Chapter Thirty-One: The Shadow on the Wall

Under the bright lights at the entrance of the police station, the silhouette of a woman gradually came into focus. It was Gu Nian, the long-legged Watchman of the Qingfu district.

Upon seeing her, Fat Dragon’s desire to fight vanished instantly. "Skinny Monkey, retreat!"

"Wordless Stele—Isolate!"

With a soft incantation, a small grey stone stele hanging at Gu Nian’s waist suddenly emitted a gentle radiance.

*Whoosh!*

A ripple expanded, instantly enveloping the area for several hundred meters. The pedestrians walking nearby blurred, as if they had been quarantined from this space. Even Ren Qingning and her three friends were caught in the isolation, currently running into the police station in a panic. Within the rippled zone, the scenery grew distorted, losing all sense of spatial reality and completely sealing off ordinary people who lacked star-source fluctuations.

Nearby, Fat Dragon had already turned to flee the moment the Wordless Stele unleashed its supernatural power. With a Watchman appearing, the window for a kidnapping had closed; to fight head-on would be pure stupidity. Meanwhile, sounds of combat erupted from the alley where Skinny Monkey had been hiding.

Gu Nian watched Fat Dragon with calm eyes, raising a glowing magic wand as she whispered, "Realist Magic—Cage of Confinement!"

*Swish, swish, swish!*

As she spoke, the bluestone bricks paving the station entrance flew up as if caught in a gale, swirling from all directions toward Fat Dragon. Each brick emitted a faint halo, clustering together in the blink of an eye to form a massive, oval-shaped cage that encased him completely.

*Crunch!*

The oval cage began to shrink and compress, tightening significantly in an instant. Trapped inside, Fat Dragon felt excruciating pain; his body seemed on the verge of being crushed, his bones groaning under the pressure.

"Performance Magic—Ring of Fire!"

*Bang!*

The magic wand exploded in mid-air, transforming into four burning magic rings, each over a meter in diameter, which flew toward the cage. Inside, Fat Dragon’s face was distorted by the pressure, and he shrieked hysterically, "This Watchman is a spell-caster! Save me!"

*Hum!*

The fire rings slid through the air, about to encircle the bluestone cage.

"I’m here. Get ready to run," a voice whispered in Fat Dragon’s ear.

*Squeak, squeak!*

The moment the voice faded, over a dozen rats burst from the sewer behind Gu Nian. Their eyes were blood-red, their forms grotesque, and they leaped through the air, aiming for the nape of her neck.

*Swish!*

Gu Nian shifted rapidly, pulling back one of the fire rings and sweeping it behind her.

*Bang, bang! Boom!*

Fire erupted. The leaping rats let out pained squeaks before falling to the ground, their bodies reduced to ash. But in that moment of distraction, the bluestone cage buckled and shattered. Debris flew like bullets into the alley behind the police station, triggering the alarms of two parked cars.

*Thump!*

Fat Dragon hit the ground, his limbs twisted, his legs shattered, and black, viscous liquid oozing from his pores. He cast a vicious glare at Gu Nian and bolted.

*Squeak, squeak!*

Another swarm of rats surged from the sewer, flooding toward Gu Nian’s ankles.

*Boom, boom!*

Three fire rings crashed down. Gu Nian stepped onto the police station’s stairs, frowning as she looked in the direction of Fat Dragon’s escape.

At the same time, the fighting in the other alley ceased. Two other Watchmen ran over. "Gu Nian, you stay here. We’ll pursue."

"Do not pursue!" Gu Nian ordered sternly, adhering to the Watchman pursuit protocol. "This was a premeditated attack. The number of accomplices is at least half that of the perpetrators. There are at least six of them. Our primary mission is to ensure the safety of his younger sister."

The two men gritted their teeth, wanting to argue, but Gu Nian was their team leader.

*Tap, tap!*

Footsteps approached from nearby as another Watchman arrived. "I gave chase, but they scattered. I didn't dare go too deep for fear of being lured into a trap. Any casualties at the scene?"

"None," Gu Nian said immediately. "Notify the unit to send reinforcements. Retract the Wordless Stele and communicate with the police immediately."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Retract!"

*Whoosh!*

The light waves receded like a retreating tide, eventually vanishing back into the Wordless Stele at Gu Nian’s waist. The surrounding scene returned to reality, and the pedestrians remained oblivious, not even questioning why a large patch of bluestone tiles had suddenly disappeared.

...

Inside the police station.

Ren Qingning excitedly recounted to an officer, "Someone was following us! It seemed like they wanted to kidnap us, right at the entrance!"

"The entrance?" The officer, holding a large tea mug, looked at the front door. He saw a stunning beauty walking in with three others. "Are you sure he tried to kidnap you in front of a police station?"

