The Assault

The illicit videos the woman mentioned ought to be sufficient evidence. The next objective was straightforward: capture Master Wu alive, and locate either the footage or the ledger. Come to think of it, Master Wu was an ordinary mortal. It was one thing to blackmail officials of various ranks with those recordings, but how did he dare threaten Spirit Realm walkers? Perhaps he had only covertly filmed ordinary dignitaries and held none on the walkers. If so, taking down Chi Yue'an would require the women in this building to serve as living witnesses. Master Wu truly acted beyond all law—treating human beings like slaves and livestock to rake in profits, colluding with corrupt officials, committing murder and arson... Even with ample psychological preparation, hearing Cao Jing's account stirred an uncontrollable surge of fury and murderous intent within Zhang Yuanqing. He wanted nothing more than to humanely put down every last beast in this building. He had already chosen his next target: Security Captain Lai Wan. From Cao Jing's recounting, Lai Wan was one of Master Wu's inner confidants, responsible for "security" at Bronze Sparrow Tower. The women here were terrified of him, as nearly all of them had suffered beatings at his hands. When someone resisted fiercely at the start like Cao Jing, Master Wu would instruct Lai Wan to rape and break her. He was a scoundrel who deserved nothing less than death. *I have 138 Morality Points, enough to kill eight people. I've stockpiled them for two months—if not now, when else am I supposed to use them?* Zhang Yuanqing drifted out of the middle-aged man's body, enveloped the yanagiba, and exited the room. *** First floor, security office. Security Captain Lai Wan leaned comfortably back in his office chair, several boxes of braised meats sitting before him and a crate of canned beer resting at his feet. Lai Wan had run with Master Wu in the underworld since he was very young. He was an adept street brawler, capable of hacking people with a watermelon knife without batting an eye. Around the turn of the century, he had fought for territory and women on Master Wu's behalf, hacking two men to death. Master Wu had paid a hefty price to settle the matter for him, and far from blaming him, came to appreciate Lai Wan even more. Once Master Wu went half-legitimate, Lai Wan was appointed security captain at Bronze Sparrow Tower, and almost all of the old brothers from back then were gathered here. Lai Wan was thoroughly pleased with his current lot in life: generous pay, easy duties, reminiscing about the old days with his brothers, shooting the breeze, and fooling around with the women—life could not be sweeter. Indeed, aside from the few stunning headliners, Lai Wan could indulge himself with any woman in Bronze Sparrow Tower at will. Those women were "slaves" kept by Master Wu. Not a single one had arrived obedient. Master Wu's methods for handling them were equally simple: savage beatings, rape, and torture for a period of time, after which they would fall in line. And the man responsible for administering all of it was Lai Wan. "Pleh, pleh..." Spitting out chicken wing bones, Lai Wan complained, "Master Wu is getting up there in years, and his courage is shrinking by the day. Making a huge fuss over nothing." Lai Wan's paramour had no clients tonight, and they had initially agreed that he would spend the night at her place. Yet out of nowhere that afternoon, Master Wu had summoned all security personnel and demanded stepped-up patrols. The staffing had doubled from the usual six men to twelve, split into two-man teams on continuous twenty-four-hour shifts. Even as captain, Lai Wan was stuck working through the night. Just then, a burly man dressed in a security uniform stepped inside. Lai Wan glanced over his shoulder and continued drinking. "Lao Yang, do me a favor. Take over for me for half an hour—no, make it an hour. I'm heading upstairs to have some fun with Quxiu." He had not touched a woman in days, and having drunk some alcohol, the surge of lust was impossible to suppress. Lao Yang walked over, stopping right beside Lai Wan, and looked down at him with cold detachment. "Huh?" Lai Wan swallowed a mouthful of bitter beer, grunting a puzzled sound from his nose. The next instant, he saw Lao Yang draw a glinting yanagiba from behind his back and slash it toward his throat. The alcohol dulled his nerves, slowing his reaction by a beat; by the time his muscles tensed to resist, thick torrents of blood were already spurting from his carotid artery. Lao Yang clamped a hand over Lai Wan's mouth and drove several more stabs into his chest until the man ceased struggling and went completely limp. At the same time, Zhang Yuanqing heard the prompt announcing a deduction of ten Morality Points. He was not surprised. The deduction of Morality Points for taking a life was mandatory, making no distinction between good and bad people. However, doing good deeds certainly rewarded Morality Points. By all logic, slaying an evil man like Lai Wan ought to count as doing good. Yet no reward notification came. *The Spirit Realm wouldn't possess such an elementary bug. Viewed from a broader perspective, I really am doing good, but the deed has only just begun. Once this entire case is settled, I'll see if the reward arrives...