Blood Sacrifice: Good Evening, My Sacrifices!

Cheng Sheng walked into his home and stopped in the entryway.

A vase shattered at his feet, shards scattered all over the ground.

He stared at the shards with blue-green patterns printed on one side, and suddenly remembered the vase—it seemed to be an assignment from his fifth-grade pottery class. The school required everyone to complete a piece independently, and he made a vase that looked very ugly, only getting a "C-" grade in class. After bringing it home, his mother Wu Li, treasured it like a precious gem, placing it in the entryway and wiping it whenever she had a spare moment...

Looking ahead from the broken vase, from the entryway to the living room, the floor was covered with smashed and broken items.

The dining table, television, sofa... red paint was splashed on the snow-white walls, the curtains were torn down, Cheng Sheng stepped over the shards of a vase and walked into the living room, where his mother Wu Li, was sweeping the floor with a broom.

There was a large, yellowish puddle of water on the floor. Cheng Sheng smelled a faint, foul odor. His father, Cheng Shuisheng, sat on the sofa that had been torn into strips, a cigarette between his fingers, but he hadn't lit it. He looked like he was in a daze.

Beside him was a broken fish tank, and the dozen or so golden lionfish inside were now being nailed one by one to the sideboard using various kitchen utensils taken from the kitchen!

"Shengsheng!"

When Wu Li saw Cheng Sheng, she put down her broom and quickly walked towards him.

"Didn't I tell you not to come back unless it's absolutely necessary? Why didn't you listen!"

Wu Li slapped Cheng Sheng hard; her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.

"What exactly happened?"

Cheng Sheng looked around and calmly asked, "Who made this place like this?"

Wu Li first shook her head, then sat down and couldn't help but start wiping away tears. As she became more emotional, she slowly relented, saying, "The people downstairs said they saw... the Red... Red Ba Gang members entered our house..."

Red Ba Gang?

It's the Red Ba Gang again.

Cheng Sheng's eyes flickered, then he asked, "Why would they do this?"

"Possible..."

Wu Li glanced at Cheng Shuisheng on the sofa and hesitated, "It's probably because of what happened last time. They helped us negotiate with Golden Valley, but now... they're complaining that the money they offered wasn't enough."

Did you call the police?

"I reported it. The police came, but said they had no evidence, asked a couple of questions, and then left."

Where is Cheng Yue?

"She recently signed up for a summer camp and won't be home for two weeks."

Cheng Sheng didn't ask any more questions. He stood there in silence for a while.

A moment later, he slowly walked up to the sideboard, looked at the dozen or so goldfish neatly nailed to it, and reached out to touch the tail of one of them.

Then he turned around and called out to Cheng Shuisheng, who was sitting on the sofa, "Dad."

Cheng Shuisheng seemed not to hear him at all, only frowning and repeatedly rubbing the unlit cigarette in his hand, muttering, "Haven't we already paid the protection money? Haven't we already paid it?..."

Cheng Sheng shook his head, casually took off the two golden lions and stuffed them into his pocket, then walked towards the door without looking back.

"Mom, I'm going out for a bit, I won't be back tonight."

Where are you going?

Wu Li chased after him for a few steps, but Cheng Sheng had already disappeared from sight.

She stood by the door, gazing at the empty stairwell, then looked back at Cheng Shuisheng on the sofa, and finally could only let out a heavy sigh.

Pawan.

As the largest red-light district and entertainment venue in Qingsha City, the entire Pawan District is dominated by the Red Ba Gang.

Here, it's more useful to consult the Red Ba Gang than the police. As the sun sets over the sea, the Pawan District will welcome its true king.

At this moment, on a mudflat near the mouth of the Wan River, a large warehouse was brightly lit.

This building, which looks like a warehouse on the outside, is actually quite luxurious inside, including a casino, nightclub, underground boxing gym... with non-stop partying every night. It is also the real headquarters of the powerful Red Ba Gang in the Pawan District.

"Hey!--"

The warehouse door opened, and through the light filtering through the crack, a thug with green-dyed hair spat on the ground and walked out, cursing.

He was having a terrible night, losing dozens of hands in a row at the gambling table, almost losing even his underwear.

"What kind of lousy master is he? I'm going to smash his shop tomorrow! He dared to swindle me!"

The thug ripped the Buddhist amulet off his neck, threw it on the ground, then found a spot, loosened his belt, and began to relieve himself.

Having emptied his swollen bladder, Hunhun shivered with relief. He wiped his hands haphazardly on his pants and was about to head back when he saw what appeared to be a shadowy figure moving about in the open space not far ahead.

The thug hesitated for a moment, but ultimately walked up slowly with curiosity and suspicion.

They quickly approached and found a person squatting on the ground, holding a small paint bucket, carefully drawing something on the ground.

The ground was covered in something black and unclear, and as soon as they got closer, the thugs smelled a strong, pungent stench of blood.

"Hello!"

The thug covered his nose, frowned, and kicked a pebble at the man.

What do you do?

"Alright."

The figure, who had been squatting on the ground, finished the last stroke, put down the paint bucket, and slowly stood up.

He examined the patterns on the ground by the moonlight, a rather satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Seeing his mysterious demeanor, the thug's curiosity was piqued. He glanced at the strange pattern on the ground and couldn't help but ask, "What are you drawing?"

"Magic array."

The man replied, "A ritualistic magic circle."

The thug was taken aback. "What ceremony?"

The man looked up and glanced at the thugs.

Under the pale moonlight, a young face grinned at the thug, revealing a set of somewhat chilling white teeth.

"The magic circle for the Blood Sacrifice ritual."

He said to the thugs.

"Bang!"

A loud knocking sounded from inside the bustling warehouse.

Everyone was busy with their own things, and the knocking went unnoticed.

"Bang!!"

The second knock sounded, louder than the first.

Still, no one paid any attention.

"Bang!!!"

Third tone.

The banging on the door was so loud it was almost ear-splitting.

The people at the gambling tables near the entrance stopped and looked towards the door. Someone impatiently shouted, "Hey you, go see which 'shark arm' is knocking on the door!"

The thug who was accused reluctantly put down his cards and walked towards the door, cursing under his breath.

Before I even got close, "Bang!--"

A fourth muffled thud sounded!

The thug who was about to open the door stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at the steel bolt, which was about two fingers thick and visibly bent from the impact. He looked somewhat dazed.

Immediately afterward, before he could even react, a loud thud followed!

"Boom!!"

A tremendous force passed through the door, instantly knocking off the steel bolts and sending both doors flying!

A tall, slender young man strode in through the forcibly opened iron gate of the warehouse.

He walked into the warehouse, casually tossed aside the half-dead figure he was holding, stood under the bright incandescent light, and smiled as he raised his hand to greet the faces staring at him, their eyes filled with shock.

Good evening, my lovely... sacrifices!