mine with his blood. no, with the blood of his entire family. The spirits of these three relatives will get to relish in the blood-soaked liquor of our enemy, beneath the Nine Springs!"

"Do you think that person betrayed you? Simply because she's now with him?" Old man Li tried to probe, Ye Maple didn't reply. Mr. Li let out a sigh, "She... indeed, she is still your Achilles' heel. Nevertheless, I should remind you that if you can't hold onto the sands, best to let it go. She... she’s currently living quite well."

"Is that so?" Ye Maple let out a cold laugh, his heart throbbing with pain as if pierced by a needle. Nevertheless, three years in prison had hardened his resilience. He didn't allow any sign of his emotional state to show and shifted the conversation. He asked, "Mr. Li, any recent assignments? The folks in the prison are tamed by me. I haven’t flexed my muscles in years and am itching for some action."

"Young Maple, did you forget? When you were imprisoned, you were no longer a soldier. You’ve left your military station and are now just an ordinary citizen. I don't have the authority to involve you in national tasks!”

"Does this mean I no longer have a chance to rejoin the military?"

Old man Li shook his head, "No more. The state will never need someone like you who has been in jail, regardless of how formidable they might be. Getting you out is already my limit; it's impossible for you to become a soldier again in this lifetime!"

Ye Maple's eyes dimmed. His greatest dream was to be a national soldier, but that now seemed impossible. He forced out a bitter smile and mused: "Perhaps that's for the better; I will no longer have to see the darkness of this system. Maybe I was never meant for this conniving and plotting system to begin with."

"Young Maple, it might be better for you to leave the military. Although I hate to part with you, and so do the others in our unit, you need to understand that if you return to the military, those brothers who were with you might get caught up in the trouble. And the consequences... they wouldn't be what you'd like to see."

"Well, if I don't go to the military, I really don't know where else I can go."

"When you mentioned this, I suddenly remembered something. Some time ago, an old friend brought up a matter with me. Since you're currently vacant, you might as well go to my friend's place for a while. Interact with society so you won't fall behind the times."

"Alright." Ye Maple agreed, but little did he know that life was about to get a lot more challenging.