Find me… Li Austin instinctively pressed against his lower back, rose from his seat, stepped away, and glanced at the man speaking. He was a young man with radiant golden hair and eyes like sapphires—handsome, elegant, yet cold. Standing in the dirty, chaotic bar, he seemed like a pristine white rose blooming in a muddy pond. How could such a striking man have gone unnoticed? Li Austin stared at the young man dressed in a snowy white suit, his pupils turning the color of granite, and spoke in a steady, commanding tone: “Who are you?” As an experienced poisoner, he instinctively sensed danger. His question was meant to buy time—just two seconds. Once that time passed, his petrification skill would activate. Whether this man in the white suit was an enemy or an ally, he would secure control of him without a doubt. “I’ve seen you. You’re Austin, no mistake.” The tall man with golden hair nodded slightly, then picked up a glass from the bar, tossing it casually—thud! The ceiling monitor shattered. Next, he raised his hand and pressed firmly on Li Austin's neck, and with a crisp "crack," Li's neck snapped. At the same time, Zhang Yuanqing, disguised as the golden-haired man, lifted his left hand and lightly tapped Li's chest. "Pffft!" The force passed through Li's chest, and a jet of blood erupted from his back, splashing onto a nearby guest. Li Austin's thick lips trembled, and the pale hue in his pupils faded. A Level 3 fatal poison master passed away without uttering a single word. The bartender behind the bar continued wiping glasses, completely oblivious to the scene. The guest splashed with blood remained motionless, sipping his drink undisturbed. Zhang Yuanqing drew Li Austin's large-caliber pistol from his waist and fired two shots into the bartender's head. "Bang! Bang!" The bartender's head was like a watermelon torn open—his skull burst, splattering white and red across the floor, his body tilting and collapsing heavily. Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone, filmed the body of Li Austin, then put the phone away, dispelled the illusion, aimed the gun at the ceiling, and fired. The sharp crack of the gunshot drowned out the surrounding noise. Guests and prostitutes in the bar suddenly froze, some clutching their heads and crouching down, others scrambling for cover—so skilled, yet so heart-wrenching. The bouncers and security staff, meanwhile, drew their handguns, their empty barrels now pointed squarely at the young man in the white suit. Suddenly, these men seemed to lose all hope in life, their expressions blank, and they lowered their guns to aim at the young man's temples, firing one after another. With a series of sharp shots, the bouncers fell one by one. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing slightly turned his head toward the interior of the bar, sensing a wave of intense malice and fury approaching. It was the enemy of the Sage Realm. There were too many ordinary patrons in the bar... Immediately, he activated the emotional manipulation ability of a magician, inducing panic and driving the guests to lose their senses, rushing toward the doors, screaming as they fled. A shadow shot out from the corridor leading into the bar. It was a creature half-human, half-beast—human in form, yet its neck bore the head of a hellhound. Its eyes were blood-red, fierce and wrathful, and from its wide, gaping mouth lined with sharp fangs, thick streams of highly corrosive black smoke burst forth. A Distortion Entity! Zhang Yuanqing swiftly recalled the data on Distortion Entities—their core ability was "distortion." A specific part of their body would undergo transformation, granting them extraordinary powers. This was similar to the process of a Wuzhu (Witch-Gu) transforming into a spirit, yet once a Distortion Entity underwent distortion, it could never return to its original human form. In the medieval period, many legends about demons originated from Distortion Entities. In addition, the Distorted possess skills known as "Toxic Smoke" and "Demon," the former delivering a potent corrosive toxin and the latter granting physical enhancement. Their passive ability, "Cold Blood," keeps the Distorted perpetually calm, never showing mercy or losing rationality. This passive skill counters the mental manipulation of the Illusionist. The "Demon Dog" Henry, bursting through the corridor, swiftly scanned the bar, ignoring the panicking patrons, his gaze settling on the bartender and on the body of Li Austin. He then turned toward the young man at the bar counter, dressed in a white suit. With a sudden surge of his throat, he opened his mouth wide and expelled a thick, syrupy black mist. Zhang Yuanqing stepped aside. The mist shot forward, striking the floor drenched in liquid, hissing as it melted into a deep, circular depression. Henry again drew in his breath, preparing to launch another wave of mist, only to find