Changchun Association and The Company

"Ding ding... ding ding..."

At seven in the morning, the alarm clock rang. Xiao Ran reached out and slapped it silent. Although he was awake, he still lay in bed with his eyes closed, replaying everything that had happened last night in his mind.

Head-on, he really wasn't Xue Hongling's match. In fact, if he had released his dogs from the start, Xue Hongling probably would have run away immediately.

Only when Xue Hongling's attention was fully focused on him would she ignore the pack of dogs lurking around her.

But it was still quite dangerous, especially the red skeleton she summoned at the end. If he had been hit by it, he probably wouldn't have come out unscathed.

Opening his eyes, Xiao Ran sat up in bed. He suddenly felt something beside his hand. Turning his head, he saw that a dead mouse had been placed on his bedside table.

"Meow!"

The white cat had somehow appeared on the table beside him. Seeing Xiao Ran awake, it let out a few meows and proudly lifted its head, then gracefully jumped off the table and walked out.

Xiao Ran frowned, looking at the dead mouse by his bed. He found it both amusing and a little touching.

Although the cat was a bit skittish, it seemed pretty good now.

At least it cared about him.

Of course, it would be better if this kind of care was a little less frequent. After all, no one liked to see a dead mouse by their pillow the moment they opened their eyes.

He threw the mouse into a plastic bag and took it downstairs with him.

He pulled up the roll-up door and, as usual, checked the mailbox outside. For some reason, there hadn't been any commissions delivered to the mailbox lately.

"Xiao Ran, have you eaten?"

Turning around, he saw Grandpa Wang walking over with his fishing bucket. He handed the bucket to Xiao Ran, which contained a few small fish. "I didn't catch any big fish, but these small ones are for feeding the cat."

This time, Xiao Ran didn't refuse. He cheerfully accepted the bucket. "Okay, let's go fishing together another day. My new fishing rod just arrived."

"Sure, I'll help you bait the hook then. I guarantee you'll catch a big fish."

"Okay, okay, okay."

After Grandpa Wang left, Xiao Ran carried the small bucket inside.

"Meow!"

The white cat sprang onto the counter with a whoosh, its eyes fixed on the bucket in Xiao Ran's hand. Seeing the small fish inside, it licked its lips greedily.

Xiao Ran casually scooped out a fish and offered it to the white cat. He tried to pet the creature, but the cat was very alert. It took the fish, turned, and jumped back onto the counter, leaving Xiao Ran's outstretched hand to touch nothing but air.

"Hmph, if you don't want to be petted, then don't be."

Pouting, Xiao Ran scooped out all the small fish from the bucket and placed them in a small basin beside him. Then, he closed the shop door and went out for breakfast.

There were advantages to living in a third-tier city. Although the breakfast wasn't as exquisite as in Guangdong or Shenzhen, it was plentiful, filling, and cheap.

A bowl of tofu pudding, two fried dough sticks, and four pan-fried buns cost seven yuan, and he was completely full.

Xiao Ran had a good appetite. After eating, he still felt a little unsatisfied. On his way back, he bought a meat bun (fried meat patty).

When he returned home, Xiao Ran pulled up the roll-up door and hung a "Resting Today" sign on the door. He then closed the main door and went to the backyard. Entering the side room next to it, he finally took Xue Hongling's corpse out of the Micheng Space.

Soon, a strong smell of blood began to spread throughout the room.

Xue Hongling's face was already a bloody mess, with many places torn open, revealing the white bone beneath the skin.

Especially the throat area, which had a gaping wound, making it truly horrific to behold.

As for other injuries, there were countless more. Xiao Ran was helpless about it, but these wounds weren't a major problem for him.

First, he stripped Xue Hongling of her belongings.

That ring and the cloak she was wearing were both Cursed Objects. They would be useful for supplementing his combat power.

Xiao Ran didn't spare the rest of her clothes either. He meticulously stripped every piece of clothing from Xue Hongling's body until she lay completely naked before him.

His gaze scrutinized Xue Hongling's corpse.

Her graceful figure was now just a pile of rotten flesh in Xiao Ran's eyes.

After carefully examining the wounds on Xue Hongling's body, Xiao Ran took out his needle and thread tools, as well as the Calamity Suppressing Token.

"Corpse Stitcher activated!"

Xiao Ran's heart stirred. A dark red Curse Mark emerged from his body and flowed into the [Calamity Suppressing Token]. The familiar sensation returned, and Xiao Ran picked up his needle and thread, beginning to stitch Xue Hongling's body.

Stitching Xue Hongling's corpse was partly because Xiao Ran wanted to see what abilities he could gain from her, and partly because he hoped to find some other information about Miyuan City from her memories.

