Chapter 290: To Me, He Is the Best Person

While Wu Chang infiltrated the White K organization, his main body wasn't idle.

The main body and Aileen's primary task in the Cursed dungeon was to act as Amber's guardian, ideally building a good relationship with her.

After leaving the orphanage, Wu Chang drove the two home.

Their residence was located at 26 Huayuanjie.

As expected, Huayuanjie was also a location not mentioned in the intelligence.

Sigfus City was large; completing the dungeon didn't require exploring the entire city, and it was normal for certain areas to be absent from the intelligence map.

But Knox Elementary and Huayuanjie were both absent from the records; even without spiritual inspiration, Wu Chang sensed something was off.

The source of the problem was certainly Amber.

No. 26 Huayuanjie was a beautiful two-story house, unlike the wooden homes of neighboring houses, built from reinforced concrete.

This was uncommon in the Federation, where property taxes were high, but the advantages were obvious: among all the wooden houses, it stood out as solid, elegant, and imposing.

The lawn and garden surrounding the house were neatly trimmed; as the neighbors said, the previous occupants had just met with misfortune when they bought this haunted house.

Wu Chang parked the car in the garage and said to Amber in the back seat:

"Compared to when you were here before, nothing has changed inside. The furniture remains exactly as it was—we didn't move a single piece. Don't feel constrained; just act as you did before."

Amber said nothing, opened the car door, and ran into the house.

Wu Chang smirked and said to Aileen: "This must be the rebellious phase."

Wu Chang and Aileen entered their new home; it had already been cleaned, sunlight streaming through the large glass windows, casting a shimmer over the furniture and floors.

Wu Chang winked at Aileen, performed a gentlemanly bow, then extended his hand and said: "Welcome to our new home, beautiful Miss Aileen."

Aileen's cheeks flushed slightly, but she placed her hand in Wu Chang's outstretched palm.

Wu Chang grinned triumphantly, taking Aileen's hand to tour their new home, meanwhile searching for where that brat Amber had hidden.

After checking both floors, he discovered Amber wasn't in her room—she'd hidden in the attic.

He climbed the stairs to the attic door and knocked. "Amber, are you in there?"

Amber didn't answer, but through the door, Wu Chang could hear faint breathing.

The girl was right behind the door.

Before entering the Cursed dungeon, Wu Chang had never even been an uncle; the only time in his life he'd interacted with a brat was when he himself was one.

Suddenly becoming a father figure left him utterly at a loss.

You can look up guides to defeat bosses—can you look up guides for raising kids?

He rubbed his chin. Should he visit a hospital, learn parenting from the old man's lingering resentment?

After thinking it over, he dismissed the idea. Let things take their natural course.

He knocked again and said:

"Amber, I know you're in there. This is your home now. You can stay wherever you want—but some things are non-negotiable."

"First, at mealtime, unless there's an emergency, the whole family must sit together."

"Second, no skipping school. Tomorrow you're going—our whole family will go together."

"Believe me, if you don't cooperate, I'll tear off the attic door and carry you down myself."

School, grades, family—perhaps these were obsessions etched into the Xia people's bones; as Wu Chang spoke, the words flowed effortlessly, as if rehearsed.

Perhaps the earlier warning had taken effect: at lunchtime, Amber came down from the attic on her own and sat at the dining table.

They'd only just moved in; many things hadn't been bought yet. The fridge held only milk, eggs, and frozen pizza; the kitchen cabinets contained only instant noodle cups.

Wu Chang cobbled together a stir-fried instant noodle dish, plus three servings of steamed egg custard.

To him, this meal was barely enough to sustain life—but for Amber, accustomed to Western food, it seemed to open a new world.

During the meal, Amber's eyes widened, but after finishing, she ran back upstairs, making Wu Chang roll his eyes.

Dinner followed the same routine: Amber appeared at mealtime, ate, then vanished again.

At seven p. m., after tossing the used dishes into the dishwasher, Wu Chang said to Aileen:

"I'm going out for a while. I'll be back later. Try to communicate with her while I'm gone—I get the feeling she's afraid of me."

