Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The entire venue fell silent, and the reporters were stunned.

Those watching the live stream were also taken aback, with the chat area momentarily blank.

Then the venue erupted in commotion. The reporters looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed with their questions.

The chat discussions heated up.

"Have they practiced so much that they've lost their minds, their memories muddled?"

"If you tell me there are ghosts in the world, I might believe it, but if you say there are gods who answer prayers, pfft."

"So, are they superpowers or ancient martial arts?"

"It must be ancient martial arts. I suspect they stumbled into a cliff and received the inheritance from a mysterious master. After transferring their powers, the master died, and when they woke up, they found themselves with ice and fire abilities, thinking it was given by the gods."

"Is the person above a novelist? Surprisingly, it makes some sense."

"Is it really okay to entrust H City to them?"

"Better than giving it to scum like the Tan family!"

The government only emphasized that Zhou Shuning and her brother couldn't mention the cards but didn't insist on concealing Jiang Xingzhuo's existence for a reason. Firstly, they sensed the siblings' reverence for Jiang Xingzhuo through their tone, making it impossible to make them deny her existence. Forcing them would likely make them uncooperative.

Secondly, outside the walls, Xiang Qin's preaching went smoothly because the population was small, and district leaders knew each other. How else could a regular person suddenly gain such abilities except through divine intervention?

Inside the walls, however, almost no one knew Zhou Shuning and Zhou Shujie. A stranger preaching about gods would be seen as delusional. Moreover, people inside had seen various wondrous martial arts from ancient martial families and wouldn't believe in gods without concrete evidence.

Like those outside, people inside didn't believe in gods.

Saying it out loud wouldn't convince anyone.

"There are no gods in this world. Even if there were, they'd be heartless bastards indifferent to good and evil. Better to rely on ourselves," Le You said expressionlessly while watching the live stream on his phone at the elementary school gate.

"Brother!" A cheerful voice came from inside the school, and Le You immediately put away his phone to look.

Past dismissal time, most students had left. A nine-year-old child with a backpack ran over happily. Le You smiled, but his expression turned serious upon seeing the woman behind Le Yang, standing stiffly.

"Hello, I'll definitely bring Yangyang back before dinner tomorrow," Le You said.

The woman nodded indifferently, "Have fun. The college entrance exams are coming soon. Focus on studying after tomorrow. Aren't you planning to go to police academy? Work hard." She touched Le Yang's head gently, "Don't be naughty when you're out with your brother, okay?"

"I know."

Le You led Le Yang away, feeling the woman's gaze on him, somewhat piercing. He knew she didn't like him seeing Le Yang, fearing it would remind him of that incident. But Le Yang was his only family now.

...

Members of the ancient martial families were also watching the live stream, their faces stern, seemingly ready to confront these two individuals.

The government's sudden public exposure and arrest of the Tan family naturally stirred up trouble among the families, especially the Qin family.

Other families maintained a facade of harmony with the government, but the Qin family in A City was the first to openly defy the government. During the last slaughterhouse incident, if not for the mysterious red-clothed girl, many more casualties would have occurred. Since the government couldn't find her, they tolerated the Qin family, merely issuing verbal warnings without substantial punishment.

After a period of fear due to the red-clothed girl, the Qin family resumed their old ways, thinking that since they had already broken ties, they should continue. If they secured city control first, they would gain face among their peers.

They were caught off guard when the government suddenly took down the Tan family, contrary to their expectations of continued reliance and tolerance, ultimately forcing them to hand over control.

This left them flustered.

But after the live stream ended, they relaxed.

"It seems we overthought it. These two aren't secretly trained experts by the government. If they were, they wouldn't have said such things," the head of the Qin family said.

Zhang Huailin's eyes fell with disappointment, wishing it were true.

"In that case, we need to contact other families and challenge the government," an elder of the Qin family said. "They violated the agreement! We agreed that family matters should be handled within our families."

"Yes! If we don't act, they'll think we're afraid and push further. Those agreements were earned with our blood and sweat!"

Zhang Huailin sipped tea, thinking they acted as if they cared. The Tan family's affairs were none of their concern; they were all hypocrites. As for blood and sweat, wasn't that even more laughable? They acted self-righteous, yet his own family, the Zhangs, were true heroes, betrayed by these selfish, despicable people...

