At that moment, in a shadowed corner of the forest—
Watching the brutal scene of a man being devoured, Li Ran couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.
As the saying goes, “Three feet above your head, the gods watch; you may deceive men, but you cannot deceive heaven!”
Li Ran had just witnessed evil reap its reward.
The moment he heard the gunshots, Li Ran used Shadowstep to swiftly approach and saw the entire gruesome process of Xiao Yi’s death.
Why didn’t he help?
If it had just been Chen Jiabin alone, Li Ran could’ve easily saved Xiao Yi.
But Chen Jiabin plus a pack of cursed demon hounds? Li Ran had to seriously consider whether he was strong enough, or just another snack for those dogs.
Thankfully, before coming here, he’d asked Uncle Ge about some of the rules in the residential community.
One rule stood out: Don’t provoke the stray dogs in the neighborhood. They are extremely vicious.
Uncle Ge had specifically said “they.”
And now Li Ran had seen them with his own eyes.
Sure, his strength now exceeded that of the demonized Chen Jiabin and the cursed demon hounds individually, but Li Ran didn’t believe he could take on ten enemies at once.
Xiao Yi had treated his teammates like cannon fodder, never expecting that those same teammates would turn into demons and kill him in return.
If he had known about this rule before taking the mission, he wouldn't have died so miserably.
Had Li Ran not asked Uncle Ge in advance, he might’ve taken the same mission, and met the same fate.
“This dog-clearing mission is a total death trap—anyone who takes it is screwed!” Li Ran muttered with lingering fear.
“But why did Chen Jiabin become the leader of that pack of demon dogs?”
That question truly baffled Li Ran.
“Could it be that Chen Jiabin and the cursed demon hounds were infected by the same strain of virus?”
That was the only explanation Li Ran could come up with. Otherwise, it was impossible to explain how Chen Jiabin had gained the ability to command them.
Then again, nothing in this eerie world really made sense in scientific terms.
In any case, Chen Jiabin had become someone to be wary of.
“Sigh… Just like that, another enemy added to the list.”
“Squeak~”
Chitong looked up at its master and copied his sigh, though its voice was adorably soft and squeaky.
“Come on. I promised to take you for a spa day,” said Li Ran.
“Squeak?!”
Shadowstep activated.
Li Ran returned to the back alley.
Having been here once before, he was now quite familiar with the place.
He arrived again at the entrance of the beauty salon.
“Welcome!”
“Sir, are you here for a beauty treatment, or is it for your wife? We’re just about to celebrate our first anniversary and offering a massive sale—everything 40% off! Miss this, and you’ll have to wait another year…”
Standing before him was a tall, seductive woman, brimming with hospitality.
This was the same woman responsible for the indirect death of Deng Zhiwei. A terrifying serial killer who collected women’s faces. A spiritual infected host with an eerie force even greater than Li Ran’s.
Li Ran pointed to the little creature on his shoulder and said:
“It’s for this one.”
“Squeak?!”
Yang Baobao glanced at the little fox on Li Ran’s shoulder, and her smile instantly vanished.
“Sir, this is not a pet salon. Pet grooming is around the corner to your right.”
With that, she lost all interest in Li Ran and turned to head back into the shop.
Li Ran narrowed his eyes, watching her retreating figure.
[Beauty Salon Manager: Yang Baobao. Real Name: Yang Shuo]
[Class A Spiritual Infection Host]
[Eerie Power: 800]
[A man with a woman living deep inside his heart.]
[He’s obsessed with beauty—especially beautiful female faces.]
[Terrified of his background being exposed. If you find his ID card, you can blackmail him for hush money. Up to three times.]
Last time, Li Ran hadn’t caught all the hints. Now, seeing it clearly, his interest was piqued.
He followed her in and plopped down onto the sofa at the front desk.
“Sis, don’t you think my pet is cute?” Li Ran picked up Chitong and gently stroked its soft fur.
“Squeak~” Chitong squinted its eyes in enjoyment.
“Sir, if you don’t leave right now, don’t blame me for being rude,” Yang Baobao said coldly, her expression darkening.
[Mission Triggered: The Beauty Salon Owner’s Secret]
[Reward: +100 Eerie Power, +1000 Points]
[This mission contains hidden rewards—very generous.]
As the system chimed in his ear, Li Ran remained leisurely on the couch, stroking his fox with one hand, while in the other, a certain ID card had suddenly appeared. With a sly smile, he said:
“The other day, I was strolling through the park and happened to find an ID card under a bench. It belonged to a man named Yang Shuo. Funny enough, he looked quite a bit like you. Do you know him?”
Yang Baobao’s expression instantly changed. She turned into a blur of blood and lunged toward Li Ran, reaching for the ID card in his hand.
“Give it to me!”
Her voice became a fierce roar, rough and masculine.
“Squeak!”
Chitong sensed the threat and immediately transformed into a massive, shadowy three-tailed fox, standing protectively in front of Li Ran.
“Get out of my way, you damn fox!” Yang Baobao bellowed, her arm morphing into a tendril-formed blade that slashed at Chitong.
Chitong responded with a double Rending Claw attack. The two forces collided with explosive power. Yang Baobao took a slight step back while the dark three-tailed fox was forced several meters away.
Yet Li Ran remained seated on the sofa, smiling, still twirling the ID card that drove Yang Baobao to madness. “If you so much as harm a hair on it, I’ll make sure your real identity spreads through the entire neighborhood.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Yang Baobao roared.
“Try me,” Li Ran replied.
The two glared at each other. Though Li Ran was outmatched in eerie power, his presence was just as imposing.
Coupled with the intimidating aura of the dark three-tailed fox, Li Ran was downright cocky.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze, the air tense and heavy.
Within just a few seconds, Yang Baobao’s expression shifted through rage, inner struggle, unwillingness, and finally—reluctant submission. The speed at which her dainty little face cycled through emotions left Li Ran speechless. She could’ve been an award-winning actress.
Forcing a stiff smile, Yang Baobao finally said, “Sir, let me arrange a spa treatment for your pet right away.”
“No need. I’m no longer in the mood,” Li Ran replied flatly.
Yang Baobao’s face twisted: “What the hell do you mean?!”
“My mood is completely ruined now. You need to compensate me for emotional damages,” Li Ran said.
“Your damn—!” Yang Baobao cursed out loud.
He could’ve just robbed her outright, but instead he had to come up with a whole excuse?
Yang Baobao was about to explode, but could do nothing.
This was the internet age—one simple forum post, and her real identity would be plastered across the community.
All her efforts to cut ties with her past would be undone.
Since childhood, she’d been called a freak. Relatives and friends avoided mentioning her. Even her family treated her like filth.
Eventually, she severed all ties and moved somewhere new.
She discarded her former identity and started anew as “Yang Baobao.”
But now, this man had ripped that old scar wide open.
“This all depends on your sincerity,” Li Ran said with a mocking smile. “If I’m satisfied, I’ll give this little thing back to you. If not… well, you know the consequences.”
Sometimes, he thought, not being a decent person had its perks.
After all, the things he faced weren’t exactly “people” either.
(End of Chapter)