Chapter 9

Chapter 8: No Way Out

"Why isn't the light moving inside anymore?"

"…I don't know."

The two men at the entrance of the abandoned factory stared at the commotion inside. The flashlight inside had suddenly flickered a moment ago, and now it was completely still.

"…Li Qingdong… could he be trapped inside…?"

"Don't always think the worst. Maybe Boss Li has already taken care of those two and is now interrogating Qian."

"……I just have a bad feeling about this."

"Damn it, Boss Li is trained. He's a martial artist; there's no way he'd mess up in a place like this. If you're scared, go back to the car, coward."

Inside the factory, everything was silent, and the two men felt a chill run down their spines.

Suddenly, a sharp object flew out of the darkness. The man on the left screamed, clutching his face as he rolled on the ground. The man on the right didn't try to resist; he dropped his iron bar and ran towards the unlicensed car. A shadow leaped down from the wall and struck him on the back with an iron bar, nearly breaking his ribs.

Then another figure pounced, and the two of them dragged him into the shadows of the factory. High-pitched screams and the sound of a sharp object piercing flesh followed, and after half a minute, it was silent again.

"Phew… finally got rid of these troublemakers."

Xu Jianfeng, holding a blood-soaked piece of rebar, walked to the entrance of the factory. He looked at the man whose eye had been pierced by a flying knife, lying unconscious on the ground, and raised the rebar to finish him off.

"Don't kill him yet. I have a use for him."

"Use? What use?" Xu Jianfeng threw the rebar aside. "Now that we've both committed murder, we're in this together. Don't think about leaving any witnesses. I don't care if you want to die, but don't drag me down with you."

"I need to rest for a bit. My heart isn't very good." Su Jing sat down on a cement pipe. "Let's keep this one alive for now. With his injuries, he'll die if we don't get him to a hospital soon. Give me half an hour, and then you can do whatever you want with him."

"Hmph… weird…"

Xu Jianfeng didn't argue, but he dragged the bodies to the far end of the factory workshop and found a clean spot to sit and catch his breath.

This was the first time Su Jing had killed, even counting his previous life before being resurrected.

Although most of the actual killing was done by Xu Jianfeng, being an accomplice didn't feel good either. Apart from the expected mild nausea, a hard and cruel sense of satisfaction welled up inside him, as if he had achieved some significant growth, crossing a line that normal people wouldn't. Compared to this mental evolution, taking someone's life seemed trivial.

Su Jing knew he had a flawed character. After experiencing numerous disasters, he had become accustomed to ignoring the various problems that befell him. If a problem couldn't be solved, the simplest way was to overcome it. As long as he lived a happy, meaningful life, that was the whole point. Everything else was just a mental construct created by humans, with no real significance.

These people are trying to take away my chance to survive. Do I have any other options?

No.

So Su Jing didn't hesitate to smash Wei Lao San's skull.

Su Jing controlled the Demon Hunter Bug to fly to the bodies. The little creature seemed attracted by the scent of blood and pounced eagerly. As it drank the blood, the Demon Hunter Bug's carapace began to shine again. This time, it had four bodies' worth of blood to drink, and the thirsty bug feasted like it had found an oasis in the desert, drinking greedily without regard for its own safety.

"So, it just needs fresh blood and flesh?" Su Jing smiled lightly. "I was thinking I might have to bleed myself every day to feed it… what a convenient setup."

The last living man, whom he had left for experimentation, was unconscious. After draining the blood from the other three, the bug entered the unconscious man's body through a wound. Su Jing noticed that the Demon Hunter Bug had always been optically invisible, but it still existed as a physical entity.

But how did it fly into my eye without any resistance? Was it just the drop of blood that established the connection, or does this bug, modified by gods and demons, have the ability to move through the void? Maybe it's just not evolved enough yet. If I strengthen this bug to a higher level, it might be able to directly attack an enemy's heart.

After this ambush, Su Jing felt the importance of power even more. The World Core requires adventurers to do things beyond the bounds of social order, so it should also grant them powers beyond common sense… The Demon Hunter Bug is good, but not good enough!! I crave even greater power, overwhelming violence, the ability to break through all order! The power to protect myself and achieve my goals!!

