Chapter 103: Killer

The definition of a deep red alert is a threat to the entire city, but the range between its upper and lower limits is actually very wide.

Stretch it a bit, a memetic interference-capable Inkcolor Spider can barely qualify as a deep red alert (a swarm consumes a hundred people per day, thirty thousand-plus per year),

A nuclear bomb detonating above the city also counts as a deep red alert.

(Modern nuclear weapon systems prioritize survivability and accuracy over yield. For example, the U. S. military's W88 warhead, with a yield of 450,000 tons of TNT, has a thermal radiation burn radius of only 8.62 kilometers. It takes dozens, even hundreds, of such warheads to deliver a devastating blow to a modern metropolis.)

To generate an earthquake wave of this magnitude, you'd need energy equivalent to several nuclear bombs.

"Confirmed. Nothing serious."

Yuan Zhixia showed Li Cheng the latest text message: "A five-kilometer fissure suddenly appeared underground in the northern district. It has already closed automatically."

Fissures connecting to the Killing Ground appear randomly anywhere on Earth; in most cases, they are extremely small and fleeting, vanishing on their own within microseconds.

In extremely rare cases, large fissures capable of long-term stability may appear, but this does not necessarily mean harm to human society—the Killing Ground is simply too vast; the other side is most likely barren wasteland or vacuum, and only rarely will a monster "cross over."

Noticing Li Cheng still frowned, Yuan Zhixia casually explained: "When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. There are plenty of experts from the Special Affairs Bureau in Yin City; they're not that fragile."

As long as the government hasn't sent out emergency texts instructing all civilians to seek shelter in subway tunnels or underground parking lots, there's no need to worry."

She paused slightly, then asked: "By the way, have you had any nightmares lately?"

"No, why?"

"The Cervantes you reported and arrested has, after interrogation, confessed all the information he knew. He helped the Special Affairs Bureau solve many cases, so he might have drawn retaliation from the Laughing Troupe."

Yuan Zhixia shrugged. "Those lunatics are bold and reckless—they secretly set up a minor killer organization."

"Huh?"

"They pick out orphans or left-behind children around ten years old from orphanages or rural areas, first train them to brutally kill stray cats and dogs with bows and knives (since killing stray animals isn't illegal), and after a year or so of training, they've cultivated a cold personality and killing skills, then take assassination contracts online."

The law states that suspects under twelve years old have no criminal responsibility and bear no criminal liability. Even if they kill someone with a pulley bow or burn down a house with a Molotov cocktail, it doesn't constitute a crime.

Those aged twelve to under fourteen must bear criminal responsibility, but punishment should be mitigated or reduced.

If caught at this stage, they get at most three or four years; if lucky, they're released before turning sixteen and can take another contract—after all, under sixteen means no death penalty.

That means they can take at least three contracts before adulthood, each paying two million, with the money transferred overseas first, then small remittances converted into cash and brought back. Six million is enough to live comfortably for a lifetime in a low-cost area."

Yuan Zhixia added casually: "And all management personnel in the killer organization are minors."

When management members are about to turn eighteen, they immediately sever ties with the organization, escape accountability, and transfer authority to another minor."

"Pfft," Li Cheng's eye twitched, "that's actually logically consistent."

"This plan was devised and carried out by Cervantes and a few other buddies; according to him, it's called primitive abdication."

The killer organization is called 'Smoke Factory,' corresponding to the 'Distillery' in Conan; every member uses a cigarette brand as their codename.

Camel, Marlboro, Winston, Rick Five, etc. "Wait, isn't there a reformist e-cigarette mixed in here? Suggest a thorough investigation @Litang Ding Zhen."

Ignoring Li Cheng's sarcasm, Yuan Zhixia continued calmly: "Fortunately, it was discovered early. When the Special Affairs Bureau followed Cervantes' leads, those minors had already begun training in abandoned factories, simulating indoor CQB."

