In the eastern suburbs, Tang Yongyun watched the battle unfolding in the city.
He turned to Buck. “Buck, it’s your turn to make a move. Someone fished in troubled waters and snatched the ring during the battle. He should be a supernatural, but he’s not very strong.”
By the doorway, Buck stood up and asked excitedly, “Boss, is it settled over there? Which faction showed up, and are there any other supernaturals?”
“Bai Yuwen, whose details Mr. Zhao posted online, belongs to the authorities. There are also people from the Liu family of Ningcheng. They’re as high-profile as ever,” Tang Yongyun said.
He paused as a crow flew in from outside. “As for the remaining one you need to deal with...”
Mid-sentence, Tang Yongyun suddenly stopped, his expression turning incredibly bizarre.
In an alleyway in the East District, Xiao Qi lifted a manhole cover, and a rancid, putrid stench surged up.
“Blech... gag... Blech!” Just catching a whiff of the fermented stench of excrement, wastewater, and rotting animal carcasses from below made him gag repeatedly.
His face turned pale, but the moment he recalled the brutal, bloody battle and the terrifying skills of the man with the '69' tattoo on his face, he forced himself to endure it.
He forced himself to hold it in. You can do this, Xiao Qi. Hiding in the sewer is a lot better than losing your life. At least it’ll keep you alive.
He had wanted to leave Yangcheng with the ring, but the moment the thought crossed his mind, a faint premonition of death arose, forcing him to immediately discard the idea.
With that in mind, he slipped into the sewer and pulled the manhole cover back into place.
In any case, the carriage's mission only required him to hold the Lord of Evil's item for three days. During these three days, as long as the others hadn't gathered the remaining items, they probably wouldn't target him.
After all, coming after him meant crawling into a sewer nastier than a cesspit. Until they had gathered the other six items, the powerful supernaturals likely wouldn't bother.
They would probably send their lackeys at most. As for the powerful supernaturals, he was betting on whether they had germaphobia.
Once the three days were up, he would sell the ring to the authorities. Maybe he could even fetch a good price for it.
By the edge of the alley, a crow watched the entire scene play out.
Back in the suburbs, Tang Yongyun fell silent. He had caught a whiff of the stench that escaped when the manhole cover was lifted.
It was a smell he never wanted to experience a second time.
Tang Yongyun turned to Buck. “Change of plans. Get ready. We’re going after Bai Yuwen tonight.”
Bai Yuwen might be a bit stronger, but that was still better than fighting in a sewer.
“Understood, Boss! I’ll do whatever you arrange,” Buck replied, not minding at all.
It was broad daylight anyway, and he instinctively disliked causing trouble during the day.
Half an hour later, at a villa in the West District.
Several bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses stood guard at the entrance. Beneath their sunglasses were crimson eyes.
Liu Qi strode toward the villa, pushed open the door, and walked into the first-floor living room.
A television in the living room was broadcasting the Yangcheng news.
Opposite the television, Liu Jiyun sat with his legs crossed.
Hearing the movement, he turned to look at Liu Qi. “Ah Qi, did you fail?”
Liu Qi found a seat and sat down, looking rather annoyed. “I failed. Once they threw their morals out the window, they fought dirty. That kid Bai Yuwen managed to escape.”
A smile appeared on Liu Jiyun's face. “The Nanming Kingdom is no revolutionary state or land of capitalist freedom. It’s a semi-feudal country. If we push them too far, they might even drop a nuclear bomb on us.”
“By the way, where are the Elder and Brother Zhian?” Liu Qi asked, scanning the living room but seeing no sign of them.
“The Elder and your brother have already left for the Capital,” Liu Jiyun replied casually. “Since the authorities are willing to cross the line, the Elder decided to let those high-and-mighty noble families know that the world has changed. They are nothing but fragile, ordinary humans.”
He couldn't help but grow excited as he spoke. “Ah Qi, we might actually witness a historic era of dynastic change in our lifetime.”
Hearing Liu Jiyun's words, Liu Qi couldn't help but laugh. “Hehehe, if I’d known the Elder had that in mind, I would’ve gone to the Capital with him.”
His laughter gradually turned frenzied. “I really want to see those high-and-mighty figures kneeling and begging for mercy before me. Just thinking about it makes me want to head over right now.”
“Your mission is more important. We are responsible for securing the Lord of Evil's seven items,” Liu Jiyun said.
This was only the first day of the struggle, and the intensity had already spiked.
Inside an underground bunker in Yangcheng, Bai Yuwen leaned against a wall, resting.
In front of him, a Security Bureau agent said respectfully, “Mr. Bai, although we lost one item this time, the fact that you managed to secure two is already a major victory for us. Do you have any requests going forward?”
Bai Yuwen looked at the man. “I want to speak with your Minister Lu. The requests I have aren't things you can decide on.”
The agent's landline could only connect to other official landlines, or the other side would have to call him directly.
“Understood. Please wait a moment,” the Security Bureau agent replied respectfully and withdrew.
“Beep! Beep! Beep!”
A few minutes later, Bai Yuwen's phone rang.
He answered, speaking rapidly. “I need to collect ten thousand shadows. My opponent is slightly stronger than me. If I don't boost my strength, I won't be able to beat him in the upcoming clashes.”
The voice on the other end didn't hesitate. “Very well. Someone will take you to harvest them in five hours.”
“Do you have any other requests? I will do everything within my power to accommodate them,” Lu Senyu asked.
Bai Yuwen closed his eyes and thought for a moment. “I want to get in touch with Bai Xiaohua. Other than that, everything is fine. As for the shadows, if you have the means, try to get me as many as possible.”
Inside the fallout shelter,
“Alright, get ready to receive your ten thousand shadows!” Lu Senyu said before hanging up.
Lu Senyu turned to the Chief of the Inspector Bureau. “Chief Sun, notify your subordinates to prepare to transfer inmates from the major prisons.”
Sun Longxi nodded, then asked curiously, “Minister Lu, even if we include the prisons in Yangcheng and the surrounding cities, we won't be able to gather that many life-sentence inmates and death row convicts, right?”
Lu Senyu glanced at him with an inscrutable expression. “Who said we only need life-sentence inmates and death row convicts? Send everyone who has been sentenced to prison. They're all useless scum anyway; I'm just letting them make a final contribution.”
Hearing this, Sun Longxi felt that although he usually took bribes and colluded with powerful elites and underworld syndicates—making him quite a ruthless figure in Yangcheng—
he was a complete joke compared to Lu Senyu. The man before him was the truly ruthless one.
A single thought of his decided the lives and deaths of over ten thousand people.
...
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