A Tough Nut to Crack

"Don't waste your breath, I won't say a thing," Zhu Qunqing roared through gritted teeth.

He would rather take the information to his grave than tell Yue Shi.

"Tsk... you're a tough nut to crack. Aren't you afraid I'll make you wish you were dead?" Yue Shi asked sinisterly.

"Even if I talk, you won't let me go. You'll still torture me. You're a freaking lunatic!" Zhu Qunqing glared at Yue Shi, though it did zero damage.

"Ever heard of the 'Sea Tiger Explosive Pliers'?" Yue Shi's voice dripped with malice.

Zhu Qunqing froze, a terrible premonition washing over him.

A second later, his premonition came true.

Yue Shi couldn't find any actual pliers, so he raised his foot, the tip of his shoe slowly descending until it aimed at a certain vulnerable part of Zhu Qunqing's body...

He stomped down.

Squish!

An oval-shaped organ was crisply crushed.

The air seemed to freeze, thick with the metallic tang of blood and the stench of fear.

The inhuman agony tore through Zhu Qunqing half a beat later. His body arched violently upward like a snapping bow, and a short, raspy howl erupted from deep within his throat.

Everything before his eyes turned into a blinding, spinning blur of white noise. The sounds of the world vanished, replaced by the thundering roar of his own blood.

The pain of a crushed testicle wasn't just a single point of hurt; it was an explosion of a thousand destructive sensations.

Zhu Qunqing felt unable to breathe or think. All consciousness was swallowed by that boundless agony. He felt himself falling into a dark abyss where only primal pain existed, the overwhelming physiological torment drowning out the very meaning of his existence.

"Have you reconsidered? You still have one good one left~"

Yue Shi's demonic whisper sounded right on time, forcibly dragging Zhu Qunqing back from the brink of unconsciousness.

Surprisingly, Zhu Qunqing's attitude became even more resolute. Veins bulged on his forehead as he snarled, "Don't expect to hear anything useful from me. Just wait for your advancement to fail so you can die!"

Yue Shi narrowed his eyes, looking at the blood-soaked but stubborn Zhu Qunqing. A hint of surprise flashed across his distorted face. "Hey, this 'death before dishonor' act doesn't suit a fool who gets blinded by lust. Were you playing a pig to eat a tiger all along?"

Zhu Qunqing sneered inwardly. Blinded by lust?

Ha.

He was never one to let his desires cloud his judgment. His fondness for beauty was merely a facade.

It wasn't so much that he was enchanted by beauty, but rather that everything was a calculation! A beauty who possessed both looks and strength, and who could be of use to him—that was his true target.

Those past "blunders" seemingly caused by lust were actually intentional. He wanted to kill with a borrowed knife, framing other transcendents in the Investigation Bureau to eliminate his competition. The fewer transcendents there were in the Bureau, the more important he became, and the more status and resources he could secure.

He had broken Bai Qingyu out of prison and brazenly betrayed the Investigation Bureau because he keenly sensed that after the Bee Woman incident at Amber City First Middle School, his past deeds might be exposed. His importance within the Bureau would plummet, he wouldn't receive any more resource priority, and he would be pushed out by the cold mockery of his colleagues.

In that case, he might as well find another way out.

"It seems I really can't get anything out of you." Yue Shi tilted his head, a flicker of impatience crossing his manic eyes.

Zhu Qunqing twitched in pain, his clothes soaked in cold sweat. Yet, with his remaining right hand, he stubbornly and slowly raised his middle finger at Yue Shi. Every knuckle was white with effort, blood-stained and filled with defiant contempt.

Yue Shi slowly drew the short sword from his waist, the blade glinting coldly in the dim light. "Why be so provocative? Aren't you afraid your end will be even more miserable?"

His voice was calm, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

"Hahahaha..." Zhu Qunqing laughed wildly as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. The laughter tore at his wounds, causing him to cough up bloody froth, yet he couldn't stop, his mirth bordering on insanity.

He gasped for air as his laughter subsided, staring straight at Yue Shi. There was no fear in his eyes, only a transparent mockery and understanding:

"Cough... cough... Ever since the day I became a transcendent and decided to use any means necessary to grab benefits for myself, I knew what kind of end awaited me. If my skills are inferior and I fall into the hands of an enemy, any end—no matter how tragic—is deserved."

He paused, his gaze seeming to drift toward some unknown distance. "I lost, so I'll take it. But don't get too ahead of yourself. Your future might not be any better than mine."

"Don't you worry about that." Yue Shi raised the short sword, his face full of malice.

He was a man of his word. He wouldn't give Zhu Qunqing a quick death just because of a seemingly heroic final speech.

Piercing screams echoed within the dilapidated Red House, mixing with the sounds of flesh being sliced and bones being crushed into a grotesque symphony.

Ten minutes later, Yue Shi walked out carrying a hideous, severed head. In the end, he hadn't managed to get the information he wanted from Zhu Qunqing.

The power within his body was spiraling further out of control, like countless tiny steel needles darting through his veins and nerves, tearing at his sanity and making him exceptionally irritable. Every heartbeat felt like a sledgehammer striking his temples, and unstable spots of light flickered at the edges of his vision.

He dragged his heavy steps through the deathly silent Peace Alley, his gaze scanning every ruin and corner.

Aside from Yue Shi's own heavy breathing and the rhythmic dripping of blood from Zhu Qunqing's head, all of Peace Alley was silent. There was no sign of the living, only the heavy scent of blood and the dust of ruins.

He specifically returned to the spot where Jiang Cifei had collapsed. There was a pool of semi-dried, dark red blood on the ground.

Jiang Cifei was gone, and so was Dr. Luo. There were no bodies and no signs of anything being dragged.

He couldn't afford to waste any more time here.

The critical point of his advancement hung over his head like a Damocles' sword, ready to fall at any moment. Rather than going out-of-control in this backwater wasteland, he might as well return to the crowded city. If he was going to lose it, he could at least take a few more people with him...

He cast one last glance over the devastated ruins, forcibly suppressing his surging malice. Without further hesitation, he turned and sprinted out of Peace Alley.

The ravens circling in the sky had already locked onto the location of the Investigation Bureau pickup truck.

Long after Yue Shi had left, a sudden strong wind blew through Peace Alley, dispersing the fog.

In a basement, Jiang Cifei slowly opened his eyes. He found himself naked, his body aching all over, yet he felt brimming with power. He was now extremely sensitive to even the slightest changes in the airflow.

The beautiful Dr. Luo stood beside him, looking down with a beaming smile. "You're awake. Congratulations, the surgery was a success."

Jiang Cifei looked down in disbelief, his gaze traveling lower, and then...

"AAAAHHHH!!!"