Aileen followed Wu Chang to the door and warned: "Be careful. If there's danger, tell me."

"Don't worry."

Wu Chang was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and stopped at the door, as if waiting.

Aileen asked curiously: "What else?"

Wu Chang said matter-of-factly: "We're engaged. When a fiancé leaves, shouldn't he receive a farewell kiss?"

He tapped his cheek.

Aileen glanced around stealthily, then leaned in and lightly kissed his cheek like a thief.

Wu Chang dramatically stepped back half a pace. "Whoa, Aileen—you're serious?!"

He'd planned to tease her further, but seeing Aileen's flushed face pull out the Light of Resolve, he immediately opened the door and fled.

After seeing Wu Chang off, Aileen returned to the living room, turned on the TV, and played a movie from the dungeon dimension.

Not long after, she heard a door shut upstairs, footsteps approaching from afar, finally stopping beside her.

Aileen looked at Amber, who sat at the far end of the sofa, one seat away, and asked: "Want to watch together?"

Amber nodded.

Aileen moved to sit beside Amber. Amber seemed uneasy but didn't move away.

Midway through the film, during a lull in the plot, Amber suddenly said: "You're a good person."

Aileen smiled and said: "Actually, Wu—actually, Xiao En—is a good person too. Spend a couple more days with him and you'll see."

Amber shook her head. "I can feel it—he's killed people. My mother said, taking someone's life, causing harm—no matter the reason—makes you no good person."

Then she lowered her voice, whispering: "I'm not either."

If Wu Chang were here, he'd surely ask offhandedly, "Which one of your mothers said that?"

The girl had lived in twelve households in total; his curiosity was normal, not revenge for her avoiding him while growing close to Ailin.

Ailin fell silent under the question, thought for a moment, then spoke softly:

"I can't define what a good person is—I only know that when I was in danger, he protected me; when I struggled over whether to hurt others, he said, 'Leave that to me.'"

"He took me to see many sights, taught me many emotions, and brought me a life that never belonged to me. To me, he is good—the best person."

"I believe he would be a good person to you too."

The video on the screen played on until the end, when Amber asked, "Really?"

Ailin affirmed: "Yes."

Wu Chang's physical body did not know that the moment he left, Amber departed the attic right after him.

He was now driving to the warehouse where the bare-knuckle fight would take place; after killing Kent tonight, he'd take a share of the money, and tomorrow he could buy fresh vegetables and meat at the supermarket.

Without drawing funds from the True Self, a primary school PE teacher's income couldn't afford fruit and vegetables in Sigef City; to get vitamins and greens, one could only buy canned vegetables.

But eating canned food every day—even a dog would shake its head, let alone a person.

For Amber's nutritional balance during her growth phase, Chief Kent, you'll just have to suffer a little.

Outside the dock, Wu Chang's physical body and the True Self had a perfunctory meeting, then headed together to the warehouse.

Due to tonight's big deal, the area around the warehouse had been cleared early; members of Bai Lao K were stationed at nearby intersections, and only those with an invitation were allowed inside.

Kent held Xiao En in high regard and had specially dispatched his own car to pick him up; riding in Kent's car, the two entered the warehouse without hindrance.

The car drove straight into the fighting arena, where Wu Chang's physical body and the True Self stepped out, scanning their surroundings.

Unlike ordinary bare-knuckle fights, the Night of Trade had no regular spectators—only gang members.

As shown in the resentment, on the Night of Trade, Kent would leave his third-floor private box and come down to the edge of the ring to watch the matches up close.

For most players, this was the best chance to ambush Kent; yet the dozen or so bloodstains still on the ground indicated things weren't that simple.

Inside the arena, people split into two groups: one was Bai Lao K members—Kent and the several lieutenants he'd promoted were all present, and around them were newer members hoping to make a name for themselves through bare-knuckle fights.

The other side consisted of Kent's business partners in the flour trade.

The group numbered about twenty, all short and stocky, with darkened skin.

Their leader was a head shorter than Kent but had a belly a full circle larger; he was puffing a cigar and chatting merrily with Kent not far from the ring.

