Chapter 20
Under the dim glow of the kerosene lamp, Ai An's elongated shadow was suddenly interrupted by a burning black silhouette of Sha Er.
The silhouette raised a hand, and a black flame, like a long whip, wrapped around Ai An's shadow. Then, Sha Er's silhouette grasped Ai An's shadow and began to drag it slowly toward the outside.
"Uh..."
Outside, Ai An felt a tightness in his throat, unable to make a sound as his breathing grew increasingly labored.
He flailed his arms wildly, but could not touch anything, merely being pulled forward like a dog on a leash.
To an outsider, he appeared as if he were drunk, staggering into the alley across from him.
Inside Sha Er's house, she silently counted the steps, gradually sensing that her control over Ai An's shadow was becoming tenuous.
About 24 meters... Beyond this distance, it would be difficult for her to manipulate the shadow.
Sha Er committed this distance to memory.
Though she couldn't share her shadow's perspective, the full-face mask she wore surprisingly allowed her to see outside. She wasn't quite sure how that worked.
Perhaps it was some kind of supernatural power.
After nearly a minute, Sha Er finally opened the door and stepped out into the rain-soaked night, making her way toward the alley ahead.
...
"Damn it, Ai An, what are you doing back here?"
The thin man in a newsboy cap was startled to see Ai An staggering toward him, and he quickly added, "Aren't you into that girl? She's home alone today, and the boss said he’d help you out, so you..."
Before the man could finish, Ai An, gasping for air, collapsed to the ground.
"Ai An... Ai An! Damn it, damn it!" The man panicked as he saw Ai An's lifeless form.
He knew how long the boss had been preparing for this. If they failed at this critical moment, he would surely be killed!
If worse came to worst, he could just drag Ai An inside and force that girl to finish him off!
"Damn it, coward! If you don't want to go, I'll just throw you in myself."
The man shoved Ai An's chest forcefully, trying to push him out of the alley.
But as he pushed, he realized it didn’t feel like he was pushing an adult.
It felt more like he was shoving a sack of goods.
Ai An's legs wobbled under the force, his entire body swinging back and forth like a pendulum, while his head remained eerily still, facing the man.
The man's hand froze in place. He looked down at Ai An's feet and saw that Ai An was on his toes, his feet not touching the ground at all.
He trembled and looked up, and in the dim streetlight, he saw Ai An with his head bowed, eyes bulging, tongue lolling out, drool and tears dripping down.
Looking further up...
Nothing...
Nothing at all...
Ai An was hanging there, suspended in mid-air before him, swaying gently, his eyes wide open in death.
A chilling dread crept up his spine, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Never before had he wished so desperately that he had never come here.
Pat, pat...
The sound of boots splashing through the muddy water grew louder, as if someone was approaching from the alley.
"Who... who! Get lost if you don’t want to die!"
Perhaps to bolster his courage, he shouted into the alley, and the shout did ease his fear somewhat.
Yes, he must have seen it wrong. Someone must have used a very fine thread to hang Ai An here to scare him!
"Who is it?!"
He leaned to the side, catching sight of the figure walking toward him from the alley.
A small body hidden beneath a black robe, standing about five foot two, rainwater trickled down the pale mask of the newcomer, and the ornate emblem on the robe still shone brightly in the rain-soaked night.
The Church?!
No, it couldn’t be...
It was Sha Er!!!
He had been following Sha Er for nearly three months, watching her every day, and frankly, he could recognize her even as a shadow!
But why? Why was she wearing the Church's attire?!
He watched in disbelief as the girl slowly raised her hand, revealing it wrapped in bandages. With a snap of her fingers, Ai An's body fell to the ground like a rag, splashing mud everywhere.
"Uh..."
Before he could say anything, he felt a tightening in his throat. He raised his hands to pull away whatever was choking him, but found nothing to grasp.
His legs were still inching off the ground.
"I'll ask you once, where are Solari and Thomas, and when are they coming?" Sha Er's muffled voice came from behind the mask. "You have one chance to answer."
Thud—
The pressure around his neck vanished, and he fell to the ground, coughing and gagging.
Once he regained a bit of composure, he looked at Ai An's lifeless body and quickly knelt up, rasping, "Please, don’t kill me! The boss and the others will be here soon. They’re clearing the area, and the cops have been sent away. Three... at the earliest, two minutes!"
The masked girl, resting her bandaged right hand on her chin, seemed to be deep in thought.
Pat, pat, pat—
Suddenly realizing something, the man banged his head against the muddy ground a few times, looking up at Sha Er with a face smeared in dirt, pleading, "Please, don’t kill me! The people from the Church of the Savior are good people; they won’t kill the innocent."
"I promise to leave Boren City, to get as far away as possible, to never get involved in gang activities again, and to find a farm to spend my life growing potatoes. I swear I won’t say a word about any of this."
"Please, spare me, Miss Sha Er!"
In the man's eyes, he saw the girl slowly lower her hand after hearing the last title.
His heart sank.
Then he saw his own hands moving uncontrollably forward, gripping Ai An's lifeless neck, each finger seemingly digging into Ai An's skin.
And the black dagger at Ai An's waist slowly floated up, landing in the dead boy's hand.
In despair and terror, he watched as the already dead Ai An raised the dagger and plunged it into his own chest.
Warm blood spilled from his mouth, the rain gradually washing away his body’s heat. He leaned forward and collapsed onto Ai An's corpse.
"Get away! Everyone scatter! The Black Water Gang is on the move!"
The commotion outside grew louder, and the girl turned to look toward the alley.
---
**Chapter 20: The Big Shot, Sha Er**
Step by step, Sha Er walked toward the alley's exit, leaving behind two bodies of "mutual destruction."
The shadow behind her lay bored, as if being dragged along, occasionally shifting to erase the footprints she left behind, diligently and tirelessly.
"Where is that punk Ai An?"
"Bol! Bol! Damn it!"
Outside, Solari's furious voice echoed, and beside him, Thomas's skeletal face wore a look of confusion.
They had not noticed the petite figure leaning against the alley in the rain.
A shadow slowly rose from beneath Sha Er, standing behind her, reaching out to take the revolver she offered.
Ding—
The distant chime of the bell from the Church of the Savior rang out, solemnly signaling a break for the workers and eternal rest for the wicked.
"Thomas... damn it!"
Solari caught sight of something and abruptly turned, eyeing the cloaked figure beside him warily, drawing his revolver. "Thomas! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Huh?" Thomas looked at Solari, puzzled.
He didn’t notice the gun silently hovering behind him, aimed at Solari's terrified face.
"I paid you so much money to kill so many people, and you’re screwing me over?!"
Bang, bang, bang—
Accompanied by the tolling of the bell, three gunshots rang out. Thomas stared in disbelief at Solari, seemingly unable to comprehend how things had escalated to this point.
He staggered back, clutching his chest, and fell to the ground. Only then did he notice the hovering gun and the shadowy figure holding it, a terrifying presence barely visible.
"No... it wasn’t me..."
Bang—!
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