Zhang Huailin's teacup cracked. If only there were truly gods.

The Qin family, most anxious, immediately messaged their family leaders' group. Other families responded, agreeing that they needed answers from the government, not appearing weak.

"Where are the Murong and Wan families? Why aren't they responding?"

"Are they scared?"

"The Murong and Wan families are busy with funerals. They don't have time for group chats."

"What funerals? Regardless, nothing is bigger than this. Our families rise and fall together. @Murong Villa @Wanjian Villa"

Murmuring Ying held the Murong Villa account and replied: "Who said we rise and fall together?"

Murmuring Ying watched the live stream and realized these siblings were her "family," envying them. Though no one believed it, they openly confessed their faith to the nation. If believers were ranked, they would surely be the top ones!

In the past two days, she understood the true nature of the major families. Previously confined to practicing martial arts, she now saw that these families were not the heroes she imagined. Even the Murong and Wan families weren't genuinely concerned about card chaos; they just wanted to secretly draw cards and dominate everyone.

"Who's using this account?"

"It's me, Murmuring Ying, the new head of the Murong family. I advise you to stop being arrogant. The world is changing. True gods have arrived, and everything will be reshuffled. You hypocrites, relying on human disasters, will be brought down!"

The group members were stunned. This sounded familiar—oh, they heard it in the live stream! Had Murmuring Ying gone mad?

[@Wen Qing, Auntie, ask your son if "Voice of the Heart" is useful. Does it feel good to read minds? It's time to return it to me now; that power was granted by the Master, and I didn't intend to give it away for free.]

Murong Ying and the Wan family knew they were in trouble as soon as they saw this. There was no way to hide this anymore, at least not within the circle of ancient martial arts families. They had kept their cards close to their chests, but Wen Qing's card was impossible to conceal.

The people in the group started tagging the Wen family. Murong Ying's words made them uneasy, as if the ground beneath their feet was beginning to shake.

...

"I thought he would say something serious, but it turned out to be this..."

"As long as it helps kill the monsters in the slaughterhouse, who cares about their sanity..."

"That's true..."

Le You ate his noodles and placed a piece of braised beef on Le Yang's plate. The TV in the noodle shop was still showing news from today's press conference, and the people around were discussing it.

It was very dark outside, and the wind had picked up, making the air damp. Rain seemed imminent. Customers in the small shop gradually left, leaving only little Le Yang eating his noodles slowly.

Le Yang put down his bowl.

Le You: "Are you full?"

Le Yang nodded.

"Let's go then. It looks like it's going to rain." Le You paid via QR code and led Le Yang out.

Halfway through their bus ride, the rain started pouring down. Le You, without an umbrella, held up his school jacket and ran with Le Yang.

The old residential area was filled with winding alleys and dim lighting. People stayed within their own territories, never venturing out, which made the air feel cold and indifferent. But because of this, the rent was cheap, affordable even with Le You's part-time job.

The couple who adopted him did so only to gain attention, not to genuinely help a child with emotional scars. Their biological child didn't like him either, so he moved out. Fortunately, despite being adopted into a decent family, Le You didn't mind living in such a shabby place with his brother.

Le Yang slipped and fell, but instead of crying, he giggled.

"Get up quickly and change your clothes before you catch a cold." Le You smiled, the gloom in his eyes dissipating. Suddenly, he felt something and turned sharply to look behind him.

A person in a raincoat stood there, staring at them silently.

Le You's heart skipped a beat, and his scalp tingled. He quickly pulled his brother and walked faster.

As he walked, he glanced back and noticed the person following them. His face paled, and he quickened his pace, memories of blood and a man with a hammer crushing his father's head flashing through his mind. The murderer turned and approached them...

Is it him? Is it him?!

Le You took out his phone and dialed Officer Zheng Quan's number, but the signal was poor due to the rain, and the call didn't go through. Fear gripped him, but deep inside, a flame of hatred ignited, fueling his murderous intent.

It was such an ordinary day for an ordinary family of four, yet they were targeted by a psychopathic killer for no reason. His parents died brutally, and he and his brother barely escaped being killed themselves. The killer was never caught. He wanted to become a police officer to catch the murderer and avenge his parents.

But now he appeared...

