180 Degrees

Prologue

***A/N: Yet another collaboration with my dear friend, Brilcrist (twt: agikun). Thank you, Bril, for drawing the amazing cover and mini-comics for the story. ^^

You can follow updates on this project by searching the "#JunZheAlphaBaby" tag on Twitter.

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Rain was pouring hard from the sky; countless droplets of water were beating down against the rough asphalt, creating murky puddles on virtually every corner visible to the naked eye. Visibility was poor, the street lamps were struggling to shine upon the dark roads in the middle of the night when neither the moon nor a single star was present to light the way. Besieged from all sides by such ill weather, the usually bright and lively metropolis was reduced to a silent town where those in the right state of mind would wisely choose to cease all activities and take shelter indoors, safe from the wind and rain.

Nevertheless, there would always be individuals who lived in opposition to conformity, particular groups who created a world separate from what was accepted by the general society, making up rules and laws based on power and tenacity instead of order and equality. This kind of people was present in all walks of life, in broad daylight and in the dead of night. It was just that they had cast a protective shield over themselves so that their existence would be concealed from watchful eyes — or in the case where they did come to be discovered, it would ensure that they would remain untouched, undisturbed to continue opposing the conformity of society.

Gunshots rang inside a dimly lit bar tucked in a busy corner of the red-light district. Glasses shattered as a body was thrown out of the window, the door was kicked open as another was tossed into the downpour. Screams and curses were streaming from the chaos taking place within the interior, people ran out or forcefully made their way in — some to avoid altercations, some to protect their lives, some to pour oil into the fire. Whatever caused this mess in the first place seemed to have been swallowed in the sea of humans shrieking and beating up one another. At some point, it looked as though some people just wanted to watch the world burn regardless of the situation, an occurrence that wasn't at all rare to take place in this particular part of the city.

Amidst the bloody commotion, a shadow staggered out of the back door and into a dark alley leading away from the red-light district. It was of a full-grown man in the prime of his life, dressed in an expensive suit and wearing a pair of shiny leather shoes. Unfortunately, his precious shoes were immediately met with muddy puddles and dirt scattered all over the narrow passageway. His branded suit was washed thoroughly by the heavy rain, the cold water was absorbed all the way into his equally expensive shirt and trousers. The man was soaked and the chilling wind hit him right in the face. However, in a situation where others would usually rush to find shelter, he tottered and swayed in extremely slow steps, with much difficulty struggling to reach the other end of the alley while holding onto his side.

"Dammit! I was careless."

Zhang Zhehan fell crumbling to the side of the cramped passage, having only walked half the distance. His legs gave way and refused to stand up again. Lighting was insufficient around this part of the street, but one would never miss the large crimson stain revealed beneath his dark coat, spreading all over the right side of his body. He'd been caught up in the violent clash at the bar and got himself injured.

Worse still, this injury he received was not the last thing he should be worrying about.

"Where is he?!"

"Find him! He mustn't have gotten far with that wound!"

"Catch him and drag him back here. I won't rest until I see him dead with my own eyes!"