The card flashed with a brilliant light, and the Demon Hunter Bug, nourished by the blood of four people, underwent multiple transformations. When the last living man finally died, the Demon Hunter Bug's card made a clear, pleasant ringing sound, and a golden light flowed over the entire card, washing over the Demon Hunter Bug's pattern. The new Demon Hunter Bug turned a pure white, like a delicate model toy.

Su Jing magnified the card in his mind and noticed a new entry:

[Two-star Item: Mature Detection-Type Demon Hunter Bug]

[Compared to the larval stage, the mature detection-type Demon Hunter Bug has optical vision, infrared vision, thermal vision, and a new spiritual vision. It can observe intangible spirits and souls, dispel basic illusions, see through the avatars of lower-level gods and demons, and make initial faction judgments. To advance to the next level, it needs more active blood. When it reaches the three-star level, it will have basic access to the Multidimensional Insect Race Database.]

Su Jing read the new entry over and over, especially the term "Multidimensional Insect Race Database," which gave him a new understanding of the World Core's power.

The idea of unifying all dimensions, literally all the insect databases from novels, games, and anime, was mind-boggling.

Su Jing had a premonition that the "basic access to the Multidimensional Insect Race Database" would be the greatest value the Demon Hunter Bug could bring him.

Although it was just a detection-type bug, a specially modified insect, the information it could obtain might be limited, but it was like being given a key, a key to a higher-dimensional realm!

The World Core was very good at tempting people. Just as he wanted more power, it gave him such a big reward when the Demon Hunter Bug advanced from one-star to two-star… But where could he find "more active blood"? Human blood probably wouldn't work anymore; he needed stronger prey!

In the real world, he had no more room for improvement. To find a way to continue climbing, he needed to leave this world and enter the infinite universe of the World Core!!

"Let's go. Hide these bodies here. Our stay in Macau might not last much longer."

Xu Jianfeng walked over, glanced at the scene, and confirmed that the last living man was dead. He looked at Su Jing for a moment.

"Just as I thought. We can't be as cautious as before. We need to pull off a big job and leave Macau immediately." Su Jing patted the dust off his pants.

When they got in the car, Su Jing used the Demon Hunter Bug's spiritual vision to look at Xu Jianfeng. A faint red mist enveloped the gang leader, a sign of "evil."

For some reason, he didn't want to use the Demon Hunter Bug to look at himself.

There was a map in the car, which Li Qingdong and his men had been using to familiarize themselves with the area. Su Jing and Xu Jianfeng studied the map while one of them drove. After about twenty minutes, they finally made it back to the city center. They parked the car, locked the doors, and Xu Jianfeng threw the keys into the sewer.

"Damn, after that fight, I'm feeling hungry."

Su Jing agreed. This kind of life-and-death excitement was very draining. They found a roadside food stall and ordered two bowls of noodles, some braised beef, grilled liver, a plate of peanuts, and a few bottles of beer.

Halfway through their meal, Xu Jianfeng and Su Jing clinked glasses, and the gang leader asked the young man sitting across from him:

"Jing, what are you going to do after we pull off this job?"

"Probably… go on a trip. The money is for… well, I can't tell you that. After this job, I want to travel and see the world."

"Ah, you're really a free spirit. Is that how people with power always think?" Xu Jianfeng looked very reflective, pouring himself another glass of beer. "I don't want to live this violent life anymore. After this job, I'm retiring. I'll probably open a bar or something. Save up some money for my future kids and get married…"

"Hey, Boss Xu, have you heard of 'flag-setting'? Anyone who talks about going home to get married after their last big job usually ends up dead and dismembered."

"You're right, ha ha. I shouldn't jinx it. I'll wait until after this job to dream about it."

They clinked glasses again.

At that moment, sirens blared outside the food stall. Two police cars sped past.

Having just committed murder, Su Jing and Xu Jianfeng were on edge. When they heard the sirens, their expressions changed, and they remembered something they had overlooked—

"The one I threw on the sea wall!!"

"He must have called the police!!"