Chapter 24: Rainy Night

It seemed that only now did the man recognize her.

The long wooden club slipped from his grasp, striking the damp ground with a sharp thud that was quickly swallowed by the relentless sound of the rain. His mouth hung wide open, his body trembling violently, yet he dared not move a muscle.

"A-Agent, my apologies... I had eyes but failed to see a mountain... Why on earth are you wandering around in a godforsaken place like this?"

"Answer me a few questions."

"Yes... you say the word..." The man gulped, rain and cold sweat streaming down his face.

"Are you a member of the Ash Gang? How many gangs are in this vicinity?"

"This... this area..." His teeth chattered. "There used to be a few small gangs, all sorts of names. But ever since those bastards from the Border Mutual Aid League arrived, they’ve trampled everything around here! We had no choice but to move to this hellhole to scrape by."

Xingyu remained silent, signaling for him to continue with a look.

"Right now, the biggest one here is our Ash Gang," he added hurriedly. "There’s also one called the Bone-Deep Faction, pretty vicious. The rest are just small fry, not even worth naming."

"The biggest is your Ash Gang?" Xingyu asked, her tone laced with skepticism.

"Yes, yes..." He nodded frantically. "The Ash Gang is the big boss of this territory now! Even those smaller gangs have to steer clear of us."

Xingyu regarded the self-proclaimed "big boss" gang member thoughtfully. He was dressed in rags, gaunt and sallow—hardly the picture of a major gang member. If this was what they called a "major gang," what were the others in this region like?

"One last question," Xingyu said, pushing aside her doubts. "Where is your gang leader?"

The man’s eyes filled with sudden, profound terror, his pupils constricting as if he had heard the most horrifying words on earth. His voice trembled, barely forming a sentence. "M-Ma'am, please don't make it hard for me... If the Boss finds out I betrayed him... it... it would be a fate worse than death!"

His entire body shook uncontrollably. Even though her short sword remained pressed against his throat, the man seemed to have forgotten the immediate threat to his life. His eyes were filled with the dread of a far more terrible fate, one that eclipsed the fear of death itself.

"Are you sure you won't say?" Xingyu pressed, pushing the blade forward until blood trickled down the steel.

The man, as if numb to the pain, only shook his head desperately, tears, sweat, and rain mingling on his cheeks. "Please... I really can't say... I’d rather die right here than have the Boss find out..."

Xingyu frowned. She had no interest in torture. She released her hold. "Forget it. Go."

The man, as if granted a pardon, scrambled away, vanishing into the curtain of rain. Xingyu watched his retreating figure, hesitating for a moment. Only when he had disappeared completely did she sheath her blade and head toward home. Rain splashed beneath her boots. The night grew darker, the ceaseless rain sounding like a desolate dirge for the dilapidated ruins.

After rounding a few corners, a sudden flurry of footsteps echoed from all directions. Her hand had already returned to her sword hilt.

Emerging from the shadows were the man and three other ragged gang members, wielding crude weapons, their eyes gleaming with malice.

"That's her!" the leader pointed at Xingyu, his voice filled with the thrill of revenge. "Brothers, this woman must have something valuable on her!"

Xingyu took a deep breath. Rain washed over her drawn dual blades, which glinted with a cold light in the dimness.

"...I gave you a chance."

Her stance remained unrefined, yet her eyes were resolute.

The first man lunged with a rusted iron pipe. Xingyu instinctively sidestepped, but her movement was slightly sluggish, and the pipe grazed her shoulder. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she slashed at the man’s wrist. The sharp blade easily parted skin and muscle, and blood sprayed out.

Before she could catch her breath, the man who had followed her earlier lunged forward again with his club. His eyes burned with fanatical vengeance as the weapon whistled toward her head. Xingyu managed to raise her short sword to parry; the club was instantly severed by the sharp edge, the cut as smooth as glass.

The man, caught off guard, stumbled forward. Xingyu seized the opening, driving her right-hand blade straight into his abdomen. The steel sank into flesh, and as she withdrew it, the sickening, viscous sensation was accompanied by a spray of warm blood that turned into a dark mist in the rain.

In the midst of the skirmish, the third man closed in, his knife flashing. Xingyu couldn't parry in time; the blade pierced her left arm—

She felt nothing.

Her short sword traced an arc, cleaving through the man's collarbone as if it were paper. He let out a shrill scream, blood gushing like a fountain.

...Three down.

The last man finally realized the situation was dire and turned to flee. But Xingyu was faster. She closed the distance in a few swift strides, her black blade thrusting mercilessly through his back and out his chest.

His body stiffened for a moment before collapsing limply to the ground. He looked back in disbelief, his eyes trembling with fear and despair as he stared at the young girl who had taken their four lives.

The rain continued to fall, washing away the sins on the earth. The water seeped into her wounds, dripping down mixed with blood.

Her breathing was ragged, her body trembling slightly from the tension and adrenaline. The light of the Night Sun illuminated the street before her. Bodies lay in tangled heaps, and even in the darkness, she could see the walls stained a deep, dark red.

She leaned against a wall, shaking the blood from her black blade, listening to the rhythm of the rain against the steel, her heartbeat gradually slowing.

Before, in that one moment, she had considered it. Perhaps... she really could have let him go. When she saw the Ash Gang members returning, although it was expected, a flicker of disappointment she couldn't quite grasp passed through her.

What was the need for mercy? Even without her killing, such things happened every day.

There would not be a next time. This was absolutely, definitely the last time.

In this world, taking a life was as common as a daily meal. The vast majority of people were as destitute as she and Qixue. The people at the bottom of the ladder clawed at each other for meager resources in a mire of poverty, immersed in bullying and mutual destruction. Trust and empathy had long ago been squeezed into luxuries, crushed by the weight of survival. Even her last shred of mercy seemed entirely out of place.

Only now did she understand how rare the bond of mutual support between her, her predecessor, and Qixue really was. In a society like this, that they had grown up this old without staining their hands with too much blood—was it their luck, or their misfortune?

Thinking of this, she frowned slightly.

Sooner or later, she would grow accustomed to the way of life in this world.

For now, what troubled her most and remained beyond her understanding was not the cruel reality of this society, but...

Qixue.