B-Boss?

“Anyone with connections knows about this. Both families are fighting for control of the Glay Dungeon, so friction is common, and they've even come to blows.”

He paused as if remembering something, then added, “But something strange happened. Ever since Zane Cross arrived, the surrounding villages have become gloomy and eerie.”

“Recently, monster riots have been exceptionally frequent. Several villages have been ransacked by monsters, and even the Glay Dungeon has been reporting frequent disturbances.”

Bai Xuan didn't respond. He simply lowered his gaze in thought, his suspicions confirmed once more.

All of this likely had everything to do with Zane Cross’s arrival.

“Do you have any other information about the Cross family?”

The bald man frowned and thought for a long time before finally shaking his head slowly.

His voice held a hint of pleading. “I really only know this much, lord. I’m just a small fry scraping by in the slums. Being able to find out this much is already my limit.”

Bai Xuan watched him silently for a few seconds, his gaze as sharp as a blade, as if trying to see through his mind.

“One last question,” he said slowly, his tone still cold. “Do you know Carson?”

The bald man was stunned for a moment. He frowned and thought hard for a long while, his face full of confusion. He clearly didn't recognize the name.

Seeing that he couldn't remember, Bai Xuan added indifferently, “The Carson from the bounty notice.”

“Oh! It’s him!” The bald man realized, slapping his forehead. “I was wondering why the name sounded so familiar. It’s that fugitive with the bounty!”

He spread his hands with a helpless look. “But I really don't know where he is! If I did, I would have caught him for the reward myself. That’s a lot of money.”

Bai Xuan stared intently into his eyes, his sharp gaze not letting a single expression on his face escape.

“Any clues?” he pressed, his tone growing heavier. “Even if you don't know his exact location, there must be clues, right?”

The bald man's eyes flickered slightly. He hesitated for a fraction of a second—so brief it was almost imperceptible—but it didn't escape Bai Xuan's eyes.

At the same time, on the status panel only Bai Xuan could see, the bald man’s status tags shifted from 【Panic, Fear】 to 【Panic, Hesitation, Concealment】.

“No.” The bald man avoided his gaze, his tone feigning firmness. “There really aren't any clues.”

Bai Xuan didn't waste any more words. His face remained calm as he slowly raised the Staff of Guidance. A wisp of golden light emerged from the staff, slowly covering the bald man's legs.

The bald man was initially stunned, his face showing confusion, but his expression instantly froze as extreme agony welled up in his eyes.

The golden light was indeed healing his legs, but it didn't bring comfort. Instead, it brought a piercing, bone-deep pain.

The sensation was like red-hot iron rods being repeatedly stirred through his bones, or like countless ants frantically gnawing at his marrow. It went deep into his flesh, and the pain was so intense he nearly blacked out.

“Argh—!” He could no longer hold it in and let out a heart-wrenching scream, his whole body wanting to roll on the ground.

But Bai Xuan’s foot was firmly planted on his leg, pinning him in place. He could only twist his upper body desperately, his hands clawing frantically at the ground, his nails digging deep into the dirt and leaving behind bloody streaks.

Sweat instantly soaked his clothes, dripping down his cheeks and mixing with the dirt and tears on his face in a pathetic mess.

A moment later, Bai Xuan withdrew the Staff of Guidance. The bald man's legs were now as good as new.

But before he could even catch his breath, Bai Xuan raised the staff again and brought it down.

“Crack—crack!” Two distinct sounds of bone snapping rang out in succession, sharp and gruesome.

His legs were broken once again.

“Argh—!” Another scream erupted, even more tragic than the last, because this time, he knew exactly what kind of pain was coming next.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”

He wailed hoarsely, his face a mess of tears and snot. Any trace of his former self was gone, replaced only by a fear that had seeped into his very marrow. “Carson is in the slums! We found out he's hiding in this area!”

Bai Xuan’s foot remained on his leg, not letting go. He looked down at him with a cold gaze, signaling him to continue.

“He's too good at disguising himself! We've been looking for days and haven't found him!”

The bald man shouted until his voice cracked, his tone filled with terror. “We originally sent people to watch the outskirts of the slums for any suspicious people coming or going. I didn't expect we'd end up targeting you today!”