If they'd been allowed to wait any longer and committed a major crime, it would've been much harder to handle."

This is one of the common dilemmas the authorities have faced since the Killing Ground's arrival—laws crafted in peacetime struggle to adapt to new problems emerging in this new era, yet the situation cannot be made public.

Yuan Zhixia went on: "Besides the minor killer organization, the Laughing Troupe has also set up a transnational criminal syndicate targeting the elderly in Europe and America."

The principle is similar, but all members are over seventy-five, suffering from illness and without children to care for them."

They're assigned to tasks like drunk driving fatalities, smuggling, counterfeiting currency, or transporting illicit drugs."

Those over seventy-five are ineligible for the death penalty; long prison sentences are actually better—they have no children, so they can just live out their days in high-welfare country prisons."

If caught together, they can chat and enjoy their final years."

"Alright."

Li Cheng's eye twitched again; no wonder the Laughing Troupe was so universally despised—they were purely destructive, wanting nothing but to watch the world burn.

Come to think of it, the fact they've lasted this long without being killed must mean they're either very strong or very good at hiding.

"The one who assigned you to your mission, Sun Zhenyao, is smart; she knows what's what and won't leak your information."

Yuan Zhixia put away her phone, stretched lazily, and asked casually: "But are you sure you won't join the Special Affairs Bureau?"

Li Cheng paused thoughtfully. "Hmm, for now I still want to prioritize my studies and prepare for the college entrance exam. I don't want to settle down too early."

"You little brat."

Yuan Zhixia rolled her eyes dramatically. Players are all death-row lunatics who never know if they'll survive tomorrow; every extra month lived is a miracle. Who has time for the college entrance exam?

Even Yuan Zhixia herself—if she weren't exceptionally gifted, learning everything instantly and drastically cutting training time—

she'd have had to drop out and train at the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters.

The earthquake's effects didn't last long; soon the city issued a notice—some districts suspended classes while authorities conducted emergency safety assessments of buildings; other districts continued school as usual.

Zhuoyue Middle School, unfortunately, didn't need to suspend classes; under their teachers' guidance, students grumbled as they returned to class and resumed their exams.

"No earthquake, I have to take the exam. Earthquake happens, I still have to take the exam. So what was the point of the earthquake?"

Han Letian slumped over his desk, face gloomy. He'd been busy bragging to classmates on the playground and forgot to check his answers—total loss.

Li Cheng wrote his answers, his mind still turning over Yuan Zhixia's invitation to join the Special Affairs Bureau.

Compared to lone wolves, guild players' greatest advantage lies in the word "system."

Lone wolf players can only acquire gear and items through looting, purchasing, or renting, often getting gear or skills they don't need or want. To barter or trade, they waste energy, money, and the most precious resource: time.

Core guild players, however, have no such concerns—even if they loot something useless, they can hand it over to the organization, which immediately converts it into contribution points and exchanges it for suitable gear from the warehouse.

Not to mention guilds teach skills at cost price—internal energy, battle aura, mantra ability, arcane, spiritual energy, chakra, the Force, and other cultivation-based power systems.

"Although Multi-Threaded Mind Method and Role-Playing Experience are both decent skills, they don't instantly boost combat power. Maybe next time before I open a crate, I should visit a temple? No big ask—just give me magnetic field rotation or Super Saiyan transformation. Then I could lift bricks daily, earning tens of thousands a day."

Li Cheng drifted off, daydreaming. Affected by Multi-Threaded Mind Method, dozens of thoughts in his mind were all complaining.

"Wait, why are you picky now, Laosheng? Why not deduct 1111 and see if the Killing Ground sends you hellfire?"

"Master Daisheng, I think you're like Wu Zetian widowed—lost your sanity (Li Zhi)."

"Nonsense, Laosheng is clearly like the Queen Mother of Heaven on her period—gone mad. Suggest immediate psychiatric electrotherapy."

(End of Chapter)