"I'm not the Dark Night Lion King. You've got the wrong person."
"Then who are you?"
"I'm your daddy."
Law Enforcer No. 3 snorted. "You've really got a filthy mouth."
The cloaked man grew impatient. "Do you want something or not? If not, get lost."
No. 3 said in a low voice, "Name unknown, nickname Dark Night Lion King."
"Over the past few nights, you've ambushed twenty-one passersby in succession and drained their qi and blood."
"Furthermore, you're connected to the recent death of an S-rank exotic beast."
"I hereby declare you under arrest."
The cloaked man sneered. "I punish evildoers and root out evil for you, and instead of thanking me, you want to arrest me?"
No. 3 frowned slightly. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it at the Law Enforcement Department. The adjudicator will give you a fair hearing."
He had been tracking the cloaked man for several days and strongly suspected he was the one who had dug out the S-rank exotic beast's Soul Orb.
As long as he brought the cloaked man in, he would meet next month's KPI.
The cloaked man smiled. "And what if I don't come with you?"
No. 3 took out a golden Law Token. "You will."
As soon as he finished speaking, an immense righteous aura descended from the heavens and slammed into the cloaked man.
The cloaked man trembled all over, as though every cell and pore were straining against the Law Token's power.
No. 3 said in a low voice, "Who exactly are you?"
He thought the cloaked man had been restrained by the Law Token.
Suddenly, the cloaked man raised his head and grinned.
"My dear son, I'm your daddy!"
Bang-
The cloaked man's qi and blood erupted.
Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he vanished from beneath the streetlight in the blink of an eye.
No. 3 was left alone, disheveled in the wind.
He looked at the Law Token in his hand in disbelief.
He really must have seen a ghost.
Another person who could counteract the Law Token's power.
Qin Ze's face involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
"Hmph!"
"Don't think you'll get away again this time."
No. 3 put away the Law Token and abruptly accelerated in pursuit.
"Stop!"
No. 3 chased him into an alley and took out a golden hoop. Just as he was about to throw it, a guy wearing a monkey mask jumped down from a streetlight.
"Good evening!"
The monkey mask blocked his path, and No. 3 could only watch as the cloaked man disappeared.
"Damn it!"
No. 3 flew into a rage.
A low-tier martial artist actually dared to stand in his way.
What nerve!
"Don't be angry. Anger is bad for your health."
Another person wearing an elephant mask emerged from deeper in the alley.
"There are just four of us. How about a tense and exciting game of Aeroplane Chess?"
No. 3 turned around and saw someone in a rooster mask leaning against the wall, repeatedly tossing a coin in his hand.
His hair was parted down the middle, and he wore overalls. One look at him and you could tell he was good at basketball.
"A group operation?"
No. 3 frowned slightly, realizing things weren't so simple.
"You three low-tier guys think you can stop me?"
He was a peak level-two martial artist.
To put it bluntly, he could beat all three of them to a pulp with one hand.
"Identify yourselves."
No. 3 activated the Law Token's power once again.
Yet the three were completely unaffected, looking at him with amusement all over their faces.
No. 3 looked at the plaque, then at the three in front of him.
He even suspected his Law Token had broken.
This was a rule-type Martial Artifact.
How could so many people defy its rules?
"Since you've asked so sincerely."
"Then we'll tell you in our great mercy."
The three spoke one after another as they moved toward No. 3 in a triangular formation.
The rooster mask thrust out his chest and raised his head. "We come from the Hater Circus," he said proudly.
The scene fell utterly silent.
The elephant mask said, "Who came up with that name?"
The monkey mask said, "Ow, what are you doing~"
The rooster tugged at one of the straps on his shoulder. "That group name really suits the look I put together especially for today."
The elephant raised his hand. "A true fan protests!"
The monkey looked thoughtful. "When outsiders hear the name Circus, they'll think we're a bunch of clowns."
The rooster shrugged. "We can give the clown mask to Benben."
Seeing the three chatting away and completely ignoring him, No. 3 felt the veins bulge on his forehead.
What mental hospital had these three lunatics escaped from?
"Enough!"
No. 3 could bear it no longer. He raised a hand and reached for the rooster, who was closest to him.
"Whoa!"
"Bring it on!"
The rooster mask turned sideways and, instead of retreating, advanced with an Iron Mountain Lean.
No. 3 froze.
Who had given this low-tier martial artist the courage to take on a Level Two Martial Artist head-on?
As the two drew closer, No. 3 finally noticed something was wrong.
The skin exposed outside the rooster mask had turned bright red, like a steamed prawn.
Something occurred to No. 3, and he hurriedly backed away, but it was too late.
"Art is Patrick Star!"
Brother Rooster spread his arms, and his body exploded with a boom, instantly engulfing No. 3 in a blood-red shock wave.
The elephant and monkey followed close behind, and the violent explosions brought down half the alley.
Dust billowed through the air as a small blood-red mushroom cloud rose from the ground.
"Cough, cough, cough-"
Only after more than ten minutes had passed did the explosions' lingering force finally dissipate.
No. 3 leaned against the wall in a sorry state, coughing so hard he was about to bring up bile.
His uniform was in tatters like a beggar's clothes, and a faint green shield around him flickered in and out.
"Lunatics!"
"A bunch of lunatics!"
These three had come to block him with no intention of surviving from the start, planning to self-destruct and take him down with them.
If No. 3 hadn't reacted quickly and activated his defensive martial weapon in time, he would already have returned to dust and earth along with them.
The scene was a complete mess. Not a scrap of the three remained after their self-destruction, the Lion King had gotten away, and the trail had gone cold again.
"Hater Circus..."
No. 3 muttered to himself.
An organization like this had appeared in Jiang City without anyone knowing.
These people treated their own lives as worth nothing.
To protect a stronger teammate, even their weaker companions would choose to self-destruct to buy time.
He had to report this!
If the circus were allowed to continue growing, who knew what consequences it might cause?
After calming his qi and blood, No. 3 limped out of the alley.
Early the next morning, as Qin Ze brushed his teeth, the clone beside him handed him a towel and gave him a report.
"Brother Devour was cornered by that dumbass law enforcer last night. We had to blow up three brothers before Brother Devour could get away."
The clones and the original shared all their memories, so Qin Ze had known the moment it happened.
It was just that listening to a clone report it made things more elegant and gave them a greater sense of ceremony.
Qin Ze took the towel and wiped his mouth. "Send five more brothers over."
Ever since Brother Devour had shared a wave of cultivation last time, Qin Ze had been able to split off two clones a day.
He had accumulated plenty more clones during this time, enough to serve as cannon fodder for Brother Devour.
"Right, from now on, call me Lord Circus Master."
After washing up, Qin Ze ate breakfast while summoning two more clones and using the Devour skill to drain their qi and blood.
Leaving a few clones to deal with the corpses, Qin Ze headed out to school.
"Good morning."
Just as Qin Ze was about to enter the school gates, No. 3 suddenly appeared.