Undercover

The air was thick with the stench of cheap tobacco and rotting wood.

A grease-stained hand slammed onto Chen Jin's shoulder, the force heavy enough to make him stagger.

"Hey, Chen Jin." A gravelly voice came from behind, carrying an unquestionable command. "Tiger Lord wants to see you."

Chen Jin didn't turn around; he merely swallowed, suppressing the sudden surge of vigilance.

"What for?"

"Less talk." Another man pressed in from the other side, blocking his retreat like a wall. "You'll know when you get there."

Two invisible pressures squeezed from left and right, practically escorting him, shoving him through the narrow, dimly lit corridor.

Footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, one in front and one behind, like the drumbeats of a funeral procession.

The destination was a wooden door left ajar at the end of the hall, a dim, flickering light spilling through the crack.

The door was shoved open roughly.

A heavier scent of smoke, mixed with the musky, beastly stench of an animal, rushed to meet them.

The room was small, like an abandoned storage closet, with a high-backed chair covered in tattered animal hide sitting abruptly on a crude wooden platform in the center.

A man sat in the chair.

He was exceptionally burly, filling almost the entire seat. The light hit him from above at an angle, casting deep shadows on his face and outlining his rugged, chiseled features. A pair of eyes shone terrifyingly bright in the shadows, locked firmly onto Chen Jin.

He was "Tiger Lord."

The men who had escorted him shoved Chen Jin forward, then retreated to the door, standing like two silent temple guardians.

Tiger Lord didn't speak, merely sizing Chen Jin up with those intimidating eyes. His gaze felt tangible, scraping against the skin like a blade. Only the sound of heavy breathing and the crackle of the burning lamp wick remained in the room.

"Chen Jin," Tiger Lord finally spoke, his voice low and raspy, like sandpaper on wood. "How long have you been with me?"

Chen Jin licked his dry lips. "About... a week, I suppose." His voice sounded exceptionally clear in the silence.

Tiger Lord let out an ambiguous snort, leaning forward slightly. The shadows shifted with him, and the sense of oppression intensified. "A week..." He chewed on the word, every syllable coated in ice. "In one week, you managed to sniff out three of my secret shipping routes. You're quite nimble, aren't you!"

"That's thanks to your cultivation, Tiger Lord."

"Cultivation? I'd love to cultivate you properly, but unfortunately, when I went to pay the social insurance today, they told me your unit was already paying it for you!"

Tiger Lord's voice rose sharply, like a thunderclap, filled with raw, naked rage. "You're a damn mole sent by the cops!"

He slammed his hand onto the armrest, sending wood splinters flying. "What I hate most is traitors and undercover agents! Today, I'll give you a quick end and clean house!"

Before the words had even faded, a bizarre transformation occurred!

Within Tiger Lord's burly frame, his bones emitted a teeth-grinding "crack" as dense, yellow-and-black fur burst through his expensive silk shirt, growing wildly.

That fierce, human face tore and distorted in an instant; his muzzle protruded, his fangs turned ivory-white—a terrifying, massive tiger with a white forehead and striped coat replaced Tiger Lord, roaring as it lunged from the high chair!

A foul wind hit him, and the blood-red maw, capable of tearing anything apart, snapped toward Chen Jin's neck!

Snap!

The sickening sound of bone breaking rang out clearly.

Chen Jin's head was severed instantly by the terrifying bite force, rolling onto the floor like a doll's head ripped off by a brute, even bouncing once.

The headless body stood stiffly in place, blood spraying from the severed neck like a fountain, splattering the mottled walls and the filthy floor.

The two henchmen at the door didn't even blink.

One of them walked forward, expressionless, preparing to drag the headless corpse away.

Just as his hand was about to touch the hem of the clothes—

A blood-stained hand shot up and grabbed his wrist in a death grip! Cold and powerful.

The henchman froze, looking down in disbelief.

He saw the head that had rolled onto the floor; its once-hollow eyes suddenly focused, and the corners of its mouth even curled into an eerie arc.

Meanwhile, at the severed neck of the headless body, the flesh writhed violently like boiling water, while bones, blood vessels, nerves, and muscles intertwined and reshaped at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Splut!

With a soft sound, a complete head, belonging to Chen Jin, instantly "grew" back atop his neck!

The newborn skin still held a wet luster, forming a bizarre contrast with the surrounding bloodstains.

He twisted his neck, producing a crisp "pop," and grinned at the terrified henchman, revealing ivory-white teeth:

"Don't be in such a rush, brother. I think... I can still be saved."