* Without dwelling on it further, Zhang Yuanqing allowed pitch darkness to surge in his eyes as he awakened the lingering spirit body within the corpse, opened his mouth, and drew it inward to swallow it. Foreign memories poured into his sea of consciousness like a trickling stream emptying into a vast ocean, causing only the faintest ripples upon impact. Fragmented scenes surfaced in succession—some coherent, some disjointed, flickering like a spinning zoetrope. He saw Lai Wan hacking someone to death for the first time, his entire body trembling as he gripped a fruit knife; he saw Lai Wan stepping into a hair salon, spending fifty yuan to end his virginity; he saw Lai Wan brandishing a truncheon, striking a woman again and again as she screamed and wailed, clutching her bruised skin in shivering agony; he saw him leading three underlings to pin a weeping, screaming woman to a bed, the men sneering as they vented their animal lust, barking, *You don't want to receive clients? Once I bring the boys to play with you a few more times, you'll get used to it.* He saw Master Wu—around 1.8 meters tall, sporting a full beard and a dark mole on his right cheek—giving solemn orders: "Stay sharp these next few days. Someone might come looking for trouble." "Trouble? Who would dare?" "You don't need to concern yourself with that." The scene shifted. Zhang Yuanqing saw Master Wu welcoming three distinguished guests into the casino with polite, humble deference. The security captain accompanied them as they spoke: "Sorry to trouble you gentlemen these past couple of days. Whatever you spend in the casino is on my tab. Feel free to pick any girl in the tower. Whichever one catches your eye, I'll have her sent over to keep you company." "Rest easy. If anyone truly lacks eyes and comes causing trouble, we'll take care of it for you. We're all working for Master Chi, so there's no need to stand on ceremony." Zhang Yuanqing broke out of Spirit Devouring, drew a deep breath to tamp down his surging wrath, and extracted a pivotal piece of information from that final fragment of memory: *All working for Master Chi?* That statement carried two layers of meaning: they had been dispatched by Chi Yue'an to protect Master Wu, and Master Wu's patron was none other than Chi Yue'an. *Chi Yue'an is Master Wu's backer, which is why Bronze Sparrow Tower has been able to persist for so many years in Songhai's shadows. Chi Yue'an uses Master Wu's hands to amass wealth and indulge his own twisted fetishes...* That was why, once Kou Yusi escaped, the one to strike had been Chi Yue'an. Blue veins bulged once more along Zhang Yuanqing's brow. Belonging to an orthodox profession did not equate to being good. He had understood that principle long ago, yet he still could not suppress the rage churning in his heart. *Chi Yue'an was indeed on guard, sending Spirit Realm walkers to protect Master Wu. Three of them. Their levels are unknown, but they should all be in the Transcendent stage. It's unlikely he could call upon Saints. Chi Yue'an has clashed with Kou Beiyue and has a clear measure of his ability. Among these three, there should be either two Level 3s, or one Level 3 while another wields a potent item—only then could they counter an attack from a Level 3 Bewitching Demon.* *Between me and Kou Beiyue, our combat strength should suffice. There's no need to ask Guan Ya and the Decurion for backup... Still, to be safe, I should notify them to head this way in case of unexpected turns.* Zhang Yuanqing's spirit body drifted out of the security guard's shell, leaving the man to collapse unconscious to the floor. He floated out of Bronze Sparrow Tower, returning at rapid speed to where his physical body waited. Beneath the foliage, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes. Keeping watch at his side, Kou Beiyue noticed the movement and turned at once. Seeing him "awake," he hurriedly asked, "How does it look inside? Can we move? Did you see Master Wu?" "We can move!" Zhang Yuanqing stood up, quietly recalling Little Doubi, and said, "Right now. Move out immediately." Kou Beiyue licked his lips in excitement. *** Inside the two-story building, bright lights washed over the grand hall. This two-story structure was the casino Master Wu operated. Apart from the load-bearing pillars, the interior walls had all been knocked down, opening up a spacious hall capable of accommodating two hundred people. The resplendent hall was lined with all manner of gambling machines, most of which ordinary people had never seen, alongside familiar pastimes such as mahjong and card tables. Patrons were scattered everywhere, some playing the machines, some pushing tiles over mahjong tables, others playing Texas hold'em, with voluptuous, seductive dealers handling the cards. Half-naked women kept company beside the guests, serving alcohol and refreshments. None of them were particularly old, their faces painted in heavy makeup as they catered to the patrons with expressions either numb or ingratiating. Yet the guests treated them with no respect, barking orders at them and dragging their companions into secluded corners to abuse them whenever they lost a hand. At a table near the window, the 1.8-meter-tall Master Wu had a cigarette dangling from his lips. He checked his hand, shook his head in disappointment, and tossed his cards away. He had already lost nearly a million tonight, but it did not matter; the game itself was merely an excuse to hand over money. Master Wu looked toward the bald fellow on his left and smiled. "Boss Dao, your luck is blazing today. It'd be a pity not to play straight through the night." Boss Dao's full moniker was Seven Knives. He was around forty, completely bald, stood 1.6 meters tall, and wore a white sleeveless undershirt. His dense musculature combined with his short stature made him look like a solid block of iron. The man loved gambling and wealth while caring nothing for women. A mountain of chips stood stacked before him, and he had not lost