Chapter 106 - 103: Slay the Wicked, Purge the Evil

Chapter 106: Chapter 103: Slay the Wicked, Purge the Evil

8:00 PM. The Imperial Capital, Anomaly Administration Bureau.

The Director’s Office.

Zhao Pengcheng locked the door, took out his phone, and dialed a number.

The call connected.

Zhao Pengcheng said obsequiously:

"Your Highness, everything with Bai Juzhi is proceeding smoothly. It’s just..."

A young man’s voice came from the other end of the line:

"What is it?"

Zhao Pengcheng said:

"Well... you know, dealing with Dusk is no small matter. The discretionary funds available to the Anomaly Administration Bureau aren’t quite enough."

The young man chuckled lightly:

"Fine. In one hour, a sum of money will be deposited into your overseas account."

Zhao Pengcheng’s eyes lit up:

"Then I must thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

The young man’s tone suddenly shifted:

"The Empress Dowager isn’t very pleased with your performance.

We’ve spent a lot of money on you over the years, but you haven’t produced anything of value.

Old Zhao, for the sake of our long-standing relationship, I have to remind you: don’t disappoint the Lady."

A cold sweat broke out on Zhao Pengcheng’s back, and he gave an awkward laugh:

"Rest assured, we’ve already made progress with Bai Juzhi.

In fact, he just mobilized the Human Skin Drum and the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse to the South Sea."

The young man laughed twice and hung up.

Zhao Pengcheng put down his phone, his expression turning grim:

’Once I’ve dealt with Dusk, what do I have to fear from you Taiping Dao?

When that time comes, I’ll be able to do whatever I want in the entire Xia Kingdom!

Pah! Empress Dowager, my ass! The Great Qing fell ages ago!’

A knock sounded at the door.

Zhao Pengcheng frowned:

"Who is it?"

"BOOM!"

The next second, the door was kicked open.

Zhao Pengcheng stared in astonishment at Cao Ye and the Investigators behind him:

"Are you insane?!"

Cao Ye said coldly:

"Zhao Pengcheng, you are suspected of serious violations of law and discipline. By order of the general..."

Cao Ye paused, a sinister smile touching his lips:

"Let’s skip the official talk. Welcome to Anomaly Prison."

Zhao Pengcheng’s eyes went wide:

"The... the general?"

Cao Ye said:

"Once you’re in Anomaly Prison, you’d better behave. And spill everything you know about Taiping Dao!"

Zhao Pengcheng shuddered:

"You... you... how did you know..."

Cao Ye walked up to Zhao Pengcheng, leaned down, and brought his face very close to Zhao’s:

"You old bastard, I’ve been putting up with you for a long time!"

Zhao Pengcheng snarled:

"Since you know about Taiping Dao and have already dropped all pretenses, I know I’m finished.

But do you have any idea what consequences this will cause?!

Let me go, let me live, and I’ll find a way to help you navigate your way through Taiping Dao!"

Cao Ye slapped Zhao Pengcheng across the face:

"You think I’d make a move on you without a backup plan?

Is this the first fucking day you’ve known me!?

Take him away! Put him through all thirty-two forms of torture at Anomaly Prison!"

...

「South Sea, Antique Shop Zero.」

Jiang Chaosheng sat behind the counter, reading a book.

Suddenly, there was a stir from his wrist.

The Shadowy Little Person jumped out and crawled up to Jiang Chaosheng’s ear, whispering a few words.

A smile touched the corners of Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes:

"Then you should go join in the fun, too.

Are you nervous about facing two Taboo Items?"

The Shadowy Little Person made an angry gesture:

"Sir, don’t you look down on me! I’m the Mistress’s most favored child!"

Jiang Chaosheng froze for a moment.

’Mistress?’

’Daji?’

...

「Night Bar.」

Over a hundred Investigators wearing gas masks were hidden in various corners nearby.

The Blue Whale Brigade, the Anomaly Administration Bureau’s ace combat division!

Leading them was a sturdy, muscular man.

Captain of the Blue Whale Brigade, Song Xianmin.

