Taking Stock of the Gains (Please Bookmark)

The black safe stood roughly seventy or eighty centimeters tall.

It did not look particularly high-tech. Its upper half had a circular combination lock, while the lower half required a key to open.

It was clear.

Qing Long and his men had never considered the possibility that these relics might be stolen.

This was their headquarters, after all. Li Hu, an Awakened One, was stationed here most of the time. They probably felt there was no need to put much thought into the safe.

And in truth, that was indeed the case.

Su Heng crouched before the safe and twisted the combination lock twice, hearing the mechanical gears turning inside.

Just then.

Rapid footsteps echoed from the stairs outside the private room. Clearly, the commotion here had not been small. The sounds and smells had spread out, drawing over the nightclub staff.

Su Heng frowned.

He had to get the safe open quickly. Otherwise, if someone saw him later and the matter blew up, it would be troublesome.

Rather than search Qing Long for the key, Su Heng curled his five fingers into claws and gripped the safe's lock, slowly applying force.

Large patches of snake scales emerged across the back of his hand, while thick, black tendons crisscrossed like chains.

Though the safe's structure was simple, it was unexpectedly sturdy. Its outer Iron Skin was at least three or four centimeters thick, made from some special alloy whose toughness and hardness far surpassed ordinary steel.

Unfortunately, under the immense strength enhanced by the Template Fusion State, even this superalloy slowly began to twist and deform.

Crack!

Accompanied by a thunderous bang.

Su Heng tore the safe's lock clean off, leaving a dark, gaping hole in the center of the safe.

By the light in the private room, Su Heng could clearly see that the safe was divided into upper and lower compartments.

The upper compartment contained a wooden Buddha Statue. The lower held a yellowed Ancient Book, along with two small boxes specifically meant to store and preserve valuables.

The footsteps outside grew increasingly hurried, mixed with the shrill screams of girls.

That was because the man whose throat Su Heng had just blown apart had collapsed right by the door. His hollow-eyed head was bent at a grotesque angle as he lay sprawled in a pool of blood, staring fixedly at whoever approached.

Though this nightclub was involved with the underworld, many people only worked here to make a living.

Seeing such a horrifying sight without warning.

Not only the female staff, but even the lackeys who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion turned pale with fright. For the moment, none dared enter the private room.

While they hesitated, Su Heng calmly packed up everything in the safe and slung it over his back.

He pushed open the window and leaped down from the second-floor windowsill under the cover of night.

Behind Qingcheng KTV was a secluded alley with complicated terrain on both sides. Qing Long and his men had probably intended it as an escape route, but it ended up benefiting Su Heng instead.

Under the bright moonlight.

Su Heng's muscular body moved with an air of nimbleness. After several flashes and leaps, he vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, inside Qingcheng KTV.

On the second floor.

In the private room filled with the heavy stench of blood, the lights flickered. A large crowd had gathered outside, all pale-faced and unwilling to enter, afraid that the monster in the room had not yet left and that they would suffer the same fate.

At last, a flat-topped man with a face full of flesh strode out from the stairwell, followed by a large group of lackeys.

"Move!"

The flat-topped man was Wang Jun, the third-ranking figure in Qing Long's gang, second only to Qing Long and Li Hu.

He normally dealt with other gangs outside and handled matters that could not see the light of day. Unexpectedly, this trip out had allowed him to escape disaster.

He rudely reached out and shoved aside several employees blocking his way.

The force was so great that one employee staggered and nearly fell to the floor. Yet he did not dare say anything, merely lowering his head and hurrying away.

Wang Jun kicked the corpse lying on the ground aside and arrived at the private room's entrance.

"Ugh..."

The overpowering stench of blood flooded his nostrils and rushed straight to his head.

He gagged, his stomach churning violently as he nearly vomited on the spot.

Inside the small private room, corpses lay scattered across the floor. Flesh and blood had flown everywhere, splattering every corner.

He normally handled dirty work for the gang and had seen countless bloody scenes.

He himself was even known in the underworld for being ruthless and vicious.

But upon suddenly seeing this hellish sight, even Wang Jun felt as if his heart had stopped beating.

He stepped over the corpses one by one and saw the metal safe in the corner, which had been forcibly torn apart by brute strength.

Cold sweat immediately streamed down his back.

"Brother Jun, what do we do now?"

A young thug-looking man, his eyes red-rimmed, gritted his teeth and said, "Should we avenge the boss and the others?"

Smack!

A vivid red handprint appeared on the thug's face. The slap had been so forceful that several teeth flew out of his mouth.

"I'll avenge your mother!"

Wang Jun still seemed unsatisfied, or perhaps he was simply venting his fear.

He viciously kicked the thug in the abdomen again and again. "Are you trying to get me killed!?"

After a long while.

The thug lying on the ground stopped moving. A light sheen of sweat appeared on Wang Jun's forehead, and only then did he feel somewhat relieved. He gave orders to the underlings behind him, who were trembling in silence.

"This was definitely done by an Awakened One, and the other party is far stronger than Li Hu. This is no longer something we can interfere with."

He let out a breath and continued, "Report this to the company, and to those people from the Inspection Department."

"Let them deal with the headache."

Outskirts of Qing City.

Su Heng had already returned to his room.

He ate something, took a shower, then lay on his bed and slowly waited for the lingering weakness from his Template Fusion State to fade.

He had killed again, but this time, the feeling was much the same as before.

There was no guilt, much less any sense of sin.

It was not only because Qing Long and the others deserved to die. There was also another indescribable feeling. Su Heng closed his eyes and chose not to dwell on it.

After his strength had recovered.

He went to his computer desk and began taking stock of today's gains.

An old Buddha statue, a yellowed ancient book, and inside the two boxes were a slightly tarnished Silver Bracelet and a plain Wooden Hairpin.

A total of four True Relics. The Silver Bracelet and Wooden Hairpin each provided Su Heng with twenty-five True Points.

The Buddha statue gave Su Heng fifty points, while that ancient book provided even more—one hundred points in total.