Translator: AnubisTL
"Quiet down, darling," Chen Jiang said with a smile, gently stroking the bridge of the woman's nose. "Don't be afraid. I've suddenly decided not to kill you. A true gentleman would never harm a woman."
"And I, Jiang Cheng, am a true gentleman."
"Go now."
He smoothed her hair, glanced at the still-broadcasting camera, and stepped back toward the rooftop edge. "Farewell, everyone. I told you we'd meet again."
"Did you enjoy the fireworks?"
"Good. I'm glad you liked them."
"This is the romance of a gentleman."
"Life needs more romance. You all live such dull lives. With your limited taste, you probably can't appreciate me."
With that, he relaxed his body and leaned backward, plummeting toward the ground. Scar Dog and his companion immediately grinned at the paralyzed woman, greeted her mockingly, and sprinted to the edge, leaping into the night.
After Jiang Cheng and his group had left, the paralyzed woman, her eyes wide with terror, gasped for breath as she stared up at the dark sky. With a struggle, she managed to stand, surveying the desolate ruins around her.
The once-thriving, neon-lit city had now been reduced to ruins in many areas, resembling a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
She slowly opened her mouth, gazing around at the catastrophic scene. Frozen in place like a living corpse, she remained motionless for a moment before turning to look at the live-streaming camera behind her.
"I survived," she whispered.
She had actually survived the clutches of a heartless, inhuman terrorist. It felt like a dream. She vowed to herself that she would never, ever work as a damn journalist again!
"Jiang Cheng," Wang Jili murmured from the back seat of his luxurious limousine, his eyes fixed on the live-streamed footage of Jiang Cheng displayed on the screen embedded in the front seat. After a moment of silence, he muttered, "What a madman."
He couldn't comprehend Jiang Cheng's actions.
Even though he had murdered his wife, his father-in-law, and even his mother-in-law—committing acts that most would consider utterly depraved—there had at least been a motive.
He had hatred, anger, grief, and the pursuit of profit!
He hadn't killed his wife without reason.
Just like nearly 99% of criminal cases, they stemmed from greed: robbery, rape, murder.
Almost no crimes were committed simply because... "I felt like it."
No one enjoys committing crimes. People only resort to such acts when blinded by greed or overcome by emotion.
But the Chen Jiang in the footage was utterly rational, showing no trace of madness. Instead, he exuded an unsettling calm, like a sunlit gentleman sitting by a lake, smiling as he discussed the perfect cigar pairing for a crisp white wine.
Unlike desperate criminals who abandon all pretense of respectability, Jiang Cheng's attire was impeccably refined.
A slender, elegant cane, white silk gloves, a brown felt top hat, and a perfectly tailored suit—nothing about his appearance suggested a man living on the edge. As Jiang Cheng had said, this man truly looked like a gentleman.
Yet this very man, who seemed the epitome of refinement, had casually taken countless lives with a mere flick of his fingers that night.
Like a man sitting by a lake, casually crushing ants beneath his heel while enjoying a cigar and white wine, this man showed no reverence for human life. He felt no remorse, no sorrow, no emotion whatsoever at the deaths of others.
Wang Jili remained silent for a moment before pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He lit one, placed it between his lips, and gazed out the car window at the passing scenery.
It was raining outside.
Bean-sized raindrops pattered against the car windows, creating a sticky, hormone-laden atmosphere that felt both refreshing and oppressive.
He loved the night, even more so when it drizzled.
This man was dangerous.
Yet he possessed a unique charisma. Though he knew he should stay far away, he couldn't shake the urge to text him.
There was nothing to say.
He simply wanted to send a message, as if the man had stirred something deep within him.
Just then, the car stopped.
The driver hurried out to open the door for him. Two rows of men in black suits and white gloves stood outside, each holding a black umbrella in perfect formation.
The line stretched from the car door to the entrance of a villa.
Wang Jili suppressed his emotions, calmly picked up a hat from the back seat, put it on, and stepped out of the car.
He walked straight toward the villa.
The men on either side let themselves get drenched, yet held their umbrellas forward, ensuring Wang Jili's clothes remained almost completely dry.
Soon,
He strode into the villa and saw a middle-aged couple bound and gagged in the living room.
The couple clearly recognized Wang Jili. The moment they saw him, they began to struggle violently, their emotions surging, but the gags prevented them from uttering a single word.
Wang Jili stood motionless, his expression calm as he stared at the bound couple. After a pause, he raised his hand and gave a slight wave backward.
Immediately, a man in a black suit approached respectfully, offering a delicate pistol cushioned on a pristine white handkerchief.
Bang. Bang.
Two gunshots rang out.
Wang Jili casually tossed the pistol into the arms of the man beside him, wiped his hands with the handkerchief, and tossed it aside. Then he strode out of the villa, returning to the luxurious extended limousine.
He still had another house to visit.
Tonight would be a busy night.
A light rain at night was the perfect time to indulge in killing.
After Wang Jili left, the two men in black suits who had held umbrellas to shield the corpses from splashing blood began efficiently cleaning up the bodies and washing away the bloodstains.
At times, even the most complex business dealings can be reduced to simple, pure actions.
Such was the case now.
"Father, you knew Mr. Jiang Cheng would be fine. Why did you still make the call?" Wu Zhending asked, his voice tinged with confusion.
"You shouldn't be called Wu Zhending; you should be called Wu Stupid," Wu Jinshen retorted, rolling his eyes at his youngest son from his boss's chair. "You have a girlfriend. When she gets her period, do you just ignore her because you know she won't die from the pain?"
"If she's not going to die, why bother? My time is worth hundreds of thousands per minute. Is she worth that price?"
"..."
Wu Jinshen remained expressionless for a moment before declaring coldly, "You're a lost cause. You'll never find love. With that attitude, no girl will ever want you."
