Chapter 550: Every one of them deserves to die

The outskirts of the Demon City, abandoned shipyard.

The fog hung low.

The tin shed roof leaked, water droplets falling on the rust‑stained Jiabǎn, pat, pat, pat.

Twenty‑seven avengers were scattered around the shipyard.

Someone was wiping a knife.

Someone was repairing a gun.

Someone stared at several modified broadcasting devices.

No one spoke.

They had just finished watching the official livestream.

The Purify Abyss operation was still continuing.

The Federation wasn't playing around this time—it rolled out the wanted list page by page, laid out the evidence item by item, arrested those who should be arrested, tried those who should be tried, and didn't delay executing those who deserved death by firing squad.

Several names that had originally been at the top of the avengers' death‑list had already been erased by the authorities themselves.

Zhou Ping sat on an overturned wooden crate.

He wore a black coat, its cuffs rubbed to a whitish fade.

The Seven‑Eyed Crown hovered above his head, neither high nor low.

All seven eyes were open.

On the phone screen, the announcer was broadcasting the latest news.

"Former Federation Special‑Grade Advisor Song Huaiyi, after review by the Supreme Judiciary Court, was confirmed to have used his Weird Controller authority to murder seventy‑three ordinary civilians, illegally transferred three Weird Objects, sentenced to death, to be carried out immediately."

The picture cut away.

No blood.

Only a stamped judgment sheet remained.

Zhou Ping stared at it for a long time.

The scar‑marked man stood beside him, his Adam's apple twitching.

"Wang."

Zhou Ping didn't reply.

The scar‑marked man said again, 'Song Huaiyi originally ranked sixth.'

"Hmm."

"The seventh was also arrested."

"Hmm."

"The ninth, surnamed Zheng, the authorities said will be publicly tried this afternoon."

Zhou Ping turned off his phone.

The screen went black, reflecting his expressionless face.

"Wei Gong is good at getting things done."

The scar‑marked man gritted his teeth.

"They're stealing our path."

Zhou Ping lifted his head.

The scar‑marked man immediately shut his mouth.

It wasn't fear of being scolded.

He was afraid that if he kept talking, his words would get twisted.

This bunch of them gathered together not because they were addicted to killing.

At least not at the start.

What they wanted was an accounting.

What they wanted was for those things cloaked in merit, privilege, and Weird Controller guises to be dragged out.

Now the Federation itself has taken up the knife.

This ought to have been a good thing.

But when a good thing comes too late, its flavor changes.

Zhou Ping tossed his phone to the scar‑marked man.

"Keep watching."

The scar‑marked man caught it.

Zhou Ping stood up and walked to the edge of the shipyard.

Outside there was a narrow river.

The water was black.

In the distance lay a derelict crane.

He thought of the Black Pool water prison.

He thought of his sister Zhou Ning lying in the treatment pod.

He thought of Zhao Xiao's face.

He thought again of the judgment shown in the earlier livestream.

The fire in his chest had not died out.

It had merely been pressed down by someone's hand.

The seven eyes on the crown turned.

Three of the eyes looked toward the fog outside the shipyard.

The avengers almost simultaneously raised their heads.

"Someone."

The scarred man grabbed a gun.

Several others drew daggers, and dark red rules crawled out from the blades.

The sound of water droplets in the shipyard still rang.

A person walked out of the fog.

Black Combat Suit.

A badge box hung from his waist.

Young, straight-backed, with unhurried steps.

Jiang Yuan.

The avengers exploded in outrage right there.

"Investigation Bureau!"

"Jiang Yuan is here!"

"On guard!"

Dark red rules surged.

The anomalous power of several avengers was activated by the crown crystal, fine blood lines appearing on their bodies.

They have seen Jiang Yuan.

They have also seen Jiang Yuan's shadow legion covering the streets.

That is not an ordinary Cunning One.

That is one of the few people in the Federation who can fight the best.

The scarred man stepped in front of Zhou Ping and whispered, "King, he's alone."

"I saw."

"He didn't summon troops."

"I also saw."

The scarred man choked.

Zhou Ping raised his hand.

All the avengers stopped.

Jiang Yuan walked ten paces away and stopped.

He didn't touch the badge box.

Nor did he let the shadow stand up.

Both hands empty.

To the avengers, this is stranger than if he had just attacked directly.

A top-level Cunning One, entering the enemy stronghold alone, without opening a domain, without summoning troops, without revealing his trump card.

This isn't just boldness.

This is laying one's life on the table for inspection.

The scarred man stared at Jiang Yuan's hand.

Jiang Yuan took out a brown paper bag from his pocket.