Song Xianmin glanced at his watch and frowned.

According to the plan, Li Mingyue should have been here by now to coordinate with their operation.

’Where has that girl run off to?’

Song Xianmin muttered:

"Rookies are so unreliable. I don’t get why Brother Ye thinks so highly of her."

Just then, Song Xianmin received a message on his phone.

It was a schematic of the Wolf Team’s defensive positions inside Night Bar, as well as the locations of the hostages.

A smile appeared on Song Xianmin’s lips:

"Good girl."

Song Xianmin stared intently at Night Bar:

"Our opponent this time is Bai Juzhi. Everyone be extremely cautious. Move out!"

...

「Night Bar, rooftop.」

Bai Juzhi stood there.

The wind was strong, ruffling his short hair.

Zhang Xiao’Er stood behind him, head bowed:

"Boss, what’s going on?"

Zhang Xiao’Er had followed Bai Juzhi for many years, but he had never seen him so dejected.

Bai Juzhi pursed his lips:

"Xiao’Er, I told you a long time ago that we wouldn’t have a good ending."

Zhang Xiao’Er said:

"Yes, you said that one day Zhao Pengcheng would get rid of us."

Kill the hounds after the hunt is over.

Bai Juzhi had explained this principle to him many times.

As Zhang Xiao’Er spoke, he clenched his fists:

"I just didn’t expect Zhao Pengcheng to make a move against us at such a critical moment."

Bai Juzhi turned back and said grimly:

"It wasn’t Zhao Pengcheng, it was Cao Ye. Zhao Pengcheng is probably finished."

Zhang Xiao’Er said in disbelief:

"How can that be! Didn’t you say he had powerful backing? That Cao Ye wouldn’t dare to touch him?"

Bai Juzhi pushed up his glasses:

"I’ve figured a lot of things out recently.

When that Investigator carrying news of Taiping Dao died at the Anomaly Administration Bureau, I thought it was strange.

It seems the so-called Taiping Dao was the one backing Zhao Pengcheng.

His ordering us to move against Dusk wasn’t because he overestimated his own strength, but because he had to do it.

Because only by making an irreconcilable enemy of Dusk would Dusk never cooperate with the Anomaly Administration Bureau.

As long as Dusk didn’t cooperate with the Bureau, Taiping Dao would always be his trump card.

To eliminate this variable, Zhao Pengcheng was willing to risk everything on a single throw.

Since Cao Ye has moved against Zhao Pengcheng, it means Dusk has already reached a cooperation agreement with the Anomaly Administration Bureau.

We’ve lost this time."

As Bai Juzhi spoke, he smiled bitterly:

"And here I was, dreaming of slaying a god. I never thought that god would simply give the Anomaly Administration Bureau a smile, and we’d end up dying here for it."

Zhang Xiao’Er said in a low voice:

"Then let’s fight our way out and go to Southeast Asia!

Boss, I have some good connections there, enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives!"

Bai Juzhi shook his head:

"You go. I can’t leave."

Zhang Xiao’Er cried out anxiously:

"Boss!"

Bai Juzhi looked up at the sky.

A helicopter carrying the Human Skin Drum and the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse was approaching.

Bai Juzhi took a photograph from his pocket.

In the photo, a beautiful Russian woman and a mixed-race girl were kissing a man’s cheeks from either side.

The man was smiling, shy but radiant.

It was a family portrait, taken when Bai Juzhi was still a middle school teacher and his wife was still alive.

Bai Juzhi rubbed the photo, murmuring:

"I still have a chance to win. Nakusha still has a chance to be resurrected."

Zhang Xiao’Er said:

"I’ll stay with you."

...

「Night Bar.」

Gunshots rang out continuously.

One after another, members of the Wolf Team were shot and killed by the Blue Whale Brigade.

A broad smile spread across Song Xianmin’s face:

"That girl is amazing."

Because Li Mingyue had mapped out Night Bar, the Blue Whale Brigade’s mission was going smoothly.

Caught completely off guard, the Wolf Team was wiped out in a short amount of time.

The waiter, Wang Qiang, and Wang Qiang’s family had all been rescued.

