Chapter 7

"Balance is running low..."

Wu Xiaode looked at the balance displayed on his phone screen and couldn't help but sigh.

This was the money he had saved up over an entire semester!

But then again, the wish wall's commission was completed.

He had survived safely and even obtained the inheritance of the Iron Wire Fist technique.

He should be content.

Now it was time to go home and rest, think about how to get some living expenses, and consider what to do in the next few days to make himself stronger.

After all, half a day had already passed.

In six and a half days, he would be teleported back into the death dungeon again.

As Wu Xiaode walked, he looked at the floating black leather book in front of him.

A question suddenly arose in his mind.

Since the ancestral spirit was so powerful, why didn't he go to save Zhao Junyu himself, but instead entrusted the task to him?

It seemed as if the Book of the Dead knew what he was thinking—

New icy words appeared on the Book of the Dead:

"The dead and the heroic spirits cannot communicate with the living. Only extremely rare abilities of certain professionals can interact with them, like this book."

"Moreover, no spirit can interfere with the fate of the real world. They can only accomplish many things through the abilities or tools of certain professionals."

So that's how it is.

Wu Xiaode turned the corner, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding, and slowly lifted his head.

Ahead.

Thick smoke billowed from the old residential building, and flames shot up to the sky.

Almost at the same moment, his phone vibrated and rang.

He took it out and immediately answered.

"Lan, where are you?" he asked anxiously.

The phone transmitted a sob, followed by Xia Huilan's voice:

"Xiao Wu, run, don't come back!"

Wu Xiaode's face changed, and he quickly said, "Lan, what's wrong? What happened?"

Beep—

The call was disconnected.

Immediately, a message appeared on his phone screen:

"A large-scale fire has broken out in the old residential area No. 361 in the southern part of the city."

That place... wasn't it his home?

Was Xia Huilan trapped upstairs?

Wu Xiaode darted out like lightning, crossing the long street and leaping over the courtyard wall to reach the residential building.

Looking up, he saw the flames devouring the entire building.

Xia Huilan lived on the fifth floor.

The fire started on the ninth floor, and although it was spreading, it was still some distance from the fifth floor.

"At least..."

Wu Xiaode muttered and rushed into the building's hallway.

His body felt incredibly light, and his feet were full of strength. With a single push, he could jump up an entire flight of stairs.

In less than a minute, he reached the fifth floor.

Bang—

Wu Xiaode kicked the door open and looked inside.

"Lan!"

He shouted.

No response.

He saw the densely packed certificates Xia Huilan had won from a young age, now blackened by smoke, about to be destroyed.

These were her treasures, and now she had abandoned them.

Wu Xiaode rushed into the foyer and shouted, "Lan, where are you?"

In the living room.

A woman was tied to a chair, her head hanging down as if she were unconscious.

Blood was flowing down her arm.

—In a little while, the fire would spread down, and she would have no way out.

"Lan!"

Wu Xiaode rushed forward, eager to save the woman, but suddenly realized something was wrong.

He crouched down to examine the woman's face closely.

—It wasn't Xia Huilan!

Wu Xiaode was stunned and reached out to feel the woman's pulse.

No pulse.

She was dead.

Why was there a dead stranger in Xia Huilan's home?

And the fire was about to spread down!

Wu Xiaode suddenly remembered many things.

Xia Huilan said she wanted to quit her job.

She was being harassed by a few thugs, who even had knives.

The USB drive.

And her final warning.

Images flashed through his mind, and Wu Xiaode suddenly realized something.

Perhaps this fire was not simple.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the door.

Wu Xiaode quickly turned around and saw a person standing at the door, looking at him mockingly.

"Should I say you're stupid, or that you're quite devoted?" the person said.

He wore a floral shirt, and the fruit knife in his hand had transformed into a half-arm-long machete. He tilted his head and looked at Wu Xiaode.

The thug leader!

