“What is this!” The idler exclaimed in shock. Due to the lack of light, broad-leaved forests were rare on the desolate plains of the Eternal Night Continent, let alone in cities. He had never seen such a scene of falling leaves before. In his surprise, he instinctively reached out to catch one. But the leaf went right through his fingers, like an illusion.
Still bewildered and not understanding what was happening, the idler watched in horror as his fingers started to fall off one by one! Before the pain even registered, he realized it wasn’t an illusion. Could it be primal force? Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he looked up in terror to see countless leaves still falling from the sky! A wave of excruciating pain swept over him, dragging him into darkness.
The leaves fell like rain, and when they landed on people, they bloomed into brilliant red flowers. These idlers managed only short, agonized screams before collapsing to the ground.
Blood began to flow in the silent alley.
Song Zining continued forward, his boots making splashing sounds as if walking on water, but what he trod on was blood.
Finally, Song Zining reached the vermilion gate of the grand residence, knocked on the door knocker, and waited quietly.
After a moment, the door creaked open slightly, revealing a surly old servant. “Didn’t we tell you to handle your own affairs?” he grumbled.
Song Zining, still smiling, replied, “I don’t think anyone told me that. Besides, I’m here to see Chen Guangyu tonight.”
The servant snarled, “Do you think you can just meet my master whenever you want?” He glanced outside, looking for something, and when he saw no movement, his face changed. He turned back and opened his mouth to shout.
But Song Zining merely smiled. At that moment, a leaf appeared out of nowhere and sliced across the servant’s throat. The old man clutched his neck, staring at Song Zining, unable to utter a word.
Song Zining walked through the house, passing through two flower gates, and arrived at the study. The two servants standing outside barely had time to look up before they too clasped their throats and fell. Along the path, there lay more than ten corpses, all with their throats cut.
Song Zining calmly pushed the study door open.
An elderly man sat inside, his head bowed, saying, “Didn’t I order no one to disturb me?”
“Perhaps I must,” Song Zining replied, always so gentle.
Hearing the stranger’s voice, the old man started, stammering, “Who… who are you?”
Song Zining crossed the room, sat down opposite the old man, and said, “Someone here to make a deal with you.”
“How did you get in here? Someone!”
The old man shouted, but there was no response. The entire residence was silent, as if no one was around. The color drained from the old man’s face.
At this, Song Zining smiled and said, “Everyone who could come has already become a corpse. There’s no point in letting the others know. Or perhaps you think it would be a good idea to bring out your women and children?”
The old man’s face went pale, veins popping on his hand as he gripped the armrests tightly, quickly regaining his composure. He straightened up and said in a deep voice, “Tell me about your deal.”
“Recognize this?” Song Zining pulled out an object and placed it on the desk.
The old man’s eyes widened in sheer terror! He touched the object, then drew his hand away as if burned, his voice trembling, “Where… where did you get this?”
What Song Zining placed on the desk was a standard unit of industrial black crystal, palm-sized and a centimeter thick. It was one of the crystals Qiyue had traded to the blood clan.
To the common eye, all black crystals looked the same, except industrial-grade crystals were larger, while primal-grade crystals were smaller and purer. But to the discerning, each crystal was unique. From the patterns within to the subtle differences in primal force fluctuations, a master could identify the specific mine, even the particular section, from which a crystal came.
“This black crystal should have come from the Chen family’s mine, right?”
Chen Guangyu’s forehead was slick with sweat. “Y-yes, but what does it matter? Everyone knows a small amount of black crystal is produced in our black stone mine.”
“Don’t you find this black crystal a bit special?” Song Zining’s voice was soft, like a demon’s whisper.
The old man sat even straighter, his aura slightly rising, but under the current circumstances, it seemed more like a sign of his fear.
“I don’t know what’s so special about this black crystal,” Chen Guangyu said slowly.
Song Zining kept smiling. “Oh, I have a story to tell you. This black crystal came from the blood clan, who were trading with some humans at the time.”
Chen Guangyu calmed down, leaning back in his chair and sneering, “What does that have to do with me? The Chens only extract and process the crystals, then sell them. Whatever the buyers do afterward is none of my concern.”
