The group carefully sized up the approaching Shi Aotian.
Xiao Wu's heart trembled, and he blurted out, "It's you!"
Clearly, he had recognized Shi Aotian. Even though Shi Aotian had changed his attire, Xiao Wu, who saw him practicing martial arts every day, recognized his tall, imposing build instantly. Sunglasses could hide his eyes, but they couldn't disguise his facial features.
Hearing Xiao Wu utter "It's you," the others were taken aback, and even Shi Aotian's expression shifted. He removed his sunglasses and said coldly, "You know me?"
Xiao Wu thought he had caught hold of the man's weakness and said smugly,
"The boss has always suspected you were a Black List assassin. Looks like he was right—better to kill the wrong man than let one slip. No wonder he's the boss."
"What are you talking about?" Shi Aotian asked, puzzled. "What Black List? What assassin?"
"Still pretending?" Xiao Wu sneered. "If you're not a Black List killer, how could you take lives without leaving a trace? Don't treat me like some three-year-old. And don't get too cocky—you won't live past tomorrow. Ha ha…"
With that, he began laughing hysterically.
Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding glanced at the laughing Xiao Wu, completely confused.
"Brother Wu, what do we do now?" Jia asked shakily.
Xiao Wu abruptly stopped laughing. "What's there to fear? As long as his target is these two girls, we have nothing to worry about."
He raised his pistol and aimed it at Shi Aotian. "Bye-bye, Killer Brother."
A sharp bang tore through the night air. The bullet sped toward Shi Aotian's body—
—or rather, toward an afterimage. The moment the gunshot echoed, the afterimage dissolved into nothing.
Xiao Wu, jolted out of his moment of triumph, turned to the four behind him in shock. "Did you see that? What happened?"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Four heavy impacts came from behind.
Xiao Wu spun around to see Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding already dead, blood spurting from their necks. The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the stench of death.
Unable to see through the blindfolds over their eyes, Gu Caini and Long Minmin were drenched in blood. The smell hit them instantly, and knowing what it was, they began to sob in terror.
Shi Aotian appeared behind Xiao Wu again and said coldly,
"Do you know why I haven't killed you?"
Xiao Wu's legs gave out entirely. He collapsed to the ground, the hand holding his pistol trembling helplessly.
Shi Aotian stepped forward and kicked his gun hand. A sharp crack of breaking bone filled the air, and the weapon flew out the window.
Clutching his fractured hand, Xiao Wu curled on the floor in agony. For the first time, he felt true despair.
Shi Aotian gave him a light kick, propping him into a sitting position against the wall.
"Do you know why I'm not killing you?" he repeated.
The words were like a blade stabbing into Xiao Wu's heart. Drenched in sweat, he shook his head.
"Tell me who your boss is—and how you know me," Shi Aotian said icily.
"If you already know, why ask?" Xiao Wu replied through clenched teeth. He assumed Shi Aotian was an assassin hired by someone else and should already have the details.
Shi Aotian's lips curled into a dark smile. Playing along, he said,
"I want to hear it from your own mouth. If you don't…"
He extended his right hand.
Xiao Wu didn't know what he intended, but his face paled.
From Shi Aotian's neck, a small creature crawled along his arm into his palm. Xiao Wu could now see it clearly—it was a small scorpion.
What happened next left him even more stunned. The scorpion slowly grew larger, and in an instant, it transformed in Shi Aotian's hand into a longsword. The scorpion's tail had become the blade, which gleamed with a ghostly blue light, as if warning that its edge carried a deadly poison.
Shi Aotian raised the Scorpion King Sword, its tip pressing against Xiao Wu's throat, and said coldly, "If you still won't talk, I'll make sure you can neither live nor die."
Xiao Wu had never encountered such an overwhelming aura before. His soul seemed to fly out of his body, and he muttered in delirium, "You're not human… you're not human… don't come any closer… you're a monster."
