“Hmm?”
A few blocks away from the hotel, at a temporarily designated command post, a tall, burly man suddenly let out a sound of slight confusion.
His hair was cropped very short, his eyes were sharp, and an ancient-looking mask covered the lower half of his face. His upper body was bare, revealing bulging, corded muscles.
Even more striking were the numerous crisscrossing scars on his body. Some looked like they were from sharp blades, while others appeared to be burn marks; there wasn't a single patch of healthy skin on him.
This man was none other than one of the nine captains of headquarters, the Executioner.
“Captain, what is it?”
Su Qingqian had been closely monitoring the Executioner’s every move.
The success or failure of this operation rested entirely on the Executioner's shoulders, and any sign of movement made Su Qingqian nervous.
The Executioner frowned and said, “The people inside the hotel seem to have discovered us.”
“What? He found us?” Su Qingqian’s expression changed slightly.
“Will he try to escape early?” This was her biggest concern.
Once Yue Shi fled, with the dual advantage of spatial and concealment abilities, tracking him down again would be as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
The Executioner shook his head slowly, his voice filled with confidence. “Don’t worry. No one can slip away right under my nose.”
His tone shifted as he ordered, “Since we’ve been spotted, we must speed up. Complete the lockdown as soon as possible.”
“For a wanted criminal of this level, once he senses danger and flees, the consequences will be endless!”
“Understood.” Su Qingqian agreed wholeheartedly and immediately turned to urge the peripheral personnel to move faster.
A group of people wearing special protective suits were carefully and forcefully driving old wooden stakes into the ground.
The surfaces of these stakes were stained with blotches of bright red, looking like blood that refused to congeal. Within the wood grain, human faces would occasionally flicker, letting out silent wails.
The stakes were driven in at specific intervals, perfectly encircling the entire hotel.
【Life-Stake Nails】, a high-level supernatural object from the headquarters' containment vault.
The Executioner looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the hotel walls to fixate on the target of this mission.
In truth, he was quite irritated.
The Executioner’s participation in this operation to hunt down an S-rank wanted criminal hadn't been assigned by the high-level officials at headquarters; it was his own private action.
This was because he was the person pushed forward by several elite families working together.
He was the families' public face within headquarters, a powerful force placed openly on the table.
Su Qingqian’s report had intended to borrow the power of headquarters to hunt down the wanted criminal Yue Shi.
She hadn't expected headquarters to simply go with the flow, packaging all the members with family ties and throwing them at Yue Shi.
The Executioner couldn't figure out the hidden meaning behind this, nor could he understand what kind of factional games those old geezers at the top were playing.
He was simply tired of it.
We’re all fucking transcendents now; why do we still have to play political games?
Can't we pursue something more meaningful!
But the Executioner had no choice.
He had to step up this time, no matter the cost, to ensure the operation went perfectly.
The families were no longer insisting on capturing Yue Shi alive; they just needed a fresh corpse brought back.
They could study it while it was still warm.
The other team members, including Su Qingqian, were full of confidence in the Executioner. They believed that as long as he made a move, victory would be easily within reach.
Only the Executioner himself remained cautious.
To hold the position of a captain at headquarters, he was no fool who would look down on an opponent for no reason.
Underestimating the enemy was the easiest way to trip up in the most unexpected places.
A guy who could be rated as an S-rank wanted criminal by headquarters was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
The Executioner even had the feeling that the wanted criminal hadn't fled on purpose, that he was waiting for them to come to him.
“Captain, the lockdown is complete!”
Before long, Su Qingqian reported loudly.
The Executioner’s eyes sharpened, and a frigid aura radiated from his body.
Standing before him, Su Qingqian felt her scalp go numb and instinctively took half a step back.
Ignoring the others, the Executioner walked straight forward.
Su Qingqian quickly snapped out of the shock of that terrifying aura, a flash of displeasure crossing her eyes.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she waved a hand to the group behind her, who were standing ready.
The team of over forty transcendents immediately mobilized, the atmosphere turning murderous.
Li Hua had been squeezed to the front of the crowd at some point, but he didn't care. He only stared at the Executioner with fanatical eyes.
To be in such close contact with a captain from headquarters was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Once this mission was over, Li Hua felt he would have a major contribution to his name. He wondered if he might have a chance to enter headquarters.
“Move out, act according to plan!” Su Qingqian called out.
The crowd followed closely behind the Executioner, closing in on the hotel.
The surrounding blocks had long since been cleared, with layers of cordons established.
Many people were watching closely from the shadows, anticipating the great battle that was about to erupt.
...
Inside a suite in the hotel.
The environment was exceptionally quiet.
Yue Shi had already planted the many little gifts he had prepared at the city's key nodes at top speed.
The Curse Master was also ready, holding several items that looked incredibly ominous.
A dried straw man that smelled of mold, a rusty, blood-stained hammer, and three pitch-black long nails.
At this moment, Yue Shi was sitting on the sofa, playing with a hairpin in his hand.
The begonia flower on the hairpin looked as vibrant as if it were dripping with dew.
The Curse Master’s eyes scanned the room as he asked, “Where is that... pet that usually follows you?”
“How rude. Ghost is my partner, not some pet.”
Yue Shi didn't even look up, his fingertips lightly brushing the begonia flower as he avoided answering where Ghost had gone.
Then, as if remembering something, Yue Shi pulled out a set of cute brown bear plush clothes and tossed them to the Curse Master. “Why don't you try putting this on?”
The Curse Master caught the plush suit and understood instantly. He let out a chuckle. “You want me to disguise myself as that harmless plush toy and catch them off guard? How devious.”
Yue Shi nodded, and as he and the Curse Master looked at each other, both of them wore malicious smiles.
Villains really did get along well.
The Curse Master moved quickly, putting the plush suit on over his clothes, transforming from a terrifying mummy into a plush teddy bear.
Just as he finished dressing, Yue Shi handed over an open box containing a short sword.
“Need a weapon? It’s very effective.”
The Curse Master only spared it a glance before shaking his head decisively. “You should keep that 'good stuff' for yourself.”
He really didn't know where Yue Shi got all these trashy things.
The shroud made the Curse Master feel like a pile of watery, runny shit, but this short sword felt even worse to him—it felt like drugs.
He wasn't going to touch it.
Yue Shi shrugged indifferently and put the short sword away.
As soon as the blade was stowed, the Curse Master in the bear suit turned his head toward the window.
“They’re here.”
Yue Shi slowly stood up from the sofa and lightly straightened his clothes, which weren't even messy. The smile remained on his face.
“Let’s go. It’s time to greet our guests.”
Rate on N.U.