The paper bag was old, its seal stamped with a red mark.

Jiang Yuan didn't approach.

With a lift of his wrist, the paper bag arced through the air and landed on a rusty oil drum in front of Zhou Ping.

Pa.

Very light.

But everyone looked over.

Zhou Ping didn't move.

Jiang Yuan said: "List of Fugitives Overseas and Precise Coordinates."

The shipyard fell silent for a few seconds.

The scarred man laughed first.

"What does that mean? The government outsourcing executions? You Investigation Bureau are also getting into gig work?"

Someone joined in the laughter.

The laughter was stiff.

Jiang Yuan ignored them.

He only looked at Zhou Ping.

"The government is constrained by international conventions; the cost of clearing exit is too high."

"Lord Wei said, we'll cut the rotten meat ourselves."

"The mad dogs outside, leave them for you to kill with this knife."

The scarred man's laughter stopped.

The avengers looked at each other.

These words are too blunt.

So blunt that people can't respond right away.

Zhou Ping stared at Jiang Yuan.

"Duke Wei sent you to deliver the sword sheath?"

Jiang Yuan replied: "Deliver the list."

"He wants to use me."

"Yes."

As soon as that word was spoken, nobody in the shipyard cursed anymore.

Jiang Yuan didn't sugarcoat.

Didn't mention any common enemy.

Didn't mention anything for humanity's sake.

Nor did he say the disgusting line "welcome home."

It's just exploitation.

Transparent pricing.

Zhou Ping let out a low chuckle twice.

"You Federation folks are really interesting."

Jiang Yuan didn't respond.

Zhou Ping stepped forward two steps.

The seven eyes on the crown all turned toward Jiang Yuan.

Dark-red rules pressed down.

The shadow beneath Jiang Yuan's feet flickered slightly but didn't take shape.

He bore it stubbornly.

He kept his shoulders straight.

Zhou Ping said: "Just a few days ago you lot wanted to arrest me."

Jiang Yuan replied: "I still want to."

"Then why dare you come?"

"Duke Wei sent me, and I wanted to come too."

"You came to throw your life away?"

"You wanted to see how much humanity I have left."

The Avengers' faces all changed.

The scarred man snapped: "Jiang Yuan, don't get too full of yourself. You're on our turf now—do you really think your protagonist's halo subscription got renewed?"

Jiang Yuan looked at him.

"I have no halo."

He paused.

"My teammates often say I'm hopeless socially, so this can serve as a disclaimer."

Someone couldn't hold back and snorted.

The scarred man's face went black.

Zhou Ping also halted for half a second.

He hadn't expected Jiang Yuan to say something like that.

Not very funny.

But it was weird enough.

It was weird enough to twist the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere a bit to the side.

Zhou Ping picked up the paper bag on the gasoline drum.

The seal wasn't opened.

He gripped that layer of kraft paper.

"Aren't you afraid I'll take the list and then keep killing Federation people?"

Jiang Yuan replied: "Afraid."

"Then why send it?"

"The Pure Abyss Action will continue."

Jiang Yuan looked at him, speaking not fast: "Those on your list, if the evidence is solid, the authorities will handle them. If you kill someone who's undergoing trial, the public won't side with you anymore."

Zhou Ping sneered: "You finally learned to wield public opinion as a knife."

Jiang Yuan said: "You're using it too."

After that remark, the shipyard fell silent again.

Zhou Ping lifted his gaze.

All seven eyes on the crown fixed on Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan didn't retreat.

He knew perfectly well that if he misspoke now, the talk would turn into a slaughter.

But what needed to be said had to be said.

Zhou Ping is not a friend.

Nor an ally.

He is a blade flung by a deity.

This blade has already tasted blood, has already savored faith, and has also been lifted up by the cries of the lower classes.

If we let him keep chopping wildly at home, the gods will laugh, the Federation will suffer, and the people will split in half.

What Wei Gong must do is turn the blade outward.

What Jiang Yuan must do is confirm that the hand gripping the blade hasn't completely rotted.

Zhou Ping tore open the paper bag.

The first photo slid out.

A fat man had his arms around two women as they sat on a yacht, with an overseas coastline behind them.

A name was written on the back of the photo.

Luo Jincheng.

Former Deputy Director of the Southern War Zone Weird Resources Division.

Three years ago he embezzled suppressive agents, causing seventeen low-rank Weird Controllers to lose control, nine of whom died.

After fleeing, he changed his name and bought three estates overseas.

The second.

The third.

The fourth.

On the back of each photo were coordinates, activity patterns, guard deployments, Weird Object IDs, and even their latest spending records.

They lived very well.

So well it was glaring.

