Chapter Twenty-Eight: Time for a Reward

In Zheng Fan’s previous life, a girl like this would be worth more than a dowry of eight hundred thousand.

Still, Zheng Fan finally understood why Jiang Si stirred up so much trouble. With a personality like hers, it would be a miracle if she didn't. However, Jiang Si’s capacity for violence was quite high. Combined with her nature as a natural predator of serial killers—not to mention having been enhanced by one of Zheng Fan’s singularities—the girl seemed far more formidable than he had anticipated, at least within the confines of the Xi-Ke streets.

"So, what did you trade for?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Ta-da!" Jiang Si beamed as she produced a small, exquisite pendant shaped like an owl’s head. It was pitch black, scarred, and wore a fierce, wide-eyed expression.

"What is that?" Zheng Fan wondered if it was some kind of powerful, high-tier fantasy object.

"It’s 'Mr. Blachiu,' a classic character from the Kuku-Man animation studio. This is a discontinued charm from over a decade ago, originally a promotional giveaway for a restaurant chain. You can’t find these anymore. I never expected to see one here! Getting it for just a few dozen heads is such a steal. The Metropolis really does have good stuff!" Jiang Si said, clearly delighted.

"..."

Kuku-Man... the name sounded vaguely familiar to Zheng Fan.

He remembered catching glimpses of it while spying on the daily lives of others; he’d seen children watching cartoons on TV, and the Kuku-Man logo would appear at the start of the program. It seemed to be an influential animation company in the Metropolis, with many well-known comic and animated characters under its banner. Its style leaned closer to the Japanese anime he recalled from his past life, while other styles in the Metropolis were championed by different entities. One could only say the culture here was truly a hodgepodge.

The mention of promotional food-industry merchandise stirred up many nostalgic memories for Zheng Fan. Sigh, people actually spent money on toys and trinkets, eating food that barely filled their stomachs just to get them—were there really fools who did that?

Yes, there were.

Zheng Fan recalled his own collection from before he transmigrated, and he could barely hold back his tears.

"Hm? Mr. Devil, why are you twitching?" Jiang Si noticed that Zheng Fan, sitting on her shoulder, seemed to be acting strangely.

"It’s nothing. You have a high-quality hobby; you must stick with it," Zheng Fan said in a deep, weary tone.

Jiang Si: ?

Why are you suddenly getting all emotional? It’s a little creepy.

On second thought, she asked, "Mr. Devil, can you turn into anything?"

"Most things, provided I practice enough."

Hearing this, Jiang Si’s eyes lit up. "Can you turn into Mr. Blachiu?"

"...I could have, but now I can't."

"Aww, why?"

"Because you want me to, so I won't," Zheng Fan said, scratching his face with his bat claw.

"Let’s make a deal."

"Forget the deal. What are you going to do about the people following you?" Zheng Fan changed the subject.

Having chatted while walking, Jiang Si was now quite far from the Night Plaza. The surroundings had grown quiet, and there were few pedestrians.

"Almost forgot about them," Jiang Si realized. "I was planning on luring them to a quiet place to kill them."

"What are they after?"

"I don't know. Just kill them and be done with it."

"...Sigh," Zheng Fan sighed.

What a contrast. Lin Yilin’s mind was so complex that one could never guess what she was thinking, while Jiang Si’s train of thought was appallingly simple. It was hard to imagine how someone like her had survived alone in the Metropolis and this violent world, let alone lived so happily.

Zheng Fan had originally suspected that her family was protecting her. But he had observed similar situations and found nothing. Either her bodyguards were incredibly well-hidden, or the Jiang Association really didn't care about her. Given how her brother had ruthlessly ordered his subordinates to surround and riddle her with bullets, the latter seemed more likely. People in this violent world couldn't truly be expected to care for their own kin.

Perhaps she lived so comfortably because, in some twisted way, Jiang Si’s mindset was perfectly in sync with this messed-up world.

The footsteps behind them became clearer; they were no longer hiding.

"The fourth daughter of the Jiang Association is back on Xi-Ke Street. My prediction was correct," a man said as he approached, drawing a katana from his waist.

"I don't care about her background or identity. I just want the serial killer’s blood," said another figure, heavily wrapped in gear. Judging by the voice, it was a woman, holding a gun in one hand and drawing a sword with the other.

"Let's see who's better."

Several people closed in.

Zheng Fan spread his wings, took flight, and declared imperiously, "Let me—"

*Whoosh!*

Jiang Si beat him to it, charging forward instantly. A vast array of red threads erupted from her body, blossoming like a crimson lotus.

Screams, blood, gunfire, and the flash of blades filled the air. Figures crisscrossed, leaving severed limbs and pools of blood scattered on the ground.

As the red threads slowly retracted, Jiang Si took off her baseball cap, shook out her ponytail, tidied her hair, and tied it back up. Her dark eyes held no extra emotion. "That wasn't satisfying."

Zheng Fan: ...

Seriously?

Wasn't this supposed to be the moment for him to take the lead, demonstrate his extraordinary power, drown the place in blood, and drive away those with malicious intent, reminding Jiang Si of how wonderful it was to ride on the coattails of Lord Zheng Fan?

How did you finish them all by yourself?

Jiang Si stepped around the bloodstains to avoid dirtying her shoes. "Did you say something, Mr. Devil?"

"Nothing," Zheng Fan muttered, looking at the pile of corpses with lingering resentment.

Why act so tough when you're this weak? They felt barely stronger than the Binary Girl. Are you all just "chickens"!?

As he was thinking this, a group of people appeared from the surroundings. Ignoring Jiang Si, they rushed straight toward the corpses and remains on the ground without a word.

"Can you really find money just by going outside?"

"So lucky!"

"Don't fight me for it! I saw it first!"

"Get lost! With your measly skills, you dare take a share?! Do you want to become my money too?"

This group didn't seem to be with the people who had come for Jiang Si. They muttered things that made no sense, each equipped with suitcases of various sizes. They picked up the flesh and blood from the ground and put them into the cases, not even letting the blood go to waste; if it hadn't dried yet, they would even suck it up.

Jiang Si glanced at them and, completely indifferent, turned to leave. Since they weren't after her, she didn't intend to kill more right after finishing a job. Besides, these people looked like losers and didn't fit her aesthetic for killing. They needed to at least act a bit more arrogant to trigger her desire to kill.

As for whether they were crazy, she had seen plenty of lunatics since she was a child; she wasn't exactly normal herself.

But just as she took a few steps, her body suddenly stiffened. Her shadow split in two, tear marks appeared at the corners of her eyes, and her pitch-black pupils were replaced by a dull gray.

"An unexpected harvest. I told you coming out would be useful," "Jiang Si" said, turning back with a wide grin.

"Mr. Devil, what are you doing?"

"Quiet. This is my body now."

Zheng Fan replied casually and walked straight toward the group.

"I'm looking for Lin De. Do you know him?" He stood with one hand on his hip, posing like a supermodel to show off Jiang Si’s figure. Zheng Fan’s question was just as blunt.

Most of them couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind; he was getting in the way of their money-making. Only one person paused in his work.

The next moment, he felt a gust of wind, and he was kicked down and pinned underfoot. He looked up in terror as the beautiful young woman smiled down at him. "Do you know him?"

"I..."

"This is the reward portion, but if you can't tell me, then it's the punishment portion," "Jiang Si" interrupted his pointless struggle.

"No, don't just use my body to reward people! And what kind of reward is this!?" Jiang Si’s shadow screamed.

The man beneath her had the same thought.

How was having his chest crushed by a beautiful girl some kind of transcendental reward?