Chapter 0027: Night of Chaos

[War Bear] was down to three members.

That piece of information mattered to Ning Fan.

When Lin Chuan had led them in their escape, there had been no time to confirm how many enemies were left.

"Hey, kid — you selling or not?" Sister Cai asked again.

"Selling," Ning Fan nodded.

Sister Cai smiled. "Smart kid."

But Ning Fan immediately added, "I have one more condition, though."

"Selling a few weapons and you've got this many demands?" Sister Cai said, a hint of impatience in her voice.

Ning Fan didn't let her attitude faze him. "That guy from [Skull Squad] you mentioned — Old Pig — I ran into him the moment I entered the zone. We had a little... unpleasant exchange."

Sister Cai blinked, then frowned.

"What are you getting at? You want me to go up against Old Pig over a bit of merchandise? Not a chance."

"That's not what I mean." Ning Fan spread his hands. "I have a conflict with him, and his people are tailing me — all they want is to rob me. So whether it's this gear or the Sola, none of it is safe in my hands right now."

"So?"

"So — keep the goods for now. When I'm ready to leave the zone, come see me off and hand over the Sola then."

"See you off outside the zone? Kid, let me give you a friendly warning — if they want to rob you, it's even easier once you're outside."

"Outside the zone, I'm not afraid of being robbed." Ning Fan smiled. "Out there, they have the advantage — but so do I. Even more so."

Sister Cai narrowed her eyes, studying him with growing interest.

This kid has serious confidence in his Spirit Servant.

He actually believes that if [Skull Squad] dares make a move on him outside the zone...

He might just come back with another batch of weapons to sell.

"Little brother, that confident, are you? [Skull Squad] isn't weak, you know."

Sister Cai stepped closer, then leaned in and murmured near his ear, "That Old Pig — double digits."

Ten-Soul Tier!

But that wasn't what caught Ning Fan's attention. What caught his attention was the warm breath brushing against his ear, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.

"Little brother, you're blushing," Sister Cai said, suddenly breaking into a radiant, teasing smile.

Ning Fan's face went awkward.

Sister Cai, however, had already picked up his bundle and slung it over her own arm.

She cleared her throat.

"I'm taking this kid's goods. He gets them back when he leaves the zone! Everyone here's a witness — my memory isn't great, so make sure I don't forget."

Ning Fan watched her, surprised.

This woman had a real sense of honor.

First, she was giving him peace of mind — by announcing it in front of everyone, she had no way to back out of the deal.

Second, she was sending a message to whoever was shadowing Ning Fan — Monkey.

More specifically, a message to Old Pig.

This kid has no money on him.

At least inside the zone, robbing him would be pointless.

"Thanks," Ning Fan said sincerely.

"Don't thank me. It's just business." Sister Cai didn't linger. She hoisted Ning Fan's bundle, swayed her figure, and walked out of the Black Market, tossing a hand back as she went. "Whenever you're ready to head out, just contact me. I'll give you a send-off."

Ning Fan watched until her figure disappeared at the far end of the Black Market. Then a hand waved in front of his face.

It was the crew-cut man.

"Kid, you were completely zoned out."

Ning Fan snapped back to reality. The crew-cut man was grinning. "Got your eye on Sister Cai, huh?"

"No," Ning Fan said immediately.

The crew-cut man pursed his lips. "Come on, man — having a thing for a woman is totally normal. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"Sure, if you say so." Ning Fan couldn't be bothered to explain and headed off in the other direction.

He had, in fact, been staring at Sister Cai's retreating figure the whole time.

Part of it, perhaps, had to do with how striking she was. But more importantly — it was her ability.

Someone in her line of work would surely know how to increase the number of souls in a Spirit Servant.

Jian Wuchou was a [Single-Soul Tier] Spirit Servant — only one soul to his name.

If he could build a long-term partnership with Sister Cai, maybe not only his own Spirit Servant, but Huizi's and Qiao Fei's as well, could be strengthened.

After leaving the Black Market, Ning Fan wandered aimlessly through the streets.

Half an hour later, he was certain Monkey had stopped following him.

Monkey had probably heard what Sister Cai said, realized there was nothing worth taking from Ning Fan right now, and gone back to report to Old Pig.

By evening, Ning Fan found a small inn near the Black Market and checked in.

He still had two thousand Sola on him — enough to cover normal expenses for a while.

Lying on the inn's bed, he turned over his next move in his mind: how to root out the three people who had infiltrated [Skull Squad].

If he could avoid Old Pig, that would be ideal.

But if Old Pig insisted on wading into this mess...

Then he would just have to wipe out [Skull Squad] entirely.

The debt of vengeance would be repaid — no question about that.

Gradually, his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.

It was the most peaceful rest he had gotten in a long while.

In the days prior, he had worked consecutive nights as a Sorter to complete Lin Chuan's trial — no time to sleep at all.

Out in the field, there had been brief chances to rest, but always with one eye open.

Simply lying down and sleeping soundly felt like something from another life.

But just as Ning Fan had finally sunk into a deep sleep, a bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence.

He jolted upright.

He took in his surroundings — still in the inn room. No immediate danger.

The sound had come from outside the window.

Ning Fan pressed himself against the wall and peered out carefully.

Torches had been lit along the street below.

Another scream rang out.

Ning Fan's gaze sharpened.

Wasn't this inside the zone?

What was happening out there?

"Stop him!"

Ning Fan spotted four men in matching uniforms sprinting through the alley. The one at the front was carrying a massive axe.

He recognized their uniforms immediately.

Observers!

What were they doing here?

Had someone used a Spirit Servant inside the zone?

Even mentioning Spirit Servants openly within the zone was a serious offense — let alone using one.

If caught...

Death.

Ning Fan was curious. Who had the nerve to do something like this?

What kind of grudge ran deep enough to risk using a Spirit Servant to kill someone inside the zone?

He ran downstairs.

The innkeeper was already at the door, watching the commotion.

"What's going on?" Ning Fan moved up beside him.

"Someone got killed," the innkeeper said flatly. "Couldn't get a clear look at the guy — just caught a glimpse of a head full of yellow hair."

Ning Fan froze.

Yellow hair?

He immediately thought of the man he had seen at the Black Market earlier today — the one buying Rotface Toad Gall Crystals.

In an instant, something clicked.

"How many people did he kill?" Ning Fan asked.

"No idea," the innkeeper said with a frown. "But from what I heard, they were all Black Market traders. My guess? Someone got burned in a deal and held a grudge."

A shop owner from a neighboring stall came over and chimed in. "Brutal stuff. Old Zhou's whole family — all four of them — wiped out. What kind of hatred does that?"

Everything clicked into place for Ning Fan.

He just didn't understand it.

He remembered that young man with the golden hair — before leaving, he had said he was going to remember the ones who had insulted him.

One of those stall owners had the surname Zhou.

But who could have imagined that over such a minor confrontation...

He would slaughter an entire family?

The neighboring shop owner muttered again, "That kid does have some ability, though. The arrows he fired looked like streaks of light. Took down three Observers already."

Arrows.

Streaks of light.

The color drained from Ning Fan's face.

Light Arrow!