once since sitting down. Rubbing his glossy scalp, Seven Knives bared his teeth in a grin. "Then don't you run off. Tonight, I'm winning until you have to hawk your underpants." Master Wu rubbed the dark mole on his cheek and sighed with a shake of his head. "A miscalculation on my part. I shouldn't have gambled with you today." He turned his gaze toward the horse-faced youth beside the bald man and teased, "Brother Qingsong, give the poor girl's mouth a breather. Even if her lips aren't tired, her legs must be numb from crouching. How about I swap her out for another?" The horse-faced youth glanced casually at his cards. Hearing the offer, his eyes lit up as he fixed his gaze upon the woman beside Master Wu. "I want her." The girl, in her early twenties and only recently lured into Bronze Sparrow Tower, pressed her lips together and remained frozen in place. Master Wu cast a frigid sidelong glare at her. The young woman shuddered, panic flashing through her eyes. In terror, she scrambled to her feet, hurried to the horse-faced youth's side, and ducked beneath the table. On his other side, another woman crawled out while covering her mouth, stumbling toward the restroom. The horse-faced youth went by Qingsong. He was obsessed with women, possessing endless vitality every day; one or two girls could never satisfy him. Master Wu had issued him an all-access keycard, allowing him to open the door to any woman's room in the building. The third man was a youth with bleached blond hair, wearing a glittering leather jacket. He had handsome features, though the smoky makeup around his eyes lent him an air of effeminacy. In that stage-ready attire, anyone who did not know better might take him for a pop singer. His moniker was Shenle. He dabbled in every vice—prostitution, gambling, and drugs. With him, all Master Wu needed to supply was money, women, and a few packets of white powder. These three were the bodyguards arranged by his backer, Chi Yue'an, and all of them were formidable figures possessing supernatural abilities. Master Wu did not know whom Chi Yue'an had offended, but the fact that such figures had been mobilized for his protection—three of them, no less—proved the enemy's strength. Consequently, starting from yesterday, he had set aside all work and holed up inside Bronze Sparrow Tower, waiting for news. Master Wu had never feared pressure from the authorities; his behind-the-scenes backer and the clientele cultivated by Bronze Sparrow Tower were more than enough to shield him from legal consequences. What he feared were enemies wielding supernatural powers—especially after Chi Yue'an mentioned that the enemy was Kou Yusi's brother. Who was Kou Yusi? Master Wu had long forgotten, only recalling her after asking his confidant Lai Wan. She was the woman Chi Yue'an had murdered two years ago. That woman had suffered a truly wretched fate. Chi Yue'an had taken an interest in her the moment she arrived, tormenting and abusing her day after day. When his own torment was not enough, he would sometimes summon several security guards to join in. Now her brother had come looking for retribution. Fortunately, that past affair had long since been closed and the evidence destroyed. The other party might not even be able to trace their way here. Had he possessed the ability, he would have shown up long ago. "Deal!" Master Wu instructed the dealer, then turned to Seven Knives with a grin. "Boss Dao, tonight this brother of yours will accompany you until dawn—" Right at that moment, Master Wu watched as a forty-centimeter yanagiba manifested out of thin air behind Seven Knives, its glinting edge slashing straight toward his carotid artery. Master Wu's pupils contracted, his expression instantly freezing. Just as the razor-sharp blade was about to sever Seven Knives' carotid artery, the effeminate youth in stage makeup took a deep breath, drawing in an immense volume of oxygen. The next second, a piercing, soaring dolphin whistle erupted from his throat. Imbued with a strange cadence, the whistle tone reverberated across the lavish hall, unleashing a shock wave that shook the very soul. Caught completely off guard, the gamblers in the hall clutched their heads and screamed in agony. Master Wu's vision went black as warm fluid seeped from his nose. He watched the yanagiba lose its driving force and drift toward the floor, only to be scooped back up by an invisible power an instant later before vanishing from sight. The effeminate youth ceased his singing, his sharp gaze sweeping across the hall as he muttered, "He's gone." "What... what's going on?" Master Wu endured the splitting headache, his voice low and strained. Shenle replied impassively, "Master Wu, find a corner to hide in first, and call Master Chi to let him know." He then looked at Qingsong and Seven Knives, his expression turning solemn. "It's a Night Wanderer. A Night Wanderer in spirit projection." Musicians possessed extraordinary spiritual sensitivity, capable of perceiving the presence of spirits. *Level 3?!* Both Qingsong and Seven Knives twitched. The latter, in particular, felt a chilling draft across his back, breaking out into a cold sweat. Qingsong surged to his feet, zipped his pants, and stepped into combat readiness. The enemy's spirit body had failed in its ambush and retreated for now, but there would certainly be a follow-up move. *Crash!* The double wooden doors of the casino were kicked open. Two men wearing baseball caps and face masks stormed inside. One of them raised a large-caliber handgun, fired several consecutive shots into the ceiling, and roared: "Vice and gang raid! Unrelated personnel, clear out of the casino!"