Runaway Player [Bi Gan]

Zhang Anzai reacted quickly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small blood pack that had been opened but not emptied, its opening simply tied shut. He swung his arm and crushed it.

Bang! The thick blood splattered everywhere. It had no real killing power, but Mr. Li still hadn't straightened up completely, and the blood hit him square in the face.

Pfft! A large splash of scarlet blood covered his entire face.

Zhang Anzai immediately turned and ran the moment he threw the empty bag, and he didn't forget to kick the Human-Headed Dog hard on his way past.

The old dog had already been barely hanging on after the earlier blow. Before it could attack him, he kicked it away, sending it tumbling to the ground.

Huff, huff! Zhang Anzai gasped for breath and broke into a run, heading deeper down the corridor.

Behind him, Mr. Li roared in helpless fury, swinging the cleaver and the Pointed Knife in his hands.

Although he had recovered, he was still badly injured from that last blow and couldn't chase after Zhang Anzai for a while.

Zhang Anzai was relieved that his ambush had worked again.

Before this, he hadn't known that Mr. Li belonged to the Ten Evils, but he could at least tell that the man wasn't a monster. He was more like a human Boss in the vein of a psychopathic killer.

This kind of Boss was smarter, but also had other human weaknesses. For example, after getting hurt or gaining the upper hand, they could easily get carried away—especially if they were a little unhinged.

That was why, in his desperation, Zhang Anzai had gone against expectations. He used Ghost Wall-Building to hide a door, but instead of hiding in the workshop behind it, he hid in the workshop across from it.

Most newbies probably wouldn't think of doing something like that, especially in such a dangerous situation.

Mr. Li hadn't anticipated the move either, so he'd walked right into the ambush.

But if Zhang Anzai hadn't known that the man belonged to the Ten Evils, he might have stayed there and prepared to fight to the death. Now that he knew, he didn't have the guts.

That half-used blood pack was the reason he'd taken it from the workshop where he'd been hiding. He'd known all along that his sneak attack wouldn't be enough to take Mr. Li down, so he'd needed it to make his escape.

But after a fight like that, he should be about to enter his second phase. I'll wait for the big shots from the Official Division to come save me. Before then... I'd better get ready.

Zhang Anzai reached the end of the corridor and kicked open the door to Mr. Li's workshop.

The bizarre scene before him confirmed his guess, but it also shook him to his core.

A massive Iron Dissection Bed stood in the middle of the workshop. A mangled corpse lay on top, dead for some time.

One wall was covered with countless monitors, like those in a surveillance room, trained on every corner of the warehouse—even the toilets.

The other wall was lined with all kinds of tools, large and small. They'd been cleaned, but still sent a chill down his spine: bone saws, skinning knives, cleavers. The place looked nothing like a workshop and more like a slaughterhouse.

On the remaining shelves and in the cabinets, one side held countless pieces of skin stretched open and being worked or pulled taut. The other was filled with finished masks.

There were animal masks sized to fit human heads, as well as all kinds of grotesque human masks and even masks of inhuman monsters. They were exquisitely made, yet terrifyingly lifelike.

At first glance, it looked as if dozens of heads—human and animal, large and small—had been arranged in the cabinets.

"Damn, this guy has to be Un-Dao, one of the Ten Evils..."

Outside the Official Division's huge office, the city night still stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, they turned on the lights one by one, and employees arrived at their desks, bleary-eyed and yawning.

Aside from those on assignments or dealing with special circumstances, some sixty or seventy percent of the Official Division's employees had shown up. Five whole divisions were there, their members looking like they'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed but had no choice but to keep it to themselves.

But anyone who knew what was going on would realize their grave expressions weren't entirely because they'd been woken in the middle of the night.

The Official Division's office wasn't all that different from the Intern Division's. The facilities were simply better, and with people working there long-term, more personal belongings had accumulated, giving the place a more lived-in feel.

Otherwise, it was all the same: desks, computer chairs, printers, water dispensers, and division heads' offices.

The most obvious difference was that a huge screen hung in the center of each division, paired with a high-spec projector.

Official Division employees were experienced and had unusual abilities. Many of them didn't always return to their dorms at night, and were already in the office.

Most of them were focused on the large screen in the center.

But after an emergency notice went out, all five divisions' screens immediately turned gray, no matter what had been playing.

Once nearly everyone had arrived within a few minutes, Xu Xinhai reached the First Division's office. "What's going on? Has it still not connected?"

A dedicated assistant from the Logistics Division operated the computer with a file in hand. "This instance hasn't had any matching records before. We have the connection information from the employee's side, but matching it is still difficult."

No Official Division head had come in specifically for this, but seeing so many Official Division employees mobilized at once was impressive in itself.

It also showed just how serious the matter was.

"Though we haven't connected yet, we've spoken with the intern. My team has already pulled up the player's information," the assistant added.

The Official Division players who'd arrived were indeed poring over a complicated player profile.

But it wasn't [Fate Controller] Zhang Anzai's.

"[Bi Gan]"

"Inheritance: Second Skin Art..."

"Was the inheritance already 10% complete before he escaped?"

"Craft-based? No, this counts as an unorthodox art. By completely removing skin, flesh, and nerves, he can create special leather goods that inherit abilities, physical attributes, reflexes... even personality?"

"This ability probably corresponds to Un-Dao, one of the Ten Evils. His crimes include serial murder, dismemberment, or practicing heretical arts.

Who let him slip through their fingers? At least we found out about him early."

The Official Division employees all furrowed their brows, and their assessment of the situation seemed grim.

"Don't get your hopes up too soon. We may have found him early, but he's hiding in a newbie instance..."

Xu Xinhai flipped through the file as he listened to their discussion. He understood the situation they were describing all too well.

"We can find out later whose hands he slipped through. That's the Inspectorate's business. For now, let's figure out how to rescue that player."

Xu Xinhai's expression was grave. "The Ten Evils just won't go away..."

As members of the Official Division who often had to handle unexpected situations in various instances, they had several scenarios in their work manual that required them to take things seriously.

The Ten Evils, a special organization, were one of them.