Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Sudden Chaos

The people nearby, sensing that the situation had turned sour, hastily clutched their briefcases and fled in a panic.

"I... I do know Linde, but I have no connection to him! We’ve only exchanged a few words!" The man, pinned down by "Jiang Si" with a foot pressing against his chest, struggled to draw breath as he squeezed out the words.

"Jiang Si" lifted her foot, allowing him to gasp for air.

The man stared at "Jiang Si" with murky, wide eyes. Once he recovered, he said, "Linde, he stopped hanging out with us a long time ago. Even when we see him occasionally, he ignores us completely. All we know is that his efficiency in 'churning out money' just keeps getting higher..."

A heartless money-making machine created by the breaking up of his family?

"In that case, I’m quite interested in your money-making business. How about letting me join?" "Jiang Si" tilted her head and asked the man on the ground with a beaming smile.

*You clearly have malicious intent hidden here! No, it’s not even hidden—it’s right out in the open!*

But could he say no?

Besides, this person was here to find Linde; it had nothing to do with him anyway. If he helped, so be it—as long as he kept his life, that was all that mattered.

...

Cup-Water Alley, the location of the "notorious" underground black market in the gated community. The environment resembled a village within the city: densely packed buildings, complex and filthy, with an extreme population density. A casual glance in any direction revealed eyes watching from everywhere.

"I’m already a bit of a target for everyone here in the Xixikoke Street area. I barely dare to come to this place anymore. Mr. Devil, since you insisted on bringing me here, you’d better help me deal with the consequences later," Jiang Si said.

Zheng Fan observed his surroundings and replied, "What? You know you're a target now? I thought you were afraid of nothing."

"There are plenty of things I fear; you know I’m actually quite timid," Jiang Si said, not feeling the need to hide anything from Zheng Fan. "Seeking advantages and avoiding harm is a very basic skill, isn't it?"

"Doesn't matter. If they come, I'll kill them," Zheng Fan replied, echoing Jiang Si's own sentiment.

Guided by the man, they navigated through the maze-like paths of Cup-Water Alley and finally entered a building. The narrow, steep staircase, barely wide enough for one person, fit Zheng Fan's impression of such places perfectly.

Reaching the third floor, Zheng Fan caught the scent of blood.

Jiang Si’s physical senses were not as sharp as Lin Yilin’s—only slightly better than an average person’s. The reason she could smell the blood here was simply because the stench in this area was overwhelmingly thick.

There were no signs, just a door at the corner. As they approached, the sounds of clamor and noise from within could already be heard.

A tall figure in black stood at the entrance. As the man approached, the guard reached out to block him: "A cleaner? You can't enter without enough credit. You know the rules."

The guard’s sharp, hawk-like gaze swept over them, making the man feel like a rat with nowhere to hide. He hunched his back and nodded frantically, "I know, boss, I know. I’m just bringing a newcomer..."

He gestured toward "Jiang Si" standing behind him.

"Jiang Si" nodded obediently.

"...Do you take me for a fool?" The gatekeeper fell silent for a moment before spitting out the words.

"Someone dressed as well as this, with such high spirits, is coming to our place to 'buy life'? Tell me, where are you from? The Processing Bureau? Those spineless cops? Or one of those gangs or agencies?"

As he spoke, the gatekeeper pointed the dark muzzle of his gun directly at "Jiang Si."

Jiang Si raised her hands, her expression serious: "I’m your grandfather."

*Bang!*

The gatekeeper pulled the trigger without hesitation, but the bullet collided with a fine red thread the moment it left the muzzle, shattering into pieces.

He was startled and immediately tried to retreat to create distance.

"Watch your surroundings, idiot," "Jiang Si" said, her head tilted slightly, her voice calm.

*Rip!*

As the gatekeeper instinctively looked behind him at the sound of her voice, excruciating pain flooded his body. He had been sliced into several pieces by the threads and fell to the floor.

"So much money. Go ahead, pick up your favorite things, you moron." "Jiang Si" gave the stunned man beside her a kick.

The man scrambled to obey, picking up his briefcase to gather the gatekeeper’s remains.

As Jiang Si prepared to push open the door to the casino, a thunderous noise erupted from within, followed by shouts, gunfire, and the sounds of a brawl.

"You've got to be kidding me," "Jiang Si" muttered as she pushed the door open to see a group of people in blue-and-white uniforms rounding up everyone in the casino.

A section of the wall had been breached from the outside; these people must have broken in through there.

Blue-and-white uniforms, hydrangea emblems on their shoulders.

Zheng Fan had heard of these people from Lin Yilin.

Shenlai Agency. One of the two largest agencies in the Xixikoke Street area. To be precise, they didn't entirely belong to Xixikoke Street, as their influence had already crossed the boundaries of the street and extended into other grey zones.

Lin Yilin had described this agency as "quite clean."

A curious description, but considering the state of the grey zones in the Metropolis, it was quite an accomplishment.

