A hazy shuffling of footsteps, accompanied by waves of cold wind, immediately turned the room frigid.

The mad man, who had just snuck inside, cackled, "JIE JIE JIE..."

"Such courage! You're the first people in all these years to dare provoke me like this!"

The mad man wasn't wrong. After all, considering his status in the Small World, he was destined to be a character no one dared to provoke. If it weren't for Wang Zhan's sudden appearance and some scheming by the Old Man from the Book Collection Pavilion, how could he have fallen to such a state today?

However, what infuriated the two men even more was that this fellow's voice was incredibly erratic. It was as if he had no physical body, flitting about and echoing constantly in their ears. This intensified their frustration, and their gazes grew more savage.

"Damn it! Do you take us for sick cats? Just because the tiger isn't showing its teeth, you dare to act like a rat! Get out here, you bastard!"

The Scarface Man's response was much simpler. With a powerful kick, he instantly wrecked the place. The dining table, coffee table, and sofa all became victims of his violent outburst.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE...

It sounded as if someone was tearing the house down, and indeed, they were truly demolishing it.

"Damn you! Come out! If you don't come out, we'll tear your whole place down!"

"JIE JIE JIE... JIE JIE JIE..."

The wanton, sinister laughter echoed endlessly in the small room, adrift and untraceable. But then...

"Then, as you wish! JIE JIE JIE..."

"There! Cripple his legs! Throw him into the wilderness to feed the hyenas!"

Suddenly, the middle-aged man's voice dropped, and he barked, pointing in a direction. The Scarface Man, sharing a tacit understanding with him, lunged forward and kicked the dilapidated sofa.

But... there was nothing!

Then, a voice that made their blood run cold suddenly rang in their ears—it was the mad man's deadly caress.

"Are you... looking for me?"

The two men shivered, feeling as if they could sense faint breathing by their ears, on their necks.

Impossible!

What in the Nine Hells is this thing?!

Why does it come and go without a shadow, without a trace? Even though we're both Martial Artists, we can't detect the slightest sign of it!

「The next moment.」

The room's lights went out completely, plunging it into darkness. A bloodcurdling scream suddenly pierced the silence from within the room. Splashes of Fresh Blood appeared on the windowsill, hinting at the terrifying scene unfolding inside. In what seemed like an instant, the house was utterly dominated by a ferocious beast hidden in the void.

However, the unscathed Scarface Man quickly came to his senses.

It's my companion!

The middle-aged man has become a rare sacrifice for the mad man, now that he's reappeared in the world!

All around, there were only howls of pain and what felt like slightly warm raindrops. And so, the Scarface Man, enveloped by darkness, couldn't help but feel terrified and panicked. He roared, his voice laced with agitation, "What happened to you?! Speak!!"

There was no reply. Or rather, there was another, even more horrified and pained response—a shriek, a plea, an endurance of agony.

"AHHH!!!"

The cry lingered, echoing ceaselessly. Fresh Blood continuously sprayed onto the windowsill, dyeing that part of the room red. Then, the sounds gradually faded, growing fainter.

His heart filled with terror, the Scarface Man wished he could dig a hole in the ground and flee immediately. But for some reason, he felt an immense pressure beside him, so overwhelming it nearly suffocated him, almost forcing him to his knees. He glared furiously into the surrounding darkness and roared, his state becoming increasingly frenzied, "Come out! Come out! Show yourself, damn it! Whatever kind of monstrous thing you are! I'm a Martial Artist! I'm not afraid of you..."

But it was obvious, even Wang Zhan outside the house could sense the lack of conviction in his voice.

Too bad. Wang Zhan had already foreseen his end.

Wang Zhan thought, JIE JIE JIE... Scream, go on, scream! Mad man, give them a proper send-off... I don't really care about them myself. However, to prevent these two little punks from spilling information about me to their boss, I have no choice but to strike first. It can't be helped this time. They're going to die anyway, so what does it matter whose hand they die by?

But Wang Zhan was no longer dwelling on that. He had a more important problem to consider.

Hmm, how can I cover this up effectively?

Wang Zhan pondered, gazing at the small room from which screams continuously echoed. For a moment, he fell into a different kind of profound silence.

Of course, that was just him. If it were anyone else—even someone at the Martial General level, the same rank as that unfamiliar, overbearing middle-aged man who had come to support Wang Zhan—they would likely have been scared witless by the scene, utterly losing their courage.

No wonder. The scene was so horrific that blood had already seeped out from under the door. It was clear the mad man had faithfully executed Wang Zhan's orders, giving those two Martial Artists—who had pursued Wang Zhan for the better part of the day—an excellent farewell ceremony from this world.

