Crimson blood was splattered across every corner of the rooftop platform, its source the twisted, lifeless bodies of Mountain Lion Gang members strewn about like broken dolls.
Those who had survived were few—and they had watched with their own eyes as their boss, Razor, was dragged into a mysterious space by Zhong Yan. Whether he lived or died remained uncertain.
Until a moment later, when that warped vortex reopened... and Razor's corpse was tossed out like trash, followed immediately by the masked figure of Zhong Yan.
Seeing Razor's body, everyone froze in shock. Even their leader—the strongest among them—had been slaughtered. What chance did they, mere cannon fodder, possibly stand?
Panic overtook logic. The remaining Mountain Lion Gang members scattered, fleeing in all directions.
But Zhong Yan would not let them escape.
Just then, a drifting cloud crossed the sky, blotting out most of the moon—leaving only a sliver of red visible.
In the already dim light of Hollow Zero, the darkness grew heavier. And for Zhong Yan, it was the perfect ambiance for slaughter.
His figure flickered throughout the headquarters. Each time he passed by a fleeing enemy, his blade flashed—and another life was taken.
The screams, sharp and haunting, became the night's ghastly symphony.
And only when the last of the members of the Mountain Lion Gang had fallen did that deadly symphony finally end.
The sole survivor, Jane, used every ounce of strength to crawl to a wall, struggling for what felt like an eternity before she finally managed to stand.
Looking at the grotesque scene before her, she couldn't help but fear—would Zhong Yan kill her too?
As she pondered that terrifying possibility, he suddenly reappeared before her in a flicker.
The sudden appearance made her heart jolt, but she fought to remain calm, concealing her panic.
In her current condition, resisting him wasn't an option.
"You... who are you?" Zhong Yan's voice was cold and distant.
Jane froze, then raised her head, ready to draw on her skills as an undercover operative and recite a fabricated identity.
But when she opened her mouth, the words came out uncontrollably, without deceit: "I'm a freelance criminal behavior specialist hired by the New Eridu Public Security. My mission was to infiltrate the Mountain Lion Gang and gather intel."
Just as Zhong Yan had predicted—she was indeed with the Bureau.
That, at least, gave him a reason to spare her.
Without a word, he pulled out a small medkit he'd taken from the Mountain Lion Gang's headquarters and tossed it at her feet.
Then, without another glance, he activated Kamui and vanished.
Jane looked at the spot where he'd stood—then down at the medkit.
He had let her go.
So being honest saved my life after all...
"What an unreadable guy..." she muttered with a wry smile. Sitting down, she picked up the medkit and began tending to her wounds.
...
Several hours later, at a relay station connected to the Mountain Lion Gang's base—
A Public Security elite squad, led by Zhao Anmen and guided by Jane's intel, completed a full sweep of the remaining Mountain Lion Gang forces.
They also discovered a spatial node leading directly to the gang's headquarters. After stepping through it, they realized the base truly was inside Hollow Zero.
No wonder they couldn't be found before... Access to Hollow Zero required special clearance—even for the Bureau.
"Smells like a massacre... Commander Zhao, something's not right here." Kicking open a rusted iron door, Seth sniffed the air. As a Xiren with feline traits, his keen sense of smell instantly picked up the dense scent of blood.
The squad immediately entered high alert.
But as they moved deeper, what they found left them stunned—Mountain Lion Gang corpses covered the ground.
The blood hadn't even dried yet—meaning the massacre happened less than twelve hours ago. But what could have caused such carnage?
"This scene... reminds me of what happened to the Red Fang Gang," Zhao Anmen muttered, staring at the sea of corpses.
It was the same—despised criminal syndicate, slaughtered overnight, with no survivors.
Anyone familiar with both incidents would inevitably connect the dots.
And the one who had wiped out the Red Fangs, according to their intel, was most likely Uchiha.
If that assumption was right... then this, too, was likely his work.
"Stay alert. Look for survivors. No matter who did this, we need to identify them and understand their motive," Zhao ordered calmly.
There were no security cameras here. The only way to piece together what had happened was through the account of someone who lived to tell the tale.
The 30-plus elite officers split into five search teams.
Naturally, Zhu Yuan and Qing Yi were placed in the same squad, accompanied by the ever-eager Seth.
Seth was buzzing with excitement at the chance to respond to a major incident, while Qing Yi remained her usual laid-back self—like she hadn't even registered the gravity of the mission.
In fact, Zhu Yuan seemed to be the only one seriously observing their surroundings.
"Captain Zhu Yuan, the blood's thickest over there. Should we check it out?" Seth pointed toward a particularly gruesome area, his nose twitching.
With her approval, the group followed his lead to a rooftop platform.
There, they found more bodies than anywhere else. Blood coated the entire surface—some of it had even seeped into the floors below.
And by a wall not far off, they spotted a lone figure struggling to sit up.
As they rushed closer, they recognized her—Jane, the Bureau's undercover agent.
Finding a survivor filled the squad with hope. They immediately moved to restrain her, but after Zhu Yuan's quick explanation, the tension dissolved.
They administered first aid with whatever supplies they had on hand, and then brought her to Zhao Anmen.
They needed her account—to uncover what exactly had happened here that night.
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