Chapter 42: Chapter 38 Dark World
In the darkness, the riotous crowd scattered, yet the resistance did not cease.
As the suppressive troops walked the streets, knives, stones, and scalding water were hurled at them from above.
Some had guns, taking aim in the dark, sniping at those resisting the brutality.
In an alley, several members of the Law Enforcement Team fired continuously ahead, the sound of gunfire never stopping, and one by one, people fell amidst pools of blood. A woman huddled in the corner, trembling, peeked out her head to look at the approaching enforcers and cried, “I didn’t do anything.”
“Bang.” A gunshot blasted her head.
Sounds came from behind; they turned and saw a black figure dart towards them like lightning.
“Bang, bang, bang…” they fired their guns in rapid succession, but it was as if shooting into the air as the figure reached them in the blink of an eye. A streak of black lightning passed through and with a splurch, several bodies fell simultaneously, severed.
Xu Mo’s perception spread, covering the surrounding area as he walked toward another location.
With his powerful perception, the night belonged to him, his battleground.
Moreover, Master Batu’s set of Source Power Armor and War Saber, possibly on the same level as ‘Secretary Jin’, could ignore bullet attacks. Ordinary guns posed no threat to him.
This was a hunt in the dark.
Before long, in another area, two figures clad in black and white Armor walked down the street, with numerous dismembered bodies beside them, all ‘thugs’. They continued forward, clearing out the ‘thugs’ that emerged.
“Buzz!” A figure suddenly rushed out from the side alley, and the two turned sharply.
“Splurch…” One’s gun was sliced in half at the grip, the black War Saber, coursing with black lightning, struck the mottled gray and white Armor.
The Armor emitted a crisp tearing sound and was cleaved open. The War Saber split the wearer’s body, blood splattering.
Xu Mo did not stop his movement; the War Saber swept a curve toward the other, blue light struck Xu Mo’s body, but still, his blade met the opponent’s neck.
“Bang!”
Xu Mo took a small step back and glanced down at his Armor, glowing with energy light, still unshaken, though its energy had depleted somewhat.
Without this Armor, Xu Mo wouldn’t have been so impulsive.
Xu Mo looked up in the direction not far away, toward the market’s location. Outside the market, it seemed people were continually going in, with intense sounds emanating from within.
Clearly, there was gunfire inside the market.
Even, Xu Mo heard the sound of a violent explosion.
There were bombs in the market.
Who exactly was Qin Zhong?
How long had he prepared for this plan, and what was its purpose?
Ye Qingdie and the others were cultivated by Qin Zhong, suggesting many weapons were provided by him, even though they weren’t high-end. It still proved his access to resources.
Was Qin Zhong also one of those at the top?
A figure emerged from the market, removed a helmet, and coughed up fresh blood, pale-faced—it was Secretary Jin.
His Armor no longer had power.
He was defeated, thoroughly and utterly.
This was his last chance, a chance to turn things around if he could capture Qin Zhong.
He joined the suppressive force that invaded the market but encountered strong resistance.
To say nothing about capturing Qin Zhong, he did not even lay eyes on him.
Secretary Jin suddenly found himself ridiculous, having never taken Qin Zhong seriously, just a dog in his eyes.
But now, the dog had bitten a person.
Not only had it bitten him, but it could also take his life.
Gazing into the market, Secretary Jin’s eyes filled with hatred, but it was meaningless now.
He thought about charging in recklessly, but there was no time left.
Time was up.
With that thought, Secretary Jin dragged his weary body back the way he came.
He was going home.
Secretary Jin hurried home, running.
As he passed by, a dark figure followed from afar. Secretary Jin did not notice, lacking the powerful perception of Xu Mo.
Xu Mo held his War Saber tightly in hand, like a hunter in the dark, quietly following; he did not rush to act.
The last time they fought, Secretary Jin’s oppressive force was too great, Xu Mo was uncertain about both the opponent’s remaining Combat Power and his own chances of victory.
If he wasn’t mistaken, Secretary Jin was the one who had ordered Cobra to kill ‘his’ entire family.
Cobra was his subordinate, and the Law Enforcement Team also obeyed his commands.
Elsa’s father, a member of the Federation Council.
Before, he would have been considered a ‘big shot’ in the Dark World.
Secretary Jin arrived at his front door, where it was dark inside. This area was relatively a wealthy district, with fewer riots and fairly calm.
Secretary Jin breathed a sigh of relief, opened the door, and walked into the room, turning on the light.
At the moment the light flickered on, Secretary Jin’s heart seized.