The scarred man leaned in for a look, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"These people......"

He couldn't go on.

A female avenger quietly read out the file's contents.

"Qian Dehai, former logistics officer of the Weird Quarantine Zone, sold off purification injections, killing 321 ordinary refugees. He now lives on White Stone Island in Northern Europe, and his foundation hosts monthly charity galas."

She finished reading and gave a slight smile.

"Charity."

Those two words came out of her mouth, dry.

Zhou Ping flipped through the photos one by one.

When he reached the last one, his hand stopped.

In the photo, a man in a suit was donating to a hospital.

The background banner was written beautifully.

Special Fund for Caring About Children's Brain Diseases.

Zhou Ping's finger pressed against the edge of the photo.

All seven eyes of the Seven-Eyed Crown opened wide.

Dark-red rules spread from under his feet, corroding the gasoline drum's surface into fine marks.

Jiang Yuan noticed that photo.

File number, overseas target nineteen.

Fu Yunhai.

Former director of the medical outsourcing company for Blackpool Detention Center.

Jiang Yuan said, "Wei Gong didn't delete this."

Zhou Ping looked up.

Jiang Yuan said, "He said you'd want to see it yourself."

Zhou Ping stared at him.

"Did Wei Gong even calculate this?"

Jiang Yuan didn't beautify Wei Gong.

"He investigated deeper than you thought."

Zhou Ping closed the file.

The dark-red pattern on the back of his hand retracted a little.

"Old fox."

Jiang Yuan didn't rebut.

Zhou Ping handed the paper bag to the scarred man.

"Make three copies. Have each group verify them. If the coordinates are off, add the Federation's intelligence couriers to the list."

The scarred man glanced at Jiang Yuan.

"Received."

Jiang Yuan turned around.

"Wait."

Zhou Ping called out to him.

Jiang Yuan stopped.

Zhou Ping asked, "What do you want?"

Jiang Yuan answered, "Three things."

"Speak."

"Don't touch those undergoing the Abyssal Purification review."

Look at the situation.

Don't kill innocent family members.

I am not Gospel Church.

Don't let the crown completely devour your humanity.

This time, Zhou Ping didn't answer right away.

The fog in the shipyard pressed inward a bit.

The avengers also didn't speak.

Zhou Ping lowered his head to look at his palm.

Guilty, kill.

Obstruct, kill.

Don't understand, kill.

That kind of simplicity is very comfortable.

Comfortable to the point of frightening.

Zhou Ping raised his head.

You've been standing in the light too long.

Jiang Yuan said: "I've also killed many people."

But you can still go back to report, eat, sleep, have teammates scold you a couple times.

Zhou Ping's voice dropped: "I can't go back."

Jiang Yuan didn't comfort.

Such words, comforting is offensive.

Zhou Ping continued: "How much humanity I have left, I don't get to say. The crown doesn't get to say either."

He patted the paper bag.

The list decides.

Jiang Yuan turned around.

Then go kill those who should be killed.

Zhou Ping was tired, waved his hand.

Let's go.

Jiang Yuan nodded, walked into the fog.

Just before he disappeared from sight, he left a final line.

"Zhou Ping, Lord Wei had me tell you:"

"Someone wants to watch humans bite each other to death."

"If you truly hate privilege, don't work for free for that person."

The fog swallowed his silhouette.

The avengers still stood in place.

After a while, the scarred man finally spoke: "King, really kill according to the list?"

Zhou Ping pulled out the photo of Fu Yunhai.

The man in the photo smiled decently.

He looked at it for a few seconds, then put the photo back in the file.

"Kill the overseas ones first."

The scarred man asked: "And domestically?"

"Let the Investigation Bureau cut."

"What if they don't cut it clean?"

Zhou Ping raised his hand, the Seven-Eyed Crown rose.

Dark red rules spread beneath the shipyard's ceiling, making all avengers feel their internal crystals heat up.

"Then come back."

He turned and walked toward the depths of the shipyard.

"Notify everyone."

"The avengers go to sea."

Zhou Ping walked up to an old computer and inserted the encrypted crystal from the file.

The screen lit up.

The overseas map unfolded.

Red points popped out one by one.

Many.

More than they thought.

Zhou Ping looked at those red points and suddenly understood Lord Wei's ruthlessness.

Domestically, scrape the bone; overseas, borrow a knife.

One side stabilizes the people's hearts, the other side sends the avengers to settle accounts with escaped evildoers.

This is not reconciliation.

Nor is it appeasement.

This is putting everyone's hatred into a controllable river.

Zhou Ping hates this kind of scheming.

But he cannot refuse.

Because behind those red dots, each one deserves to die.