Chapter One: Fourth Young Master

Early summer had arrived, yet the morning sun still carried a hint of chill in the air.

Tianmei Song City.

Underground parking garage.

Long Er’s expression was subtle as he looked at Lin Lei before him. “Brother…”

At this moment, Lin Lei wore sunglasses, a trench coat, and a large hat pulled low over his head.

There was no other choice.

The “Transformation” ability had its drawbacks.

During the day, whenever Lin Lei went out, he had to take great pains to disguise himself.

In fact, beyond the trench coat, hat, and sunglasses, he had slathered on thick sunscreen as well.

Long Er followed Lin Lei into the underground garage, stopping before a black sedan. No other bodyguards were in sight.

“Brother, what about Qi Fangyan? Should we kidnap her?”

Today was the day of the ritual agreed upon with Lei Siguang.

As the core of the sacrificial ceremony, the chosen one was indispensable.

Lin Lei sneered coldly, halting his steps, and turned to Long Er. “This matter is none of your concern... I have my own plans.”

Long Er wisely closed his mouth and then stepped forward, opening the front passenger door. “Brother, get in.”

Lin Lei sat down immediately; only then did Long Er close the door and circle around to the driver’s seat.

...

Long Er drove Lin Lei to a meat processing plant on the outskirts of Upper City District.

This was not the usual meeting place with Lei Siguang.

It was the place where the Yin women were held captive.

Long Wentian’s abduction of the Yin women was conducted in secret from the Zilong Gang; only his closest subordinates knew the details.

The black sedan stopped inside the spacious, enclosed factory building.

“Big Brother, Second Brother, you’ve finally arrived!”

A tall, burly man with a small braid greeted them. He was even more solidly built than Long Er.

“Ah San!” Long Er got out and immediately embraced him warmly.

Ah San’s face was equally excited.

Lin Lei stepped out, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the man.

Ah San was also a source energy user, though only at the first realm.

He was one of Long Wentian’s trusted confidants, unknown even to the Zilong Gang!

Though Lin Lei was not truly Long Wentian, he did not linger in conversation but got straight to the point.

“Take me to see the Yin women.” His voice still carried a slight hoarseness.

Ah San immediately nodded. “Alright, Brother, follow me!”

Ah San led them through a staircase reeking of blood and quickly into a cold, dark basement.

Passing through two heavy security doors, they entered a place resembling a prison.

A long corridor lined with sealed rooms on both sides.

Each room had one-way glass windows to view inside.

Lin Lei followed Ah San down the hallway.

There were several rooms, each holding seven or eight people.

All of them were Yin women.

Their ages varied widely—from the elderly in their seventies or eighties to children barely in their teens.

Though the doors were tightly shut, Lin Lei could still smell the sour stench emanating within.

The rooms were cramped; seven or eight people shared a single toilet and sink. No wonder the odor was so strong.

“Brother, rest assured. Once we ship them out, I will clean them up thoroughly,” Ah San said with a smile, looking at Lin Lei.

Ah San regarded these people not as human beings but as mere goods.

Lin Lei’s eyes flickered coldly; he sneered silently and walked out.

Long Er raised an eyebrow. “Let’s start shipping. Be quick.”

...

Half an hour later.

In a vast warehouse within the meat processing plant.

Lin Lei raised an eyebrow at the large freight truck before him; Long Er stood behind silently.

Ah San closed the truck’s rear door and approached. “Brother, it’s all done!”

All the Yin women had been drugged and loaded onto the truck.

Lin Lei nodded.

Ah San’s face was eager. “Brother, want me to come along with you?”

Before Lin Lei could answer, Long Er shook his head. “No need. Just me and Brother Tian.”

Contact with Lei Siguang was extremely secretive. Only Long Wentian and Long Er knew Lei Siguang’s identity. Naturally, no one else could be involved.

Long Er climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck; Lin Lei got into the passenger seat.

Soon, the truck rumbled out of the meat processing plant.

Long Er’s eyes flickered as he spoke to Lin Lei.

“Brother, the Security Bureau is intensifying their investigation into the missing persons case. Recently, Ah San and his men have been a bit reckless trying to gather the Yin women…”

Though most of the Yin women were orphans or wanderers, many had been forcibly abducted by Ah San’s men. Even if the targets were chosen carefully, the sheer number was bound to attract attention.

“Ah San’s subordinates might be overlooked since they haven’t directly contacted us, but Ah San himself knows too much. Even if I put a ‘Seal’ on him, it’s not safe... We can’t keep him around any longer.”

His tone was calm, but the ruthless intent behind his words was unmistakable.

The Yin women had mostly been gathered by Ah San and his team. Though they were all Long Wentian’s trusted men, only Ah San and Long Wentian had direct contact.

Eliminating Ah San would ensure that even if the Security Bureau or the Investigation Department looked into it, they would find no trace leading back to Long Wentian or Long Er.

Lin Lei’s eyes grew icy.

“When this is over today, I will make sure the aftermath is handled cleanly.”

He suspected that Long Wentian had likely killed Zhou Haoran because Zhou knew too much of the truth.

Zhou’s reputation was ruined, his face disfigured—he was utterly worthless to them now. Naturally, he had to be silenced.

In a place like Biyang City, under certain circumstances, murder was a convenient way to solve problems.

...

Not far from the meat processing plant, in an industrial park.

A huge truck slowly entered the area.

“So this is the old place…”

Situated on the city outskirts, sparsely populated, still under construction, the industrial park was naturally quiet.

Soon the truck entered a huge, empty warehouse.

Lin Lei and Long Er got out. Long Er skillfully shut the warehouse door and switched on the lights inside.

The warehouse was vast and empty.

Lin Lei’s gaze fixed on the far end.

A young man appeared, clad in denim shorts below and a T-shirt printed with a cartoon of a “white-haired red-haired girl” above, kicking off flip-flops as he walked forward.

“You finally arrived.”

He looked barely older than Lin Lei, in his early twenties.

Yet Lin Lei noticed the caution and wariness in Long Er’s eyes.

Lin Lei stepped forward slightly and nodded to the youth. “Fourth Young Master.”

The Fourth Young Master smiled broadly, weighing a burlap sack in his hand.

“How much you can take from me depends on the quality of the sacrifices you bring this time.”

Lin Lei glanced at the sack, then turned to Long Er.

Long Er immediately turned and went to the back of the truck.

With a clang, the iron door at the truck’s rear opened.

Lin Lei and the Fourth Young Master walked side by side toward the truck.

Inside the spacious truck lay numerous women, all unconscious.

The Fourth Young Master’s eyes scanned over each woman, glinting as he smiled and patted Lin Lei’s hand.

“Long, you did well. There are plenty of young ‘sacrifices’ this time! I’m eighty to ninety percent sure I’ll break through to the fourth realm!”

Lin Lei’s eyes flickered as he returned the smile. “Congratulations, Fourth Young Master.”

The young man quickly produced a black jade stone.

The jade emitted a chilling, malevolent aura that caused unease.

He held the jade stone up inside the truck, and a red light flashed across its surface.

“Hm?”

The young man’s expression darkened. He grabbed one of the unconscious women and threw her out of the truck.

“This one is a fake ‘Yin woman.’ Her birth year might be off.”