Chapter 487: The Praying Mantis Catches the Cicada, the Yellow Sparrow Lies in Wait

Abandoned repair shop basement.

The smell of rust, blood, and damp mildew mingled, pressing into the nostrils.

Only three ceiling lights still work; the tubes are aged, the white light flickers, casting the wall's grease stains in mottled patches.

An iron cage sits in the center.

Inside the cage, the female Fierce Ghost curls into a ball, her semi‑transparent shoulders and back etched with fine cracks by the rule chain.

She still retains a human shape.

Precisely because of that, the pain is especially clear.

Ma Kui sits on a folding chair, twirling a short knife in his hand, his boot tip tapping the ground intermittently.

"Almost done, right?"

The mercenary beside him crouches before the cage, gripping a jet‑black, pincer‑shaped Containment Object.

Pain‑Extracting Bone‑Pulling Pliers.

rule‑type Containment Object.

Effective only on Fierce Ghosts.

It does not kill.

It only torments.

Each clamp extracts the concept of "bones being crushed" from the Fierce Ghost's lingering human cognition, inflicting that pain.

Even without bones, it can hurt the spirit until it falls apart.

【8】 "Boss, two more rounds."

Boss, another two rounds.

The mercenary wielding the pliers grins, excitement blazing in his eyes, "Her resentment hasn't peaked yet. The bosses in the live‑stream room love this; the greater the Fierce Ghost's resentment, the higher the price."

Ma Kui snorts.

"Don't mess it up. If the product breaks, will you compensate?"

"Don't worry, we're professional."

He inserts the Pain‑Extracting Bone‑Pulling Pliers into the gap of the rule chain.

Click.

The female Fierce Ghost suddenly lifts her head.

Her mouth is sealed with soul‑binding glue, preventing a scream, yet her entire spirit convulses.

The wall‑mounted thermometer snaps open with a pop, its mercury strand breaking into pieces.

Several mercenaries laugh boisterously.

"Yo, you're holding up pretty well."

"No wonder high self‑awareness is valuable; this reaction is far more thrilling than those monster tales that only bite."

Ma Kui raises his hand to check his watch.

"Live at eight tomorrow night. Tonight we'll stir up her resentment, and tomorrow afternoon we'll do her makeup, got it?"

"Got it. It's all about a punch‑by‑punch immersive consumption experience."

The mercenary with the pliers clamps again.

Click.

The female Fierce Ghost's fingers claw the iron cage floor; her fingertips pierce the metal yet still instinctively grasp.

There is no ferocity in her eyes.

Only a plea for mercy.

That makes the basement's chatter even more grating.

Opposite the repair shop, the roof of a seven‑story unfinished building.

Behind the rain curtain, Liang Wen lies on the cement edge, half his face pressed against a thermal‑imaging monitor.

His black Windcoat is soaked, his flamboyant hair flattened, making him less teen‑rebellious and more the realistic overtime‑worker.

Xiao Liu crouches beside him, tablet in arms, his eyelids twitching.

"Liang Team, the six Blood‑Hand members are in the basement. Two gatekeepers, two inner‑circle, one operating a Containment Object, Ma Kui on guard."

Liang Wen says nothing.

Xiao Liu looks up: "Liang Team?"

Liang Wen raises his hand, signaling silence.

In the thermal image, beside the rear drainage ditch of the repair shop, an additional humanoid heat source appears.

Very young.

About 1.75 m tall.

Surface temperature stable, heart‑rate curve absurdly flat.

Not slow.

It's steady.

The red line representing the heartbeat matches the data from the mechanical pump.

Xiao Liu leans in, his pupils constricting.

"What's this?"

Liang Wen squints his almond eyes.

"Don't insult them; even if they break the law, they still have human rights."

"I'm not insulting," Xiao Liu swallows, "There's no massive Weird radiation, no domain reaction, no rule‑expansion pre‑sign, yet the muscle compression density is absurdly high. Look at the shoulder‑back and thigh hot zones; the kinetic energy storage is excessive."

"Translate it into human language."

"Humanoid hydraulic press."

Liang Wen was silent for two seconds.

"That assessment really hurts my pride. I, the illustrious Dark-Blooded King, was never praised like that in my youth."

