Joker woke up.
The riverside wind slipped through the gaps in his mask, carrying away much of the damp heat on his face. Yet sweat still seeped uncontrollably from his pores, making his skin stick uncomfortably to the plastic.
What made him sweat was not the heat of the night, but fear.
Ever since he had been cornered by enemies on his way home as a teenager, Joker had never felt fear like this. More often than not, he was the one inflicting fear upon others.
Watching his victims tremble, cry, panic, and beg for mercy gave him immense pleasure. It made him feel like the master of the world.
Yet when he experienced once more the immense terror of having his life and death controlled by someone else, he realized that he was still that Joker who had groveled for his life, knelt on the ground, and eaten dog shit!
Suppressing the urge to vomit, he lay motionless on the ground and slowly, cautiously opened his eyes.
He was terrified of drawing the attention and vigilance of that eerie black shadow that had filled him with such fear!
With the dazzling neon lights from across the river, Joker saw Zuo Yi standing only two steps away.
Zuo Yi was smoking. The wind scattered the smoke he exhaled, while the lights from the opposite bank shone over his face, shifting and hazy.
Though he could see only Zuo Yi's profile, Joker was certain that this was the target he had come for tonight!
His phone contained Zuo Yi's information, including several photos of Zuo Yi captured from surveillance footage.
A rush of heat suddenly surged into Joker's head.
At that moment, Zuo Yi clearly had not noticed that he had awakened. He was still admiring the riverside scenery ahead.
This was the best opportunity for a desperate counterattack!
His extreme terror instantly turned into extreme exhilaration. The flood of adrenaline dilated Joker's pupils as he suddenly thrust his right hand against the ground, drove strength through his waist and legs, and sprang up.
Before his body had even steadied itself, Joker reached back with both hands and grabbed the hilts of his two blade swords.
The feeling of gripping his weapons again thrilled him beyond measure, and his fighting spirit surged to its peak!
Clang!
The next instant, Joker drew both swords at once. Their blades crossed, carving cold flashes through the air as they slashed at the unsuspecting Zuo Yi with lightning speed!
Heavy Blade Cross Slash!
At the instant he swung his swords, he seemed to see Zuo Yi struck down and falling to the ground. A savage smile appeared on his face.
However, Joker's triumph lasted only 0.1 seconds. He then saw Zuo Yi turn around and raise a hand toward the crossing sword light.
"Suppress!"
A mighty force as heavy as a mountain suddenly crashed down upon Joker, pressing him and the blade swords in his hands flat against the hard ground. He was like a toad run over by a wheel, unable to move at all.
Under the immense pressure, dark red blood continuously flowed from Joker's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, staining the mask on his face.
All his courage and fighting spirit were utterly shattered by Zuo Yi's casual palm strike from afar. Even greater terror shook his body and soul, stopping his breath.
At that moment, Joker hated the person who had hired them to deal with Zuo Yi to the absolute extreme!
How was this a fat little lamb? Even a ferocious tiger was not this powerful!
If he could return alive this time, the first thing he would do would be to tear that person to pieces.
"Ah!"
At that moment, Wild Boar, lying beside Joker, woke up as well. His mind was still unclear, and he let out a dazed, pained groan.
Zuo Yi walked over and kicked Wild Boar in the head, knocking him unconscious again.
Bending down, Zuo Yi picked up the two blade swords Joker had dropped on the ground.
He casually swung them once and praised, "Good swords."
These two blade swords were somewhat shorter than ordinary longswords. Narrow and sharp, they sliced through the air lightly and swiftly. Their blades were like autumn water, gleaming with cold light. Both their material and craftsmanship were first-rate.
By Zuo Yi's standards, compared to other Extraordinary Weapons, they could be considered fine pieces.
"Stop playing dead..."
After examining them for a moment, Zuo Yi said coolly, "If you want to live, kneel up and speak."
He had held back appropriately.
Joker, lying prone on the ground, immediately struggled to crawl up and knelt before Zuo Yi.
With difficulty, he removed the two scabbards hanging from his back and respectfully held them high with both hands. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Sir, what happened just now was purely a misunderstanding. Please accept this compensation and forgive me in your magnanimity."