the enemy suddenly gone—the young man with the blue eyes and golden hair—vanished from his sight. The next instant, he felt intense pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a short blade, with black and white sides, piercing his back. He managed only a furious, resentful cry before his body rapidly shriveled and his soul and vitality faded away. "A Level 4 Distortion—one hardly poses a challenge," Zhang Yuanqing murmured, raising his hand and snapping his fingers, the gesture dissolving into a dreamlike cascade of starlight. … The following day, 11 a.m. In the Queens district, outside a restaurant, Zhang Yuanqing, alone and dressed to resemble an ordinary white young man, stood by the street, gazing into the restaurant's interior. He carefully sensed the emotions of Kevin, the elderly white man in one of the private dining rooms—tense, eager, impatient, with no issues. Zhang Yuanqing gave a slight nod and entered the restaurant. Now a freelance practitioner, he had to remain cautious in all his actions, wary that the events at the bar had already drawn the attention of the Heavenly Judgment. The Heavenly Judgment's Enforcement Division had traced the matter down to Kevin. This meeting today was a carefully orchestrated trap. Or perhaps it was a plot by the Biologics Alchemy Society. Though both possibilities were slim, they couldn’t afford to overlook it. Entering the restaurant, he first made his way to the restroom, restoring his appearance as Zhang Qingyang, then smoothly pushed open the door to the private room. The same small room, the same spot—Kevin, the older, more reserved man, sat anxiously, his eyes frequently scanning the door, drinking his coffee faster and faster. He took another sip of coffee, instinctively glancing toward the entrance. This time, he saw the private room door open, and the foreign bounty hunter from yesterday walk in. Kevin’s eyes lit up; he shifted slightly in his seat, his gaze fixed tightly on the bounty hunter. Zhang Yuanqing glanced around the room, paused briefly at the two carry-on suitcases by Kevin’s feet, then sat down, placed his phone on the table, unlocked it, and passed it to Kevin. “Mission complete. Please review!” Kevin almost snatched the phone from him, his face tense, and immediately opened the video. The video lasted only five seconds. Li Austin's body lay on the ground, his chest soaked in blood. The filmer kicked the body with his foot to verify its authenticity. He watched the five-second clip over and over—dozens of times. Eventually, Kevin set down his phone and, with bloodshot eyes, looked at the young bounty hunter. "I have my own sources. I'd like to verify this." "That's your right," Zhang Yuanqing replied, silently thinking: The King of Fear would surely be delighted to hear that. Kevin pulled out his phone and dialed the police chief's number. "Old pal, have you caught Austin—that guy?" "Oh, my friend, from now on, you won't have to look for Austin anymore. He was killed last night. You can rest easy now." Kevin hung up quietly. He took a deep breath, as if holding back some emotion, raised his hand, and asked the bodyguard to place the two silver suitcases on the table. "You're an excellent bounty hunter. Take your payment. This has been the most rewarding business I've ever done. Thank you!" Zhang Yuanqing opened the suitcases with a crisp snap, and the stacks of green bills inside were simply mesmerizing. "Great cooperation!" he closed the cases without verifying their authenticity, smiled, and said, "You're a savvy businessman—you should know what happens if I accept counterfeit notes." Kevin nodded, then shrugged, smiled, and said, "I've already had the chef prepare lunch, but right now I just want to be alone for a while." Sensing the tone of his mood, Zhang Yuanqing smiled warmly. "Goodbye." He carried the two suitcases gracefully and left the dining room. As the door closed behind him, Kevin's poised posture collapsed instantly—he leaned back against the chair, lowered his head, cupped his face with both hands, and his shoulders trembled softly. A hoarse cry filters through the fingers. ... The headquarters building of the New Covenant County Bank, Floor 104, Department Head's Office. Rei Asano, dressed in a tailored suit and white shirt, stands straight with her back straight, saying: "Minister Wini, I've sent the list of members of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn's faction to your email. Regarding Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn's personal belongings, I've gathered the details: on the night before the trial, Fu Qingyang and Guan Ya visited him, and Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn gave them all his personal items. The other members of the faction did not receive any. Pausing, she adds: "As for the portable speaker, I haven't found any information about it. According to Guan