Chapter 431: Investigation Mission (Part 2)

"Uncle John, this is Leon, the brother of the girl who saved Hannah's life."

Noticing the old man's unusual state—as if he harbored some inexplicable hostility toward Leon—the refined middle-aged man quickly spoke up:

"Do you know about the pipe explosion at the hospital two days ago? He risked his life to shut off the valve and saved hundreds of lives!"

"Oh!"

Hearing of Leon's heroic act, the old man's rigid, expressionless face finally showed something resembling emotion.

He slightly twisted his muscular, contorted lips into a smile that was less kind than grotesque and terrifying, then suddenly leaned forward with a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, lightly lifting the jaws of the middle-aged nurse and her husband.

Caught off guard by this sudden attack, the couple didn't even groan—they rolled their eyes and collapsed instantly.

But before the old man could knock them out, Leon had already thrust both hands forward, pressing against their backs and shoving their unconscious bodies toward him, then turned and sprinted without hesitation into the inner room where the nurse slept.

"Tsk…"

Seeing Leon's move, the old man, who had just been reaching for his giant shears, grunted in annoyance, then caught the falling couple—one in each hand—before they hit the floor, placing them gently on the carpet.

After securing the unconscious couple, the cigar smoldering at the old man's lips reignited without wind. He reached behind into his basket, pulled out the terrifyingly large gardening shears, then, face as lifeless as a corpse, limped toward the inner room, dragging the shears behind him.

…

This is… I finally find an "altruistic" anomaly, and because its soul is tainted with demonic aura, it's now hunting me down? How unbelievably unlucky am I?

Hearing the chilling scrape of the metal shears across the floor, Leon's face darkened. He no longer cared about damaging the nurse's property—he kicked the window's security bolt with all his strength!

"Squeak!"

With a shrill screech of twisted metal, Leon wrenched off the bolt, yanked open the window, and prepared to climb out—anything to get far away from that terrifyingly strong old man.

But then, a faint dizziness swept through his mind, and the goat's calm voice echoed in his ear.

"Kid, I'd advise you not to jump."

Leon froze slightly.

Why not jump? The guy with the shears was about to burst in—was he supposed to stay and duel him in the imperial palace? Sure, the old man was crippled, but that build… hmm… wait a second!

In a flash of thought, Leon reached again into the shopping bag, quickly grabbed the goat's head, and was stunned to realize—somehow, the old man's soul, thick with murderous intent, had already slipped through the floorboards and was slowly advancing directly beneath him.

If he climbed out the window and descended slowly along the security net, he'd be caught right between the second and third floors by the old man with the shears!

Devious! This old bastard is devious!

Suppressing the urge to curse, Leon spun around, dashed out of the inner room, leapt over the unconscious nurse and her husband, and burst through the front door.

Ignoring whether he'd hurt his knees, he clutched the goat's head and took one step straight down five or six stairs, then two more steps down half a floor, sprinting downward with the fastest speed he'd ever used in his life.

Noticing Leon hadn't jumped out the window, the old man's soul paused slightly in the soul-view, then slowly trudged toward the stairs.

"Hurry up~ or he's gonna catch up~"

Hearing the goat's gleeful warning, Leon's heart tightened—he realized he still wasn't fast enough. He gritted his teeth and began trying to grab the staircase railing at turns, to complete the turn between flights faster.

Though the apartment building was well-built, it was old—wooden handrails often had splinters jutting out, instantly slicing Leon's palms into bloody messes. Worse, controlling his body at such speed was nearly impossible; if he released the railing even a fraction too late, his own weight yanked his arm violently, leaving his limbs with varying degrees of strain.

But all this pain was drowned out by the rhythmic *clack-clack* of the shears. Driven by a Fengkuang surge of adrenaline, Leon twisted through the stairs like a blur, and in mere breaths, he'd shaken off the relentless old man, racing all the way back down to the lobby.

Fuck… finally got out!

Seeing the open front door five steps away, and the brilliant sunlight beyond, Leon staggered toward it—only to trip over something, lose his balance, and crash face-first to the ground.

Is that… a ball of yarn? The old manager lady's knitting yarn?

Recognizing what had tripped him, Leon paused for a moment, reaching to untangle it—when the goat sighed in his mind.

"Rest in peace, kid. I'll miss you."

?!!

What the fuck are you talking about?!

Leon snapped his head up—and his heart nearly leapt out of his throat.

In the instant he tripped on the yarn, the old man—who had been left far behind—had moved like a spider sensing prey on a web, following the yarn deep into the wall, swinging his shears as he raced upward!

Fuck!

Seeing the shears fully opened, gleaming with terrifying cold light, Leon's instincts kicked in—he raised the shopping bag holding the goat's head and slammed it upward!

"CLANG!!!"

A thunderous crash, like a cleaver hitting a stone slab—Leon felt his arms go numb, as if struck head-on by a charging bull, flipping backward several times before tumbling out the front door of Happy Apartments.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"My horn! It's chipped!!"

"I'm *fucking* done! You *motherfucker*! You *fuck*!"

"You used Laozi as a shield! Kid! This isn't over! *Fuck! "

Finally got out… just asked a few questions, nearly lost my life. The Clearance Bureau's job is truly not for humans…

Amid the goat's furious, censored "telegram" of curses, Leon, aching all over, lifted his head weakly and glanced back into Happy Apartments.

Seeing the old man standing at the doorway, face dark, shears in hand—but not chasing him—Leon finally relaxed. He raised his bleeding right hand and gave the stubborn old bastard a firm middle finger, then collapsed onto the street with a thud, gasping for air under the blinding sunlight.

What a fucking "Happy Apartments"! Feels like a haunted house! I'm never coming back!

…

【You've survived a life-or-death chase—unlocked the Iron Badge: "Novice Runner"】

【Novice Runner: Through self-study and physical training, you've acquired basic parkour techniques as a beginner】

【Effect: Though your skills are still crude, you've learned some speed-enhancing techniques—your movement speed increases slightly when navigating complex urban terrain】

【Upgrade Path: Complete 100 complex-terrain movements and 100 fifty-meter sprints to automatically upgrade to the Bronze Badge: "Skilled Runner." Current progress: 0/100, 0/100】

【Hidden Trait (no badge required): After an unforgettable real-world chase, you've learned how to better protect yourself during high-speed movement.】

【Your probability of injury during high-speed movement decreases by 10%. If injured, the severity of wounds is reduced by 20%】

【Through your own learning and reflection, you've mastered low-level rapid movement in complex terrain. The "Materialist Soul (Crimson)" badge has activated.】

【Your parkour understanding is "Low," but due to your talent for analysis, self-adjustment, and experience, your obstacle avoidance improves the more familiar you become with the environment】

(End of Chapter)