Chapter 509

"Wait, wait, send me a photo."

Wei Dong's tone was anxious; the appearance of a witness was entirely their responsibility—the Cleaners hadn't cleared the scene properly.

After a moment's hesitation, Su Xiao took a photo of Li Li Murui with his phone and sent it to Wei Dong.

A few seconds later, the phone in Su Xiao's hand vibrated.

"Mr. Su, you didn't silence her, did you?"

Wei Dong, on the other end of the call, was drenched in cold sweat.

"Not yet. She's not closely tied to this matter."

"Then that's good—did she see your face?"

"No."

Su Xiao wore a half-face mask; of course he concealed his identity—otherwise, he would have silenced the witness immediately, and Wei Dong wouldn't have even had a chance to know.

"This girl's identity is a bit special—she's…"

After Wei Dong named her, Su Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly—he couldn't silence her, or some old man in the military would go berserk and retaliate; though they couldn't truly harm him, it would be a massive nuisance, and he still wanted to relax in the real world.

Besides, silencing her brought him no benefit—only more trouble.

"How about we handle this ourselves?"

Su Xiao considered for a moment, then shook his head.

"Bring her family here. An hour should be enough."

Su Xiao wouldn't let the Cleaners handle this—it would leave behind hidden dangers.

"Alright."

The call ended. Su Xiao cut the steel wires binding the girl's hands and feet.

"Don't move. Don't speak. Not without my permission. Understood?"

Li Li Murui nodded quickly.

…

In a private room of an upscale club, though it was deep into the night, the atmosphere inside was lively, with several middle-aged men and women exchanging drinks.

At the head of the table, a middle-aged man raised his wine glass; his square face gave off an air of integrity and reliability.

"Thanks to all of you for coming so late…"

As the man spoke, his phone rang beside him. He glanced at the number on the screen, his expression turning serious, and set down his glass.

He answered the call. Seconds later, his face changed drastically.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

A woman in elegant attire also set down her glass; she rarely saw her husband look like this.

"Excuse me, everyone. I'll be right back."

The middle-aged man gave his wife a glance, and the two hurriedly left this important dinner.

…

A luxury car sped along the highway, the middle-aged man's hand resting on his knee, his palm lightly tapping his pant leg, as if uneasy.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

The middle-aged woman's voice was gentle; though over forty, she still retained her grace.

"Ruirui's been kidnapped."

At those words, tears welled in the woman's eyes, and her body turned cold.

"Is Ruirui hurt? Have they found the kidnappers? The kidnappers—"

The middle-aged man waved his hand.

"The kidnapper is at our house."

"What?"

"It's complicated. Immediately contact Dad. They've given us only one hour."

"This is…"

"Don't ask. Let Dad handle it. None of you speak. That kind of person—we can't afford to provoke."

"Can't afford to provoke"—this phrase was foreign to the middle-aged woman, for she was the daughter of a General.

…

Su Xiao sat in the living room of the villa, nearby lay a headless corpse. The girl was curled up on the sofa; the stench of blood in the room made her even more obedient, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Creak—

A screeching brake sound echoed as a group hurried toward the villa. At their head was an old man; though his hair was white, he radiated an aura of silent authority.

The old man entered the villa, followed by a middle-aged couple.

The headless corpse and the stench of blood made the couple's faces grim. The woman covered her mouth, barely holding back her nausea.

A figure seated in the shadows of the living room spoke.

"Again, Fang Lao. What a coincidence."

Su Xiao looked up at the old man.

"Perhaps this is fate. I've heard about the incident—it's too many coincidences."

The old man sat across from Su Xiao and offered him a cigarette.

Su Xiao removed his mask, took the cigarette, and lit it. The old man had seen his face—obviously, the Cleaners had already provided his dossier. They were all good people, never offending anyone on either side. That was precisely why Su Xiao handled this himself.

"Last time I saw you was in prison. I deployed many men to capture you. Too bad the prison wasn't secure enough. How exactly did you escape?"

Su Xiao didn't answer the question of how he escaped—it was pure luck. He suspected that incident had severely depleted his fortune.

"Your men are quite capable."

Su Xiao recalled his escape through a primitive forest; those special forces soldiers had formidable skills—he'd been utterly outmatched as an ordinary man, even if he fought one-on-one.

He had once killed someone in revenge and was naturally pursued by police. Once, he fled into a primitive forest, prompting military intervention—that was the only time he'd ever been caught.

"You could've watched me bleed to death. Why did you save me?"

Fang Lao lit a cigarette. Behind him, the woman opened her mouth but said nothing.

Fang Lao inhaled deeply, his expression serene—as if he hadn't smoked in a long time.

"I'm only responsible for capturing you. Whether you're guilty or not isn't my concern—that's for the court to decide."

Hearing Fang Lao's words, Su Xiao stood, sheathed Tang Hong, and walked toward the villa's exit.

At the villa's doorway, Su Xiao paused.

"You've never seen me."

"Mm. Never seen you."

Fang Lao nodded.

"If any word leaks, I'll come back to 'visit.'"

Su Xiao stepped out of the villa and vanished into the night.

"This incident is not to be mentioned to anyone. Your lives depend on it. Understood?"

Fang Lao stared sternly at the middle-aged couple and the girl—even though they were his daughter and granddaughter, if word leaked and that man returned, none of them would survive.

"That…"

Li Li Murui scurried up to Fang Lao; she knew her grandfather adored her.

"Don't act childish! Some people are different from us—laws don't bind them. If not for this coincidence, today wouldn't have ended so simply."

Fang Lao's tone made Li Li Murui shrink back.

"A madman consumed by revenge has become one of them. That's perhaps the most insane kind of person."

Fang Lao sighed, glancing at the headless corpse. All he could do was keep his distance—never seeing him again was the best choice.

…

Several days later, on a pristine beach.

Su Xiao sat on a lounge chair, a fishing rod resting before him.

Days had passed since the incident. No further news had come. The Cleaners never reappeared.

After this, Su Xiao had no further ties to the Cleaners—the debt of favor was repaid.

Life is a play, full of coincidences. For instance, meeting that girl was the result of multiple coincidences.

Now Su Xiao was fishing. He found fishing relaxing, even though he hadn't caught a single fish in five days.

Watching Franky leap from the sea, mouth clamped around a large fish, Su Xiao lost faith in fishing.

"Definitely fake bait. Crooked merchant."

【Prompt: A new derivative world is about to open. Hunters will return to the Cycle Paradise. Ensure no witnesses remain nearby.】

【Transferring… Transfer complete.】

The transfer sensation appeared. Su Xiao returned to his personal room in the Cycle Paradise.

【Hunter Level: Lv. 10. Notification will be issued 50 minutes before entering a derivative world. Hunter will enter the derivative world in one hour. Please wait patiently.】

A new derivative world was about to begin. Su Xiao felt eager—he had grown far stronger than before, and this time he had a bold ambition: if he succeeded in "that thing," his power would surge dramatically. Though he wouldn't reach the peak of second-rank, he'd surely make it into the top fifty of the Arena.

Su Xiao didn't leave his personal room. His recovery items were prepared. He only had one hour to wait.

"Come on. I can't wait."