Chapter 364 – Light and Darkness

Midnight Labyrinth, Seventh Floor.

On a cliff-like terrain, black-robed Underground Professionals gathered in a crowd.

Before them lay numerous corpses of both Phantom Demons and human Professionals, though no one knew exactly when they had fallen.

Just moments ago, these Professionals had been battling the Phantom Demons when suddenly the Underground Professionals of 『Sin』 arrived.

The outcome, as one could easily imagine, was clear.

However, this time, it wasn’t the numerous Underground Professionals who had taken action, but a single individual.

“So weak.”

The one complaining in such a dissatisfied tone was none other than the girl from 『Sin』.

With an innocent appearance, the girl sat atop a massive Phantom Demon, twirling a sharp small knife in her hand. The weapon at her waist remained untouched as she spoke these words.

“They break too easily, they really break too easily. Such toys are no fun at all. This kind of hunting isn’t what Qing Qing wants.”

The girl kept muttering such things. Though her tone was naive and her demeanor pure, it sent chills down one’s spine.

This feeling was shared not only by the other Underground Professionals but even by the Ruthless Man, a distinguished Seven-Star Professional.

The Ruthless Man glanced at the girl and clearly saw flickering red lights in her seemingly dissatisfied eyes.

This made his heart tighten.

“It seems Qing Qing is about to lose control.”

The Ruthless Man furrowed his brows.

Just then, the girl turned her gaze toward him.

“Uncle,” the girl said with extreme dissatisfaction, “aren’t there any more fun toys or more interesting hunts?”

Hearing this and seeing the red light in her eyes grow increasingly intense, the Ruthless Man quickly spoke to soothe her.

“Don’t be impatient, Qing Qing. Soon, we’ll be able to go on a killing spree. By then, stronger opponents will surely appear.”

Hearing this, the girl’s eyes lit up.

“Really?”

She asked eagerly.

“Of course,” the Ruthless Man nodded. “Among the Professional teams that entered the Midnight Labyrinth this time, many have Six-Star Professionals.”

“Especially the top few teams—they not only have multiple Six-Star Professionals but also many Upper-Rank Professionals.”

“We’ve just been lucky not to run into them yet. But as we go deeper, we’ll eventually encounter powerful Professional teams.”

After all, the Midnight Labyrinth was a mystical realm where the dangers increased the deeper one went.

In the later stages, only capable teams could descend to sufficiently low floors; weaker teams couldn’t advance far.

Thus, the deeper they went, the stronger the teams they would encounter.

Like the Professionals they had just eliminated—they belonged to an A-Rank team with several Five-Star Professionals and many Four-Star Professionals. Their sizable group and ability to reach the Seventh Floor were proof of their strength.

Unfortunately, for them, this was not a blessing.

It was precisely because they came to this floor that they encountered the Underground Professionals of 『Sin』 and ultimately became the Prey of the girl “Qing Qing.””A Six-Star Professional?” The young girl still seemed somewhat dissatisfied as she said, “Isn’t there a Seven-Star Professional?”

The girl’s words made many timid people tremble inwardly.

To regard a Seven-Star Professional as prey, as a plaything—such madness was likely rare to find anywhere in the world.

Yet the girl had the qualification to say such words.

“A Six-Star Professional isn’t even worthy of making Qing Qing draw her Sword. Qing Qing wants bigger, more formidable prey.”

As the girl muttered this, the red glow in her eyes grew increasingly intense.

This made the Ruthless Man inwardly exclaim in alarm.

“Qing Qing,” the Ruthless Man could only say in a low voice, “Listen to your uncle. Don’t be impatient. There will be a time for you to unleash your full strength.”

The Ruthless Man’s words made the girl, Qing Qing, fix her gaze on him without blinking, staring straight at him.

An indescribably oppressive atmosphere instantly spread through the surroundings, causing many Underground Professionals to break out in cold sweat.

Under this pressure, even a Six-Star Professional would struggle to endure it unless they were among the elite.

In such circumstances, only a true Seven-Star Professional could withstand it without changing expression.

Fortunately, the Ruthless Man was a genuine Seven-Star Professional.

Thus, he successfully withstood the pressure, meeting the girl’s gaze head-on.

After about ten seconds of this mutual stare, the red glow in the girl’s eyes gradually faded.