Many of Xue Hongling's wounds were tearing injuries, extremely severe. For an ordinary person, stitching them would be impossible, but for Xiao Ran, it didn't pose much of a challenge.

Besides stitching, there was also shaping, which meant that in places where flesh was missing, it needed to be reshaped. This required specialized techniques that ordinary people wouldn't have access to, such as dough sculpting or clay sculpting.

Simply put, dough or clay would be used to replace the missing flesh. It wasn't just about slapping it on; one had to outline the contours, color it, and stitch it in so that it looked seamless.

However, Xiao Ran had heard that with advanced technology, there were even more high-tech methods for shaping, such as using 3D printers for shaping, or even encasing the entire person in a shell, making them look exactly like a living person from the outside.

For example, there was a case in the Hong Kong district where the victim was murdered, dismembered, and cooked. The husband spent two million to have the remains restored, using such technology.

Unfortunately, such a huge undertaking was beyond Xiao Ran's reach.

He used dough to repair Xue Hongling's face. As for the other wounds, Xiao Ran skillfully used his Master-level Suturing Technique to stitch them up.

This repair process was extremely smooth, with no reanimation or strange occurrences.

It only took Xiao Ran fifteen minutes to complete the entire repair.

[You have met the conditions to activate the special privilege, do you wish to activate Spirit Seizing!]

"Spirit Seizing!"

As Xiao Ran activated Spirit Seizing, Xue Hongling's memories began to surface before him.

Most of them were scenes of Xue Hongling playing poker with different men every day. The process was too intense, making Xiao Ran a bit unbearable, so he could only choose to skip through it.

Later, there were scenes of her killing Guo Lingfei, but in her hand, she held a puppet with Guo Lingfei's name and Birth Numerology pinned to it.

"This thing should also be a Cursed Object, what a shame, I didn't find it. It must be in her Micheng Space."

Xiao Ran felt a pang of regret. After all, he really wanted a Cursed Object that could kill people from a distance.

At this moment, the scene shifted. Xue Hongling's phone rang beside her. After Xue Hongling pressed the answer button, a strange message came from the other end.

"Shuke Shuke, this is Beta!"

Upon hearing the voice on the phone, Xue Hongling's expression immediately turned serious, and she replied in the same tone, "Tudou Tudou, this is Hongshu."

They spoke mysteriously, like they were exchanging a password. After hearing Xue Hongling's words, the person on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment before speaking, "The recent case of the fitness coach's tragic death, you did that, right? Are you crazy? What if The Company finds out?"

"She's dead, what else can be done?" Xue Hongling said nonchalantly.

"Minimize the impact as much as possible, don't let The Company notice. Go to the password-protected locker on the first basement floor of Jianye Mall in three days. You'll find the plane ticket, cash, and identification documents you need inside. Leave immediately after you get them."

"I have to leave already? I just settled down."

Xue Hongling frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the instructions from the phone. "Last time we killed someone, The Company's people were watching nearby, and they didn't do anything, did they?"

"Foolish. What happens in the underworld stays in the underworld. It's a fight between beginners, and The Company not only doesn't interfere but also helps clean up. But you killed an ordinary person. If The Company finds out, they will pursue it to the end."

Hearing this, Xue Hongling seemed to understand. She crossed her legs and said, "So, as long as The Company can't find out, then it's fine."

"If that's the case, then I really don't want to move."

With that, Xue Hongling hung up the phone directly, muttering, "Boring. Changchun Association? I think they're all a bunch of cowards."

The memory footage ended here. The rest were scattered memories, and Xiao Ran didn't have the patience to watch further.

However, this Changchun Association and The Company were quite refreshing to Xiao Ran.

"Could it be that this Company is an enforcement agency specifically targeting beginners?"

As for the Changchun Association, Xiao Ran had some recollection.

He had heard his grandfather mention before that there was such an organization in the underworld, a gathering place for all sorts of craftsmen, from all walks of life, and all sorts of professions.

But what were their messy secret codes?

Xiao Ran thought about it and felt relieved. People evolve with the times, and so do slang terms. One couldn't say that "Nanchun Beidian" was slang, but shouldn't popular internet phrases like "Little Chicken Stewed Mushrooms," "Imperial Jade Wine," and "Heavenly King Covers the Earth Tiger" be the exclusive slang of the new generation?

Xiao Ran's thoughts gradually withdrew from Xue Hongling's memories, and at the same time, a prompt sound followed.

"Your repair of Xue Hongling's corpse has been rated A-class, and you have obtained 30 energy points."

"Spirit Seizing of the Calamity Suppressing Token was successful. You have obtained Xue Hongling's ability [Blade Draw Slash]."