Due to attribute suppression, Wu Chang couldn't hear what they were saying, but he saw a mountain of crates piled on a table not far from the two bosses.

One crate from each side was open: Kent's, the white fat man's, was filled with colorful Federal dollars; the black fat man's crate was stacked neatly with flour.

They even bothered to sort out the gold coins they were about to explode—kind of them.

Seeing Xiao En arrive, Kent paused his conversation with the client and walked over.

"Mr. Xiao En, I never expected you'd come to Sigef City—if I'd known earlier, I'd have visited you personally."

Wu Chang gave a bitter expression and said: "Because of that previous fight, I don't want anyone to know I'm here." Kent flashed his philanthropist's standard smile and said generously:

"With your fighting skill, Mr. Xiao En, you could thrive anywhere. Why not fight for me? I can't get you endorsements, but I guarantee you'll earn no less than before."

Wu Chang showed signs of interest. "I'll consider it."

Kent said: "I look forward to your performance tonight. If you and your brother win, you two can take thirty percent of what you save me."

Wu Chang nodded, silently thinking Kent had a bit of conscience—he wasn't splitting it nine-to-five like him.

But he wasn't here tonight to earn a cut.

The Night of Trade's fights had become routine; neither side needed to say much, and they quickly entered the match phase.

To prevent outside surveillance, several henchmen pulled down the roller shutters around the arena, sealing the fighting and trading area completely; the gunners hidden in the shadows to protect Kent also retreated to the arena's corners.

Wu Chang was waiting for this moment.

As everyone clustered together, his physical body used part of his transformation ability to release Deepwater Devour.

!

A mist only he could see slowly spread, filling the sealed space.

Simultaneously, the True Self emitted pale purple ripples of Chaotic Power, spreading alongside Deepwater Devour, affecting everyone in the arena.

The Curse of Misfortune's attribute suppression was extremely brutal—even Wu Chang's own power was weakened tenfold.

Using his power alone would yield minimal effect, but combined with Deepwater Devour, it was more than enough for these people.

The fight began: Xiao En was held back by Kent as the final trump card, while He Ping, tall and swift in combat, was set to fight first.

He Ping's opponent was a Samba; in combat, Sambas' talent matched their football prowess—many stars in mixed martial arts were Sambas.

Now, they brought that talent from the field to the underground.

Unlike daytime fights, the Night of Trade had no referee, no round timers.

The rules were simple and brutal: stand to win, lie down to lose.

The True Self stepped onto the ring, glanced once, and knew the opponent wasn't his match—not even as good as Gray Wolf.

But to deepen the effect of Deepwater Devour and Chaotic Power, he abandoned his usual quick-kill tactics and deliberately prolonged the fight.

His opponent was a grappling and jujitsu expert; he responded with grappling and jujitsu, lifting the man high each time, then setting him down gently, as if afraid of hurting him.

Once or twice, it wasn't obvious—but after several repetitions, the spectators noticed he was mocking his opponent.

Normally, Kent would have enjoyed such a one-sided fight, but tonight, for some reason, he felt only irritation—he wasn't enjoying it.

The fight had spectacle, but it was too slow.

Kent was just about to tell Xiao En to win impressively when he saw Xiao En holding a cup, sipping water slowly, sip after sip.

His heart skipped—he hurriedly asked: "Mr. Xiao En, are you unwell?"

Wu Chang set down the Enhanced Energy Activation Potion and smiled: "Nothing. Just thirsty."

"Item Name: Enhanced Energy Activation Potion"

"Item Type: consumable"

「Item Rank: C. 」

「Item Description: After use, slowly restore 100% energy value over 60 seconds; this value cannot exceed 50. 」

Before entering the dungeon, he obtained numerous consumables from Hou Jingchuan, including five bottles of Enhanced Energy Activation Serum.

During the recent battle, he drank two bottles and converted all recovered energy into Deepwater Devourer; even the sniper hiding on the rooftop beam was now infected by Deepwater Devourer.

As the battle progressed, the first to lose patience was not the red-hot Samba man inside the arena, but the black fat man watching nearby.

