An Eventful Winter

After the eventful autumn drew to a close, an eventful winter arrived in turn. Following days of continuous drizzle, Yacheng welcomed a rare sunny day. Beneath the limpid afternoon sky, the streets were illuminated by sunlight. Puddles beneath one's feet mirrored the azure expanse, bringing a trace of warmth. Ji Jue sat on a folding chair, settling into a comfortable position, and let out a relaxed, contented breath. He remembered that when he was young in Shuzhou, people bundled up heavily in winter, yet the chilly wind still whistled through the seams of their clothing to burrow into their bones. Every morning, the short crawl from the cozy duvet to reach for clothes was as torturous as hell itself. Truly terrifying. By contrast, winter in Haizhou felt as though temperatures merely dropped a symbolic few degrees; one could even keep wearing a T-shirt beneath a light jacket. Even though locals made quite a ritual of throwing a down vest over their clothes, no matter how cold it got, they refused to abandon the flip-flops on their feet. Even after all these years of barely scraping by as half a local, Ji Jue still couldn't master that enduring devotion to flip-flops—a love that stood firm through mountains of daggers and seas of fire. A certain old man named Zhang in Beishan District still wandered all over the city year-round, dangling a large cattail-leaf fan, clad in an undershirt and baggy shorts. You'd think he was an expert whose peerless skill bred courage, but in truth, that was simply the local style. Ordinary and plain—that was real life. At this moment, under the afternoon sun, echoes of the tide drifted in from afar. Clear skies, cloudless for thousands of miles. "Fine weather for murder and arson." Ji Jue yawned, leaned back in the folding chair, and narrowed his eyes. Bang! Bang! Bang! In the distance, at the far end of the warehouse plant, knocking rang out. Outside the flaking, rusted iron door, a slender youth as pretty as a girl looked up, checked the address on his phone to confirm once more, and raised his hand. Another knock sounded. Until an impatient voice came from inside the warehouse behind the door: "Who is it? We didn't order takeout!" The peephole slid open, and an unkempt, stubbled face poked out, bristling with fierce menace. But upon seeing that delicately exquisite, almost cute visage, he froze for a second and reflexively glanced behind him: "Goddammit, who ordered a broad?" And then, his neck went cold. The expression froze on his face. For a finger had lifted lightly, slipping through the peephole to rest against his carotid artery. It was so gentle, yet the faint icy touch delivered a terrifying chill worse than any nightmare. "Li Yong?" An Ran asked. Li Yong swallowed hard. Rigid, his face twitched, forcing out a twisted smile. He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, only to hear the detached voice ask: "How many people inside?" "Three—no, four... five... five... Really, only five." Li Yong blinked frantically. "B-Big bro, is there a mistake? We paid up! The Dragon Head..." "Just because you paid the Dragon Head means you don't have to pay the Security Bureau?" Though puzzled, An Ran mimicked Brother Ji Jue's tone and retorted, "Who gave you that guarantee? Xu Chaoxian?" "I..." Li Yong's expression twitched twice. His hand behind his back signaled frantically to his companions. He tried to say something, but he never got the chance. The light finger had already pulled back from his neck. And with it went all his strength. "Heh... heh..." Veins instantly bulged across Li Yong's face, his eyes bloodshot. He struggled, desperate to wail, but no sound came out. Like a clump of mud, he slid down the door toward the ground. In the end, only the youth's voice was heard. He said, "You weren't honest." Brother Ji Jue said that those who ran smuggling rings and prowled the seas, yet dared to be dishonest with the Security Bureau, weren't good people. Since they weren't good people, anything went. However, Brother Ji Jue also said that killing people indiscriminately was bad. Bad guys had families too, who would feel sad and grieved. Plus, when someone died, you had to write a report, which was a huge hassle. Therefore, turning them into half-dead vegetables was good enough. Sending them to a friend enthusiastic about medical research not only brought in an extra sum of money, but also allowed them to contribute their remaining worth to the happiness and future of humanity. Brother Ji Jue had thought of everything so thoroughly; An Ran found it very reasonable. So ever since then, whenever possible, he refrained from killing; those who resisted just needed to be beaten into brain death. He just didn't know why Sister Wen and Sister Huahua always wore such complicated expressions, as if there was something they wanted to say... Snap! A flash