Le You led Le Yang into an abandoned building and hid him behind a wall. "Stay here and don't come out, okay?!"

Le Yang, though scared, obeyed and huddled behind the wall.

Le You took out the knife he always carried and ambushed at the corner. As the shadow grew longer, he raised the knife, filled with tension and hatred. He was no longer a 13-year-old boy!

"Aah!" The raincoat-clad figure screamed in terror, but it was a woman's voice.

A woman?

Le You froze. That psychopath wasn't a woman.

"What are you doing following us?" Le You demanded.

The woman: "I-I wasn't following you. I live around here..."

Le You let her go and looked at her silhouette, suddenly realizing it didn't match the earlier shadow... Not good!

Le You's face changed, and he rushed back to the abandoned building.

Yangyang!

Behind the wall, there was no sign of Le Yang. He looked deeper into the building and saw a tall shadow holding a brick, smashing it onto a small shadow. The small shadow twitched and went still.

"Ahh!!" Le You charged forward.

...

"If there were gods, why are those bastards still alive?" Zheng Quan spat as he passed the prison cafeteria, looking at the inmates inside.

"Officer Zheng, please don't spit on the ground," said the warden Yuan Cang, frowning.

Zheng Quan stopped. Among the inmates, a few men stood out. Some were reading books, others smoking, and the rest seemed to revolve around them, exuding a dangerous aura.

These were all psychopaths who had killed countless people before being caught. And outside this prison, many more monsters existed, more terrifying than those from the slaughterhouse, because they wore human faces and could appear anywhere, stabbing you when you least expected it or torturing you to death.

Seeing Zheng Quan, they grinned provocatively, unafraid and unrepentant.

"Sentenced to death but still alive, living like kings in prison. Did I go through all that trouble to catch them just for them to have a good life?"

"There's no choice. If it comes to following the slaughterhouse rules, they can contribute to humanity, right?"

"Haha, before that happens, the victims' families might already be dead from the slaughterhouse, illness, or mental breakdown. So many people are waiting to see them executed, and even that is too lenient!"

His phone vibrated. Zheng Quan checked it and saw a missed call notification from "Le You."

Le You, one of the survivors from the murder case five years ago. They kept in touch, usually exchanging brief messages about the progress of catching the killer. This was the first time he called directly...

Zheng Quan called back, but no one answered.

Could something have happened? A sense of foreboding rose in Zheng Quan's heart.

...

Le You lay on the ground, stabbed in the abdomen. The man holding the knife slowly approached him.

"Never before has prey escaped from my hands; you two are the only exceptions." The man whispered, "I've finally found you."

Le You, tears streaming down his face, glared at the murderer with hatred, "Prey? You consider yourselves hunters, superior to us normal people? Bah! You're just a bunch of cowards who prey on the weak. If your opponent were a strong man, you'd run away!"

The slaughterhouse had led to a surge in social crime, not just from criminal gangs but also from these natural-born criminals emerging one after another.

"Lions don't hunt strong water buffalo either; they go for the lone calves," the psychopath said, his hands still covered in blood. Le You's vulnerable yet defiant expression brought him immense pleasure.

Shadows crept over Le You, obscuring the already faint light. He looked at Le Yang's body and felt despair and pain. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind:

—The Lord heard my voice and answered my prayers. In our moment of despair, He granted us this power. Pray, for the true God has arrived! Pray to the Master!

Is it true? Is there really a deity who can hear me? Alright, I'll pray—

"Aaah! Murder!" a female voice shrieked.

Le You turned in surprise, seeing a girl in a raincoat standing there—it was the one he had mistaken earlier! However, after her scream, she walked over with a grin, "Not done yet? Hurry up, I spotted some prey I want to chase."

It turned out they were accomplices. Her emotionless eyes and inhuman smile revealed her as another deranged killer.

Le You thought desperately, subconsciously reaching out to grab his brother's hand. Despair filled him as he closed his eyes. Le Yang still had a faint pulse, a testament to the resilience of life, but what did it matter? No miracle would happen; they were about to die.

Suddenly, an eerie sensation arose.

The self-proclaimed hunter froze, and the woman's smile vanished. Their bodies tensed, hair standing on end.

A figure wrapped in a black cloak silently appeared before them. "I heard the voice of desire and came in response."

