ZZ City, Xingrui Building.
After finishing a day's work, Lin Lun leaned back in his office chair and stretched with satisfaction as he looked at the money transferred to him on WeChat.
He took fresh, blood-red entrails from the insulated steel bucket, then lifted the curtain over the shrine and placed portions of fresh cow organs into the poison bowl one by one.
"Eat lots and get nice and chubby. Daddy loves you!"
Seeing the flesh inside the poison bowl rapidly shrivel, Lin Lun felt thoroughly content.
Ever since he'd brought back three Kuman Thong from Thailand, his business had improved tremendously.
That was right—he was a practitioner of black magic. It might cost him some karma, but it brought in money fast. Before he'd even turned thirty, he already had a car, a house, and a wife.
Sensing the Qi, he knew he shouldn't feed them too much. He shut the door and headed for the underground parking garage.
Lin Lun had only taken a few steps when he stopped. The little ghosts beside him seemed to have sensed someone. The killing intent was unmistakable.
"Who's there? Come out!"
"A black magic practitioner from Southeast Asia? What a fine prey. Hahaha! Become my nourishment!"
A man with madness in his eyes suddenly charged out of the darkness, his entire body shrouded in purple Qi.
"You're... Hu Jie from Dongxiang Zhuang! D-don't come any closer! Yaya, Xiaohong, get him!"
Seeing that there was no point trying to talk him down, Lin Lun was suddenly overcome by a terrible premonition. Is this the end for me?
He'd heard that a disciple of the Shenxiao Sect had died just two days ago. Was it already his turn today?
No, he couldn't die. He'd just gotten married, and he still had so much of life to enjoy.
Black Qi billowed around him. With a rustle, two dark figures flew out, their eerie giggles echoing through the underground parking garage.
In the blink of an eye, the two ghosts pounced on Hu Jie and wrapped themselves around him.
They tore at Hu Jie, biting and clawing, leaving streaks of wounds across his body.
But the next moment, an eruption of purple Qi blasted them away. Hu Jie's palm struck Lin Lun in the throat.
"Crack!"
"I've gotten stronger! I really have gotten stronger! Xia He... Xia He... Wait for me! I'll help you get the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art! Ahahaha!"
Hu Jie greedily absorbed the Qi from Lin Lun, laughing maniacally. His crimson eyes shone with excitement, devoid of any trace of humanity.
"Whoosh! Sss!"
Suddenly, several black tendrils shot out from the darkness.
"Hm? Someone else is here! Ah, wh-what is this? Aah! Let go! No!"
Oily tentacles burst out of the sewer. They bound the dead Lin Lun, pierced the frenzied Hu Jie, and dragged him deep underground.
Wang Changle emerged from the stairwell and stared at the pools of black, oily substance on the ground. The air reeked of petroleum and rot. It was a Formless Child!
His heart lurched. He hurriedly took out a scroll, and light rippled across it as a deformed mass of oil appeared before him, filling the air with a rancid stench.
The knee-high Formless Child twisted and warped in the air, letting out a series of strange shrieks, its excitement palpable.
Wang Changle had received word from Nato Tong that Otherworldly Persons were being assassinated near Zaozhuang. He'd known that Hu Jie was being controlled by Shen Chong and Xia He of Quanxing.
For a Contractor, killing a character from the story meant earning a huge reward. Hu Jie was undoubtedly the best target for him to grow stronger.
But when he arrived, he'd witnessed what had just happened. His prey had been snatched away by another predator. What a double surprise!
The creature that had taken Hu Jie was a Formless Child, a shadowy being that worshipped Sathogua. Its entire body was made of a twisted, black, oily substance, and it looked almost exactly like Venom.
It could take on many forms and flow through tiny gaps. It could also inhabit most objects and living things, and it especially favored dark, underground places.
It was not only highly malleable but also completely immune to physical attacks, which was why Hu Jie had been unable to hurt it.
The Formless Child came with the Formless Child Contact Technique. As long as another Formless Child was nearby, the ability would automatically connect them, making it the perfect means of tracking them in turn.
After attaching a tracking device to the summoned Formless Child, Wang Changle watched it dart into the sewer.
Inside his car, Wang Changle stared intently at the tablet in his hands, following the path of the tracking device's signal.
At last, the signal stopped in the northern outskirts of the city, at Tianxin Nursing Center in Sakura Garden.
Looking at the location on the map, he began pulling up the relevant information. That was the advantage of joining a powerful organization: access to a comprehensive intelligence network.
Before long, information came in through the organization's internal channels.
Sakura Garden had once been a thriving neighborhood for the wealthy, and its villas had been extremely popular. Wooded areas surrounded it, and the nearby landscape was full of hills and waterways.
Tianxin Nursing Center stood at the heart of the sprawling villa complex. Back then, it had been a gathering place for society's most prominent women.
Of course, that was all in the past. After the Medicine Immortal Cult's crimes came to light over a decade ago, it was revealed that Tianxin Nursing Center had also been part of their dealings. The place was abandoned completely.
And because it was abandoned, it had become the perfect hiding place.
After browsing photos of the area, now overgrown with greenery, he began tapping his fingers against the seat without realizing it.
Outside the car window, a light rain began to fall. On the tablet, the tracking signal continued to flash red, like a time bomb counting down.
Tianxia Group, reception room.
"You're saying Mr. Ode requested a heavy-duty truck and wants to take a large supply of powerful anesthetic darts?"
Feng Shayan turned to Yuan'er (Clawed Woman), who had come to report this. A note of uncertainty showed in her eyes as she took the application form.
"Yes, Miss. Mr. Ode also took a large amount of realgar, saltpeter, and Flake Gold."
Yuan'er studied the form. The dose was enough to sedate a herd of elephants. She couldn't help wondering if he was planning to take on Quanxing.
"Realgar, saltpeter, and Flake Gold? All right, I understand. Approve it and charge it to the company account. You prepare the expense report, and I'll sign off on it."
After Feng Shayan spoke, she put on her leather jacket, walked to the break room, and sent a message on WeChat.
"Beep!"
"I need an explanation!"
"If everything goes smoothly, I'll make you another Magic Tool."
Far away in Zibo, Wang Changle was directing the locals as they loaded one enormous pig after another onto a heavy-duty truck. After replying to the message, he set off toward Zaozhuang.
"What a good man! Thirty thousand yuan for a pig—what a generous man!"
"That's right. If you want to get rich, raise more pigs!"
After receiving his reply, Feng Shayan smiled and leaned against the bar. She tightened her grip on her boxing gloves, a flash of excitement in her eyes.
"My second Magic Tool? I'll definitely be looking forward to it!"
After murmuring softly, she returned to the training room. She'd heard that Feng Baobao would be taking part this time, too.
Just as well. She wanted to test the true power of these new gloves!
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