The Killer 07

Mia took out a few candies from her pocket and offered them to the little girl, who shrank back in fear, unwilling to accept them.

"What's wrong?"

"Daddy says I can't eat these, or he'll hang me up and beat me."

A flicker of anger flashed in Mia's eyes before she smiled and said, "It's fine. You can have them today. Go ahead."

"But..."

Mei Ming gently patted the girl's head. Her own family wasn’t wealthy, but at least her parents treated her well—unlike this girl, who had none.

"Think about what comes next," Fang Zhiyi said to Mia before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Fang Zhiyi had set a peculiar rule: no matter who the target was, the final act had to be carried out by him alone.

When the girl’s mother woke up on an old bed, the memory of her husband’s brutality rushed back. She bolted upright, only to see a stranger playing with her daughter. Panicked, she tried to get up but forgot her leg was broken—sending her crashing to the floor.

Mei Ming hurried over to help her up, soothing her while discreetly twisting open a small vial. A faint, calming fragrance filled the air, and the woman’s ragged breathing slowly steadied.

"Give them some money and let them leave the Lower City," Fang Zhiyi suggested.

Mia shook her head. "Leave for where? The Upper City? It might look orderly, but it’s even more dangerous there."

After a moment’s thought, she added, "I can give them work, though."

At the headquarters of the Jackals Syndicate, Ye Xiao was practically giddy, his fingers intertwined with Marilyn’s. She was even more wonderful than he’d imagined! So much so that when a subordinate reported an attack on one of their underground clinics, he barely paid attention.

"Just a clinic."

"But, boss, aren’t we going to do anything?"

Ye Xiao smirked—a sight that made Marilyn’s eyes sparkle.

"It’s the perfect excuse for war." He led her to the floor-to-ceiling window. "There’s only room for one king in the Lower City."

The subordinate bit back a retort.

"I come from the Upper City," the voice on the communicator said. "My wife and I donated to Lower City children, but she believed it wasn’t enough. We wanted to bring them proper education, so we moved here with our son."

"But the thugs—they thought we were stealing their children’s working hours. They vandalized our classrooms again and again."

The man’s voice trembled with grief.

"That night, they broke into my home. They assaulted my wife, threw my son out the window, and tried to strangle me with a rope. I was lucky—I only passed out."

"Now, I wish I’d died instead."

"If you can avenge them, I’ll give you everything I have."

"Upper City folks coming down here, or Lower City folks going up—both are stupid moves," Mia remarked.

"72nd Street he mentioned sounds pretty far."

Mia frowned. "Let me handle the intel."

Drawing on years of experience in the Lower City’s underbelly, Mia questioned countless sources until she uncovered the truth.

In the sewers, she explained, "72nd Street is a den of thugs and criminals—territory of... the Nightshades." She sighed. "The Nightshades are strong enough to rival the Jackals Syndicate. Of course they don’t want kids in school—they need them working to keep up their operations."

Wang Meng stood and pointed at Guan Xiong. "This one’s mine."

Guan Xiong barely glanced at him, silent.

Mia continued, "There’s more. Ye Xiao’s spreading word that the Nightshades attacked their clinic—so the Jackals are declaring war. We could just stay out of it."

Fang Zhiyi fell silent, recalling the events he knew. The Nightshades were the Jackals’ greatest rivals, their conflict dragging on for a year. In the original timeline, Ye Xiao would’ve recruited him, Mia, Mei Ming, and the others—but now, that wasn’t happening.

After a pause, Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "We took the job. We finish it."

"Seriously? Getting tangled in this mess will get us killed." Despite her words, Mia showed no trace of fear.

"I’m not scared," Wang Meng said eagerly. Ever since Fang Zhiyi rescued him, he’d been itching to prove himself.

"Um, me neither," Mei Ming added timidly, raising her hand.

Dace just coughed and fiddled with his scalpel, offering no opinion.

Guan Xiong was even more direct—he simply stepped behind Fang Zhiyi.

Mia threw up her hands. "You guys always wreck my plans." She dragged out a bag of explosives from a corner. "You’re paying for these!"

The Lower City was in chaos. The Jackals and Nightshades clashed violently, bodies littering the streets. The Jackals’ lieutenants were out in force—but Ye Xiao remained in his office, Marilyn perched on his lap as they watched the distant flames.

"So beautiful..." Marilyn murmured, awestruck.

Ye Xiao stroked her hair, utterly entranced.

"Damn it, has Ye Xiao lost his mind? When did we ever touch their clinic?"

"That brat just wants a war. His ambition’s bigger than his old man’s ever was."

"Round up everyone—even the kids! Send them all out!"

In an untouched house, Fang Zhiyi studied the bloodied man before him, then slowly produced an old photograph. "Do you know him?"

The man didn’t even look, still snarling, "I’m a Nightshade captain! You’re dead!"

"Wrong answer." Fang Zhiyi sighed. Wang Meng immediately pried the man’s jaws apart as Dace stepped forward, pliers in hand, and carefully clamped onto a tooth.

"One, two..."

"Wha—mmph—are you—?"

"Three!"

The man screamed.

"Do you know this man?" Fang Zhiyi resumed his stance, photo still in hand.

Trembling, the man finally looked at the young man before him—and felt a chill.

"Yes! I know him! Isn’t he dead?"

"Then tell us—who was involved in his death?"

The system observed its seemingly deranged host, uneasy. No matter what it said, Fang Zhiyi ignored it. What now? Maybe being more proactive would earn his trust?

With that thought, the system detached from Fang Zhiyi and drifted away, scouting the situation. It’d gather intel and trade it later.

By the time it returned, Fang Zhiyi’s group had infiltrated a sprawling estate—a rare sight in the Lower City.