Xiao Liu, not in the mood to play along, pointed at the screen and hurried, "He's approaching the vent! Thirty-two meters from the basement, twenty‑eight meters, twenty meters..."

Liang Wen pressed his hand to his earpiece.

"All units stand by; no shooting allowed."

A team member whispered back, "Liang Team, should we take control of the scene first?"

"Take control? As if."

Liang Wen stared at the heat source on the screen, his tone unusually low, "Let him in first."

Xiao Liu turned his head, "Huh?"

Liang Wen licked his rain‑soaked lips.

"Those rotten Blood‑Hand scum, the Investigation Bureau catches them, they talk about procedure, evidence, and Containment Object ownership."

He paused.

"That kid goes in, no discussion."

Inside the basement.

The mercenary wielding the clamp was about to deliver the third strike.

Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the iron door.

Very light.

The two door‑guard mercenaries exchanged glances, their muzzles lifting in unison.

"Who?"

No one answered.

The next second, the twenty‑centimeter‑thick blast‑proof iron door buckled inward.

The first impact left a clear shoe imprint on the door panel.

The second impact warped the hinge.

The third blow sent the whole door screeching sideways, knocking the two guards at the entrance over.

The sound of bones snapping was abrupt.

One of them didn't even have time to scream before being crushed beneath the door, his chest caved in.

Rainwater poured in through the doorway.

Ji Bai folded the Old Black Umbrella, its tip lightly tapping the ground.

The boy wore a gray hoodie, his pant cuffs stained with mud, rain still clinging to his face.

He even looked somewhat like a student.

If one ignores the two bodies beneath the door panel.

Ma Kui stood up, the short blade settling into his palm.

"I think I know you... you're that little brat who specializes in snatching Fierce Ghosts?"

Ji Bai glanced at the iron cage.

The female Fierce Ghost's spirit trembled violently, sealing‑soul resin glued to its mouth, its eye sockets reddened.

Ji Bai's gaze lingered briefly.

Then he turned toward Ma Kui.

"Release the person."

The basement fell silent for half a beat.

Immediately, several mercenaries burst into laughter.

"Human?"

The man controlling the clamp shook the Containment Object in his hand and said, "Brother, have you started feeling emotions while hunting ghosts? This thing is already dead—it's merchandise, got it?"

Ji Bai stepped forward.

"One last time."

Ma Kui raised his hand.

"Break the leg, leave a way out. The buyer might be interested in this kind of little hero."

Two inner‑circle mercenaries pulled the triggers simultaneously.

The muzzles burst into flame.

Ji Bai lowered his body, the umbrella canopy unfurling.

The bullet struck the black umbrella; it neither ricocheted nor pierced, but was swallowed by the canopy, leaving a series of tiny dents.

Ji Bai pushed off with his feet.

The cement floor cracked in a spider‑web pattern.

The figure had already crossed three meters.

The first mercenary hadn't reloaded when his throat bone was struck by the umbrella handle; he was flung backward, crashing into a shelf, his head tilting sideways.

The second mercenary drew a standard chain, only half of it out, when Ji Bai seized the chain and yanked it backward.

The person was dragged to the front.

Knee to abdomen.

Elbow to neck.

The movement was short, ruthless, clean.

No tricks.

Like dismantling old junk parts.

Ma Kui's pupils contracted.

"Open Weird!"

The mercenary controlling the pliers aimed the Pain‑Bone‑Pulling Pliers at Ji Bai, and the pattern of the Rules glowed dark red.

"Let you also taste......"

He didn't finish speaking.

Ji Bai was already in front of him.

The black umbrella closed, its tip pierced that man's wrist, pinning the Pain‑Bone‑Pulling Pliers and his hand to the wall.

The mercenary let out a warped wail.

Ji Bai lifted his leg and kicked the side of his knee.

Crack.

The man knelt down.

"You were laughing quite happily just now."

Ji Bai leaned forward, pulled the Pain‑Bone‑Pulling Pliers from the wall, the jaws close to the other's shoulder blade.

The mercenary shook his head like a madman.

"Stop! I'm wrong! I'm just taking orders, I'm just making a living!"

Ji Bai looked at him.

"Did you hear her begging for mercy?"