Pretending to be scared out of my wits definitely won't work; I can't stay at the scene too long, I need to leave... But acting as if nothing happened won't cut it either. I have to give people a convincing reason, otherwise it'll just look like a blatant performance... Ah, this is so difficult!

At this moment, Wang Zhan's thoughts churned, all his deliberations focused on the 'An Actor Prepares' aspect of the situation.

「After a while, Wang Zhan finally made up his mind.」

The main problem is solved. All that's left is to deal with the minor details. Why make it so complicated? Alright, this is it! There isn't a better way, anyway. As long as I sever these two leads and avoid completely exposing myself to the person pulling the strings from behind, it'll be fine.

Wang Zhan quietly approached the house, in no mood to concern himself with the horrors unfolding within. Even though it was nothing short of a living Hell, it failed to stir the slightest ripple in Wang Zhan's mind.

They deserved to die.

He whispered to the mad man, "Don't finish them too quickly! I still need a little time. Ten minutes. After ten minutes, you can send them on their way. Make sure they retain the ability for one last scream."

"JIE JIE JIE..."

The mad man cackled, his face, hidden in the darkness, contorted with mania. Yet, this only made him approve of Wang Zhan even more.

"Mission guaranteed, my... Student Wang Zhan!"

At that moment, because the mad man was formless and traceless, he even shot a beam of Spiritual Energy directly into the two men's minds, instantly jolting their mental power. Even though they had been on their last breath, it was as if, in that instant, they had regained enough vitality and mental power to clearly witness themselves walking step by step down the path to death.

Conversely, they could no longer speak or scream. They were merely performing a desperate pantomime, a silent testament to the terror that had befallen this house.

Undoubtedly, if something like this had happened on the surface, in broad daylight, this house would be unequivocally labeled a haunted dwelling. No one would ever want to purchase it, and it would eventually become a desolate, forgotten corner.

And Wang Zhan's performance... had also quietly begun at this moment.

"...HUFF... HUFF... HUFF!"

Wang Zhan's entire body was tensed. With a terrified expression, he propped himself against the wall, stumbling and falling repeatedly, only to struggle back to his feet each time. He was a complete mess. But he was still desperately trying to flee in one direction—a direction away from the Hell behind him, a direction that could lead to survival.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with terror and helplessness, the pupils almost white. His face was utterly devoid of color, as if he were still replaying the horrific scene he had witnessed.

However, he was heading in the direction where he would cross paths with the allies who had come to provide support. How could he possibly be missed by their sharp, meticulous eyes?

「Just at this moment.」

Someone happened to emerge from a nearby alley and, by sheer coincidence, spotted Wang Zhan fleeing in panic. A thought immediately struck him as he looked at the young man who was constantly staggering in the gloom, yet persistently running.

"Isn't that him?"

"Looks like it! He's quite young, and his complexion is a bit dark..."

"Don't worry about whether it's him or not for now; quickly bring him over. You, go tell the Boss we've found someone who looks like him. Have the Boss come take a look."

It was unclear what standards this team usually trained under. In Wang Zhan's perception, their operational capabilities were nearly on par with soldiers from the Federal Military Department—they followed orders strictly and reacted swiftly. From the moment they spotted Wang Zhan, in merely two or three breaths' time, they had already arranged everything perfectly. One person quickly went back to inform their Boss. The rest, then, were responsible for swiftly advancing, carefully observing the surroundings, and then securing Wang Zhan.

Little did they know, when Wang Zhan saw them, his face instantly turned even paler. He screamed, collapsed to the ground, and then, on all fours, frantically tried to scramble backward, yelling incoherently, "Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me! I don't know anything! I didn't see anything! I'm innocent! I'm blind! Spare me, please spare me! I saw nothing, I know nothing..."

Seeing Wang Zhan's condition, everyone who had come to meet him was stunned.

What happened? Why does this kid look like he's suffering from some stress-induced complications? Are we that scary?

But with him acting like this, they didn't dare approach him directly. They could only signal with their eyes for a man who usually had a gentler demeanor and was more capable at handling situations to go forward and try to console him.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! We're friends; we won't hurt you! How about this: let's leave this place first, okay? After we leave, I'll explain everything to you in detail..."

But... Wang Zhan had tears and snot streaming down his face, a complete mess. Seeing that there was apparently no chance to escape, he even fell to his knees and began to wail and beg for mercy.

"Please spare me, Big Brother! I have elderly parents and young children at home! My whole family of six depends on me to put food on the table! How about this: I'll stop selling fake medicine, I won't do anything anymore! Can I just leave after this, please?"

The men exchanged glances and shook their heads. In his current state, Wang Zhan was clearly in no condition to listen to their reassurances.

「Right then.」

A particularly fierce-looking man stepped forward and squatted down.

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