Chapter 23: Chapter 19 The Bloodstained Knife
The lights continued to flicker incessantly, the crackling sound of electricity resounded constantly, and under the flickering lights, the man with the knife and the middle-aged man in leather armor both saw the Magician’s assistant fall.
In this eerie atmosphere, Xu Mo stood there like a ghost, holding a blood-stained weapon.
The knife-wielding man’s reaction was quick. Under the flickering lights, he could vaguely see Xu Mo’s position, and he lunged forward with the electric knife in his hand slashing down towards Xu Mo.
“Sizzle…” The electricity above turned into a lightning bolt, illuminating the darkness, stinging the eyes, and directly striking the man with the knife. The current coursed through his body, causing him to twitch, but the momentum of the knife remained and continued to slash towards Xu Mo.
This knife was as fast as lightning, carrying an electric glow. Being hit by this would surely be fatal, but in this eerie environment, Xu Mo seemed to have eyes on the side of his head. He moved forward and sideways at an almost perfect angle to avoid the slash. At the same time, he used all his strength to fling the weapon in his right hand straight at the man’s throat.
Though the electricity couldn’t harm the knife-wielder, it at least numbed his reactions. The momentum of his forward thrust was unstoppable, and the flung weapon pierced his throat with terrifying force. The knife-wielder’s eyes widened as he stared forward, the electric knife falling to the ground from his hands, which were clutching the weapon protruding from his throat, bleeding profusely. It seemed to be a hidden weapon with extremely sharp edges on all four sides, embedded deeply into his throat.
He wanted to speak but couldn’t utter a word. He staggered backward a few steps before collapsing to the ground.
At this moment, the lights had dimmed, and only a faint light from outside the church streamed in, casting blurry shadows.
Uncle Fang looked at Xu Mo’s silhouette, feeling a sense of unreality. Was this the boy he met on the street? He seemed born to be an assassin, cold and ruthless, killing with a single blow.
He recognized the hidden weapon; it was the same as the one he saw in the black market’s hunter. He now knew who Xu Mo was but hadn’t expected the hunter to be so young.
“Finished?” A figure emerged from the end of the corridor; it was the Priest. In the backlit environment, he could vaguely see a dark shape standing there but couldn’t discern who it was.
“Yes.” Xu Mo responded and picked up the knife from the ground, walking toward the Priest. The Priest saw the shadow coming closer and, under the faint light, realized it was not the knife-wielder.
“Who are you…” The Priest’s expression changed slightly, intending to flee, but Xu Mo suddenly accelerated, his hand grasping the Priest’s face and slamming it against the corridor wall.
“Slash!”
The knife cut across the Priest’s throat. The Priest held his throat with both hands, his eyes filled with intense fear, and his body convulsed incessantly. At that moment, Xu Mo resembled the Grim Reaper.
“God wants to see you.” Xu Mo whispered in the Priest’s ear, then let go, and the Priest’s body slumped to the floor, his eyes still open.
Xu Mo turned to leave, stopping in front of a room. He turned to look inside.
Su Xi had immediately run into the room and locked the door.
The room had a wooden door, and Xu Mo stabbed through it with his knife.
The blade was very sharp, piercing through directly. Inside, Su Xi’s terrified screams echoed.
The knife seemed to have eyes, cutting through the door lock in a C-shape. The lock fell off, and Xu Mo pushed open the door.
Su Xi screamed in terror. When she saw the figure entering, she stopped screaming as she recognized Xu Mo.
Under her suspicious gaze, Xu Mo walked forward, clasped her mouth with his hand, and lightly slit her throat with the knife. He then stepped back, avoiding the blood splatter.
Su Xi stared at Xu Mo in terror, clutching her throat as she fell. Who was the real thug?
After finishing, Xu Mo returned to the original spot, dropping the knife beside the knife-wielding man. He then whispered into the ear of the still-present Uncle Fang, “Who were they?”
Uncle Fang, extremely weak, seemed to be waiting for Xu Mo. Upon hearing the question, he smiled faintly, showing no fear of death.
He knew he had met his match.
Uncle Fang reached into his bosom with his left hand and pulled out a dagger, handing it to Xu Mo, whispering, “Black Market No. 425, find Sister Butterfly.”
Xu Mo took the dagger, and Uncle Fang whispered, “Everything here was my doing. You should go back to your room.”
With that, Uncle Fang walked toward the stairs.
Xu Mo didn’t leave, still standing in the corridor, watching Uncle Fang’s retreating figure. He sensed that people were already surrounding the church outside.
He knew Uncle Fang wouldn’t survive.
Standing still, his gaze seemed to follow Uncle Fang as he descended the stairs toward the church’s exit. Before he could leave, guns aimed at him; the Law Enforcement Team had arrived.
Seeing this, Uncle Fang paused for a moment, then continued to walk forward with a smile, his weak steps firm.
