Bai Yuwen

At nine o'clock in the evening, on a street in the West District.

Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!

The roar of motorcycle engines echoed down the street as five thugs circled a young man and woman on their bikes.

A bald man wearing a thick gold chain and a tiger tattoo on his head sneered arrogantly, “Hey kid, you look like you're loaded. The boys and I are short on gas money. How about you spot us some cash?”

“Big Brother, should we call the police?” Among the surrounded pair, a girl with her hair in a bun clutched the arm of the young man in black, her face pale with fear.

The young man in black was handsome. He stared at the thugs and reached into his jacket, his hand gripping a short blade.

“You scum,” he said in a low voice. “If you scare my sister, I'll kill you.”

Hearing the young man's threat, the thugs burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Kill us? Do you even know who our boss is? It's Brother Gui of the Yihe Gang! Our patience is running thin. If you don't want to get beaten up, cough up the cash now!”

The leader of the group was a young man with a green, spiky punk haircut.

Ah Gui, listening to his lackeys talk him up, raised his head in satisfaction. “Kid, don't say Brother Gui didn't give you a chance. Hand over the money and we'll leave right away. After all, we're upstanding citizens. Otherwise, things might get a little unpleasant.”

Staring at the thugs, the young man in black remained calm, his grip tightening on his blade.

Although the prosperous city of Yangcheng had a large number of inspectors keeping the peace, it still attracted plenty of crime.

Ah Gui looked at the young man, who still refused to pay. His patience was wearing thin, and he was just about to park his bike and teach him a lesson.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a young man in a suit and a fedora standing about a dozen meters down the street, watching them with an amused expression.

That familiar outfit, that gaze that looked right at them yet treated them like mere insects...

Ah Gui felt his bladder go weak, and his face instantly drained of color. How did I run into this monster?!

After leading Zhao Jin to the Sanhai Gang's docks, he had fled Ningcheng overnight. Not long after, he saw the news online that all two million residents of Ningcheng had likely perished.

Ah Gui wanted to run, but Zhao Jin's gaze shifted to lock onto him.

He had no choice but to stop his motorcycle. Seeing Ah Gui stop, the other thugs thought it was time to make a move.

They all pulled over, staring at the siblings with malicious grins.

The bald man with the tiger tattoo sneered, “Kid, looks like you want to feel the wrath of Brother Gui's Gui-llotine Strike!”

Slap!

Instead, Ah Gui slapped him across the face, his own face completely pale. “Gui-llotine your mother! Get over here and kneel, or don't blame me when you end up dead!”

After striking his underling, under their shocked gazes, Ah Gui rushed toward the young man standing further down the street.

When he was five meters away, Ah Gui suddenly dropped to his knees, using his momentum to slide all the way to Zhao Jin's feet.

He slammed his forehead against the ground, his voice trembling. “It's... it's really you! I didn't expect to run into you here. If you have any tasks this time, I, Ah Gui, will make sure it's done perfectly!”

Behind him, the four thugs and the siblings stared with wide eyes, completely unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

Zhao Jin looked down slightly at Ah Gui. “Ah Gui, you certainly are a survivor. I thought you would have died in Ningcheng.”

Although his Heavenly Domain could monitor the entire city, he wouldn't waste his time reading the mind of such a minor character.

Ah Gui didn't dare to speak. He was absolutely certain that this man was directly responsible for the death of the two million people in Ningcheng.

Thud!

Behind him, the four thugs hesitated for less than a second before quickly falling to their knees as well.

Though they had only been following Ah Gui for a few days, they knew that anyone who could terrify him to this extent was an absolute monster.

The remaining siblings stared tensely at Zhao Jin, unsure of what he intended to do.

“Ah Gui, your quick wits just saved your life. I don't want to see you on this street in ten seconds.” Zhao Jin stepped past Ah Gui and walked toward the young man.

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Ah Gui scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward his motorcycle.

Ignition, gear, throttle.

Vroom!

“Move, you piece of junk! I don't want to die!” Ah Gui twisted the throttle to its limit. But the street was several hundred meters long, and with his motorcycle just starting up, there was simply not enough time.

Seeing Ah Gui flee, his underlings scrambled up and ran toward their own motorcycles.

Splat!

But the moment they stood up, all four of them were cleanly sliced in half at the waist, their internal organs spilling onto the ground.

Further down the road, Ah Gui suddenly fell off his speeding motorcycle, his green-haired head rolling across the pavement.

The young man in black watched the four men get sliced in half, his pupils shrinking in sheer terror. What kind of technique is this? I couldn't even see it!

In secret, he was the sect master of the Shangliu Sect and had seen all kinds of martial arts, but he had never witnessed such an absurd, long-distance bisection.

He quickly reached out and covered his sister's mouth, terrified that her screams would offend this horrifying entity.

“The sect master of the Shangliu Sect, who secretly slaughtered dozens of Yangcheng's martial arts grandmasters in his quest to become the so-called number one martial artist of Yangcheng... Bai Yuwen, is it alright if I address you by that name?” Zhao Jin looked at the Destiny Force hovering over Bai Yuwen's head, which was around twenty strands.

Hearing this, Bai Yuwen's expression shifted slightly. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

His sister looked at her brother in curiosity, having no idea what any of this meant.

Zhao Jin smiled at Bai Yuwen. “It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Next, I am going to invite you to participate in a game you cannot refuse.”

Zhao Jin pulled a pitch-black mask from his coat. The darkness on the mask seemed to squirm. “This is an opportunity I am granting you—an opportunity an ordinary person would never encounter in a lifetime.”

With a gentle flick of his wrist, the mask flew and landed directly in Bai Yuwen's hands.

Hum!

Before Bai Yuwen could say a word as he stared at the mask, the mysterious man in front of him suddenly vanished.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaohua's eyes went wide. “Big Brother, does supernatural power really exist in this world? Are the posts online tonight actually true?”

“I don't know. Let's go home first.” Bai Yuwen stared at the mask as a peculiar sensation washed over him.

Put me on, and you will truly become the number one in martial arts! A cold, eerie voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Bai Yuwen stiffened. He glanced around; there were no surveillance cameras on this street. He quickly hid the mask and left with Bai Xiaohua.

On a distant rooftop, Zhao Jin watched the departing siblings with a faint smile. The first mask has been given out. Now, it's time to find the second person.

Only by gathering all seven items could one obtain a single wish from the Lord of Evil. Naturally, bloodshed was inevitable.

Before that, however, he would make Yangcheng a little livelier.

Zhao Jin took out his phone, opened an app, and uploaded a post, attaching photos of the Bai siblings and the mask.

He stared at the phone in his hand as Destiny Force manifested.

This object had no innate Destiny Force, so any transformation would require piling Destiny Force onto it.

One hundred, five hundred, one thousand... After five thousand strands, the phone finally underwent a change.

Hum!

The screen lit up automatically, displaying a single eye. An electronic voice spoke from the speaker, “Great being, Ghost is at your service!”

At the same time, information flashed in Zhao Jin's mind.

Digital Ghost: All technological devices in the world are mere toys in its presence!

He read the information. As expected, if I infuse items I've used for a long time with Destiny Force, they will also recognize me as their master.

“Have my post automatically promoted across all platforms, and make it impossible to delete or block.” Zhao Jin commanded the Digital Ghost.

“Understood. Initiating promotion!” The single eye of the Digital Ghost blinked and began to work.

The show is about to begin. Watching the post's traffic skyrocket, Zhao Jin smiled.

He had only one goal: to draw every faction in the world seeking supernatural power to Yangcheng.