"It's true! There really was a fat man following us!" the chubby girl added. "He was rushing toward us, but for some reason, he... he suddenly ran away. Hey, did you guys see how that person ran off?"

"I don't remember... I don't think I saw..."

"What happened to your waist?" the officer asked, pointing to the wound on Ren Qingning’s side. "Are you alright?"

Just then, Gu Nian walked over with her team, smiling at the officer. "Hello, could you take a call? We are from the Qingfu branch."

The man was stunned, instinctively following Gu Nian into the corridor. "What's wrong? Let me see your credentials."

A young Watchman frowned at Ren Qingning’s wound and asked, "Miss, are you okay...?"

"Ah!"

Ren Qingning looked down at the two shallow, bloody holes on her waist, her face turning deathly pale. "Why am I bleeding...!"

"Quick, are there any tissues?" her friend asked the chubby girl.

"No need, I'll go to the restroom to wash it off." Ren Qingning took a pack of wet wipes from her friend’s bag. Feeling that the wound wasn't serious, she headed toward the restroom. "Lanlan, help me buy some disinfectant."

"I'm scared," the chubby girl trembled. Though she couldn't quite remember Fat Dragon’s face, she said, "That person was terrifying...!"

"Is she alright?" the young Watchman asked his colleague.

"She's fine," the colleague replied, shaking his head. "They were trying to capture her; the chains weren't poisoned. They probably wanted to knock her unconscious to prevent resistance..."

The young Watchman felt reassured, but remained cautious, following Ren Qingning to the outside of the women's restroom and standing guard.

Inside the small restroom with only two stalls, Ren Qingning locked the door, pulled up her T-shirt, and wiped the wound.

The day Ren Ye had left, he had told Huang Wei that the Bell Society might target his family offline. For Huang Wei, who had been having a rough few years and possessed a fiery temper, this was enough to keep him on high alert. He had specifically arranged for Gu Nian and three team members to provide close protection for Ren Qingning. Until Ren Ye cleared the Qingliang Town trial, this protection would only increase, never weaken.

...

88 Lianhu Road.

Ren Ye and Xu Peng were having a meal at a restaurant.

"You've worked hard these past few days," Ren Ye said with a smile. "I don't have a salary right now, but once... if everything goes smoothly... I'll make sure to treat you well."

"How well?" Xu Peng asked curiously.

"I'll let you spend two days at a clubhouse," Ren Ye winked at him.

Xu Peng waved his hand immediately. "Women only hinder my medicine-brewing speed. If you really want to thank your teacher... just buy some medicine from me. I’m really almost out of money."

"..." Ren Ye looked at the stubborn man, momentarily speechless.

Rapid footsteps approached. Huang Wei ran over. "Stop eating. Come with me to the University Town."

Ren Ye jerked his head around. "What happened?!"

"You... you were right. They really came offline," Huang Wei replied truthfully.

Ren Ye lost his composure instantly. He surged to his feet, grabbed Huang Wei by the collar, his face wearing the exact same expression he had when he killed Liu Ling'er. His eyes were cold and dark as he demanded, "What happened to my sister? Speak! What happened to her?!"

...

At that moment, less than five minutes had passed since the attempted kidnapping.

In a dimly lit alley, Fat Dragon and Skinny Monkey had reunited and were moving at a hurried pace.

"We had a car, yet you made us walk," Fat Dragon groaned, his whole body in agony, his face darkening further.

Beside him, Skinny Monkey was equally dissatisfied. "It’s not my fault, you fat pig! You got discovered tracking an ordinary person! I was almost beaten to death by those two Watchmen!"

"Who are you talking to?!" Fat Dragon glared with ignorant, vicious eyes.

"The Watchmen likely have tracking tools. Mr. He wouldn't let us take the car to prevent us all from being exposed, you idiot!" Skinny Monkey was relatively more cunning. "Keep moving... my abdomen hurts."

Fat Dragon clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "Moving—it—is!"

They quarreled as they moved forward. This was a shantytown on the outskirts of the city, behind a row of residential courtyards. Not a soul was in sight, and the further they went, the dimmer the lights became.

"Ugh...!"

Suddenly, Skinny Monkey doubled over, clutching his abdomen in pain as blood trickled from his nostrils.

"Are you dying?! If you are, I'll bury you so we don't get exposed," his "best teammate," Fat Dragon, asked quite earnestly.

"Bury your mother!" Skinny Monkey cursed through gritted teeth. "One of those Watchmen was a strength-type... he broke my intestines, huff!"

After catching his breath, Skinny Monkey leaned on his knees, preparing to stand up.

*Tap, tap!*

A very faint sound of footsteps echoed.

Skinny Monkey, whose senses were relatively sharp, had his face toward the ground and his body half-bent. Suddenly, he froze.

