None of them had expected things to turn out this way.
Just as they never imagined the mastermind would be an adorably cute little girl—nor that this witch cloaked in angelic innocence would smile while saying those words.
Everything stemmed from her.
She’d controlled countless tenants to launch suicide attacks, watching them die like lifeless toys.
And her reason? Simply because she was “hungry.”
Then, at this critical moment, she casually proposed “cooperation” with the Nightwatchers, standing by with amusement while waiting for their choice.
Truly, appearances mattered. Had she been a three-meter-tall rotting flesh monster, they’d have found it all perfectly reasonable.
“Captain, what do we do?” Liu Yongkang asked as the captain approached step by step.
He hadn’t taken Jiang Qianyu’s words seriously at all—certain the captain would never betray them.
Chen Li, supporting a sobbing Li Dandan, opened his mouth to speak, but Liu subtly tugged his sleeve.
The captain glanced at Liu—scissors still lodged in his stomach—then at Li Dandan’s tear-streaked face and Chen Li’s weakened state.
Dense Soul Threads coiled around them. Clearing a path was nearly impossible; even if they succeeded, casualties were guaranteed.
And that pointy-eared, red-eyed witch wasn’t idle—she’d be watching every move.
If their teammates were still at full strength, maybe… but there were no “ifs” in this world.
“Don’t panic. Stay steady. We still have a chance,” the captain murmured, voice low as he drew closer. “She’s trying to break us from within. The more she pushes, the more nervous she is.”
“She fears us uniting!”
“I’ll pretend to agree. Stall for time. You find the opening—and take her out.”
His whisper was barely audible. Only by leaning in could they catch it.
As the captain stepped nearer, Liu Yongkang spoke up: “He’s right. We can still kill her.”
“When I left HQ, Captain Fan gave me a Class A soul fragment—for Lu Yunzhi.”
His hand dipped into his pocket. “Captain, you’re soul-type. Use this to dissolve the Soul Threads. One clean strike!”
The captain’s eyes lit up. “Captain Fan sent it?”
“Yes. He said Lu Yunzhi’s no ordinary case. A last resort—but *never* reveal it unless absolutely necessary!” Liu stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, voice urgent. “Don’t let her notice. One chance, Captain!”
Hearing this, the captain slid the dagger he’d gripped back into its sheath.
It made sense—Captain Fan had mentioned it before, with Liu present. Maybe he’d entrusted it to him later.
Liu had been captain once too; his experience was real, even if his strength lagged.
When a faint, familiar soul aura brushed his senses, doubt vanished.
He turned toward Jiang Qianyu.
With this fragment, his desperate plan was obsolete.
He hadn’t wanted it this way—but moments ago, he’d had no other choice.
“I…”
The captain opened his mouth to stall her.
Half a minute had long passed.
His eyes met Jiang Qianyu’s dark crimson gaze—he’d already decided his next move.
Suddenly, his eyes flew wide.
*Squelch!*
A sharp dagger plunged into his lower back—three brutal thrusts.
Warm blood gushed from the wounds. He turned, disbelief etched on his face. Liu Yongkang stood there, grim-faced, dagger dripping crimson.
All lies. Captain Fan’s fragment. The counterattack plan.
Even that “soul aura” was just an illusion cast by Liu—a fellow soul-type Hunter.
In that frantic moment, he’d had neither focus nor strength to verify.
Captain Fan’s name. The ambiguous aura. Every word Liu spoke—all deliberate traps.
Liu closed his eyes briefly, then kicked the staggering Hunter Captain forward.
The body collapsed into the Soul Threads.
*Shred. Devour.*
His physical form still twitched, eyes wide and fixed—but everyone knew his soul was already gone.
Chen Li and Li Dandan froze.
Instinctively, they shrank back from Liu—the man who’d just murdered their comrade.
They hadn’t yet grasped *why*.
Liu didn’t bother explaining. He tossed the dagger aside.
He looked up at Jiang Qianyu, voice hoarse: “Witch… now that you’re full, will you let us go?”
He knew her words weren’t just for the captain.
That fleeting glance between them had confirmed it: *Only one side walks away.*
If he hadn’t chosen, the captain would have sacrificed them. Neither was “good.” If they were, would they be here?
They’d come to kill Lu Yunzhi.
She wasn’t even corrupted yet.
So if they could kill her… why couldn’t the captain kill *him*?
Jiang Qianyu tapped a finger to her lips, eyes half-lidded as if savoring. “Nightwatcher souls… truly unique.” A soft sigh. “A delicacy of the mortal world.”
The gesture froze their breaths. Hearts hammered.
Only they understood this despair.
Especially Liu Yongkang.
Just as hope shattered again—Jiang Qianyu raised a hand.
The Soul Threads behind them retracted, clearing a narrow path to the door.
“A promise is a promise.”
Life’s cruelest rollercoaster.
Liu cast one last look at the captain’s body, then limped toward the rooftop door.
Whether the captain had truly intended to strike… the outcome was sealed.
He’d only *considered* it. He never acted.
At the threshold, a sharp cry cut through the air:
“It’s you!”
“Huh? You’re *alive*?!” Lu Yunzhi’s eyes widened as she bounded up the stairs. “Hurry! I brought backup! Where’s that monster? We’ll handle her!”
What Liu Yongkang never knew: their survival had nothing to do with Jiang Qianyu’s mercy.
She simply refused to kill in front of Lu Yunzhi.
Even if only an avatar stood there.
