Mastering the Butcher

Wu Xin had left, leaving behind a wine glass on the table stained with a red residue.

"A slaughter, is it..."

Chen Xi suddenly thought of the Evil Flower organization again and let out a long sigh.

In settings like this, such organizations were usually responsible for summoning some world-ending demon god.

"I should have looked up the character profiles in advance."

Otherwise, she wouldn't be in the dark like this, knowing absolutely nothing.

Forget it, it was better to resolve Wu Xin's matter first; worrying blindly wouldn't accomplish anything.

And also...

Chen Xi walked to the kitchen stove and turned on the gas.

She placed her palm directly over the hottest part of the open flame.

There was no stinging sensation of burning.

Chen Xi gradually turned the gas dial higher, the flames dancing wildly. In the past, she would have been scalded by now; she certainly wouldn't be this calm, or even able to feel a hint of warmth.

With the blessing of the Flame Rite, she could basically ignore ordinary fire.

However, how it would hold up against the flames of a Transcendent would depend on actual combat performance.

After a quick wash, Chen Xi lay down on the bed and soon drifted off into a dream.

In a private room at a coffee shop, three beautiful girls with different hair colors sat together in a harmonious circle.

"This is my first time drinking coffee in a private room," Lin Yue said, looking around the environment with a sigh.

"How could we possibly discuss everything out in the open?"

Chen Xi turned to look at Zhu Li, who was holding her phone and replying to a message. "Zhu Li, is Captain Qiu Ye coming?"

As everyone knew, mastering the Butcher required the killing of ten humans.

Where would one find the most death-row inmates?

After thinking for a few seconds, Lin Yue arrived at the answer—the Countermeasure Bureau.

And so, embracing the mindset that she was already in deep trouble, Lin Yue had shamelessly sent a message to Zhu Li.

Of course, she wouldn't let Zhu Li help for nothing, so Zhu Li's name was already written in her mental notebook of people she absolutely had to save.

She considered it a small bit of psychological comfort to keep herself from feeling too guilty.

Seeing both of them looking at her, Zhu Li skillfully played a voice message: "She's coming."

The moment the words fell, someone pushed the door to the private room open.

"Apologies, I'm late."

Qiu Ye's cold, clear voice came from the doorway.

Today, she wasn't wearing that austere and simple black shirt, but had changed into a gray short-sleeved top paired with black trousers, giving her a unique sense of beauty.

"The two of you, we meet again." She sat in the empty seat next to Zhu Li.

"Hello!" Lin Yue felt a bit uneasy; after all, secretly taking the Pupil of Rain Lord was truly not very ethical.

Chen Xi smiled slightly and said, "Captain Qiu Ye, we're troubling you this time. If there's anything you need help with in the future, feel free to call on us."

"It's a small matter," Qiu Ye said dismissively. "If anything, this is the first time I've seen Zhu Li send me a message asking for a favor."

Hearing this, Zhu Li pushed Qiu Ye in embarrassment and anger.

"Hahaha, just a joke." Qiu Ye quickly raised her hands in surrender.

Seeing that their relationship was much closer than it appeared on the surface, Lin Yue asked curiously, "What is the relationship between Captain Qiu Ye and Senior Zhu Li?"

"Hmm..." Qiu Ye hesitated before answering, "Comrades-in-arms, I suppose."

"Back when I first joined the Countermeasure Bureau, I would often run into Zhu Li at places like the Legend realms."

"Over time, we just got to know each other."

Zhu Li, sitting beside her, nodded in agreement.

The four chatted for a while longer, but it was Qiu Ye who steered the conversation back. "Alright, alright, if we keep chatting, it'll be dark soon. Let's talk business."

"Lin Yue." She set aside her playful demeanor. "Are you certain you can eliminate the Butcher's negative curse?"

"This isn't a joke. If you fail, the Tianhai City Countermeasure Bureau will wipe you out."

"Have you really thought this through?" Qiu Ye stared deeply at Lin Yue, habitually reaching for her cigarettes, only to stop her hand from searching for her lighter when she remembered they were indoors.

"I have decided."

Without any evasion, Lin Yue met her gaze head-on.

"Please! Let me go! I'm still young, I don't want to die!!!"

The young woman in prison garb knelt on the ground, her expression one of sheer terror, surrounded by corpses severed in two.

Blood flowed wantonly, staining the moldy floor of the cell a vivid, vibrant red.

Lin Yue, standing before her, glanced down with a blank expression; the Chainsaw Cleaver swinging in her hand was slick with blood, making the blonde girl look every bit the executioner.

Because they feared the two might intervene when it came time to deal with Lin Yue, Zhu Li and Chen Xi had not been permitted to enter the prison.

Qiu Ye stood not far away, silently reciting the file in her hand:

"Lin Yan, unranked Transcendent, wielder of the Legend-grade Voodoo Gu. Due to jealousy over a competitor's booming breakfast business, she used her ability to poison the food, resulting in nearly a hundred deaths..."

Lin Yan hurriedly interrupted Qiu Ye's words: "It's not like that! I never thought the toxicity would be so strong; I only wanted to give them diarrhea..."

She was a mess of tears and snot, attempting to beg the blonde girl to spare her.

Luo Li delivered the final death sentence in a tone of disgust: "She's just lying; even now, she still harbors a sense of wishful thinking in her heart."

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Yue swung the Chainsaw Cleaver.

The cleaver slashed horizontally, cleanly severing Lin Yan at the waist.

"It's over," she sighed softly.

The condition met, the next second, the Chainsaw Cleaver seemed to come alive, trembling as it absorbed the blood on its blade until it was bone-dry.

Lin Yue's eyes were stained with wisps of red light, and she squeezed them shut.

In the distance, Qiu Ye was prepared at any moment to activate the Countermeasure Bureau's shared ability to execute her, and her teammates nearby stared fixedly at the motionless blonde girl as if facing a formidable enemy.

After all, the reputation of the Evil Flower was simply too great; any single core member could potentially slaughter the entire superhuman force of Tianhai City.

Just as they were lost in their wild speculations, Lin Yue slowly opened her eyes.

Just as she had anticipated, the Butcher's consciousness was instantly annihilated by the power of the Hourglass the moment it entered her mind.

If that were the case, wouldn't she be able to wield any Legend-grade item with similar consciousness-eroding side effects unconditionally in the future?

Lin Yue suppressed her racing heart and waited quietly for Luo Li's inspection.

The blue-haired loli merely sensed for a moment before murmuring in utter disbelief: "You actually managed to eliminate the curse."

Within the perception of her ability, Lin Yue's mind was completely unaffected by the Butcher.

"Congratulations," Qiu Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

"How on earth did you solve it?" While Luo Li was still deep in thought, the others had already walked out of the prison.

"Hey, wait for me!" She hurriedly chased after them.