"If you're not dead, hurry up! I'm hungry!" Fat Dragon urged impatiently.

"No... something's wrong...!" Skinny Monkey’s expression turned to terror.

"What's wrong?"

"Shadows. You have two shadows! Look out!" Skinny Monkey leaped backward and shouted.

Fat Dragon instinctively looked at the ground. Within his own massive shadow, there was a faint, wavering silhouette clinging to the ground. Its outline looked like that of a woman.

"Coalesce!"

"Petrify!"

Without a second thought, Fat Dragon activated his supernatural ability. Viscous black bubbles erupted from his skin, turning him into a sculpture in an instant.

*Swish!*

The shadow on the ground rose up like a paper cutout. It had come alive—it stood up! Its outline was indeed a woman with long hair. The shadow held a blade and, after rising, slashed directly at Fat Dragon’s neck.

*Pfft!*

With a single strike, the shadow blade sliced through Fat Dragon’s neck. The hardened petrified material offered no more resistance than paper. On the wall, the shadow of Fat Dragon’s upper body split, and his head tumbled to the ground like a watermelon, rolling toward the edge of a sewer grate.

Nearby, Skinny Monkey erupted into his top speed, running like a madman toward the brightly lit main road.

By the wall, Fat Dragon’s severed neck sprayed blood, his body twitching, but the black substance flowing from him was fading rapidly. His star-source fluctuations shifted from violent to steady, then vanished like a dying breath...

*Whoosh!*

Skinny Monkey ran like a high-speed car, constantly looking back. But as he reached the intersection, he saw the woman’s shadow sitting eerily on a wall to his left, her paper-thin hand idly tossing a paper-thin dagger.

He skidded to a halt. Glaring at the shadow with hatred, Skinny Monkey unleashed a powerful surge of star-source energy. "Go to hell!"

*Swish, swish!*

Three thick black chains shot from Skinny Monkey’s left hand, while his right arm swelled and elongated over ten meters, lunging for the shadow woman’s throat.

The chains and the arm struck simultaneously, aiming for a lethal blow. But at that moment, Skinny Monkey saw the shadow begin to fission—one became two, two became four, and in the blink of an eye, there were over a dozen.

They leaped, lunged, blocked, and dodged... dropping from the wall in an instant.

*Clang!*

Six shadows grabbed the three chains, pulling them back violently. Five others waved their blades in complex, fluid motions, moving with uncanny speed.

*Pfft, pfft, pfft!*

Skinny Monkey’s extended arm was severed into over a dozen pieces as he tried to pull it back, the chunks falling heavily to the ground.

*Tap, tap!*

He retreated, face pale, and roared in near-despair, "I'm with the Bell Society! We have more people, including a second-stage player leader! You don't want to die—!"

*Clatter!*

The six shadows pulled the chains, moving as fast as teleportation, circling Skinny Monkey several times and binding him tight. The starlight flickered, and the dozen shadows converged back into one.

She seemed unable to speak. Flipping her dagger, she walked unhurriedly toward the bound Skinny Monkey.

"...Who the hell are you?!" Skinny Monkey’s voice trembled; trapped in the chains, he couldn't move at all.

"Heh."

A smile appeared on the shadow woman’s face. She abruptly raised her arm.

*Pfft!*

One strike pierced Skinny Monkey’s heart, and with a sudden downward slide, his chest was laid open.

*Pfft!*

Two strikes—the shadow followed the wound and ripped out his heart. Skinny Monkey had loved to eat the hearts of others, so... the shadow woman chose his favorite way to die.

A minute later, Skinny Monkey hung from a utility pole, his own heart stuffed in his mouth, his corpse suspended by the chains. Under the bright lights, he swayed gently...

This ritualistic suspension seemed like a judgment.

On the ground, a line of large, bloody characters remained:

"Dear player friends from afar, you’ve angered me. Don't go anywhere!"

The shadow turned her back on the "execution scene" and the sight of Fat Dragon’s head biting his own corpse, slowly disappearing into the night.

...

Police station.

Gu Nian had already departed, for she had sensed the star-source fluctuations where Skinny Monkey and Fat Dragon had died.

*Bang!*

The restroom door pushed open. The chubby girl ran over anxiously. "Here, disinfectant, gauze... are you really okay? Do you want to see a doctor?!"

"Thank you!" Ren Qingning replied, turning to look at the Watchman nearby. "Are you a police officer, too?"

"Heh, yes," the Watchman looked at the beautiful girl. "I’ll take you to the hospital for a checkup in a moment."

*Ring, ring!*

The phone rang. Her classmate, holding Qingning’s bag, shouted, "Your phone!"

Ren Qingning took the phone and walked to the side. "Hello?"

"Are you alright?!" Ren Ye’s urgent voice came through.