He had humbled himself to the utmost.
But as long as he could live, he would gladly lick Zuo Yi's shoe soles if asked.
"A misunderstanding?"
Zuo Yi wore a faintly amused expression. "Let me guess. Did Guan Zhishang send you here to deal with me?"
Other than Guan Zhishang, who wanted to buy Law Coins from him again, Zuo Yi could think of no other reason why these two sneaky men had broken into his home.
Joker, kneeling before Zuo Yi, possessed at least fifth-rank professional swordsmanship!
Joker's entire body stiffened. He lowered his head in silent admission.
He was a smart man and knew that lying before a powerhouse like Zuo Yi was exceedingly foolish.
Besides, he bitterly hated Guan Zhishang for misleading him. How could he possibly be willing to cover for him?
As for professional ethics, they were simply not worth mentioning in the face of life and death.
"So it really was him."
Zuo Yi sighed and looked at Joker. "How about this? Since you two aren't the chief culprits, I'll give you one chance. If you can pass my appraisal, I can hand you over to the police."
An appraisal? What kind of appraisal?
Joker raised his head in confusion, feeling somewhat lucky to have survived a disaster.
What he feared most was Zuo Yi giving him no chance to struggle for survival and simply killing him outright.
Then Joker saw Zuo Yi raise his hand toward him again.
"Detect Evil!"
Joker could not understand the Kungu Language, but he instinctively felt immense fear. He dropped the scabbards in his hands and tried to flee.
Yet in the next moment, he was completely unable to move.
Two pale golden pillars of light tore through the void and descended from the sky, enveloping him and Wild Boar respectively.
Black light immediately shone from their bodies, while countless twisting blood threads faintly emerged across their skin!
In Zuo Yi's vision, several distorted gray shadows also coiled around each of them. They let out silent wails and desperately tried to pounce upon the two men, only to be blocked outside by the black radiance.
Zuo Yi's gaze turned incomparably cold.
Detect Evil was an essential skill for all knights and wizards of the lawful good camp, used to distinguish camps and identify friend from foe.
Under the light of detection, people of the same camp emitted the same pale golden glow. Those of the neutral camp gave off whitish or gray light, while those of the evil camp shone black. The result was obvious at a glance.
Not only were Joker and Wild Boar evil, they had also killed many innocent people.
The resentful souls of those who had died unjustly were the ones circling around them!
Evildoers, enemies of the camp!
Without the slightest hesitation, Zuo Yi shouted, "Holy Judgment!"
The moment his words fell, the pillars of light enveloping Joker and Wild Boar suddenly became incomparably brilliant. It was as though hundreds or thousands of rays of sunlight had been focused upon them at once, and blazing flames instantly erupted from their bodies.
Joker and Wild Boar did not even have time to scream before they, along with their clothes, were reduced to ashes in an instant!
The light of judgment then faded away.
The resentful souls faded away as well, guided by the power of light back to the Endless Styx.
A great amount of Faith Power surged into Zuo Yi's Knight's Heart.
Not only was all the Faith Power he had spent casting Detect Evil and Holy Judgment restored, but there was even quite a surplus.
This was the reward granted to him by the Law of Order.
Order stood highest among Zuo Yi's beliefs. If Joker and Wild Boar had leaned toward neutrality or their crimes had not warranted death, Zuo Yi would have handed them over to the police and the law according to the rules of the Main World.
But the appraisal result showed that the two were evildoers and enemies of the camp. In that case, all laws and regulations had to yield to the laws of the camp, allowing Zuo Yi to punish and strike them down.
Of course, Zuo Yi could not casually cast Detect Evil on others. This skill consumed a great deal of Faith Power, and using it too often on people from the same or neutral camps would also cause significant loss of faith.
Having dealt with the two jumping clowns, Zuo Yi picked up the two scabbards from the ground and sheathed the blade swords.
The men were scum, but the swords were good. Destroying them would be too much of a waste.
Before returning home, Zuo Yi did not forget to place the electric sports motorcycle outside into his Spatial Ring.
He would find an opportunity to dispose of it later.
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