Flames erupted from underground, rolling and whirling with crushing force, blasting the tattoo parlor above straight into the sky.
The neighboring shops met the same fate.
The shock wave from the explosion instantly leveled them.
Rubble and dust filled the air.
"Hahahaha!"
Standing inside the defensive barricades across the street, Li burst into laughter.
Greed surfaced on the Funeral Society member's face as he laughed, twisting his features into something horrifying.
"Li, do you know what you're doing?"
An accusing voice rang out.
Dico, a Hunter of the Funeral Society bound in metal chains, glared at Li.
In fact, Dico was not the only one. Tanya, Kena, and Chen were tied up nearby, and even the old inspector had not been spared.
They all glared furiously at Li.
"I know! Of course I know!"
"Without enough talent, without enough strength, you achieve nothing, no matter how hard you work... How much have I done for the Funeral Society? And what did I get?"
"I'm still working as a receptionist in this godforsaken backwater!"
"And you Hunters?"
"Just complete any old mission, and you earn a year or two of my salary, or even more!"
"If they lose one of you, headquarters investigates it to the bitter end. But me?"
"Even if I died right now, someone would replace me in a few days. Everything would keep running as usual, as if I'd never existed..."
"I refuse to be dismissed like that! I don't want that life!"
"So I'm fighting back! I'm taking control of my own destiny!"
Facing Dico's glare, the Funeral Society member did not back down in the slightest. He grabbed Dico by the collar, dragged him close, and roared in his face.
"This is how you take control of your destiny?"
Despite his restraints, Dico showed no