“Uncle, you better not lie to Qing Qing, okay?” the girl puffed out her cheeks as she spoke. “If you lie to Qing Qing, Qing Qing will never play with you again.”

To this statement from the girl, the Ruthless Man had only one thought:

“If that were truly the case, it would actually be a good thing for me.”

Recalling the games he had played with the girl in the past—games that were written as “play” but read as “life-or-death struggle”—the Ruthless Man inwardly sighed with bitter amusement.

“Don’t worry, when have I ever lied to you?”

Suppressing his inner thoughts, the Ruthless Man smiled and said this.

“True.”

Only then did the girl cheer up. She sheathed her small Saber, leaped down from the Phantom Demon’s body, landed on the ground, and skipped cheerfully toward the main group.

But the next second, both the girl and the Ruthless Man simultaneously turned their heads to look in one direction.

“Whoosh!”

There, a faint sound of rushing air was heard as a figure flashed over like a swift gust of wind.

The newcomer was, naturally, Crow.

This individual, ranked No. 3 among the Ten Demons, fell into silence upon returning, not uttering a single word.

Everyone looked at Crow in surprise.

From Crow, they could sense a violently fluctuating Aura.

Clearly, Crow’s emotions were unsettled.

“Uncle Crow, what’s wrong with you?”

The girl tilted her head.

The Ruthless Man also furrowed his brows.

He could roughly guess what had happened.

“Did the target escape?”

The Ruthless Man hit the nail on the head.

He made this judgment based on Crow’s current state.

With no injuries or any signs of battle, yet such disturbed emotions, it undoubtedly indicated that Crow had failed to find his opponent, allowing them to escape.

Otherwise, Crow wouldn’t be in such a state.

To this, Crow neither confirmed nor denied, only coldly stating:

“I will definitely find him.”These words undoubtedly explained everything.

“Is that so?”

The Ruthless Man furrowed his brows again but said nothing more.

Instead, the young girl Qing Qing grew curious.

“Uncle, who are you talking about?”

The girl looked at him with evident curiosity.

“We’re talking about Ming Wang.”

The Ruthless Man didn’t conceal the truth and directly told the girl.

“Ming Wang?” The girl was momentarily stunned, then a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. “The one who stole the Demon Emperor Sword, defeated Uncle Crow, and made Father send people searching for him for so long?”

As she spoke, not only did her eyes gleam intensely, but her expression also grew excited.

“That person is here too? Really? Uncle!”

The girl stared at the Ruthless Man with sparkling eyes.

“It’s true.” The Ruthless Man could naturally discern what his niece was thinking, but he had no choice but to answer truthfully. “Crow said he sensed Ming Wang’s power. Unless something unexpected happened, the other party should also be in this Midnight Labyrinth.”

Receiving her uncle’s confirmation, the girl Qing Qing immediately jumped up.

“I never expected that person to be here too? That’s wonderful!”

The girl seemed delighted, extremely delighted.

Yet her words remained chilling.

“To gain the recognition of the Demon Emperor Sword—something even Qing Qing couldn’t achieve—since he’s come here, he must be much more fun than the other toys and prey. He won’t break too easily, will he?”

The girl was rejoicing over such matters.

However, only one person responded to her.

That was Crow.

“He is mine.”

Crow spoke coldly.

The entire room fell silent.

“Huh?” The girl was taken aback for a moment before puffing her cheeks in anger. “Uncle Crow, are you trying to steal my toy?”

“No.” Lord Crow shook his head and said indifferently, “He was originally mine. It is you, Young Miss, who is trying to take my prey.”

“Is that so?” The girl was stunned again, then pouted and said, “Then Uncle Crow, won’t you give him to Qing Qing?”

“No.” Crow stated unequivocally. “Anyone else is fine, but he must be mine.”

Crow’s resolute words were met with the girl’s silence.

Yet, her silence sent a chill down the spines of those around them, as if something had crawled from the soles of their feet to the ceiling, filling them with fear.

“Qing Qing!”

The Ruthless Man couldn’t help but call out to the girl.

Crow, however, stood straight and unwavering.

After a while, the atmosphere around the girl Qing Qing suddenly shifted.

“How boring.”

With a bored expression, the girl turned and left the room.

“Whew…”

Many people secretly sighed in relief, only then realizing their foreheads were drenched in sweat and their backs were soaked.

This showed just how much pressure they had endured and what kind of tension they had faced.