Bai Xuan looked down at him. The status tags on the panel had changed to 【Terror, Despair, Sincerity】. Clearly, he wasn't lying this time.

He slowly removed his foot from the bald man's leg.

The bald man sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. His whole body looked as if it had been pulled out of water, cold sweat dripping from his chin. It took him a long time to finally catch his breath.

As if suddenly remembering something, he scrambled to pull a heavy coin pouch from his chest. He held it above his head with trembling hands, his tone incredibly subservient.

“I have money! I’ll give you money!”

His voice was so raspy it was almost inaudible. “There are ten gold coins here. They're all yours! Please, show mercy and let me go!”

Bai Xuan looked down at the pouch, his eyes showing no emotion. He didn't reach for it.

“Foolish,” he said flatly, his tone tinged with mockery. “If I kill you, this money is still mine.”

The bald man's hands instantly began to shake, and the pouch nearly fell to the ground. The hope in his eyes shattered instantly, leaving only deep terror.

“I’ve asked everything I wanted to know.”

Bai Xuan stood up, his tone flat and devoid of any ripple. “You no longer have any value. Moreover, you know everything I was asking about. Only dead men can keep secrets.”

The blood drained from the bald man's face instantly, and his whole body shook uncontrollably.

“Y-You...” His lips trembled, and he couldn't even finish a sentence. “I told you everything! I gave you the money! Why won't you let me go?!”

“When did I ever say I would let you go?”

Bai Xuan looked down at him with cold eyes. “If someone else had come today, I’m afraid they would have met a different fate. You weren't merciful when you bullied the people in the slums.”

The bald man was completely stunned, his face full of disbelief. He never thought that Bai Xuan had never intended to let him go from the very beginning.

In the next second, the fear in his eyes turned to absolute despair, which was then replaced by a hysterical madness.

“You monster!” he shrieked with all his might, his voice raspy and piercing. “I’ll fucking—”

Thud—!

...

In a corner outside the Grimy Hand Gang’s base.

Two thugs were squatting by the base of a wall, holding low-quality tobacco between their fingers. Amidst the drifting smoke, the two of them huddled together, whispering.

“What do you think that guy’s background is?”

The sharp-featured thug spat a cigarette butt onto the ground, his tone full of confusion and wariness. “He looks all refined and scholarly, like a lordly priest, but when he fights, he's even more ruthless than us.”

“That's not a staff; it’s practically a solid iron hammer!”

The short, fat thug beside him instinctively shrunk his neck and agreed, “Tell me about it! I’m just baffled. Why did he go to all that trouble just for a worthless holy crest?”

“That thing looks like junk. How much could it even be worth?”

“Who knows.”

The sharp-featured thug quickly glanced toward the base’s main gate, and his voice immediately dropped. “Maybe we accidentally offended him? But our boss doesn't even know someone like him. How could we have crossed him?”

Just as he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of a figure walking deep into the alley from the corner of his eye.

He turned his head and recognized him as one of the gang brothers. That guy didn't talk much, was always quiet, and had a very low presence.

“Hey, where are you going?” the sharp-featured thug shouted at the receding back. “The business inside isn't finished yet. The boss might call for us in a bit. Don't go too far!”

The person didn't look back, only waving a hand casually as his voice drifted over, “Stomach ache. Going to the latrine. I'll be right back.”

Before he could finish his sentence, he turned into a narrower alley. His figure was quickly obscured by the low shacks and disappeared.

The short, fat thug watched the direction the man had vanished in and scratched his head, looking confused. “Didn't he just get here? Why did he leave as soon as he arrived? I didn't see him clutching his stomach either. He looked perfectly fine.”

The sharp-featured thug was stunned for a moment. Upon being reminded, he also realized something was off.

Right. That guy had been squatting right next to them listening to them talk just now, without a single sign of anything being wrong. How could he suddenly have a stomach ache?

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something was fishy, but he couldn't quite figure out what the problem was for a moment. The words died in his throat.

Creak.

Just as the two were secretly wondering, the gang's gate was pushed open.