of silver light gleamed from his sleeve, and the heavy lock and crossbar on the warehouse door instantly split in two. The iron doors creaked slowly open, followed immediately by the crisp screech of grinding steel inside the warehouse. Inside, the desperados, having just received their comrade's warning, grabbed their weapons without hesitation. And boldly opened fire! Footsteps, gunshots, and heartbeats—more than sixteen people, not five at all! When the Security Bureau came knocking, instead of surrendering, they actually dared to open fire and attack... Huh? Wait, did I say I was from the Security Bureau? Seems like I did... didn't I? Whatever. Since they opened fire... Might as well just kill them all! In a fleeting instant, the youth's dilemma melted away under the momentum built up over years of habit, replaced by a cold glint slipping from his sleeve. A crimson iron shard shrieked, slicing through the air! In the cavernous, dim warehouse, a scarlet streak abruptly emerged, shooting from An Ran's hand. Heading straight into the muzzle flashes, it pierced through barriers of walls and crates, penetrated deep behind layer upon layer of defense, tore through flesh, and burst out alongside a mist of blood. Only then did a thunderous sonic boom belatedly erupt from the youth's fingertips! The torrential gunfire seemed to freeze for a moment. Everyone looked back in shock toward the very rear. The Entropy Chosen, who had been silently gathering power behind layers of barricades, now stood dazed. Lowering his head, he saw only a horrific gaping hole completely piercing his torso. Fragmented organs sprayed out, splattering across the blood-stained wall. "Help... help..." He looked up in terror, his expression twitching, and snapped in half at the waist right before everyone's eyes. The pent-up energy within his body completely ran wild, detonating with a roar. Flames spread, thick smoke billowed, leaving not a trace of bone or ash! Yet the roars still echoed without cease. The piercing shrieks cutting through the air never stopped. In that brief lull, person after person hiding behind cover had their lives precisely claimed by the iron shard punching through walls. Even at the forefront, the Desolate Ruins practitioner trying to charge out was torn to pieces in an instant. Like the descent of the Grim Reaper. Gripping the "trinket" gifted by Ji Jue, An Ran's eyes shone brighter and brighter. As expected of Brother Ji Jue, so amazing! Even if it looked unremarkable, once Sword Resonance was activated, its handling and destructive power were countless times superior to the things he'd spent so much money on before! Such a good thing—Sister wouldn't need it anyway, right?! At that thought, he couldn't help feeling smug and cheerful. He flicked his hand again, but midway through the motion he abruptly paused, brows slightly arching. It actually missed? Boom! Amid the colossal crash, Yue Ting stared with wide eyes, collapsing limp to the ground. Looking at the scarlet iron shard embedded in the steel and stone above his head, he felt only a hot, wet sensation spreading through his crotch, trembling uncontrollably. What the fuck is this?! If the instinct of Cicada's Intuition hadn't made him duck his head reflexively, his head would probably have been parted from his shoulders by now. In less than half a minute, not only had the rabble hired with money from the Thousand Islands been decimated, but more than half of the brothers who had braved life and death at sea with him for years were wiped out! Under this unprecedented shock, his vision went black in waves. Looking into the distance at a subordinate who still cowered with head lowered waiting for death, he could no longer contain his fury. "Wh-What are you standing there for?!" he yelled with a glare. "Release the thing in the cage! Don't just stand there like an idiot, hurry! Or we're all going to die!" "But..." The subordinate blanked, and then his expression twisted into something uglier than crying as he lifted half a severed chain in his hand: "The c-cage... has already been slashed open, Brother Ting." Instantly, a shrill roar erupted from beneath the tarp covering the massive cage. The juvenile calamity beast, having broken free of its shackles, roared in a frenzy and lunged out. A bizarre chimera of viper, giant python, and insect dragged its long tail as it pounced forward. Snapping its jaws wide, it swallowed half the subordinate's body, chewing voraciously as blood sprayed in all directions. The exposed lower half still kicked and struggled in terror. Soon, it was swallowed whole into the beast's stomach. Across its multitude of compound eyes, ferocious malice gleamed. As the sedatives injected into its body were gradually metabolized and expelled with the gulping of fresh blood, its aura grew increasingly vicious and savage. Under the sway of