Gunfire erupted, multiple bullets hitting Uncle Fang, shattering his resolute face. His body fell straight down.
In his final moment, Uncle Fang looked up at the artificial lights above, as if he saw the ‘light’!
Xu Mo retrieved his hidden weapon from the throat of a corpse and walked down the corridor. The silence was eerie, and faint sobs could be heard from the rooms.
His footsteps were light. He went to the bathroom to wash the blood off his hands and hidden weapon, then returned to the room. Mia, though puzzled, didn’t ask where Xu Mo had been. As for other eyewitnesses, they were already dead.
……
Outside the church, a crowd had gathered. People from all over the main city had rushed over, filled with intense anger at the news they had somehow received.
Recently, there had been several trafficking incidents in the main city. Who would’ve thought the hideout was a holy church? Seeing the ragged children emerge from the church, their fury reached a peak. Some even cursed the city’s rulers, questioning how such things could happen under their noses.
The crowd, held back by the Law Enforcement Team and City Guards from the Underground City, wasn’t allowed into the church.
At the church entrance, the Law Enforcement Captain, Song Si, held a long smoking pipe, his gaze sweeping over the noisy crowd, eyes filled with disdain.
As Irina walked out of the church, Song Si handed his pipe to a subordinate, straightened his clothes, and approached her with a smile, bowing respectfully, “Ms. Irina, sorry for the fright.”
Behind Irina, people continued to file out, including many children. They were in ragged clothes, some even blood-stained. Their eyes were hollow, fearful of everything outside.
Irina’s face was icy, her eyes burning with anger as she glared at Song Si, “Why did this happen in the Underground City Main City’s church?”
“It was my negligence. One thug has been killed, two others fled. We’re hunting them down with all our might,” Song Si answered.
“I’m not talking about them.” Irina’s voice was cold, “You should investigate everyone in the church thoroughly.”
“Rest assured, Miss Irina, everyone here has been taken into custody.” Song Si glanced at some people behind Irina, “And them, should they be investigated?”
“Those attending the concert are all victims. If you need statements, you can ask me. I witnessed everything,” Irina said.
“Yes, Miss Irina.” Song Si nodded.
“And these children, help them find their parents,” Irina said, looking at the children. She seemed to have learned about the dark secrets hidden in the church.
“Of course.” Song Si kept bowing.
Xu Mo and the others also walked out. Su Xi’s body was carried out; she was the only performer who died, her throat slit by those knife-wielding thugs.
The accompanying women covered their mouths in shock. Mia looked complicated. Was Su Xi the only one who died? When the thugs appeared, Su Xi had pushed her, almost getting her and Xu Mo killed.
“Elsa, let’s go back,” Mia said to Elsa. She didn’t want to stay there any longer.
“Yes.” Elsa nodded.
“Miss Mia!” Irina called out, and Mia turned to look at her.
“Apologies for the concert, Miss Mia. I hope to hear your music again someday,” Irina apologized.
“It’s not your fault, Miss Irina. There will be another chance,” Mia responded.
“Yes.” Irina nodded and handed her a card, “If you ever need anything, come find me.”
Mia took a look but accepted it politely, “Thank you.”
“Goodbye.” Irina smiled and nodded.
She glanced at Xu Mo beside Mia.
“Goodbye, Miss Irina,” Mia responded. Then, they walked toward their carriage, now including Ah Tai’s daughter. Xu Mo planned to take her home to her mother.
The carriage left the church crowd.
The ride was silent. Mia and Elsa remained solemn, still shaken by the day’s events.
“Ah Xin,” a voice called as a woman ran towards them.
“Mom!” the girl beside Xu Mo shouted.
“Stop,” Xu Mo ordered. The girl jumped from the carriage to her mother, and they embraced, crying.
“I’ve been looking for you,” the woman sobbed. Ah Xin had been lost in the main city, so she stayed, rushing to the church when she learned what happened.
Xu Mo stood nearby, listening, feeling a pang of sorrow.
“Mom, Brother Xu Mo knows Dad,” Ah Xin said, looking at Xu Mo.
The woman turned to Xu Mo, “Do you know where Ah Tai is?”
Xu Mo didn’t answer. He handed her a folded garment, “Don’t let anyone see. Live well with Ah Xin.”
He then ruffled Ah Xin’s hair and returned to the carriage, “Let’s go.”
The woman watched him leave, understanding. She peeked at the garment, then quickly refolded it, and bowed as the carriage left.
In the carriage, Elsa and Mia watched Xu Mo curiously. What needed to be wrapped in his new clothes?
But they didn’t ask. Today’s events had changed their view of him.
“Brother, does Ah Xin have no father, like Yaoer?” Yaoer asked innocently.
“You have me, Yaoer,” Xu Mo said, hugging the girl. She leaned into him, smiling sweetly!
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