Anomaly

Su Xiao drove through the streets at midnight, with the thug in the passenger seat.

"How much farther?" Su Xiao had the accelerator pressed to the floor, and the car was going at least 160 kilometers per hour. It was midnight, so there were very few vehicles on the streets.

At that speed, Su Xiao noticed something. Even while driving this fast, he still handled it with ease. His Agility attribute had not only increased his speed, but also sent his nerve reaction speed soaring.

"Almost there, friend. Please slow down. I don't want to die yet."

Despair showed in the thug's eyes. He felt that he might not survive today.

The thug had seen the look in Su Xiao's eyes once before. It was the look that appeared after someone had killed.

The thug also realized that Su Xiao was different from ordinary murderers, because his gaze was simply too savage.

"Help me find my knife, as well as the people who ambushed me before, and you'll live."

Su Xiao lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

The thug sighed and finally nodded.

After driving into a residential complex, Su Xiao arrived at his destination.

"Get out."

Su Xiao held a pitch-black pistol in his hand. It was the gun he had found in the residential building earlier, and it was very likely the same gun that had shot him before.

Following the thug's directions, Su Xiao arrived in front of his boss's home.

"Knock."

The thug hesitated, then glanced at the gun in Su Xiao's hand. It was already loaded.

Left with no choice, the thug could only knock on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

After several consecutive knocks, faint footsteps came from inside.

"Who is it? It's the middle of the night."

A woman's voice, tinged with sleepiness, came from behind the door.

"Sister-in-law, it's me, Little Zhang."

A dozen seconds later, a middle-aged woman who had retained her charm opened the door.

"Come in. What time is it already..."

The middle-aged woman's question came to an abrupt halt when a black pistol was pressed against her head.

"Back away slowly. Don't make a sound."

The middle-aged woman was scared senseless. She stared blankly at Su Xiao, and only after a moment did she slowly retreat.

Su Xiao grabbed the thug beside him, entered the room, and gently closed the door behind them.

As the middle-aged woman backed away, she accidentally bumped into a half-meter-tall vase behind her.

"Crash!" The sound of breaking ceramic rang out especially sharply in the silent living room.

"Don't, don't do anything rash! I didn't mean to!"

Su Xiao ignored the middle-aged woman. His gaze had locked onto the tea table in the living room. A knife stand sat on it, and resting on the stand was his sheathed weapon.

Su Xiao stepped forward and picked up his weapon. The familiar feel of it returned to his hand, and he could not help smiling.

"Mom, it's so noisy~"

The door of a bedroom in front of Su Xiao opened. A Girl in a camisole stood in the doorway, rubbing her eyes.

Girl stared blankly at Su Xiao and the black pistol. Her small mouth opened slightly as she tried to cry out.

Su Xiao raised the muzzle and nudged it toward Girl, signaling her to go back where she had come from. Girl nodded rapidly, then slammed the door shut.

His weapon had been found. Su Xiao walked out of the room and left.

--

Before news of Su Xiao's survival could spread, he had already boarded a high-speed train headed for a neighboring city.

Su Xiao's appearance had changed greatly. He now looked like a student, and at his age, a little makeup was enough to disguise him as a college student.

After arriving in the neighboring city, Su Xiao did not linger. He simply boarded a long-distance bus.

As the bus jolted along, Su Xiao's body swayed slightly. He appeared to have closed his eyes for a nap, but in reality, he remained alert to everything around him.

The crying of a child, the whispered conversation between the two girls in the seats ahead, and the young man diagonally in front, wearing earphones and constantly swaying his body.

"We interrupt this program with a news report. A fugitive has appeared in the neighboring city."

The movie playing on the LCD screen at the front of the bus suddenly cut off, replaced by a picture of Su Xiao.

"The criminal suspect..."

All the passengers on the bus were drawn to the news and turned to look.

Su Xiao sighed inwardly at how fast they had acted. In less than six hours, his wanted notice had already been issued. Never mind anything else—he had risen from the dead and had originally been an assassin, so of course he would be wanted.

But to Su Xiao, this manhunt posed little threat. Aside from his own strength, his concealment abilities alone made him extremely difficult to find once he hid himself.

After several transfers, Su Xiao traveled continuously for four days. In the end, he stopped only after he no longer knew where he was.

Taking out his new phone and checking his location, Su Xiao discovered that he had reached DL City, a coastal city.

"Not a bad place."

DL City was surrounded by the sea on three sides. Even if the police searched for him, at worst he could smuggle himself abroad.

Unless the situation became truly dire, Su Xiao did not want to flee overseas. He had quite a few enemies abroad.

The most important thing now was to find somewhere to settle down. Su Xiao did not want to stay in a hotel or anywhere similar. Such places had too many people and prying eyes, making them unsuitable for long-term residence.

Standing on a busy street, Su Xiao felt a wave of hunger. He had spent the past few days on the road and had not eaten a proper meal at all.

Su Xiao found a restaurant and ordered local swimming crabs.

It was May, the season when swimming crabs were at their fattest. Each crab weighed at least a pound.

He cracked open the hard shells, dipped the meat in the restaurant's secret sauce, and took a satisfying bite. The meat was thick and delicious, while the tender crab stimulated his taste buds. The distinctive fragrance of seafood left him savoring it endlessly.

"Boss, the bill."

Su Xiao set down the last crab shell in his hand and let out a belch.

The restaurant owner came over with the account book and stared in astonishment at the crab shells covering the table.

"This..." The owner was stunned by Su Xiao's appetite. Su Xiao had eaten seven or eight times more food than an ordinary person could manage.

The enhancement of his physical attributes meant that Su Xiao needed more energy. Strength could not appear out of nowhere; it required a massive amount of energy.

"The total is 789. You can just give me 780."

Su Xiao pulled out several hundred-yuan bills and handed them to the owner.

"Are there any rental properties nearby? I'm a student who just arrived and need somewhere to stay for a few months."

The owner took out his phone and fiddled with it for a while before turning it toward Su Xiao. The screen clearly displayed: "DL City Rental Network."

The way the restaurant owner looked at Su Xiao seemed to say, Young man, no one looks for rentals on the street anymore.

Su Xiao gave an awkward laugh, memorized the website address, and left the restaurant.

Walking along the bustling street, Su Xiao rapidly tapped the phone screen with his thumb as he browsed the website. It was a small local social website that specialized in housing brokerage.

After searching for a long time, he found a somewhat strange rental listing.

"Excellent location, convenient transportation, rent starting at 100,000 yuan per month."

In DL City, monthly rent of 100,000 yuan was uncommon, but not unheard of. What puzzled people was that the advertisement provided almost no details about the residence and had only left a phone number.

Su Xiao was not short of money, so he simply called. A residence costing 100,000 yuan in rent each month should have good conditions, likely the standard of a luxury villa.

The call connected quickly, and a somewhat hoarse male voice came through.

"Let's discuss it in person. 37 Tianhai Road."

After that simple sentence, the call was disconnected.

Su Xiao was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. What a hassle. There might be some other complication involved. A monthly rent of 100,000 yuan was strange enough on its own, and he did not want to get involved, so he decided to look elsewhere.