On the sofa, a figure sat quietly. This figure also wore Armor but no helmet. Secretary Jin recognized him.
His wife and daughter were kneeling on the floor, bound and gagged, with a man holding a gun to them.
Xu Mo saw the situation inside; he approached silently, his perception seeping inside.
“Secretary Jin.”
The figure sitting on the sofa looked towards Secretary Jin as he walked into the room and said, “Do you know what you’ve done?”
“They don’t know anything,” Secretary Jin, with a pale face, said to the figure on the sofa.
The person on the sofa continued, the tone icy cold, “The Councilman is very disappointed in you.”
Secretary Jin’s body shook slightly and he said, “Can you spare them? They are innocent.”
“Finish it yourself,” the person calmly said.
Secretary Jin was overwhelmed with intense sorrow.
He was so close, just one more batch of tasks and he would have been able to leave, to go to the world above. Why did these things happen?
He knew he was bound to die.
“Elsa,” Secretary Jin showed a pained expression, looking at his daughter and his beloved wife.
He loved them more than he loved himself.
He had worked hard all his life for them; he knew all too well that the Underworld was purgatory.
Even he existed in the midst of Purgatory; he wanted out.
For that, he was willing to pay any price.
Even, losing his conscience.
But in the end, what did he receive?
Was this retribution?
He wanted to rebel; he knew that the other party might not spare his wife and daughter.
But he didn’t dare, for rebellion meant all possibility would be lost.
Moreover, the other’s strength was not beneath his own, so rebellion was meaningless; in his current state, he only had the path of death as well.
“Spare them,” Secretary Jin took out a gun, aimed it at his own head. He wanted to trade for that last sliver of possibility.
“Whimper…” his wife and Elsa sobbed, tears streaming down incessantly, as they frantically shook their heads.
Secretary Jin also started to cry as he looked at them.
In that moment, many memories flashed through his mind.
When Elsa was young, he took her everywhere to play and chase around.
When Elsa was small, her mother accompanied her to study and write, and he would watch quietly from the side.
Latter, Elsa grew up; she learned music, and he loved to listen to her play music together with his wife, quietly. That feeling was truly beautiful.
Everything was over!
“I’m sorry,” Secretary Jin apologized to his wife and Elsa.
“Bang.”
A gunshot echoed, Secretary Jin’s body fell, ending his filthy life.
“Whimper…” His wife and Elsa were wracked with pain, struggling to approach, their faces wet with tears.
The figure on the sofa removed the cloth from their mouths, and both women burst out crying.
“Dad,” Elsa knelt down towards the body, her voice filled with despair; she had never felt such desperation before.
“Why did this happen?” Elsa’s mother angrily stared at the figure on the sofa.
That person glanced at her, mocking, “Sooner or later, this day would come; it’s just sooner than expected.”
When Secretary Jin chose this path, everything was already fated; it was his destiny.
Wanting to leave for the world above?
That was nothing more than a beautiful dream.
“However, Secretary Jin did know how to enjoy,” he stared at the woman and Elsa, a hint of desire flashing in his eyes. However, he suppressed it.
“Clean up and let’s go,” he said coldly, heading towards the door, while another person took off Secretary Jin’s Armor and packed it up. Then he dragged the two women out, Elsa struggled towards Secretary Jin’s body, but it was useless; she was dragged out.
The Armor-clad figure walked out the door into the dark night. With the dim night around him, he prepared to put on his helmet.
Just then, a brilliant light appeared in the darkness, the light of a blade.
“Splurch…”
Blood splattered as his head was severed, he was killed in one strike.
The man following behind him changed color in fright, letting go of Elsa and her mother, reaching for his gun.
But it was too late. A dark figure appeared, the deathly light of a blade fell, and it struck the top of his head, cutting downward, a blood mark appeared, and his body fell as well.
Even the murderer did not know who had killed them.
Elsa and her mother stood frozen in place, Xu Mo in black Armor appeared before her. But she did not recognize him; she could only see a pair of pitch-black eyes.
Xu Mo glanced at her before stripping the Armor from the man and then took Secretary Jin’s Armor, cutting through the ropes binding Elsa.
Without delay, Xu Mo turned around and left.
Since Secretary Jin was already dead, Xu Mo had come just for him.
In the night, Xu Mo felt a wave of chilliness, and a strong sense of sorrow welled up inside him.
The ‘big shot’ Secretary Jin’s fate was equally tragic; even if this incident hadn’t occurred, his fate would have been the same. How sorrowful was that?
What kind of Dark World was this?
A world without hope!