Le You's eyes widened as he struggled to turn his head. What? What?! Could this be real? Not an illusion?

The deranged killer doubted its reality too, unable to move. It felt like a small herbivore facing a top predator. He had never experienced such fear, but now he felt it acutely.

"Draw cards? Ten million per set, ten cards each," Jiang Xingzhuo asked the two deranged killers with a smile.

Like many psychopaths, these two had respectable jobs and even came from affluent backgrounds. At a young age, they owned luxurious mansions and could easily afford ten million.

"Draw," the man spoke first.

With a flick of a small wooden stick, white mist swirled around them. In this damp, abandoned building, an incredible scene unfolded.

Ten glowing white cards flew out of the card pool and landed before the deranged killer.

"Please flip your cards."

The deranged killer glanced at Jiang Xingzhuo and reached out to touch the first card.

The card flipped, the white light faded, revealing a clean, transparent surface with intricate patterns and text.

"Congratulations, you drew the non-limited card Bone Knife. Using this card, you can extract any bone from your body and transform it into a bone knife."

The card transformed into light and entered Ou Xinchen's body. An inexplicable feeling emerged, and he understood how to use it. He touched his rib and actually pulled it out without any pain or injury. The rib turned into a sharp curved knife upon extraction.

Chen Qin's eyes widened, then filled with desire. She wanted one too! For a hunter, a weapon was crucial. Finding a suitable tool was easy, but using one's own bones was artistic and brilliant!

Ou Xinchen clearly liked the card too, a smile forming on his lips.

Only Le You, clutching his wound, wondered why.

Ou Xinchen inserted the bone back into his body, and the light reassembled into a card.

"Please continue flipping your cards."

Feeling the allure of drawing cards, Ou Xinchen's approach to the second card changed, and so did the reactions of the two spectators.

The second card revealed an empty surface.

The third card showed an ordinary small knife.

The fourth card finally displayed patterns and text.

"Congratulations, you drew the non-limited card Healing Pill. Using the Healing Pill, you can restore ten percent of your damaged body."

In an instant, Le You acted on instinct, grabbing the card and pressing it into his brother's body. His swift action caught everyone off guard, and the card transformed into light, entering Le Yang's body. Le Yang, who had been barely alive, opened his eyes after the healing.

Ou Xinchen's expression twisted, but he dared not move under Jiang Xingzhuo's watchful gaze. "He stole my card!"

Jiang Xingzhuo: "Indeed. Please keep the non-limited cards safe, as they can be taken and used by others."

Chen Qin's eyes flickered.

It seemed Jiang Xingzhuo wouldn't intervene. No matter; once this was over, he would kill those two brats. Ou Xinchen suppressed his anger and continued flipping cards.

Unfortunately, the next few cards were all empty.

Only one card remained.

Ou Xinchen took a deep breath and reached out.

Beside him, Chen Qin slowly revealed a dagger in her hand. Despite her decent job and background, she couldn't afford ten million at once...

"Congratulations. You've drawn the non-limited card 'Devour.' Use this card to devour your kind, and you will gain their vitality and skills."

Ou Xinchen immediately grabbed the card, pulled out a rib from his waist, and slashed at Chen Qin. At the same moment, Chen Qin's dagger also plunged into his chest.

Chen Qin's neck split open with a gush of blood pouring out.

This wound on Ou Xinchen would have been fatal, but incredibly, he felt his vitality strengthen, and a wealth of medical knowledge flooded his mind—knowledge that did not belong to him but to Chen Qin.

The sensation was marvelous, exquisite, and the pleasure it brought was no less than the thrill of hunting prey! Ou Xinchen couldn't help but feel intoxicated. Was this... the feeling of becoming a higher-level hunter?

Chen Qin fell to the ground, while Ou Xinchen remained standing. He pulled the dagger from his chest, thinking about the stolen Restoration Pill, and his gaze toward Le You became even more menacing. He recalled that when Chen Qin attacked him, Jiang Xingzhuo did not intervene. Could it be...

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens approached rapidly from nearby, getting very close in an instant.

Ou Xinchen gritted his teeth and had to let these two prey go for now. He asked Jiang Xingzhuo, "Can I leave?"

"Feel free."

Ou Xinchen turned and ran into the rain, disappearing quickly from sight.