He had never felt so humiliated in his life; he shouted out the number of participants right beside the arena, then angrily ordered the Samba man to come out.

As the Samba man stepped off the stage, Wu Chang's True Self behind him manifested runes representing Chaos and Order.

The black fat man stormed toward the Samba man and slapped him hard, shouting:

「Worthless! I raised you to bring me shame? You damn bastard—I'll kill you, and your family…」

The black fat man's curses pierced the Samba man's ears; he had already been pushed to red-hot on the stage, and now someone threatened his family.

In that moment, something called reason inside his mind snapped cleanly.

The next instant, before everyone's astonished eyes, the Samba man punched the black fat man's Adam's apple, shattering the words he was about to speak.

Then he drew the golden pistol holstered at the black fat man's waist and fired several shots at him.

Watching the fallen, dead black fat man, the arena fell into deathly silence.

Thump.

A sound like a heartbeat echoed in everyone's ears simultaneously.

Thump-thump.

The sound grew rapid, reddening their eyes and thickening their breaths as they scanned their surroundings warily.

Thump-thump-thump.

The Samba man raised his pistol and aimed it at the black fat man's subordinate.

Bang!

The gun fired.

One gunshot was followed by a dense barrage of gunfire.

The Samba man shot at the black fat men; the black fat men drew their guns and returned fire; stray bullets flew toward Bai Lao's group, who immediately drew their weapons and fired back.

Gunfire rose and fell like firecrackers during New Year's.

Outside, the fighting raged; Wu Chang's physical body and True Self hid behind cover, waving at Kent.

「Kent, come over here—we'll protect you. 」

Kent crouched low and dashed with three gunmen to their side.

Kent, unsurprisingly, was the leader; though everyone else in the arena was affected by the Chaos Power and temporarily lost control, he remained lucid—at least on the surface.

But that was all; his mental state was unstable.

He abandoned his usual gentle demeanor, his face twisted with agitation as he spat out dozens of f**k in rapid succession.

「Are these bastards on drugs? How dare they bring guns onto my turf? And that damn White—what the hell is he doing here? 」

「What the hell is going on here! 」

Those around Kent remained silent, none daring to answer him.

The gunfight lasted roughly ten minutes; as the gunfire slowed, the battle seemed to reach its end.

One gunman cautiously peeked out, scanned the area, then turned back and said:

「Boss, Mr. White and his men won—there's no danger outside. 」

Just as Kent exhaled in relief and prepared to rise, he suddenly saw Xiao En fiddling with a button and saying:

「Since the danger outside is gone, it's our turn to bring some danger to you, Kent. 」

Kent shuddered, feeling a lethal threat lock onto him.

「Xiao En, you…」

Before Kent could finish speaking, Wu Chang activated Mind Resonance.

Though Kent's will was strong, it was insufficient to resist the mental shock of Mind Resonance; Wu Chang felt Kent's mental barrier shatter—but what followed made him frown.

「Target's self-awareness too strong; full control impossible. Mental control converted to mental attack. 」

Kent felt a blade plunge into his brain, churning inside his skull; this soul-deep pain overwhelmed him, forcing him to convulse and collapse to his knees.

The three gunmen beside Kent instantly drew their guns and aimed at Wu Chang—but before they could raise their arms, they lost control of their bodies, standing frozen like statues.

After absorbing Deepwater Devourer at close range for so long, the toxin had already saturated their bone marrow; now it activated, leaving them no chance to struggle.

Wu Chang pulled the pistol from one gunman's hand and, amid the man's struggling and unwilling gaze, handed it to True Self.

True Self walked up to Kent with the gun and said in a tone of regret:

「Too bad—I was going to let you live a little longer. But you refused to cooperate. 」

True Self opened his phone's camera, switched to front-facing mode, and pointed the lens at himself and Kent.

After selecting a few angles, he pressed the gun against Kent's head and said:

「Look at the lens. Smile. Come on, repeat after me: Chee~ee~」

Bang!

A blood-red last message slowly faded before Wu Chang's eyes.

【Shatter Kent's skull—I want him to see his own brain splatter!】

(End of Chapter)