The young man in white robes walked out, still carrying that staff, his expression indifferent.

His white robes were spotless, and his face was completely calm. It was as if he hadn't just entered a gang base, but a common street, and had simply taken a casual stroll.

Seeing this, the thugs at the door instinctively backed away a few steps, each of them as quiet as cicadas in winter, not even daring to lift their heads.

Bai Xuan stopped and slowly scanned everyone present.

Whomever his gaze landed on felt their skin crawl. That look didn't seem to be looking at people, but rather at insignificant stones by the roadside.

“Are all the members of the Grimy Hand Gang here?” he asked slowly, his voice flat but carrying an unquestionable pressure.

A slightly bolder thug looked up tremblingly and stammered, “L-Lord, everyone who can still stand is here...”

“The ones who were beaten and carried away, and... and the ones lying inside... they don't count, right?”

Bai Xuan didn't respond. He simply tightened his grip on the staff and slammed it heavily onto the ground.

Boom—! A dull, heavy explosion erupted, causing the surrounding shacks to shake slightly.

The ground instantly caved in a large section, with cracks spreading like a spiderweb in all directions. Seeing them nearly reach their feet, the thugs' legs went weak, and they almost couldn't stand.

Dust billowed into the air, making it hard to see or breathe.

Once the dust settled and the thugs saw the deep crater in the ground, their faces turned deathly pale, and even their lips were trembling.

Bai Xuan’s gaze scanned the crowd again, and he asked once more, the pressure in his tone even greater: “Everyone?”

No one dared to respond, and no one dared to look up. The only thing left was the sound of several people's hurried and suppressed breathing.

Just then, the sharp-featured thug remembered something and stammered, “T-There is one person...”

“H-He said his stomach hurt and... and went that way. L-Logically, he should have been back by now...”

Bai Xuan’s gaze instantly landed on him, his eyes seeming to pierce through his soul.

Being stared at like this, the sharp-featured thug’s legs felt like jelly, and his whole body shook uncontrollably. He instinctively reached out and tremblingly pointed in the direction the man had left.

Bai Xuan stared at him for a moment without speaking or looking away.

To the sharp-featured thug, those few seconds felt like an eternity.

He felt as if he were being suppressed by a powerful force. He didn't even dare to breathe loudly, and his heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of his throat.

It wasn't until Bai Xuan withdrew his gaze and turned to leave in that direction that he finally let out a huge sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.

Only then did he realize his back was already soaked in cold sweat, which felt icy against his skin.

It wasn't until Bai Xuan’s back had completely disappeared deep into the alley that the thugs dared to make a sound, each of them slumped on the ground, still shaking.

After a while longer, someone in the crowd whispered with a hint of trembling, “B-Boss... Boss is still inside...”

The few of them looked at each other, their faces full of fear and hesitation. After a moment of silence, they cautiously moved toward the base’s gate.

Gently pushing open the door, the room was dim with very poor lighting.

They stood at the door, waiting for their eyes to slowly adjust to the light before they dared to see the situation on the floor.

Their boss, the bald man, was lying motionless on the ground.

“B-Boss?” someone called out tentatively, his voice full of terror.

They looked at each other, but no one dared to take another step forward. They could only freeze in place, at a loss.

...

Bai Xuan had just used his status panel to scan the area and didn't find the person he was looking for, but a sentence from a Grimy Hand Gang lackey had caught his attention.

A thug had suddenly used a stomach ache as an excuse to run out and had yet to return.

To slip away at such a sensitive moment was suspicious, even if he were innocent.

Bai Xuan didn't say anything more and immediately chased in the direction the lackey had pointed.

The alleys in the slums were narrow and cramped, with low, dilapidated shacks on both sides. The lighting was dim and visibility was obstructed, greatly affecting the search efficiency.

Bai Xuan quickened his pace, but after running halfway through the alley, he still had found nothing.

He knew that searching alley by alley like this was too inefficient. Moreover, the man had been gone for a long time, and any traces had likely already blurred.

His gaze swept over a nearby thatched shack. Bai Xuan kicked off the ground, his body leaping lightly and landing steadily on the roof.