Ya, Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn did not leave the magical king's artifacts to them—apparently, they have returned to the Spiritual Realm with his passing." Already returned to the Spiritual Realm... Wini Berlent's eyes flash with a touch of disappointment and quiet sadness. "I know Fu Qingyang. Who is Guan Ya?" "She is Fu Qingyang's cousin and also Yuan Sh "Minister Wei nodded slightly, pausing her conversation about the Mage King and Yuan Shi Tian Zun, and then said, 'Go to Conference Room 6 on Level 106—there's a meeting you need to attend.' She offered no explanation, then lowered her head to read her files. Shinoya Ryō knew it was time to leave and bowed slightly as she stepped back. After leaving the office, she called her assistant, Emi, to inform her of her meeting at Level 106. Emi said, 'The Wine God Club and the Merchant Guild are in fierce competition, with Tianfa actively involved—right now, they're short on personnel. Your next assignment will be to assist the Enforcement Department with investigations and arrests.' Shinoya Ryō replied, 'Understood!' After hanging up, she took the elevator to Conference Room 6 on Level 106. It was a small meeting room, with about fifteen enforcement officers seated around a long table, and a middle-aged man with a well-groomed back hairdo standing in front of the projection screen, speaking in a low, steady tone. Upon seeing Reina Ryō enter, he glanced at the name tag hanging on her chest, gestured casually toward a seat, and said, "The surveillance cameras at the scene have been damaged. However, based on witness statements, physical evidence at the scene, and the autopsy reports, the person who killed the Hell Dog Henry and Lee Austin is skilled in illusion magic, capable of manipulating emotions—likely a second-tier illusionist. Yet, their exceptional close-quarters combat prowess suggests someone resembling the Night Wanderer." Lee Austin has been killed? The Prime King is moving so swiftly... Reina Ryō was startled and instinctively lowered her gaze, evading the scout's perception spell, even though there were no scouts present at the scene. ... [Reina Ryō: The Prime King has noticed your actions from last night. They may investigate you, but internal analysis within the Executive Department concludes that you are not yet considered an adversary, so their pursuit will not be intense.] [Reina Ryō: I have already reported to Minister Fuyu as instructed. She has not asked any further questions.] 】 【The Celestial Master: Well done, Liang. Your next assignment is to get close to Winny and win her trust. Assisting the Enforcement Division in capturing criminals is a great opportunity—your chance to earn recognition and promotion. I’ll be supporting you throughout.】 【Shallu Liang: Yes, I won’t let you down.】 【The Celestial Master: Liang, there’s a task the organization has entrusted to you—go into the Heaven’s Judgment database and look up a person named Chen Shu. Send me the information as soon as you have it.】 【Shallu Liang: Understood.】 In the Chinatown eatery, Zhang Yuanqing sets down his phone, picks up a crystal shrimp dumpling, and slowly bites into it. After finishing a stack of dumplings, he orders a bowl of restructured dumplings, eating them while opening the bounty hunter app and logging into the backend. The backend shows that his task has been completed—he has successfully passed the assessment and is now officially a Bronze Hunter, eligible to accept assignments worth up to 10 points. Zhang Yuanqing returned to the main interface and browsed the bounty quests, noticing a surge of new assignments overnight—targeting members of the Wine God Club, Merchant Guild, and the Divine Judgment faction. This clearly indicated that the Lawful Evil organizations were now mutually rewarding each other. These tasks primarily reflected both sides' efforts to attract independent practitioners from the civilian population, also underscoring the intensifying conflict between the two factions. "Let me see what quests I can take…" Zhang Yuanqing swiped the screen down, where numerous, varied quests below 10 points were listed—ranging from debt collection and search-and-recovery missions to theft cases, security duties, and even cases involving orchestrating murder, rape, and bank robbery. To earn just a few points, these tasks required touching legal and ethical boundaries—undoubtedly not worth it. Even the Evil-aligned professionals were reluctant to accept them, given the low rewards and the high cost of maintaining moral integrity. "I'll start with the simpler tasks—debt collection and search missions." Zhang Yuanqing took a random debt-collection assignment on the spot, put down his phone, slurped a few mouthfuls of noodles, and just as he finished his bowl, a reply from Asahina Ryouta arrived. [Asahina Ryouta: I've found Chen Shu's records—they're a bit extensive. I'll send you a document.]