Every word reached the ears of Gu Cainai and Long Minmin. Although they couldn't see what was happening, from the kidnapper's trembling voice they could tell he was facing something terrifying—something that could drive a hardened criminal into madness. Whatever he called a "monster" must truly be horrifying. The two women's sobs grew louder.
Shi Aotian, seeing Xiao Wu slipping further into a half-insane state, kicked him sharply in the cheek. A piercing pain jolted Xiao Wu back to his senses. Shi Aotian asked coldly, "Speak—otherwise…" At this, Xiao Wu glanced at the strange sword in his hand, shut his eyes, and broke into a cold sweat. "I'll talk—I'll tell you everything—just don't kill me."
Shi Aotian stepped back slightly. "Go on."
Shaken to his core, Xiao Wu blurted out, "M-my boss is Yue San. He's the bookie behind the underground boxing matches at the hotel, as well as the owner of various gambling dens, parlors, and cruise casinos. I'm begging you—please, let me go…" The last thread of clarity in his mind made him plead desperately.
Shi Aotian's gaze was as calm as a still pond. "What else?"
"A-and… our boss already hired a Black List assassin on the 23rd of this month to kill you and Liu Tian. In order to take Liu Tian's turf, he had to kidnap Long Haotian's two daughters—so Long wouldn't interfere, because of his influence in the underworld. But we—we weren't going to hurt them. After Liu Tian's death, we planned to send them back at the right time, so Long Haotian would think it was Yue San who saved them and support him. That's it—that's everything I know. Now… you'll let me go, right?" Xiao Wu said, enduring both the searing pain of his broken arm and the crushing weight of his fear.
Shi Aotian finally pieced it together. Though he didn't know who Long Haotian or Liu Tian were, it was clear they intended to kill him on the 23rd. He stepped forward, and Xiao Wu instinctively shrank back in terror.
"Remove the roots when you cut the grass. Anyone who wants to harm me must die." Shi Aotian recalled his master's words. With a sudden slash, the blade flashed coldly before Xiao Wu's eyes. The next instant, his head slid cleanly from his neck, bounced twice on the floor, and the room fell into silence.
Gu Cainai and Long Minmin could hear someone approaching quietly. They knew it wasn't the kidnappers' steps—it must be the "monster" the kidnappers had spoken of. The two women struggled frantically, muffled cries for help escaping their gagged mouths. Suddenly, they felt the ropes on their wrists loosen. They quickly tore away the remaining cords, yanked the cloths from their mouths, pulled off their blindfolds, and exhaled heavily in relief.
Then they looked around—and froze. The floor was littered with corpses, bodies sprawled in all directions, pools of fresh blood staining the ground. They screamed in horror and promptly fainted.
Shi Aotian, after cutting their bonds, slipped away silently. Neither woman ever caught a glimpse of the "monster" the kidnappers had feared.
The next day, the mall that Shi Aotian had robbed suffered even greater losses. After he left, another group of thieves hit the place, stealing many valuable items.
Conference hall, Public Security Bureau, Z City, G Province.
With a loud slam, Bureau Chief Wu Jiangang threw a file onto the table. "Well? What are you going to do about this? Eight people are dead—do you realize how big of an impact this will have on our city?" The room fell silent.
Criminal Investigation Unit Captain Meng Yiping thought for a moment before speaking up. "Chief Wu, we've already formed a special task force and begun investigating the case."
"Investigating? Investigating my ass!" Wu Jiangang was truly furious. "The Liu Hai case from half a month ago still isn't solved, and now we have another huge case on our hands. How am I supposed to explain this to the higher-ups? You've been investigating for so long—what have you even found?"
The officers looked embarrassed. The Liu Hai case had gone nowhere; they had not even one solid lead. Being called out like this by the chief made them feel ashamed.
"I don't think we need to keep this meeting going. You all know what you need to do. Stop standing around here and go solve this case—fast." Wu Jiangang had no patience left. Eight dead in one night, the killings extremely brutal—if they didn't find leads soon, his position as chief could be in jeopardy.
Meng Yiping was the first to leave, and the others followed him out of the conference room.