"You...!" The tiger on the platform saw its pupils shrink to pinpricks, a roar of shock and rage rolling in its throat. "You are a Walker?!"

Chen Jin didn't answer, merely pulling a revolver with an exceptionally thick barrel from his waistband in a leisurely manner.

With fluid motions, he swung out the cylinder, and the golden bullets, engraved with strange runes, were pressed into the chambers one by one with the cold, distinct sound of metal on metal.

Click. The cylinder locked into place. Chen Jin raised the muzzle, the barrel gleaming with a ghostly blue light under the dim lamp.

The curve of his mouth held a hint of mockery:

"How novel, Tiger Lord." His voice was terrifyingly calm. "Aren't you the same?"

Before the words had even faded, gunfire erupted!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The deafening roar of gunfire instantly tore through the deathly silence of the small room!

Rune-etched bullets shrieked through the air, slamming viciously into the tiger's massive frame, exploding in bursts of blood mist mixed with yellow-black fur, flesh, and shattered bone!

The immense impact sent the tiger stumbling backward, crashing into the back of a chair with a dull, heavy thud.

"ROAR—!!!" The tiger was utterly enraged; the excruciating pain ignited its most primal ferocity.

It whipped its head around, and the very light in the room seemed to distort!

Several translucent phantoms of tigers, condensed from pure, malevolent energy, manifested out of thin air, lunging at Chen Jin from every angle with a shrill, whistling wind!

Rip! A phantom's claws raked across Chen Jin's chest, tearing skin and flesh to the bone!

Yet, no blood gushed from the wound. The torn flesh writhed and knitted together at a speed visible to the naked eye, and within a few breaths, the lethal wound vanished without a trace, leaving only the shredded remains of his shirt.

Bang! Chen Jin's expression remained unchanged as he blasted the head off a phantom lunging right in front of him.

Rip! Another phantom left a deep, long scratch across his back, only for the wound to heal as if it had never been there a second later.

Gunfire and phantom claws intertwined in a violent dance.

Chen Jin was like an unkillable monster, allowing the phantoms to inflict horrific trauma upon him, only to recover in an instant.

His footsteps were steady as he pressed forward, his muzzle relentlessly tracking the tiger's true form. Every pull of the trigger tore a chunk of flesh from the beast, weakening its malevolent aura bit by bit.

As one waned, the other waxed!

The tiger's roars gradually grew hoarse with exhaustion, and the phantoms became increasingly thin and wispy.

Its massive body was riddled with bullet holes and deep, bone-exposing lacerations; blood soaked its magnificent fur, dripping onto the floor with a rhythmic patter.

Finally!

Chen Jin seized the moment the tiger stumbled, closing the distance like a ghost! The cold gun barrel, reeking of gunpowder and carrying the weight of a thousand pounds, was jammed viciously into the tiger's gaping, pain-stricken maw, pressing directly against its soft palate!

The room fell into instant silence. Only the tiger's heavy, agonizing gasps and Chen Jin's steady breathing remained.

Chen Jin looked down at the once-arrogant beast, his eyes cold:

"Any last words?"

The tiger's massive, bloodshot eyes glared fixedly at Chen Jin, its throat rolling with a final, desperate defiance and monstrous resentment. Using its last ounce of strength, it squeezed a slurred yet incredibly clear curse through its blood-stained fangs:

"F...u...c...k...y...o...u!"

There was not a ripple in the depths of Chen Jin's eyes, only a desolate, indifferent silence.

"Noted. I will carve those words... exactly as they are, onto your tombstone," he replied calmly, his finger steadily pulling the trigger.

Bang—!!!

A deafening explosion detonated within the small room!

The sheer power of the point-blank shot nearly blew the entire back of the tiger's skull away!

Red, white, and shattered bone fragments sprayed in a radial pattern across the high-backed chair and the wall behind it, forming an intensely bloody and abstract graffiti.

The tiger's massive body convulsed violently once, the last flicker of ferocity in its eyes extinguished forever, before it collapsed to the ground like a falling mountain, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The thick stench of blood and gunpowder instantly flooded the entire space.

Chen Jin slowly lowered his smoking muzzle, not even glancing at the tiger's corpse as it rapidly lost its warmth on the floor.

He walked over to the tattered animal-hide chair and used the tip of his blood-stained shoe to casually nudge the shredded remains of Tiger Lord's silk shirt.

Then, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over the two henchmen at the door, who were already pale as ghosts and trembling like chaff in the wind. His voice was as flat as if he were discussing the weather:

"Help me dial the police."