Chapter 066: Stirred
If he only had the address, Tang Mubai would still need to confirm the identity of the beastmen. He would have to get close to his target and listen to their heartbeats. But with the photos, that step was unnecessary. Tang Mubai could proceed directly to the kill!
Over a hundred beastmen— even without the motive of seizing the “bone bead,” such a harvest was already a great fortune!
…
After poring over the files for half a day, memorizing the addresses and the appearances of all the beastmen, Tang Mubai went to bed satisfied. Ah, he almost forgot to grant Grandpa Xu “Body Strengthening” and “Invigoration.” This cost him twenty years of lifespan— not much. In the last two days, killing beastmen and recycling their life force, he’d converted enough to accumulate over five hundred years of lifespan. Spending twenty years to grant Xu Dalu “Body Strengthening” and “Invigoration” was a trifling matter.
…
Though he went to sleep, Tang Mubai awoke with a start at three in the morning. He got out of bed, dressed, took his bow and arrows, and headed out straight for the East City Vegetable Wholesale Market.
This market was one of the seven beastmen hideouts!
At three in the morning, the city was still shrouded in darkness. The streets were deserted, not a soul in sight. When Tang Mubai drove near the market, he parked in a secluded corner. For the rest of the way, he used his lightfoot skill, “Soaring Over Grass,” to reach his target.
By the time he arrived, the market was already coming alive with busy figures. Several shops had already opened for the early trade. Tang Mubai located his target by address— outside a shop, several men were moving crates of vegetables.
Unnoticed by the others, he concealed himself in the shadows, bending his bow and nocking an arrow. From a distance, he confirmed the faces matched those in the photos he had studied. Without hesitation—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sharp arrows sliced through the night. Caught off guard, all the men carrying the vegetables were struck down without warning.
[Detected loss of life force. Recycle?]
“Yes!”
[Life force +156]
[Life force +174]
[Life force +161]
[Life force +180]
…
The notifications of recovered life force flashed through his mind. Tang Mubai darted from his hiding spot; before anyone in the other shops noticed, he rushed to a middle-aged man’s corpse, removed the “bone bead” from his neck, and melted into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.
…
Half past ten in the morning.
Wanjiahe Supermarket warehouse.
Tang Mubai stood atop a building a hundred meters from the warehouse, observing the activity within. After waiting ten minutes and confirming no one else was entering or leaving, nor was anyone nearby, he blurred into motion, leaping from the platform and streaking toward the warehouse.
Midair, he loosed several arrows, disabling the security cameras around the entrance. Without pausing at the door, he bent his bow, nocked arrows, and shot the seven men inside— some walking, some resting.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Nine arrows flew in quick succession, the sound slicing through the air with a chilling wail. Five of the men had no time to react; with a series of muffled thuds, they fell to the ground, dead.
[Detected loss of life force. Recycle?]
“Yes!”
[Life force +163]
[Life force +175]
[Life force +159]
[Life force +181]
[Life force +172]
…
“Roar!” “Roar!”
The remaining two men, shocked and furious, instantly transformed into beast form and charged at Tang Mubai, who wore a peaked cap.
Buzz—
A formless, terrifying pressure erupted, enveloping them both, pinning the two wolf-headed men in place, unable to move.
The next instant—
Thud! Thud!
Arrows whistled through the air, piercing the skulls of the wolf-headed men. Even in death, their eyes remained wide open, bloodshot with fury.
[Detected loss of life force. Recycle?]
“Yes!”
[Life force +175]
[Life force +168]
…
The notifications flickered through his mind. Tang Mubai stowed his bow and arrows, approached the lean corpse of one man, and removed the “bone bead” hanging from his neck.
Then, moving rapidly, he left the warehouse, using his lightfoot skill to vanish in an instant.
…
Ten o’clock that night.
Wulong Cinema.
After watching a movie, Tang Mubai exited the screening room with the crowd, made a stop at the restroom, then pulled on his peaked cap and wandered the theater. As he brushed past a middle-aged man, he suddenly unleashed his oppressive aura, immobilizing the man, who was then completely under Tang Mubai’s control as he slung an arm around his shoulder and steered him toward the exit.
“Chief, where are you going?” a security guard not far away called out loudly as he noticed.
“What’s wrong?” Two staff members nearby turned at the sound.
“The chief just left with someone,” the security guard said, frowning.
“Left? Is something wrong with him?” one staffer asked in confusion.
“Maybe he’s got something to do. Let’s just mind our own work,” another guessed.
“No, something’s not right!” the guard said in a low voice. “The chief looked off— like he was being forced to walk!”
“What?” The two staffers were startled. “The chief was being dragged away? How could that be?”
“It doesn’t matter how— let’s hurry and go after them!” the guard barked, breaking into a run.
The two staffers followed at once, hurrying out of the cinema. Outside, they scanned the surroundings.
Soon, they spotted Tang Mubai with his arm around the middle-aged man, heading into a nearby alley.
“There!”
With a shout, the security guard sprinted over, the two staffers close behind, preparing themselves as they ran.
As they entered the alley, before they could even see the situation clearly—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three sharp sounds split the air. The security guard and the two staffers were struck in the head, dead before they hit the ground.
[Detected loss of life force. Recycle?]
“Yes!”
[Life force +159]
[Life force +172]
[Life force +184]
…
“So easy to fool.”
Stowing his bow and arrows, Tang Mubai shook his head, removed the “bone bead” from the neck of the man he had already killed, and melted into the darkness.
…
Within a single day, he had swept through three hideouts, slain over a dozen beastmen, and seized three “bone beads.”
Such a harvest could only be called bountiful.
But the “Red Lake Group” and the other beastmen were now alarmed!
Red Lake Tower.
In a spacious office, a burly man over two meters tall with an imposing presence glared angrily at a middle-aged man in a black suit, his eyes wide and fierce. In a low growl, he demanded, “Vice Chairman Wang, what the hell are your people doing? They leaked the locations of our people, and more than a dozen of us are dead because of it! You owe me an explanation!”
“We are deeply ashamed— it was indeed our mistake,” the middle-aged man replied calmly. “Rest assured, Commander Lang, we will make amends. But before that, we must do one thing: find the killer who lurks in the shadows, hunting our people down!”