"Meng, Chief Wu hasn't lost his temper like that in a long time," said a young female officer walking beside him.
"Then you know how serious this is. The higher-ups are paying close attention to this case. We'd better get moving. Let's go to the crime scene again and see if we can find any new leads."
"What? Again?" The young woman frowned. "I already threw up three times yesterday."
"You can stay behind if you want—just wait for Chief Wu to tear into you," Meng Yiping replied.
At the Long family home.
Gu Cainai and Long Minmin had already returned home. The shock they suffered left them both needing rest and care. That night, after fainting at the horrific scene, they didn't regain consciousness until morning. Having spent the night among corpses, they were clearly suffering from nervous exhaustion. They stumbled and crawled their way out of the abandoned factory to call the police.
When Long Haoyun received the news, he rushed to the station. After the women's initial statements, the police learned a few details. Naturally, Long Haotian also understood who was behind it, but for the moment he held back, not wanting to cause a scene in front of the police.
Meng Yiping returned to the scene once again. Behind him, the young policewoman looked at the floor, where dried blood still stained every surface, and felt nausea rise in her throat. She couldn't hold it back and finally bent over to vomit.
"Meng, this place really looks like a slaughterhouse. The killer's vicious," she said after catching her breath.
"Yeah… impressive, in a grim way. I've been handling cases for twenty years, and I've never seen a scene like this," Meng sighed. "Xia Ji, look around and see if you can spot any new clues."
The young policewoman following him—Xia Ji—started examining the area while speaking. "According to Gu Cainai and Long Minmin, one of the victims said before he died that the killer wasn't human. What do you make of that, Captain Meng?"
"They were out of their minds. You really think the killer isn't human?" Meng replied while pulling on his work gloves.
Xia Ji nodded—he had a point. "Then why didn't the killer kill Long Minmin and Gu Cainai?"
Meng stood up, brushing off his hands. "If I knew that, wouldn't I be the killer myself? Clues are something you have to find on your own—don't just ask why. Let's head back and see what the forensic report says."
The moment Xia Ji heard they could leave, she quickly stood up and immediately followed behind Meng Yiping.
Inside the morgue, the forensic doctors had been working on the case for five straight hours. When they saw Meng Yiping walk in, they politely greeted him with a "Captain Meng" before continuing their work.
Meng Yiping walked up to a middle-aged woman and asked seriously, "Sister Tang, have you found anything?"
Sister Tang, who was in the middle of an autopsy, took off her gloves and replied, "There are findings… but you could also say there aren't. Seven of the victims had their carotid arteries severed by a sharp weapon and died from massive blood loss, all at the same time. Another victim was decapitated by the same type of weapon, and the time of death was also the same. Judging from the wounds, this weapon is no ordinary blade—it's likely even thinner and sharper than a scalpel."
The more Meng Yiping and Xia Ji listened, the darker their expressions grew. They could hardly believe what they were hearing. After listening to Sister Tang's report, they headed to the footprint identification department.
"Old Qian, what do you have over here?" Meng Yiping asked as soon as he entered.
Old Qian was a veteran of the footprint analysis department and an expert in the field. Seeing Meng Yiping arrive, he let out a deep sigh. "Captain Meng, this time it's tricky."
Meng Yiping was taken aback—he had never heard Old Qian sigh before. "Don't tell me you can't even analyze the footprints?"
"Heh…" Old Qian gave a bitter smile. "In over thirty years on this job, today's the first time I've seen something like this."
"Old Qian, what exactly did you find?" Meng Yiping pressed.
"All right, I'll tell you," Old Qian said with another sigh. "The footprint analysis report is on the table—have a look."
Puzzled, Meng Yiping picked up the report and began flipping through it. Old Qian went on, "At the scene, there were footprints from a total of eleven people: eight men, two women, and one… we can't tell if they're male or female, tall or short, fat or thin."
Xia Ji suddenly asked, "Why?"