Only the Ruthless Man and Crow seemed largely unaffected.

“Are you alright?”

The Ruthless Man looked at Crow.

Crow shook his head, gazing at the girl’s retreating figure. “Is Young Miss nearing her limit?”

“Most likely.” The Ruthless Man said gravely. “We’ve been here for several days now. Although we’ve killed many people along the way, even numerous Phantom Demons, none of those opponents could satisfy Qing Qing.”

Crow’s brows beneath his hood tightened into a deep frown.”It’s fine.” The Ruthless Man reassured instead: “Once we find our target, we can just let Qing Qing cause a scene.”

“That opponent will definitely satisfy Qing Qing.”

Hearing this, Crow fell silent for a moment before nodding.

Seeing that Crow had stopped speaking, the Ruthless Man also ceased talking.

However, the young girl Qing Qing’s earlier words had stirred some ripples in the Ruthless Man’s heart.

“To gain the recognition of the Demon Emperor Sword…?”

The Ruthless Man murmured to himself.

This was one of the hot topics circulating in the underworld.

According to reliable information, the Demon Emperor Sword had apparently recognized Ming Wang on its own and found its way to him.

“I never expected there would be a second person like this besides Qing Qing.”

Would this person become another stumbling block for 『Sin』, just like last time?

At this thought, a fierce glint appeared in the Ruthless Man’s eyes.

“Whoever it is, they won’t stop us this time.”

Even if they’re a vessel recognized by the Demon Emperor Sword, it makes no difference.

……

Meanwhile, outside the Midnight Labyrinth, chaos was unfolding.

The complete annihilation of both the military forces surrounding the Midnight Labyrinth and an entire S-Rank team had undoubtedly caused an uproar, creating some turmoil even in Tianfeng City.

In a spacious conference room at the top floor of the Base City Management Building, a group of high-ranking officials were engaged in heated discussions about the incident.

“Judging from the victims’ wounds, the perpetrator likely isn’t a Phantom Demon, but rather another human.”

“Many victims only have a single fatal wound, all caused by sharp weapons. How could this be the work of Phantom Demons who never leave a single drop of blood behind?”

“Who could have done such a thing?”

“So many soldiers and an entire S-Rank team were eliminated so easily. The perpetrator must have an extraordinary background.”

“Could it be those Underground Professionals again?”

“Does this relate to the recent incident where the Zhang Family’s young master was attacked?”

“The Zhang Family’s young master keeps insisting the attacker was a mysterious figure named Wang Yue, but our people haven’t found any clues about this so-called Wang Yue.”

“The Wang Family denies having any member named Wang Yue in their clan, and the head of Wanbao Auction House personally issued a statement saying they don’t know Wang Yue’s true identity. It seems highly likely this Wang Yue is an Underground Professional.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Send reinforcements to the Midnight Labyrinth immediately!”

“The question is who to send? All the high-Rank teams are already at the Midnight Labyrinth!”

“The opponent can easily eliminate an S-Rank team. Who should we send, and how many people, to handle this situation?”

“Can’t we directly commission Upper-Rank Professionals from the major families?”

“Well…”

The officials continued their heated discussion, trying to find a perfect solution to handle the crisis.

However, after much back-and-forth, they still couldn’t reach a conclusion, and anxious tension began to spread among them.

It wasn’t until some time later that the large display screen mounted on the conference room wall lit up.

“Honorable officials.”

An assistant-like figure appeared on the screen, bowing to the officials as he spoke.”The Wang Family has already learned about the situation at the Midnight Labyrinth and has dispatched a Vertex to investigate. Please prepare to provide support and cooperation.”

Upon hearing this, the high-ranking officials who had been engaged in heated discussions immediately perked up.

“A Vertex from the Wang Family is taking action personally?”

“Is it because Summer Chasing Smoke is also there?”

“Most likely.”

“In that case, we only need to prepare for support and cooperation. The rest can be left to the Wang Family’s Vertex.”

“Agreed.”

“Seconded.”

The intense discussion finally came to a halt.

Not long after, a streak of light shot out from Tianfeng City at an astonishing speed, heading north.

Countless off-road vehicles and armed helicopters followed in a grand display, signaling to the world that a storm was brewing.

－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－

My child has been sick these past few days, keeping my wife and me running around in circles.

Updates will resume tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)