Click.

The jaws closed.

The mercenary arched his whole body like a shrimp, a wail squeezed from his throat, rattling the light tubes into frantic flicker.

Ji Bai no longer looked.

He swept the umbrella handle horizontally, knocking the man unconscious.

Ma Kui finally moved.

A clump of dark brown resentment crawled up from behind him, solidifying into a humanoid shape.

B Ji Weird, Bone‑Slicing Soldier.

Ma Kui's hidden Symbiosis.

That thing had no face; its two arms were twin curved‑blade bone swords, moving extremely fast, specialized in cutting the joints and Rule mediums of those who manipulate the Weird.

"You motherfucker really think I only know how to abuse newbies?"

Ma Kui growled low, "Bone‑Slicing Soldier, slay him!"

The Bone‑Slicing Soldier skidded along the ground, twin blades interlaced, heading straight for Ji Bai's bent knee.

Ji Bai did not activate a domain.

He did not chant a spell.

He did not invoke any Rules.

He simply switched the black umbrella to his left hand, stepped his right foot forward half a step, twisted his shoulders and back, channeling his whole strength from his soles through the umbrella handle.

Snap.

The umbrella tip struck the Bone‑Slicing Soldier's chest.

The B Ji Weird's body collapsed on the spot.

The resentment was pierced through.

On the second strike, Ji Bai's umbrella handle pressed horizontally, driving the Bone‑Slicing Soldier into Ma Kui.

Ma Kui tried to retreat.

Too late.

The Bone‑Slicing Soldier and Ma Kui's chest exploded together into Blood Mist, the remaining resentment was absorbed by the umbrella surface, emitting a fine corrosive sound.

Ma Kui fell to the ground, a hollow opened in his chest, his eyes widened enormously.

He died without ever understanding.

How could a human without a large‑scale Weird reaction pierce a B Ji Weird with just flesh?

Only the sound of rain and breathing remained in the basement.

Ji Bai walked to the iron cage, picked up the key, and unlocked the chain.

When the soul‑sealing glue was torn off, the female Fierce Ghost winced in pain.

Ji Bai eased his movements.

"Don't be afraid."

The female Fierce Ghost looked up, her pallid pupils reflecting the boy's face.

Ji Bai spread the black umbrella, shielding the cold rain leaking through the doorway.

"You are safe now."

The four words had just fallen.

The load‑bearing wall above his head suddenly cracked.

An entire cement slab was sliced from above, Reinforced Steel Bar curled, dust and ash poured down.

Dark‑colored flames fell first.

The fire tongues crawled through the air, even the edges of space were burned into curves.

Liang Wen held his long sword and fell through the breach, his black windcoat unfurling behind him.

The sword tip halted three cun before Ji Bai's throat.

Any closer by half a fen, and the skin would be scorched by the black flame.

"Youngster, walk the night road long enough and you'll inevitably run into the Investigation Bureau."

Liang Wen steadied his footing, his wet hair sticking to his forehead, yet he forced himself into a pose that tried hard to look cool.

"I am the Abyss Walker, the Dark-Blooded King Liang Wen. Now, please put down your weapon and submit to a lawful summons from the Federal Weird Investigation Bureau."

Ji Bai did not retreat.

The female fierce ghost behind him shrank back in fear, taking shelter under the umbrella.

Above, seven members of the Project Team descended along the breach, their thermal-imaging gun barrels all locking onto Ji Bai.

The basement exit was also sealed.

The urn has already been closed.

Liang Wen's sword tip advanced another half cun.

"Don't push me. I'm in a very foul mood today."

Ji Bai lifted his gaze, looking at the long sword burning with black flames.

The black umbrella turned half a circle in his palm.

The umbrella ribs spread open, blocking in front of the female fierce ghost.

"...... Investigation Bureau."

Ji Bai whispered those three words.

There was no anger.

Nor was there any surprise.

That day, Ji Bai had waited a long time.

Liang Wen narrowed his eyes.

"It seems the difficulty of negotiation has increased."

Ji Bai gripped the umbrella handle tightly, the gravel under his feet crushed to powder, "Make way."

Liang Wen's long sword lay horizontal, black flames licking its back.

"Sorry."

"This path, I cannot yield."