"Father, why do you always worry about this? Every time you do, it makes me think you're insecure about your wealth. Plenty of women chase after me."
"..."
After another silent moment, Wu Jinshen sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Do whatever you want. It's none of my business."
"Just don't follow your eldest brother's example."
"Tonight, Jiang Cheng Company has given us quite a few surprises. We originally thought their strategy was to avoid publicity, but now it seems we misjudged them."
"We'll need to revise many of our plans accordingly."
X swirled his wine glass as he stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought. After a moment, he forwarded the video he had received to the "CBD" group chat, then ignored the ensuing messages.
Jiang Cheng's methods were even more chaotic than he had anticipated.
He had initially considered recruiting Jiang Cheng into "CBD," but now that idea seemed impossible. With Jiang Cheng's reckless style, "CBD" wouldn't last long if he joined.
"X, this guy pulled a fast one on you. Honestly, he doesn't seem particularly strong—just relies on heavy firepower and a reckless approach. Want me to help you get even?"
"No, I have no such intentions. This guy's unpredictable. I advise you not to do anything rash either."
"Tsk, X, your courage is shrinking by the day. I'll go pay him a visit myself sometime."
"Just so we're clear, whatever you plan to do, don't mention my name. I didn't send you, and I have nothing to do with it."
X shook his head helplessly, remaining silent. The person who had spoken in the group chat earlier was codenamed "Lost One." He was quite powerful, and in the real world, he was the son of a high-ranking official, acting with reckless abandon, knowing his connections could smooth over most consequences.
X believed maintaining the current cooperative relationship with Jiang Cheng Company was ideal. For instance, they had executed this job flawlessly. The only precaution needed was to keep a safe distance from them.
When these guys start killing, they don't distinguish between friend or foe.
If not for the energy shield of his magnetic levitation spacecraft absorbing most of the blast's impact, combined with his three-star life-saving item, he would have died in that explosion.
That thing had detonated right above his head.
Fuck.
The memory cast a dark shadow over him. He'd been in the game long enough, but he never imagined he'd face such a devastating energy attack in the most prosperous city on the Federation's commercial planet.
This is fucking absurd!
By now, the video had gone viral online.
Most viewers erupted in fury, denouncing Jiang Cheng as the most ruthless and inhuman terrorist in recent history.
The online condemnation piled up into countless threads.
Some even turned their anger on the Federation itself, railing against how the federal government, with all its advanced weaponry, cutting-edge technology, and particle cannons with overwhelming firepower, had failed to eliminate Jiang Cheng Company.
The internet seethed with outrage.
Yet amidst the uproar, a small minority argued that the man seemed remarkably handsome and undeniably gentlemanly, refusing to kill women. He didn't appear to be a heartless terrorist; there must be some injustice behind his actions.
However, this theory was swiftly dismissed by the overwhelming majority.
"Bullshit about not killing women! Do you know how many women died in the bombings of those two cities?!"
Of course, a small minority quickly devised a counter-argument:
This is called seeing life and being unable to bear witnessing death—it is benevolence.
Jiang Cheng hadn't seen the women during the bombings, so he had no qualms about killing them. But he had seen the reporter, so he couldn't bring himself to kill her.
This statement spawned a series of related theories.
For instance, if you ever encounter Jiang Cheng, try to stay within his line of sight to avoid being killed.
In short, the forums were buzzing with conflicting opinions, and countless people stayed up all night debating the matter.
Meanwhile, Chen Jiang and his group sat in a room, exchanging strange glances as they monitored the forum discussions.
"They're actually trying to spin this? Just straight-up whitewashing it?" Scar Dog muttered, wincing at the "seeing life, unable to bear witnessing death" argument. "What kind of twisted logic could come up with that to explain why the woman survived? If we didn't know our own operations, I'd suspect these people were our own hired trolls."
"Actually, it's quite normal,"
Li Hao leaned back in his chair with a smile. "With a larger population, you're bound to encounter some truly peculiar individuals."
"Dawn is almost here. We have less than ten hours before we need to head back."
"I wonder how Zhao Ritian and Wang Defa are doing in the dungeon."
"Well..." Scar Dog said, sounding a bit wistful, "They're definitely not in any real danger, but it must be pretty boring. And they're probably regretting not coming out with us."
"I have to say, those Rose Club ladies had such fair, delicate skin. You could tell they took excellent care of themselves."
"Brother Jiang, you really missed out by not trying them."
Chen Jiang lay back on the sofa, his hands behind his head, and chuckled casually. "Me? My standards are a bit higher. This level is fine for now, but anything deeper would be... not to my taste."
"I finally understand how that explorer must have felt when he discovered the New World."
"All the wealth on this unclaimed continent is yours for the taking. It's all yours."
"Uh... I thought the first continent discovered in history wasn't unclaimed?"
"True, but those explorers turned it into one."
"That's the true meaning of exploration."
"I like that word."
He gently rubbed his temples and murmured, "We need to accelerate our operations. Our current firepower is still insufficient. For now, we can act with impunity in the Federation cities."
"There are many reasons for this: our mobility, our surprise attacks, and the fact that the federal government hasn't taken us seriously yet."
"But if the federal government ever truly focuses on us, a single particle cannon strike could obliterate Orange Red Star. No matter how powerful we become, we'd all perish here."
"Our strength must grow further."
"When that day comes, the entire Federation will become our amusement park. We'll freely savor every sweet fruit this new continent has to offer."
"Doesn't this world seem wonderful?"
"It should belong to us."
"The Ten Thousand Races Arena will conclude in less than three months. This is our final growth period. Once the arena ends, we'll have nowhere left to hide. Then, it will be a brutal, no-holds-barred war."
(End of the Chapter)
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