"Why?" Old Qian gave a wry smile. "Because based on all the footprints they left at the scene, this person's body weight is equivalent to the weight of a pair of shoes. You tell me—how am I supposed to trace that? It's bizarre. It's like if they took off their shoes, their whole body would weigh nothing at all."
"What?" Meng Yiping and Xia Ji nearly dropped their jaws to the floor.
"Captain Meng… could it really be a ghost?" Xia Ji suddenly recalled the testimonies of Gu and Long, and a chill ran down her spine.
Meng Yiping had never believed in ghosts, but at this moment, he felt a flicker of doubt. Could it really be a ghost?
"No, no," Old Qian added quickly. "I've done some preliminary thinking. Strange? Yes, very strange. But as for ghosts—I don't think that's possible. I have an idea, though. I don't know if you'll agree with it."
"Out with it," Meng Yiping urged.
"My guess," Old Qian said, "is that this person knows lightness kung fu. What do you think?"
Xia Ji couldn't believe her ears. "Come on—what era is this? Lightness kung fu? That's TV drama stuff."
Old Qian replied hastily, "It's just my personal speculation, but I think it's the only explanation that makes sense. Otherwise, the only other option is what you said—a ghost. Which would you rather believe?"
Xia Ji swallowed hard, feeling uneasy. "I'd rather it's a person. I really hope your guess is right. I'm scared of ghosts."
Meng Yiping fell into deep thought over Old Qian's words.
Yesterday, Shi Aotian had indeed used lightness kung fu. Knowing the police would definitely pay attention to this case, he had deliberately altered his weight until it was no more than that of a pair of shoes. Old Qian's guess wasn't wrong. None of them believed in ghosts, so lightness kung fu was the most reasonable explanation.
The case had also alarmed Yue San and Liu Tian. Yue San thought Liu Tian had already made his move, so he planned to kill Liu Tian ahead of schedule, then find a way to eliminate Long Haotian as well. Now, with no way to retreat, he had to stake everything on one desperate gamble.
Naturally, the happiest person about all this was Liu Tian. Xiao Wu, Yue San's trusted aide, had been decapitated without explanation, and there was no way Liu Tian could pretend to be upset about that.
In his office, Liu Tian was drinking smugly, a cold smile playing on his lips. Yue San, tonight I'll make sure you have no grave to rest in. What Liu Tian didn't know was that at that very moment, the barrel of a sniper rifle was already trained on his forehead.
Ranked seventh on the underground "Black List," the Korean assassin Aka had received the signal to move ahead of schedule. He had long since set up in the top floor of a building opposite Tianhai Entertainment City. From his guitar case, he took out the components of a modified Ariwrf Regnum sniper rifle, swiftly assembling it. Then he pulled a custom-made bullet from his pocket and slid it into the chamber. Through the scope, he could clearly see Liu Tian's every move inside the office.
Aka checked his watch—it was time. Hugging the rifle close, he aimed at Liu Tian's forehead through the scope. With a soft pop, the bullet tore through the large glass window.
Liu Tian never even had time to hear the sound of shattering glass before all sensation left him.
Task complete, Aka leisurely disassembled the rifle, placed the pieces back in the guitar case, and left. His next target: Shi Aotian.
Police sirens wailed as they sped past. Liu Tian's death spread quickly throughout Z City, throwing the public into panic. People were so shaken by the string of three recent murders that some didn't dare leave their homes.
As a teacher, Dongfang Qing hurried to the scene upon hearing that one of her students had been involved in an incident, and so she didn't return home at noon to be with Shi Aotian. Shi Aotian, with rare free time, turned on the TV to watch the news. The reports covered both last night's murders at the abandoned factory and the breaking news of Liu Tian's death. Seeing that Liu Tian was indeed dead confirmed Xiao Wu's account—clearly, it was time to settle the score with Yue San.
Long Haotian, meanwhile, was spending time with his two daughters and had no time to deal with Yue San or Liu Tian. Besides, with the police already involved, it wouldn't be appropriate for him, as a businessman, to interfere. Still, Yue San's debt to him would be settled sooner or later.