Song Zining nodded. “True indeed!”
Chen Guangyu was taken aback by how easily Song Zining conceded. But then Song Zining added, “If your family is involved, I just need to ask the buyer, and everything will be clear, won’t it?”
Chen Guangyu’s face flickered, but he smirked, “Young man, those are powerful people, not as easy to bully as me. If you think you can, go ahead and try!”
Song Zining casually said, “You’re also related to the Huaiyang Wu family, so you aren’t exactly easy to bully either. And a division commander in a third-rate defense zone of the Expeditionary Force isn’t much of a big shot. You’d better look behind you.”
Chen Guangyu, his heart racing at the mention of his connections, turned to see two men suddenly appear behind him!
They were two middle-aged men, both expressionless, their faces hard as stone. More importantly, they were emitting primal force without reservation. In Chen Guangyu’s perception, a bright, swirling vortex of primal force radiated from within each of them.
Two war generals!
Chen Guangyu held his breath, turning his head to see the young man sitting calmly across the desk, his once gentle smile now appearing utterly false, cruel, and bloody.
With two war generals at his disposal, such a person, regardless of his own strength, truly didn’t need to fear a division commander. And this young man, knowing full well his ties to the Huaiyang Wu family, had nonetheless killed everyone in the residence, a display of power that suggested even deeper backing.
Song Zining said indifferently, “Do you understand now? I don’t need any evidence, nor do I need to prove anything to anyone. If I say you were part of the blood clan’s trade, then you were. How to prove otherwise is your problem.”
Chen Guangyu suddenly looked ten years older, sighing, “I understand. What is your name, Young Master? Please tell me what you want. As long as I can, I will do my best.”
“My surname is Song.”
Chen Guangyu, shocked, said, “Song, as in… the Song Clan?”
Song Zining tossed a bag of money on the table, along with two pieces of paper. “This is a travel permit for a floating ship to Qinland or any imperial continent. If you move fast enough, once you reach Xichang City, no matter what happens, you and your family can board the interstellar ship. The money is for your journey. Of course, you can take any cash you can carry from this residence.” He placed the thicker paper in front of Chen Guangyu, saying, “Before you leave, just sign this.”
Chen Guangyu picked up the paper, his face turning ashen, and his voice quivered, “You want all the Chen family mines?”
“There are only three, and one is so small it hardly counts.”
Chen Guangyu took a deep breath, saying, “Young man, don’t you think this is too much?”
Song Zining smiled. “I think I’m being very generous. I even arranged your journey, provided travel expenses, and allowed you to take some of your own money. If you don’t want to sign, that’s fine, but when the higher-ups come to investigate the taboo trade with the blood clan, you’ll lose more than just the mines—your whole family’s lives are at stake!” He paused, his words heavy with meaning, “Maybe, it won’t just be your family?”
Chen Guangyu shuddered, glaring at Song Zining. Then, he let out a hoarse, forced laugh, “Fine, fine, fine! I admit defeat!” He grabbed the contract, signed it, stamped it, and threw it back at Song Zining.
Song Zining carefully examined the signature and the primal force seal, then folded the paper and put it in his pocket. Watching this, Chen Guangyu felt his eyelids twitch. His opponent was clearly prepared, having thoroughly studied his signature and seal.
Song Zining, still serene, said, “You have a day to pack. Tomorrow, I will come to take over the mines, and this residence is mine. I hope everything is ready by then.”
Having said that, Song Zining stood up and walked to the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned and said, “If I were you, I wouldn’t entertain thoughts of turning things around. I’d run as far and as fast as possible, just in case I change my mind.”
Once Song Zining left, Chen Guangyu slumped in his chair, cold sweat soaking through his clothes. Any thoughts of revenge were far from his mind.
Whether this young man truly came from the Song Clan or not, his ability to command war generals, his ruthless efficiency, and his willingness to offer a sliver of hope, made any desperate measures seem futile. Moreover, the threat in his words was clear. If Chen Guangyu dared to act, more threads would be revealed.
Chen Guangyu shivered at the thought. The man was right; he needed to think of how to stay hidden. He turned around, seeing the room empty. The two war generals had left as silently as they had come.
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