Chapter 4: The Raid

Just at this moment, a message arrived from Yin Haitao: he had located Zhao Wenbin, and now several plainclothes officers were already following Zhao Wenbin. Upon hearing this, Li Mingxing immediately recalled the appearance of the policeman who had previously come to his house and asked Yin Haitao if such a person was among them. After thinking it over, Yin Haitao confirmed that this policeman was indeed part of the group, so Li Mingxing ordered Yin Haitao to have someone keep watch on him.

Meanwhile, back at the villa where Li Mingxing had attended the ball, the man who had asked him for help was laughing and chatting with a rather adorable young woman. Yet their moment of warmth was abruptly interrupted by a rapid knocking at the door. The man frowned and shouted, “Uncle Fu, didn’t I say no one should disturb me while I’m talking with my sister?”

“But young master, there are police outside—and they’re all plainclothes,” Uncle Fu’s voice came from beyond the door, and the knocking ceased.

“What’s going on? Usually, the police never come here,” the man said, rising to his feet.

“It seems that the street killer from some time ago has suddenly appeared again and is heading this way. So the police have come to check things out,” Uncle Fu explained softly.

“That’s just an excuse,” the man said loudly. “They’ve never stopped trying to gather information about our villa. Send word—keep all the police outside. Even if the killer does break in, our brothers will deal with him ourselves.”

“But the master said before he left that we should avoid provoking the police if we can,” Uncle Fu’s voice hesitated.

“I know, but now they’ve come to us. If we don’t act firmly, what if they discover something?” the man insisted.

The young woman, who had been speaking with the man, chimed in, “Uncle Fu, if you won’t listen to my brother, then listen to me. Just drive the police away.”

“Very well, I’ll handle it. But young master, you should be cautious these days; don’t give the killer any opportunity.”

“What opportunity could he find? He killed out of impulse; breaking through your defenses is a long shot,” the man said with confidence.

The young woman gazed at him, saying, “Brother, you’re incredible. You see through everything.”

At this moment, Zhao Wenbin was unaware of what had happened. He had just received a call from Li Mingxing, informing him that the police were watching him. For now, he couldn’t return to the neighborhood where Li Mingxing was staying, so he was told to head toward the villa, where Li Mingxing would try to draw the police away.

Zhao Wenbin could only trust Li Mingxing’s words. Fortunately, this was a villa cluster on the outskirts, and the police might not dare enter, which made Zhao Wenbin feel much safer.

After following the route Li Mingxing guided him along for a while, Zhao Wenbin noticed something was off. The guards here were far more formidable than any fierce demon slave he’d ever encountered, and there were at least a hundred of them.

Though he hadn’t entered their defensive perimeter, they still watched him closely. Had there not been so many police following behind, Zhao Wenbin would have left immediately.

As the pressure became unbearable, one of the bodyguards suddenly called out, “Hey kid, go any further and you’ll be in a private area. If you don’t want to die, you’d better leave now.”

Zhao Wenbin hesitated, smiled, and was about to speak when the bodyguard continued, “I know what you’re trying to do, but we can’t help you. Move along; we’ll handle the police.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wenbin finally turned and headed back in the direction he’d come from. After walking for a bit, he saw several cars pull up to where he’d just been standing. A few upright-looking men jumped out.

Zhao Wenbin quickly hid behind a nearby boulder, secretly watching the newcomers converse with the bodyguards.

Soon, Zhao Wenbin noticed that among the plainclothes officers, one of them seemed odd—as if some power was hidden within him.

“Did you notice something wrong?” A voice sounded nearby.

Turning, Zhao Wenbin found Li Mingxing, dressed in a black robe and mask, calmly gazing at him. Suddenly, Zhao Wenbin seemed to understand something and pointed at Li Mingxing, “That person is…”

“Not me, but someone you drew out. The power within him is simple—it’s been strengthened by entering their purification pool with incandescent stones. If he saw you, he’d feel the same,” Li Mingxing said coolly.

“Incandescent stones? Sir, are you saying he’s a follower of the light?” Zhao Wenbin, quick-witted, grasped the situation.

“Yes. Originally, I wanted to see if he could lead us to his hero. But after investigating, I found he’d neither taken leave nor disappeared, meaning he’s a follower active in the real world. Given the urgency of my mission, I won’t hold back any longer,” Li Mingxing said blandly.

As he spoke, Li Mingxing drew a curved blade, its cold gleam and green coating revealing its deadly poison.

“Sir, are you going to act yourself?” Zhao Wenbin asked cautiously, eyeing the blade.

“I know what you’re worried about, but rest assured—even if I act, no one will know who I am or what I look like,” Li Mingxing replied with utmost confidence.

“But with your clothes and mask, it’s almost as if you’re not disguised at all.”

No sooner had Zhao Wenbin finished speaking than a thick smoke billowed from Li Mingxing’s robes, enveloping his entire body. In moments, even Zhao Wenbin could no longer discern his height or build.

The negotiations between the police and bodyguards concluded, and, having gained nothing, the police boarded their vehicles to leave.

The policeman whom Li Mingxing had targeted angrily said something to the bodyguards. As he was about to get into the car, he suddenly sensed something amiss. A jet-black mist surged toward him.

Without hesitation, he drew his pistol and fired three shots into the black fog. Yet the mist didn’t slow; instead, it pressed right up to him.

Just as he tried to step back, he felt a chill at his waist—a flash of a blade, and a gash opened across his side.

His face turned green, and he stood frozen, unable to move. The attack was so sudden that neither the police already in their cars nor the bodyguards outside the villa reacted.

By the time they drew their weapons and prepared to shoot at the black mist, it had already enveloped the policeman and darted away toward the forest.

Not far from there, the policeman was tossed out, tumbling across the ground until he lay still. He was dead.

But everyone saw that something was wrong with his corpse. His body had shrunk significantly, his gray-black suit had transformed into a green leafy outfit, and atop his head was a large hat.

Anyone familiar with Western legends would recognize his appearance as that of a leprechaun from fairy tales, the keeper of luck.

Such a transformation naturally sapped the will to pursue the black mist from both police and bodyguards. They all gathered around the fallen officer, debating whether to take the body to the station or leave it for the bodyguards to study.

While they argued, the villa’s master—the man who had hired Li Mingxing—came out. He approached the corpse, glanced at it, and said offhandedly, “We don’t want this. You can take it, but I doubt it’ll last long in your station. If you want to study it, you’d better act quickly.”

“What’s the point of studying this?” one of the policemen protested loudly.

The man glanced at him, realizing he was just an ordinary officer in his twenties, likely ignorant of the situation. He ignored him, and instead turned to his bodyguards. “That person was strong—he took three bullets without harm. His power surpasses yours, so you need to tighten security. By the way, where’s the killer who came earlier? Go find him.”

“He went over there—right where the black mist appeared,” a bodyguard replied. “Young master, do you think the black mist could be…”

“It’s possible. There are methods that trade lives for power, and if the policeman pushed him too far, he might have forced himself to grow stronger and kill,” the man nodded. “But what’s with the policeman? Never mind, let’s not concern ourselves. Take the body away, and don’t come back here again.”

With that, the man returned to his villa. As he entered, he glanced at the spot where Zhao Wenbin was hiding.