True Immortal Heart-Chapter 39: Viper’s Past

After laying out her plans, Viper began treading the path of crime. Meanwhile, her siblings had no interest in becoming part of the mafia.

To them, it was far better to live a lavish life basking in luxury and light—attending grand parties, enjoying wealth—than to lurk in the shadows, dealing in secrecy and filth.

From extortion, drug trafficking, and arms dealing to money laundering... she climbed her way up step by step, earning the recognition of many within the organization.

But would these members remain eternally loyal to her family? The answer: maybe, maybe not.

If the next leader could match or surpass the current one, then they had no reason to rebel.

However, if the successor was an incompetent fool, they wouldn’t hesitate to choose someone they truly respected. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Throughout that journey, she honed a myriad of skills—from combat techniques to highly specialized knowledge.

Back when she was just an ordinary heiress, no one ever noticed anything remarkable about her.

But once she entered the underworld, many were stunned by her sheer madness.

She was far more ruthless than her father—yet at the same time, she possessed a terrifying clarity of mind.

That was precisely why many believed their futures would be far more glorious if she took the helm.

And in truth, they were right. The organization’s influence expanded rapidly once she seized control.

After a long period of preparation, the moment finally arrived.

She led a team of specialists to disable every surveillance system, then moved in to tamper with her father’s car.

The operation was executed in utter secrecy, calculated so precisely that not a single trace was left behind.

At that time, her father was speeding down the highway, though for some reason, a sense of unease crept over him.

As he continued driving, he suddenly realized he couldn’t slow down anymore.

It was as if fate itself lent a hand—right then, a massive container truck appeared in his path.

The collision was catastrophic. He found himself in a near-death state in an instant.

Only then did he understand—someone was trying to kill him.

And it took him mere seconds to guess the most likely suspect.

"So... it was you. Well done."

With a faint smile, he slipped into unconsciousness.

This family was, in truth, an exceptionally strange one.

They believed that if a descendant had the ability to kill their predecessor, it meant they had surpassed them—and that was something to be proud of.

Of course, Viper never heard his final words, but she wouldn’t have cared anyway.

Whether he felt pride in her or not held no meaning whatsoever.

She was simply born to be a mafia boss. That was all.

But things didn’t end there.

At her father’s funeral, while the grieving wives and their children mourned his death, the next phase of Viper’s plan was set into motion.

She staged the scene of a fire, then burned an entire villa to the ground.

The loss was considerable—but if it meant eliminating everyone involved, it was absolutely worth it.

In the end, Viper emerged as the sole survivor.

She bore a few burn marks—self-inflicted injuries she had deliberately given herself.

When the police arrived to investigate, they found nothing.

After all, who would suspect a victim of the fire to be the perpetrator?

And just like that, she officially ascended to the supreme throne of The Crimson Vow.

...

"So? Don’t you think my life is quite... spectacular?" she asked with a smirk.

Dusk was left speechless in awe.

’Was I ever this cunning and decisive at sixteen? No way.’ he thought.

"I’ll give it to you—you’re downright insane. To think of murdering your whole family at that age... truly a rare breed."

His tone suggested he wasn’t quite willing to admit her brilliance.

Even if, deep down, he truly respected her, he had no intention of saying it out loud.

"Hmph. Is it really so hard for you to praise me? Besides, if I didn’t have that kind of mind, how would I have earned the right to sit where I am today?" she scoffed.

"I don’t believe you don’t understand whether your actions towards me make me like or hate you," said Dusk.

Though she irritated him greatly, Dusk knew full well that she understood exactly how annoyed he was.

Despite her occasional bouts of madness and erratic behavior, her clarity of mind had never once wavered.

"Still a long way till go time. Why don’t you take a nap? You’ll need the energy to go arson-hopping tonight," she said casually.

Her sudden suggestion that he sleep instantly put Dusk on high alert.

After all, who knew what tricks she might pull while he was unconscious?

"No need to be so tense. Sure, I might play a little prank on you, but I won’t let you get seriously injured," she said with a mischievous glint.

"Well, damn, should I be thanking you now? So what, light injuries aren’t a big deal to you?" he replied dryly.

"Ha! A few scratches? That’s nothing. I’ve got plenty of those," she chuckled, rolling up her sleeve to show him a patchwork of scars.

Just as she said, most of them were shallow cuts, looking like close brushes with blades that didn’t quite strike true.

"No one’s trying to compare with you, alright? I don’t have your kind of freakish talent," Dusk muttered.

He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he was more skilled than she was.

But when it came to sheer willpower, he would never admit defeat to anyone.

Without another word, he found a decent-looking spot and sprawled out to sleep.

In his current state, a bit of extra rest couldn’t hurt.

...

A while later, once Viper figured he was asleep for real, she crept over quietly.

She remembered he had a revolver tucked away in his jacket—so she reached out to check.

Her motive wasn’t anything grand.

She just wanted to see if the gun was actually loaded or if he was simply bluffing with an empty threat.

Her suspicion wasn’t baseless either.

Every crime scene he left behind had shown no trace of gunfire—no bullets, no shells, no gunpowder residue.

But just as her fingers brushed his coat, his hand shot up and grabbed hers tightly. His eyes snapped open.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

"Why are you holding my hand so tightly? Do you like holding my hand?" she said, genuinely surprised.

That reaction... it wasn’t something you’d expect from a beginner.

He must have spent a long time training himself to remain alert—even in sleep.

"Seriously, what are you? With all those weird abilities—if you’re not military, then you’ve got to be some kind of criminal," she asked, narrowing her eyes.