Chapter 22: Unexpected News

Although Ryuzhi believed the administrators of this district surely had plans for its future development, and he was also willing to trust the responsiveness of the common people—after all, he had seen it himself: around the perimeter of a newly constructed residential complex, the most frequently appearing storefronts were always those of renovation material suppliers.

Once the complex was mostly occupied, these suppliers would vanish as abruptly as they had appeared.

However, the porters before him clearly saw the changes taking place here yet showed no urgency, and the people around them seemed entirely unfazed. This naturally stirred a sliver of doubt in Ryuzhi. Ralph had been hinting all along that there was smuggling happening here, but could it be that their smuggling had reached such a brazen level?

This realization darkened Ryuzhi’s expression. It wasn’t that he had any particular aversion to smugglers, but rather that something felt off. He had a nagging sensation that the situation was a trap, as if someone were baiting the area to attract all sorts of destabilizing elements.

This thought left Ryuzhi quite irritated. Had it not been for the matter of the worker on Golden Scissors Street, he would have turned around and gone straight back to his Palace of the Underworld, leaving this chaos to whoever cared to deal with it.

But considering that the vengeful spirit born from that worker would break through the spatial barrier of the underworld in about three weeks, Ryuzhi was forced to head toward the 11th Precinct of the Brunel District Police.

The 11th Precinct was situated on the left side of the road. Compared to the houses he had seen along the way, the station occupied a significant amount of space, spanning half a city block. Many snails were parked in front of the station, and the number of them indicated that the precinct was well-staffed.

Pushing open the louvered door of the precinct, Ryuzhi hadn’t even stepped inside when a voice called out: "You, yes you, take that raincoat off outside."

Ryuzhi looked up and saw a row of nails driven into the outer wall, with several lackluster raincoats hanging from them.

Ryuzhi paused, realizing this was likely where outsiders were expected to hang their gear, as it had been raining along the way and most people preferred not to track water inside.

Not bothering to explain that his garment wasn't a standard raincoat, he simply removed his scale-leather coat and hung it on an empty nail.

Just as he was about to enter the precinct, a man walked out.

The man was dressed like a porter, wearing a practical short-sleeved outfit that exposed the muscles of his upper body. His dark skin looked as if it had been coated in oil, and a look of disdain was plastered across his face as he swaggered out with an arrogant, unbothered gait.

After stepping out, he naturally headed for the wall where the coats were hung and picked up the one Ryuzhi had just left.

"Wait, that coat is mine."

Ryuzhi called out to the fellow immediately.

The man turned his head to glance at Ryuzhi with contempt, then sneered, "You say it's yours, so it's yours? If you're so capable, call out to it and see if it answers."

With a sharp *ding*, a rapier tip pressed against the center of the man's forehead, followed by Ryuzhi’s cold, chilling voice: "It will answer. If you don't believe me, listen... do you hear it now?"

The man was startled by Ryuzhi’s demeanor, but he quickly remembered where he was. He forced his head up, pressing his forehead against Ryuzhi’s blade, and retorted, "I didn't hear a thing. By the way, if you're so tough, make it say it again."

Ryuzhi had never met someone so determined to die. With a flick of his wrist, the rapier sliced a line across the man's face.

The man seized the opportunity, retreating a step while clutching the wound on his face, and pointed at Ryuzhi. "I'm one of Black-Armor Sean’s men! You dare lay a hand on me? Tonight, our boss will drag you off to fill a silt pit!"

Ryuzhi had been hesitating, but hearing this, he stepped forward, using the tip of his rapier to hook the man’s chin and force it upward.

"Go on, say it again. Tell me what happens if you offend me."

At that moment, several officers rushed out of the precinct, brandishing bone-made batons, ready to strike at Ryuzhi.

Ryuzhi lifted his left hand, sweeping his Staff of Death backward. The sun crystal atop the staff served to verify his status.

Just then, another voice came from inside the precinct: "Is being an 'extraordinary' so impressive? Does it give you the right to kill people in front of a police station?"

Ryuzhi didn't even bother looking back. He had arrived with the precinct chief, Ralph, and this was clearly not Ralph’s voice. Ryuzhi had no need to concern himself with whoever was coming out.

He said calmly, "Repeat what you just said."

The man finally realized he had kicked a steel plate. Trembling, he stammered, "I'm one of Black-Armor Sean’s men. You dare lay a hand on me? You're a dead man."

"No, that's not what you said before. Repeat the earlier part." Ryuzhi applied pressure, and the tip of his blade pierced the man’s chin.

"I said, I said... I said that tonight our boss would drag you off to fill a silt pit."

"Do you do this often?" Ryuzhi asked.

At this point, the voice that had tried to stop him roared, "Enough! Matters of public order are handled by this station. I now suspect you of serious violations of the Extraordinary Management Ordinance. Come inside and we’ll have a talk."

"I don't think I can go in. You have your business, and I have mine. Tell me, does this 'Sean' character kill people often?"

"I, I really don't... I can't say." Feeling the force of the blade tip against his chin, the man finally spoke.

"I said enough! You few, grab him! Who gave you the nerve to act like this in front of a police station?"

Ryuzhi turned around then. He saw a man in his thirties speaking, his hands encased in metallic gauntlets. It was evident that his strength exceeded that of a normal human.

"I'd also like to know who gave you the nerve to drag people off to fill silt pits."

As Ryuzhi spoke, his aura surged, forcing the man back a few steps. Realizing he had lost face, the man shouted, "If no body is found, then no one is dead!"

"That is your version of it. For us, if someone dies and no body is found, it means a Blood-Servant has infiltrated the city. By the way, I forgot to mention—I am the mortician for this district. We will meet again when I come to send you on your way."