“Murder Demon Wang Qian!”
In the darkness, Li Ran's pupils contracted sharply.
[He visits the backstreets twice a week to scout for escorts. Only after personally verifying them will he bring them home.]
That was one of the tips the golden finger had given the first time he saw the Murder Demon Wang Qian.
Li Ran still remembered the look in Zhou Miaomiao’s eyes when she pleaded for help in the elevator.
He hated himself for not realizing something was wrong sooner. Hated that he wasn’t strong enough back then.
If he had been stronger, Zhou Miaomiao wouldn’t have died such a horrific death.
Including Zhou Miaomiao, Wang Qian carried the blood of six innocent lives on his hands.
Moreover, he had an intense case of paranoia and persecution delusion. The moment anyone suspicious appeared in his line of sight, he’d become instantly alert.
Back when Li Ran wasn’t strong enough, he had to avoid Wang Qian on his way home—he didn’t even dare take the elevator.
Now, he was strong enough.
In the dark, Li Ran’s eyes radiated murderous intent.
“It’s time to end this.”
---
“It’s safe here, sir. No need to be so tense.”
A woman tugged Wang Qian into a shadowy alley.
Wang Qian didn’t say a word, constantly glancing behind him with wary eyes.
The woman brought him to a run-down little courtyard. In front of a small door on the first floor of a three-story building sat two young girls playing on their phones.
“Girls, we have a guest.”
At her call, the two young women instantly put away their phones and clung to Wang Qian on either side, leading him inside.
“Creeeak~~”
Just then, a black three-tailed fox appeared in the courtyard and cried toward the house.
Wang Qian, who had just stepped inside, rushed back out, staring warily at the mini three-tailed fox in the yard.
“Sir, don’t go~”
The woman followed him out, scowled at the fox, and said with disdain, “Where’d this stinky fox come from? Shoo.”
But the little fox didn’t leave. Its sly, enchanted ruby eyes locked onto Wang Qian.
“Have you seen this fox before?” Wang Qian asked.
The woman shook her head. “We often see stray cats and dogs, but this is the first fox.”
Wang Qian’s expression changed. “Not good!”
He immediately turned and bolted toward the courtyard’s exit.
“Whoosh!”
Just then, a flaming arrow shot from the darkness, aiming at Wang Qian’s back.
Just as it was about to hit, Wang Qian suddenly turned, raised his right hand, and effortlessly caught the flaming arrow.
“That’s it?”
He stared into the dark corner of the courtyard, where a human-shaped silhouette blended with the shadows.
“Who’s there?”
Wang Qian narrowed his eyes, peering through the darkness to see the outline, but couldn’t make out the person’s face.
“Ssssss~~”
Suddenly, the arrow in his hand began to emit a strange sound, like the fuse of a firecracker being lit.
His face instantly changed—Not good!
“BOOM!”
A deafening explosion erupted, and a huge fireball burst out.
The massive blaze lit up the entire courtyard like it was broad daylight.
Wang Qian was blasted seven or eight meters back, smashing straight into the courtyard wall, which collapsed under the impact.
The girls in the yard turned pale with fright, screaming and fleeing into the house.
Wang Qian climbed out from the rubble, his body charred and smoking, looking like a total mess.
“Come out! Get out here!!” Wang Qian roared furiously at the dark silhouette. He tore off his tattered shirt, revealing a muscular build.
“Screech!”
At that moment, the mini fox suddenly vanished from where it stood.
“Huh?”
Wang Qian frowned and spun around—behind him a vicious dark three-tailed fox appeared!
“Shwish! Shwish!!”
The dark fox instantly lashed out with two rending claw strikes aimed at Wang Qian’s face.
Wang Qian immediately blocked. His right arm transformed into a massive blade formed from muscle and countless tendrils.
Its red pupils gleamed with an eerie demonic light, but its assault didn’t stop. Its tails began to grow wildly, like three dancing ribbons that instantly enveloped Wang Qian, binding him into a stranglehold furball.
That was the dark fox’s skill, [Ribbon Dance]—its three tails extended madly, restraining the enemy before initiating a deadly constriction.
This unexpected move could catch enemies completely off guard and restrict their movement.
And what’s more, Chitong enjoyed a 20% stat boost from Li Ran’s full attributes. With its current ghost force reaching 556, it surpassed Wang Qian’s.
The only downside was that Chitong hadn’t advanced to Grade A yet.
“AHHH!!!”
A furious roar erupted from the furball.
“You stinking fox! I’m gonna skin you and make you into my mink coat!”
“Shwish, shwish, shwish!”
With a thunderous blast, the furball exploded into a cloud of flying fur.
At that moment, Wang Qian no longer looked human—both arms had turned into giant scythe-like blades made of muscle and tendrils. A massive blade protruded from his head, and from his blood-filled mouth, a long, blood-red tongue whipped around. He looked like a monster made entirely of blades.
“DIE!!” Wang Qian roared and charged at the dark fox.
“Don’t run! Come back here!!”
But the three-tailed fox didn’t want to play anymore. With a graceful leap, it landed on the courtyard wall.
Wang Qian roared in fury and leapt up, swinging his blade-arms to strike the fox.
“Whooosh~~~”
From the darkness, another flaming arrow shot toward Wang Qian.
“This trick again?”
Having suffered once, Wang Qian wouldn’t fall for it again. He definitely wouldn’t try to catch the arrow with his hands this time.
He dodged instead, twisting his body mid-air to avoid it.
“BOOM!!”
As the arrow grazed past him, it exploded again.
Wang Qian was blasted to the ground mid-air. When he got back up, half his body was already mangled.
On the wall, the three-tailed fox covered its mouth with a paw and smiled slyly.
Seeing this, Wang Qian was livid—utterly, insanely enraged.
He was being toyed with by a fox!
“No—I can’t let that damned fox distract me. I need to take care of the one in the dark first!”
With that in mind, Wang Qian glared viciously toward the shadowy corner. He couldn’t see anyone, but he could sense the person lurking there with a bow and arrows.
“Hraaah!”
He opened his bloody maw wide, and his crimson tongue turned into a blood-red beam shooting toward the dark silhouette.
“Shing!”
A cold glint flashed in the darkness. With a sweeping motion, a blood-moon crescent slash burst forth, severing Wang Qian’s blood-red tongue cleanly.
The slash didn’t lose any momentum as it continued toward Wang Qian.
“Urgh... urgh!!”
Wang Qian let out a muffled cry of pain, his expression twisted with shock and fear, and he scrambled to dodge.
The blood-moon slash struck the building behind him, slicing a deep, terrifying gouge into the wall.
“Mmph... my tongue... mmph…”
Wang Qian, mouth full of blood, could barely speak through the pain.
“Who… who is it?! Come out!!”
Staring at the furious and crumbling Wang Qian, Li Ran’s eyes flashed coldly. He drew his bow again, aiming straight at the howling monster.
(End of Chapter)