Wu Xiaode stood up and said in a deep voice, "What's going on? Why are you here?"

"You made me lose face in broad daylight," the thug said.

"Lose face? I remember you wanted to stab me with that fruit knife," Wu Xiaode said.

"Kid, you relied on the meat cleaver and the fish knife to make me retreat—"

The thug waved the shiny machete and said smugly, "Look, this isn't a fruit knife. This time, I'm going to get my revenge."

He crouched and charged at Wu Xiaode.

Wu Xiaode pulled out something from behind his back and pointed it at the thug.

The thug looked at it and exclaimed, "A gun!"

In the narrow indoor environment, it was almost impossible to escape from a gun.

This was a gun. Why did he have a gun?

The thug's face changed several times, and he waved the machete, shouting, "Come on, if you have the guts, take out your knife and see who's better!"

Bang—

Wu Xiaode pulled the trigger.

A bullet grazed the thug's side and hit the wall.

The thug froze.

Wu Xiaode pointed the gun at the ground.

The thug obediently dropped the machete, raised his hands, and knelt down.

"Brother, spare my life," he begged.

Wu Xiaode asked, "Why are you here?"

"Little brother, I lost to you this afternoon and even ran away in front of my brothers, making them no longer respect me—I wanted to challenge you again. I saw you come upstairs, so I followed you."

The thug was drenched in cold sweat, and his voice trembled.

Wu Xiaode thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, if you really wanted revenge, you could have waited downstairs. If I died in the fire, wouldn't that be better?"

"This building is on fire, and people instinctively avoid danger. You ran when you saw my fish knife, let alone such a big fire."

"You risked being burned alive to come upstairs and fight me. There must be some benefit to doing so."

"What benefit?"

Wu Xiaode paused.

Thick smoke appeared outside the window.

The temperature began to rise.

The fire was spreading.

Wu Xiaode's frown eased, and he said, "The benefit of fighting here is the fire."

He glanced back at the dead woman.

"If I die in the fire, my bones and flesh will be completely burned, and no one will know how I died."

"In other words—"

"You're actually here to kill me."

The thug was shocked and his face showed disbelief.

Wu Xiaode walked up and pointed the gun at his head, saying coldly, "Am I right?"

"I..."

The thug's lips moved, and suddenly he turned his head to avoid the gun, pulled out the fruit knife from his pocket, and stabbed at Wu Xiaode's chest.

His movements were quick and decisive, like those of a professional fighter.

If it were before, Wu Xiaode might not have reacted in time, but now—

Snap!

A crisp sound, and the thug's dagger was slapped away.

Wu Xiaode punched the thug, sending him flying into the wall, spitting out blood.

"When we fought in the alley, you tried to stab me with a knife. I thought it was strange then, and now you're here—were you waiting for me to come back so you could kill me?"

Wu Xiaode's eyes were filled with anger.

He grabbed the thug by the neck, pressed him to the ground, and shouted, "What's going on? Why do you want to kill me?"

The thug only panted, saying nothing.

Wu Xiaode nodded silently, dragged the thug into the room, and tore off a bedsheet to tie him to a chair.

He lifted the thug and the chair with one hand and placed them in the living room, facing the dead woman.

Smoke seeped into the room, and the flames grew more intense.

The red glow mixed with the shouts and cries outside, reflecting on Wu Xiaode's expressionless face.

"You want to kill me but won't tell me why—no problem, I'll just leave you here."

Wu Xiaode finished tying the thug to the chair and walked out without looking back.

The thug looked at the dead woman, struggled a few times, but found himself unable to break free.

The heat was intense.

The thug felt as if he were soaking in water, sweat pouring down his body.

"Wait, I can tell you!" the thug shouted.

"Speak," Wu Xiaode said without turning around.

"We don't know about Xia Huilan. We took a bounty to kill you," the thug said.

(Thank you to the generous support of the patrons Fuxiao Y Chenxi and Dafengli Xiaopingguo. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!)