Bai Qingyu's face quickly turned deathly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, sliding down her cheeks. It felt as if her body were being assaulted by countless diseases simultaneously. Red spots, blisters, and papules erupted across her skin; the sensation was an excruciating mix of pain and itching that was nearly unbearable.
Yue Shi watched her agonizing struggle with cold indifference. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and his lips curled into a faint, mocking smirk, as if he were enjoying a masterful performance.
Click—
The door was pushed open softly.
A glimmer of hope surfaced in the depths of Bai Qingyu's eyes.
The person who walked in was Pei Yue.
“What happened?” Pei Yue asked, looking toward the living room with feigned confusion, his slightly protruding belly leading the way.
The moment he saw Bai Qingyu struggling on the floor, he knew this part of the plan had failed.
“There’s something wrong with Bai Qingyu. She’s likely turned into a supernatural creature,” Yue Shi explained.
Pei Yue put on an expression of shock. As he stepped into the room, Yue Shi moved to meet him and casually closed the door behind them.
With his back turned to Yue Shi, Pei Yue’s gaze toward Bai Qingyu shifted to one of disappointment. This little bleeding heart bitch was truly unreliable. Fortunately, he had a backup plan.
“Since Bai Qingyu has already—” he began, his voice laced with panic.
He only got half the sentence out before a flash of cold light cut through the air without warning.
The short sword in Yue Shi’s hand sliced through the air with a whistle of death, aimed straight for Pei Yue.
Pei Yue had no time to react. He felt a sudden chill at the top of his head, followed immediately by a tearing, agonizing pain. The blade sliced precisely through his skull cap with a bone-chilling crack.
His skull was peeled back like a thin sheet of paper, revealing the fresh brain tissue beneath. Blood erupted like a fountain, streaming down his face and staining his collar crimson.
His eyes bulged, his pupils dilating rapidly as his portly frame collapsed straight down. His face was a mask of shock and disbelief.
A cruel smile played on Yue Shi’s lips. Blood dripped from his short sword, and several strands of shredded brain tissue hung from the tip.
The air in the room seemed to freeze. Yue Shi’s killing intent had been so sudden and his movements so swift that there had been no time for anyone to react.
In truth, he had wanted to do this for a long time—simply seize people in the name of the Investigation Bureau and subject them to brutal interrogation to force out every lead and piece of intelligence.
However, Ling Xun would never have allowed him to act so recklessly under the Bureau's banner. As an official organization, the Investigation Bureau needed to act with cause and evidence. If they arrested whoever they suspected without reason, the city's order would have collapsed long ago.
Furthermore, the forces behind Tulip Security Company likely had far-reaching connections. Any illegal operations by the Amber City Investigation Bureau today could easily become a point of attack for political rivals in the future.
But Yue Shi didn't care about any of that. If everything had gone smoothly, he would have followed the original plan and acted reasonably. However, since things had been interrupted more than once today, they couldn't blame him for playing dirty and throwing everyone's rhythm into chaos.
Witnessing Pei Yue’s murder, Bai Qingyu’s eyes widened even further.
Yue Shi intensified the symptoms of her illness, keeping her in agony, and then pointed his short sword toward the door.
“Since you’re already here, stop hiding.”
Silence followed his words. There was no response.
Bai Qingyu clutched her chest, staring at Pei Yue’s gruesome corpse. The situation felt absurd.
A moment ago, everything was fine. In less than a few seconds, the situation had devolved into this.
Then she heard Yue Shi speak again. “I already know you’re there. If you don’t come out, I’ll come find you.”
The door creaked open, and a plain-looking man wearing a black hoodie stepped out.
He was of average build and height, with a face so common it was forgettable. He looked like a man, a woman, or even a creature—he lacked any distinguishing features and would be impossible to pick out in a crowd.
Seeing this man appear, Yue Shi guessed he was the one sent to assist Pei Yue in capturing him.
He wondered what made this person special. The more he looked, the more ordinary the man seemed.
“How did you know I was outside?” the man asked.
“I was just testing. I can’t believe you actually fell for it,” Yue Shi teased. Naturally, he wasn't going to admit he already knew Pei Yue had another helper.
The plain-looking man’s face darkened. Seeing how certain Yue Shi had sounded, he had assumed his presence had been detected. He hadn't expected it to be a mere bluff!
He glanced at Pei Yue’s corpse, then at the half-dead Bai Qingyu, his eyes flashing with contempt.
He rotated his wrists, his bones letting out a series of audible cracks as he walked toward Yue Shi. It looked like he intended to settle this with a fight.
The man’s movements were explosive. He lunged forward, leaping into the air and throwing a punch at Yue Shi.
Yue Shi immediately stepped forward, using his superior leg reach to kick the man squarely in the chest.
The airborne man was sent flying backward, slamming into the wall with a dull thud.
Upon landing, he snapped his head up to glare at Yue Shi, a flash of irritation crossing his face.
The intelligence hadn't mentioned that Yue Shi was a martial arts master. This was quite an unexpected development.
He scrambled to his feet and charged at Yue Shi again. Along the way, he grabbed a fish tank and hurled it with full force.
Yue Shi dodged nimbly. The fish tank smashed against the wall, shattering with a loud crash.
Glass shards scattered everywhere. It was clear the man possessed immense strength.
However, Yue Shi was currently empowered by the short sword, granting him top-tier martial arts skills. He quickly tucked the blade into his belt and met the man with his bare hands.
The plain-looking man threw another punch at Yue Shi’s head.
Yue Shi raised his hand, his long, powerful fingers catching and gripping the man’s fist. He wrenched it upward while his other hand balled into a fist, slamming it into the man’s chest.
With a muffled thud, veins bulged on the man’s forehead as he forced himself to endure the blow.
Yue Shi didn't pause. He delivered punch after punch to the exact same spot.
The plain-looking man felt as if his ribs were all being snapped. The intense pain made his face turn ashen, and his consciousness began to blur.
He tried to break free, but Yue Shi’s hand was like a steel vice, pinning him in place.
He knew that if this continued, he would be beaten to death. His survival instinct flared, and he gritted his teeth, channeling all his strength. He twisted his waist, his body tensing like a coiled spring before he suddenly unleashed an Iron Mountain Lean.
Caught off guard, Yue Shi was jolted back several steps by the impact. Yet, he maintained his grip on the man’s fist, his knuckles white from the strain, as if he intended to crush the bones.
As he was pushed back, he used the momentum to yank the man toward him. Simultaneously, his other hand rose, his index and middle fingers snapping open like a pair of scissors as he lunged for the man’s eyes.
The plain-looking man’s reactions were quick. He raised his free palm like a shield, snapping it up in front of the bridge of his nose. Yue Shi’s fingers stabbed forward, the webbing of his fingers slamming hard against the man’s palm. The tips of his fingers were a mere half-centimeter from those vulnerable eyeballs, unable to advance another inch.
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