They had no major ties to gangs and were obsessed with taking on commissions related to them—they could be called the bane of the gangs in Xixikoke Street.

As a force that suppressed gang activity, they had gained the support of the Metropolis and were closely aligned with the Processing Bureau.

Thinking of this, Zheng Fan grew anxious.

Although he didn't know why this super-large agency had attacked, if they wiped out this nameless casino with their level of skill, wouldn't the Binary girl's commission go up in smoke?

They had already done more than half the work; all that was left was to bring Linde back to collect the bounty.

Linde, I don't know if you're here, but if you are, hang on and don't die!

"Oh, the Shenlai Agency. Great. They hate serial killers more than anything," Jiang Si’s shadow spoke up suddenly.

"What now? You have a conflict with them, too?"

"When I first became a serial killer, I was a newcomer and almost died at their hands. Some of them would meddle in affairs even without a commission, simply out of personal will—including hunting down serial killers," Jiang Si replied quickly.

Zheng Fan wove through the chaotic casino. Chips were scattered on the ground, and the thick stench of blood was enough to overwhelm anyone's senses.

He picked up a bright red, bone-white chip and examined it, confirming it was crafted from flesh and blood.

The craftsmanship was actually quite sophisticated.

"Jiang Si?" Suddenly, someone seemed to recognize her and shouted loudly.

Zheng Fan looked back and saw a young girl, not much older than Jiang Si. She pulled two blades from the body of a casino staff member on the floor, flicked them twice to shake off the blood, the tips of the blades shimmering with cold light.

She had short, wavy hair with deep blue highlights, bright star-shaped stickers on her face, and blue-grey contacts instead of her natural eye color. She looked like a trendy, fashionable girl, which stood in stark contrast to the formal uniform she wore.

"Xila..." Jiang Si said in a low voice.

"How old are you guys? Being a serial killer and working for an agency at the same time? You really have no life," Zheng Fan mused. Was this girl even younger than Jiang Si?

Lin Yilin had said she just graduated from university last year, and Jiang Si was younger than Lin Yilin. If this girl was younger than Jiang Si...

"Are you working for this casino too? It’s a job that perfectly suits the tastes of a serial killer. That’s perfect—die here together," Xila said, tightening her grip on her twin blades and taking a stance.

"I’d like to say something," "Jiang Si" raised a hand.

"Last words? Go ahead."

"Are you working for an agency because you failed your university entrance exams, or did you drop out to work here because you have ideals?" "Jiang Si" asked with a sincere expression.

Xila: "..."

She paused, not understanding what the point of the sudden question was.

"You illiterate thug from a violent world, and you have the nerve to ask me if I passed my entrance exams?!" She suddenly snapped.

"I guess you didn't."

As soon as she finished speaking, "Jiang Si" stepped back, narrowly dodging Xila’s horizontal slash.

"She actually called me illiterate!? My dad taught me how to read himself! I am not illiterate!" Jiang Si’s shadow fluctuated violently. Who knew what nerve this girl had touched.

Ignoring her foul language, Zheng Fan manipulated Jiang Si's body, flicking her fingers. Red threads pierced through the air, colliding with Xila's blades, sparking repeatedly and emitting sounds like clashing metal.

"Your violence index is quite high. After spending so much time with Lin Yilin, I thought everyone was just bronze-tier."

However...

"Jiang Si" clapped her hands: "Not bronze. Just mediocre silver, I suppose."

Xila’s pupils constricted as she retreated explosively. Countless red threads erupted from the ceiling and the floor, instantly shredding the surrounding casino equipment. Xila parried the encroaching threads while dodging, but she was grazed from time to time, drawing blood and breaking into a cold sweat.

*How is this possible? Is this the growth potential of a serial killer?*

*Just two months ago, I was the one chasing her around...*

*Rip!*

A thread suddenly whipped by, piercing her arm. Just as it was about to shred her entire limb, a figure flashed past, cutting the red thread and blocking all the incoming ones from the front.

"Xila, what’s going on?" A man in the same uniform, with a face as sharp as a knife, retracted his sword and asked, standing in front of Xila. He looked somewhat ethereal, his demeanor stern.

"Teacher He... it’s the Red Thread Serial Killer, Jiang Si. She’s here; it must have something to do with this casino," Xila answered immediately, clutching the wound on her arm.

"The serial killer from two months ago? Impossible..." Teacher He frowned, his gaze fixed on "Jiang Si," scrutinizing her carefully.

Apart from that infuriating, mocking smile, he couldn't see anything else. Her eye color and the markings on her face weren't particularly unique features.

But the rate of growth was too fast. This tyrannical aura, the scent of blood—she was already as mature as one could possibly be.

What had the Red Thread Serial Killer experienced in these past two months?

Just as he raised his sword in preparation, and "Jiang Si" prepared to face this "elder" who had come after the "younger" one was defeated...

Both of their expressions changed simultaneously.

The scattered chips on the floor, all the residual flesh and limbs—everything began to heat up, turning red and incandescent.

Then, they detonated.

*BOOM!*