Chapter 41: Closing the Net! Mastermind or Victim?

The leaves on the trees were shaped like curved spoons, cradling the golden sunlight, swaying gently in the breeze as if the entire trees were rippling lakes of light.

An undercurrent of restlessness tugged at the hem of the black trench coat, where the golden dragon emblem gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

"Qin Xue, are you certain he's in this house?" Fu Qingshan asked, carrying a rectangular wooden box on his back. He gazed at the villa not far away, a chilling glint flashing in the depths of his eyes.

They had spent several days scouring the streets and alleys of Suian City, relying on Qin Xue's playing cards to finally pinpoint the criminal's location.

"I'm certain. The card's resonance is unmistakable," Qin Xue said, extending her right hand.

Three cards stood balanced upright on her thumb, middle finger, and pinky finger respectively, spinning rapidly and radiating a shimmering azure halo.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's charge in and take him down!" Uncle Zhao squatted half-height near Qin Xue's feet, staring at the grand villa ahead with burning resentment.

The three-member team was complete.

"Shh!" Fu Qingshan patted Uncle Zhao's shoulder.

With a composed tone, he reiterated, "Let me remind you once more: according to the Peace Treaty, cases involving transcendents do not permit the unauthorized use of firearms."

"Understood." Qin Xue put away her cards and unshouldered a dark green repeating crossbow.

"The usual formation: I'll provide ranged suppression, and the captain will protect me." Qin Xue lowered her head to inspect the condition of the crossbow, loading bolts into the groove.

In the sunlight, the tip of every single bolt emitted a faint blue glow, clearly laced with poison.

"Got it, Captain." Uncle Zhao flicked two butterfly knives out from his sleeves, expertly spinning them into a pair of flashing silver arcs.

The corners of his mouth hooked upward. "You two pin him down, and I'll go grab his sister and parents to force his compliance!"

Fu Qingshan waved a hand. "Forcing his compliance is ideal, but do not actually harm his family."

With that, Fu Qingshan opened the wooden box on his back.

The interior was lined with red satin, entwined with several loops of red cord that secured a dark cyan Zhanma Dao saber.

With utmost reverence, Fu Qingshan lifted the blade out.

"Take him alive if possible, but if the target offers fierce resistance, execution on the spot is authorized!"

"Begin the sweep!"

...

Upon the Evil God's notebook, words flowed silently, drawing Zhou Quan's gaze.

[You have achieved the following milestones in this simulation:]
[① Look! A DIY Head Swap!]
[In full view of everyone, he casually and brazenly sewed his own head back on.]
[② MISS! Armor Not Penetrated!]
[Oh, snot bubbles of the Wolf God, you really ought to sharpen your claws.]
[③ A Powerful Alliance!]
[One plus one is greater than two; let us unite.]

Zhou Quan's brows were tightly locked.

He still could not fathom why he had appeared in the simulation, helping the Evil God murder the righteous Headless Knight.

Perhaps "the other you" referred to someone else?

The text continued to scroll.

[You have obtained the following rewards from this simulation:]
[① Achievement Points: 3]
[② Talent Draw Chance: 1]
[③ Vitality: 10 days]

A rich green light spilled from the seams of the notebook, swallowing one another until they quickly formed a fist-sized ball of light.

Zhou Quan snapped back to reality.

He split this mass of vitality in half and pushed it into his parents' bodies.

The dense green light sank into his parents, transforming into a healthy flush on their faces.

Zhou Quan pressed his lips together.

Seeing his parents' condition improve brought him a trace of solace.

Only at moments like this did he feel he was not completely irredeemable—that he was merely selling his soul to the Evil God out of sheer desperation to save the parents who had raised him.

[5 days and 2 hours]

The death countdown had updated.

Zhou Quan shifted his gaze back to the notebook, and with a single thought, the text upon its pages shifted once more.

[Consuming one Talent Draw Chance]
[Congratulations on acquiring 「Let's Speak Chinese」]

A wisp of obscure black light darted out from the crevices of the notebook.

Prepared in advance, Zhou Quan proactively raised his right hand.

Swish!

The black light pierced through his glove and burrowed into the ugly pattern on the back of his hand.

A needle-like sharp pain emanated from the back of his hand. Zhou Quan let out a muffled grunt and gritted his teeth to endure it.

He glanced at his glove.

It was smooth as new, without the slightest sign of damage.

The sensation of acquiring a new talent was subtle; though intangible and invisible, he understood that from this day forward, whenever anyone spoke gibberish in front of him, he could compel them to speak Chinese.

"There's still one more talent draw chance and seven achievement points."

Zhou Quan pursed his lips. "Run one more simulation, and I'll be able to upgrade the Old Covenant Wolf King identity card."

He could sense that the Evil God's targets were becoming increasingly difficult to slay.

First came a vampire capable of transforming into a bat, then a Headless Knight whose defenses his claws couldn't even scratch, and next time, who knew what would appear.

In order to acquire vitality, he needed greater strength to complete these simulations.

"Reward the wicked and punish the good," he muttered to himself.

The talent [Reward the Wicked and Punish the Good] held immense potential. Not long after obtaining it, he had already reaped three treasure rewards: the Cloud-Piercing Arrow, the Werewolf Identity Card, and Authority.

If he were to cast aside all restraint and commit evil to win the Evil God's favor, the rewards would surely pour in endlessly.

However, [Reward the Wicked and Punish the Good] seemed to have loopholes that could be exploited.

Even when he prayed to God and betrayed the Evil God, [Reward the Wicked and Punish the Good] had still rewarded him.

He would need some time to figure it out in order to make better use of this...

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a scream echoed from downstairs.

Zhou Quan's expression shifted slightly.

He closed the notebook, stood up, and walked out of the room, stationing himself behind a pillar in the hallway to overlook the living room below.

Ni Hao was kneeling on the floor, trembling all over.

Fu Qingshan held his saber, the blade pressed against Ni Hao's neck with a cold gaze.

"Ni Hao, member of the Ashen Night Society," Qin Xue said, aiming her repeating crossbow straight at Ni Hao's head with an icy voice. "Was the recent string of serial murders in Suian City orchestrated by your Ashen Night Society?"

Qin Xue frowned slightly.

She had read the local transcendent files of Suian City.

The records indicated that the Ashen Night Society kept to themselves, occasionally collecting protection fees from certain businesses, but had never caused any grave disruptions.

This was also related to their meager strength.

For such a minor society, where did they get the audacity to commit a series of serial murders, specifically targeting influential figures?

"Is there someone pulling the strings from behind?" Qin Xue pressed harder.

Before coming here, she had not expected to encounter members of the Ashen Night Society in this place.

What relation did the owner of this villa have with the Ashen Night Society?

Was he the mastermind behind the serial murders, or merely a victim hijacked by the Ashen Night Society and forced to provide a gathering ground?

At that moment, Fu Qingshan cooperatively shifted the blade slightly.

Ni Hao felt a cool, stinging sensation on her neck and instantly realized she was bleeding.

If the blade went in just another inch, this living room would have a complete set of three wandering souls from the Ashen Night Society...

"Speak!" Fu Qingshan commanded in a deep voice.

Ni Hao shivered with fright.

Yet she bit her lips tightly, her mouth sealed like a welded shut iron door, uttering not a single sound.

"Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!" Fu Qingshan frowned, intending to teach Ni Hao a lesson.

Right at that moment, a cold voice drifted down from the upper floor behind him...