Unfortunately, the bar was littered with bodies, and many of the bar’s hostesses had been driven mad.

A look of hatred appeared in Song Xianmin’s eyes:

"Find Bai Juzhi! I’m gonna shoot him a hundred times!"

The Blue Whale Brigade members said nothing, methodically searching the various locations upstairs.

Suddenly, the sound of a drum echoed.

The drumming was strange. With every beat, it felt like a heavy blow to the hearts of the Blue Whale Brigade members.

Gradually, the heartbeats of the Blue Whale Brigade members began to synchronize.

Some were the first to succumb to the drum’s Enchantment, and they began to dance bizarrely on the spot.

Song Xianmin shouted in horror:

"It’s the Human Skin Drum! Block your hearing!"

The Investigators put on sound-proof headphones.

But the drumbeat was still just as loud, drilling straight into their minds.

...

「Rooftop, high in the air.」

Bai Juzhi sat on the Wooden Ox, tapping the drum at his waist with his left hand.

His own heartbeat began to change with the rhythm of the drum.

Bai Juzhi couldn’t perfectly control the Taboo Item; when using the Human Skin Drum, he himself was also harmed.

His expression was calm as he took out his phone with his right hand and dialed Cao Ye’s number.

The call connected.

Bai Juzhi said:

"Let’s cut the crap. I hold the lives of everyone in South Sea City in my hands."

A sigh came from the other end of the line:

"So we couldn’t stop those two Taboo Items after all.

If you want to escape with your life, I won’t stop you.

Leave the Human Skin Drum and the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse, and I’ll let you live."

Bai Juzhi sneered:

"Do you take me for an idiot?

Without these two items, I doubt I’d survive for ten minutes."

Cao Ye laughed:

"Hahaha, you get me, kid. You’re going to die today, and you won’t even get to leave any last words."

Bai Juzhi said:

"I won’t waste words either. Let me use the Mother-Child Coffin once, and I will kill myself."

Cao Ye said:

"You’re dreaming. Let me tell you the truth.

Zhao Pengcheng lied to you. The Mother-Child Coffin was tested long ago. It can’t bring the dead back to life.

What comes out of the Mother-Child Coffin is just a ghostly creature that looks exactly like your wife."

Bai Juzhi froze for a second, then his face twisted into a ferocious expression:

"I don’t believe you! You’re lying! I must use the Mother-Child Coffin!

Otherwise, everyone in the South Sea will hear the final, climactic beat of the Human Skin Drum!"

Just then, a lilting voice drifted up from the rooftop:

"Oh, who’s about to reach their climax?"

Bai Juzhi looked down.

On the rooftop platform, shadows converged, and a pale-faced man with smoky makeup crawled out from them, a mocking sneer on his face.

Bai Juzhi frowned:

"You’re the Happy Ghost?"

Several Ghost Hands sprouted from Yang Xiao’s back as he chuckled sinisterly:

"Weren’t you looking for me? Well, here I am."

Bai Juzhi’s expression turned extremely ugly.

’Is Dusk entering the game, too?’

Bai Juzhi calmed his uneasy heart and said coldly:

"I might not lose."

Yang Xiao suddenly clutched his stomach, letting out loud, mocking laughter:

"HAHAHAHAHA! You haven’t lost?

You’ve already lost, ever since the day you came to the South Sea."

Bai Juzhi frowned, not understanding Yang Xiao’s meaning.

Yang Xiao said:

"Do you remember?

You ordered the deaths of all the passengers on the Sea Train.

I’m not against cruelty and violence, mind you, but you had already lost starting that day."

Bai Juzhi scoffed:

"To complete the mission, what does it matter if a few useless commoners died?"

The mockery in Yang Xiao’s eyes grew stronger:

"Didn’t I tell you to properly investigate the passenger list of that train?"

Bai Juzhi didn’t understand what Yang Xiao meant.

Yang Xiao’s eyes widened in excitement:

"Did you know, there was a girl named Bai Tasha on that train.

Hehehe, and you ordered everyone to be killed!"