Halloween's First Job

"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock"

The knocking was urgent and chaotic.

"Who's there?"

Footsteps echoed as the old woman walked to the door, asking the question, but no one answered from outside.

So, she reached out and opened the door, asking again.

"Who's..."

"Aooo!"

A thin, white shadow suddenly floated past the doorway. It had no limbs, no body, not even a face. It was a nimble ghost with only two eyes visible.

Before she could even scream, the white shadow lunged forward, directly into her arms.

And then it hugged her.

"Trick or treat!"

Small shadows poured out from all directions. Some wore large witch hats and carried brooms; others wore long black robes and carried scythes; some had little devil horns and carried pitchforks. There was even one wearing a blue suit and a red cape.

"Oh, dear, Superman isn't a ghost."

Tonight was Halloween. Besides adults dressed as monsters on the streets, children also put on costumes and transformed into little devils, going door-to-door for candy. If they didn't get candy, they would cause trouble.

The old woman smiled, took out candy, and handed it out to the children around her. As she did, her gaze flickered, and she unintentionally saw someone with a pumpkin on their head standing on the street outside, holding a small pumpkin lantern in their other hand.

"What an ugly pumpkin," she muttered subconsciously. "Have people worn such ugly pumpkins on Halloween in previous years?"

Ma Zhaodi felt a little panicked.

He had just followed the System's prompts and navigation to the delivery location, but honestly, he hadn't expected the client to choose to receive the pumpkin here.

This was Gotham City's Diamond District, spanning almost the entire city between it and the East End. As its name suggested, this was where Gotham's wealthy resided.

Throughout Gotham City, crime rates decreased gradually from north to south. The Upper East End was the most chaotic and crime-ridden area in all of Gotham, responsible for most of the city's criminal cases.

A bit further south was the Audisburg District, where the Burnley District was located. This was the relatively stable central district. It was wealthier than the East End, with much lower crime rates. Only criminals aiming for something big would cause trouble here. The criminal incidents that occurred here were usually city-shaking supercases, with bank robberies being the smallest.

And in the southernmost Lower District of Gotham City, the district where the wealthy Diamond District was located, the public security was the best. The people living here were practically from another world compared to other parts of Gotham. If one only looked at the Lower District, perhaps Gotham City could become the city with the lowest crime rate in the world.

But ironically, Gotham's biggest crime boss, Falcone, and the second-largest gang leader, Maroni, lived openly in the Diamond District. So, rather than saying the crime rate here was low, it was more accurate to say that the criminals here went unpunished.

At this moment, groups of people dressed as monsters for Halloween were already wandering the dimly lit streets. Burly men in hockey masks, masked figures in black robes wielding knives, a Joker with creepy makeup and a red balloon, a paper-bag-headed man brandishing a chainsaw, zombies with rotting skin, and so on.

Each one was more realistic and terrifying than the last, making him shiver involuntarily.

He looked at the abstract little pumpkin lantern in his hand. The pumpkin eyes, like dead fish eyes, shot out an eerie light. The grinning pumpkin mouth had a slightly crooked scratch, as if it were drooling.

"Would a rich guy really want to buy this kind of pumpkin? Can this thing really scare anyone?"

Just then, a person wearing a black bowler hat, a loose trench coat, with an indistinct face and rough men's gloves appeared before him. This figure was like the assassins seen on TV who would draw their guns at the slightest provocation. He was also one of the "monsters and ghosts" on the Halloween street.

Without a word, he walked up to Ma Zhaodi, pointed at the small pumpkin lantern in his hand, paid, and took the pumpkin before immediately leaving the street. He didn't say a single word throughout the entire transaction, nor did he make any unnecessary sounds.

"What kind of abstract Halloween cosplay is this?"

Ma Zhaodi scratched his head, but seeing the "Task Complete" notification on the System, he didn't think much of it. He still had two more jobs waiting for him and no time to figure out what this mysterious client wanted.

And so, on this Halloween night, there was an incredibly abstract and ugly pumpkin-headed mysterious person. He wore a cheap coat and large men's gloves, wandering aimlessly on the streets of the Diamond District. He looked exactly like the nonsensical serial killer seen on TV, attracting onlookers to stop and watch.

"What kind of abstract Halloween cosplay is this?"

The trench coat wearer couldn't help but recall the person who sold him the pumpkin on the street.

No, now wasn't the time to think about that.

His footsteps were light as he quietly ascended the narrow staircase. It was already late at night. Most of the lights in this luxurious villa had been extinguished. Only scattered lights on the second floor shone down the hallway.

He walked through the corridor, searching inward. Most people in the villa had already fallen asleep. However, from a room upstairs, the sound of running water could faintly be heard.

Like a shark smelling blood, the trench coat wearer silently glided in the direction of the sound.

"Creeeak~"

A hand turned the faucet next to it, and the water flow, which was about to fill the bathtub, immediately stopped rising. In the steamy mist, a figure sat down while humming a tune.

The bathroom light was very dim because the person in the bathtub recently disliked strong light, as it made him uncomfortable.

"Hmph, that idiot Daniel," he submerged himself in the water, humming softly. The warmth permeated his body, enveloping him like darkness. It reminded him of the feeling of firing his gun at the former bank executive on the street.

At that time, he was also protected by the night and the shadows in the car—this feeling was so reassuring that it was almost addictive.

Of course, he wasn't always like this. Only after killing did he enjoy such darkness. Normally, he preferred banquets with wine and beautiful socialites, and the satisfaction of being the center of attention.

"Creeeak~"

A beam of light suddenly shone on his face, forcing him to squint to adjust to the sudden brightness.

How did the door open?

The moment this thought surfaced, his pupils immediately contracted as he realized the answer.

"No..."

"Bang! Bang!"

The response was the dull sound of gunshots.