The thick fog rolled silently through the lifeless streets as several figures in black-and-red uniforms hurried forward.
"Chief Xi!" they called out upon spotting Xi Renjie standing alone at the center of the road.
Xi Renjie turned to look. Most of them were covered in dust and bloodstains, looking utterly exhausted. A few, however, were conspicuously clean, hiding behind the others with their heads lowered, not daring to meet Xi Renjie’s gaze.
With just one glance, Xi Renjie could tell which enforcers had actually fought and which had been slacking—or, to put it more bluntly, which had been cowering for their lives.
But now wasn’t the time for reprimands. He cut straight to the point:
"What’s the situation on your end?"
"Chief Xi, the calamities on the surrounding streets all ran away!"
"A red figure flew past, and those things went crazy chasing after it…"
"Same with us."
The bloodstained enforcers at the front recounted what had just happened. Xi Renjie stared in the direction the red figure had vanished, his confusion deepening.
Then, as if noticing something, he crouched down.
Streaks of blood marked the path the calamities had crawled along, traces left behind by the shadow centipedes after their frenzied feeding. These streaks intertwined, all leading toward a single point deep in the fog.
The others noticed the blood trails too. After a hesitant pause, the lead enforcer tentatively asked,
"Chief… should we follow?"
These trails were left by the shadow centipedes—and the centipedes had been chasing the red figure. Following the blood might lead them to the creatures… but what would happen then? No one could guess.
Dozens of calamities aside, the mysterious red figure’s allegiance was unclear. Most enforcers silently prayed they wouldn’t pursue—no one wanted to willingly walk into danger.
Unfortunately, Xi Renjie didn’t hesitate.
"We follow."
His gaze swept over the group, singling out the most bloodstained, battle-weary enforcers. "You, come with me. The rest, clean up the battlefield."
At those words, the enforcers hiding in the back finally exhaled in relief.
"Mommy… MOMMY!!"
Meanwhile, Xiao Qi’s cries rang out from a nearby house. Xi Renjie’s expression darkened with sorrow.
Before the massacre, he had locked Xiao Qi inside, sparing her the gruesome sight. The child still didn’t know her mother had been torn apart right before her eyes.
"Chief Xi, this is…?" The enforcers looked puzzled.
Xi Renjie took one last glance at the slaughterhouse of a room, then turned away. "Burn the bodies inside… At least spare the child from seeing her mother like that."
The remaining enforcers exchanged glances, then hurried to obey. Minutes later, flames engulfed the blood-soaked house.
Xi Renjie moved swiftly through the fog, seven or eight enforcers trailing behind. Following the centipedes’ bloody trails, they headed toward the district’s outskirts.
"Chief Xi, are your injuries… alright?"
"...Fine."
Xi Renjie shook his head. His focus was entirely on the enigmatic red figure.
He replayed the scene in his mind. Though their encounter had lasted mere seconds, the impression was indelible—the vibrant red robe, the way he’d lured the calamities away, his disdain for law enforcers… But what puzzled Xi Renjie most were the scallions, ginger, and garlic the figure had been carrying.
What was the purpose of those?
The idea that this was some random hero who’d happened to be grocery shopping when the Gray Realm converged was too naive for Xi Renjie to believe. At his age, he knew every action had intent. Perhaps it was tied to the convergence itself?
If he’s a powerhouse from another domain… is he with the Crimson Sky Cult? The Twilight Society? Probably not the Flame Usurpers.
As he pondered, the group reached a stretch of wilderness. Xi Renjie’s nose twitched, and he halted abruptly.
The enforcers behind him stopped too.
"Do you smell that?" Xi Renjie asked suddenly.
"Smell what?" They exchanged glances, then nodded. "Now that you mention it… yeah."
"Like… burning plastic? It was faint earlier, but it’s getting stronger."
"Cough—god, it reeks."
"Am I imagining things, or is there a hint of… cooked food in there too?"
Baffled but undeterred, they pressed on. The blood trails led them through the mist until a warehouse, belching thick black smoke, loomed ahead.
The stench poured from its interior.
"The trails end here," Xi Renjie said, studying the warehouse grimly. "They’re probably inside."
"I know this place—it’s a winery. Their liquor’s pretty good," one enforcer remarked.
"Open it."
At Xi Renjie’s order, several enforcers stepped forward—only to yank their hands back the moment they touched the door handles, shaking them in the air. "It’s scorching!"
Frowning, Xi Renjie unsheathed his steel sword.
"Stand back."
The enforcers quickly retreated behind him. He took a deep breath, and a dark aura crept along the blade. With one swift motion, he slashed at the massive warehouse door!
Boom—!!
A black streak split the door cleanly, sending it collapsing inward in pieces.
Before anyone could see inside, outside air rushed into the warehouse—and the smoldering embers in the corners erupted. Flames roared to life, surging outward like fiery claws raking through the charred doorway!
Luckily, Xi Renjie and the others stood far enough back to avoid the blast. Even so, the heat forced them to stagger away, staring in horror at the inferno before them. What the hell had happened here?
Tap.
Tap—
Light footsteps echoed from deep within the warehouse.
Amid the raging flames, a figure in a crimson opera robe emerged. His charred features slowly regenerated, reforming into that cold, unfamiliar face… His hollow eyes gleamed with an eerie malice, identical to when Chen Ling had first mastered [Faceless].
With his ascension to the second tier, the twisted divine path’s skill had once again—
Spiraled out of control.