bestial instinct, it first looked toward the individual posing the greatest threat to it in the entire warehouse: The youth who stood before it, curiously looking up to examine it. Tilting his head, watching it. It was clearly a face free of any threat, yet it made the beast's hair stand on end, sending shivers through it so that it instinctively wanted to turn and flee. But immediately, amidst a streak of blood-red light, an iron shard nailed itself into the wall directly in front of it. "Hush, here boy, tsk-tsk, go back, go back!" Xiao An raised a hand, gesturing at the juvenile calamity beast that was countless times larger than himself, pointing toward the original cage. Alas, the beast couldn't understand dog calls at all. The moment it realized escape was impossible, it whirled around fiercely for a desperate counterattack! Boom! Enormous crashes echoed continuously from behind. Yue Ting crawled on all fours, scrambling and stumbling, yet moving even faster than on two legs. He was ruined this time, thoroughly screwed. But escaping with his life was top priority. If money was gone, it could be earned again; if goods were lost, they could be bought again; but if his life was gone, everything ended... Just like any "big boss" who cashed out his shares and discarded his "brothers" without hesitation, the moment Yue Ting sensed things were off, he had no intention whatsoever of standing or falling together with his men. He turned around and fled on the spot! Locking the secret passage door behind him in hopes of stalling whoever was pursuing him for just a moment, his movements grew increasingly nimble and slick. Running away was second nature to him, flowing as smoothly as water, practically a conditioned reflex. He could no longer hold back the smirk on his face. Right until he pushed open the manhole cover, coated in grime. And then, the smirk froze on his face. Right around the manhole cover, four red-and-white traffic cones hung with yellow-and-black caution tape stood waiting, just like a trap prepared long in advance. Waiting for the cornered rabbit to deliver itself to the door. "Pardon me, please turn back," someone behind him yawned, reminding him. "Municipal maintenance. Please take a detour." Yue Ting stiffened and looked back. He saw a folding chair that had long been set up, and on it, a young man lounging lazily, propping his chin, looking drowsy. Across his handsome face ran a winding scar, lending it a touch of imperfection. His hair wasn't long, barely reaching his ears, but looked as if faded, faintly revealing traces of grayish-white. Across his knees rested a strange walking stick, as if he had difficulty walking. Yet most striking of all were those downcast eyes—within their pitch-black depths lingered a faint scarlet, sending an eerie chill through anyone they glanced at. Like unquenched embers inside a crucible. Yue Ting's expression twitched. Barely restraining the urge to fight to the death, he said, "Brother, an emergency among travelers on the road—give me a way through, and I'll owe you one." "How are you going to owe me? Card or cash?" Ji Jue chuckled. "I don't make a habit of offering installment plans." "..." In the brief, dead silence, Yue Ting's expression gradually turned vicious. "If you want to play at robbing robbers, you need the life to spend it! Don't go looking for death!" Ji Jue burst out laughing. "See that?" Ji Jue reached out, pointing beside him. On one of the traffic cones, silver light gleamed—a pair of handcuffs had been hung there in advance. "In three counts, I'll have you put them on, believe it or not?" Yue Ting's face turned livid. His hand, concealed beneath the rim of the manhole, drew half a pitch-black blade, killing intent flaring: "You're fucking asking for—" Snap! A crisp snap of fingers sounded from the folding chair. And then, pitch-black shadow engulfed that stunned face. With a crisp mechanical sound, behind the young man, the massive, bizarre, and menacing armored off-road vehicle suddenly shuddered. As if a giant were stretching its limbs, countless mechanisms operated silky smooth, expanding. Arm after arm unfurled, and a savage beast face emerged and rose from beneath shifting armor plates. In an instant, it transformed into a mechanical monster over five meters tall. A giant talon, sharp as a blade, lifted, and an autocannon freshly pulled from the vehicle's compartment was shoved right against his face. From the pitch-black barrel blew the wind of hell itself. "Three," Ji Jue said. Clatter! Click! The sounds of the dagger falling to the bottom of the sewer and the handcuffs snapping shut rang out at the exact same instant. "Dad, I was wrong!!!" Yue Ting knelt on the ground, his cuffed hands clasping his head, completing all of this at near-lightspeed as he kowtowed crazily: "Please, sir, be magnanimous and spare my worthless life!"