Chapter 382: Intelligence

If it had been someone else, perhaps they would have been frightened by the killer’s ruthlessness. Unfortunately, he ran into Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao sneered coldly, ignoring the short blade stabbing toward his neck. His gaze remained calm and unshaken, and his fist continued forward.

Just as the short blade was about to pierce Lin Xiao’s neck, his fist struck the killer’s chest first.

Lin Xiao’s punch blasted the killer’s body away, with an unknown number of ribs shattered. The short blade narrowly grazed Lin Xiao’s cheek, the tip flashing coldly as it left a bloody cut and drew several beads of blood.

Lin Xiao’s body flickered and vanished like an afterimage, pursuing the killer. Before the killer even landed, Lin Xiao grabbed him by the ankle, swung his tall frame into the air, and slammed him hard into the ground.

Boom!

The killer’s body smashed into the ground, bones shattered, tendons torn. He bounced up like a dead fish, eyes bulging, nearly popping from their sockets, as blood gushed from his mouth.

Under the impact of Lin Xiao’s punch and slam, his internal organs were reduced to pulp. Though he wasn’t immediately dead, he wasn’t far from it.

Eyes wide, the killer seemed unable to believe he had been defeated so easily. He tried to push himself off the ground but collapsed again halfway up.

Standing over him, Lin Xiao gazed coldly down. Despite the killer’s wretched state, there wasn’t a shred of pity in his heart.

If he pitied him, then who would pity those innocent lives the killer had taken?

He who kills, must be killed.

Those who seek death will find it.

Cough cough cough…

The killer coughed violently, spitting out clots of dark blood with each breath. Every breath sent agony through his chest, but he refused to stop.

He didn’t want to die, he wanted to live.

“I… I don’t want to die… Please… spare me…” the killer begged, lying on the ground, looking pleadingly at Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao didn’t reply. But the cold indifference in his gaze said it all.

Seeing Lin Xiao’s emotionless face, the killer felt fear for the first time in his life. An overwhelming terror surged from his heart.

The fear of death. The fear of eternal darkness, down to the soul.

He loved killing. Loved seeing the despair and terror in the eyes of those he killed. But now, as he faced death himself, he realized just how precious life was.

Lin Xiao crouched beside him, staring at his pale face. “Why should I spare you? Give me one reason.”

“I… I’ll turn over a new leaf… start anew…” the killer stammered weakly.

He dared to swear—he truly meant what he said. No lies.

“Even if you change, the people you’ve killed will never come back. The pain you’ve caused cannot be undone.” Lin Xiao’s tone was flat. “But if you’re willing to answer a few questions, I can give you a quick death.”

Upon hearing Lin Xiao’s refusal to spare him, hatred flared in the killer’s eyes. He mustered his strength and gritted out, “Dream on!”

“Looks like you’re unwilling to cooperate.” Lin Xiao picked up the short blade. In the killer’s terrified eyes, he sliced off one of his fingers. “I know you enjoy torturing your victims when you kill. So tell me, have you ever been tortured yourself?”

A cold gleam flashed in Lin Xiao’s eyes. His voice was calm, yet in the killer’s ears, it sounded like the whisper of a demon.

“If you don’t answer, I’ll cut off all ten of your fingers, then your toes, then both your arms and legs. You should know how painful that death is; you’ve done it to others.”

The killer’s lips trembled. He couldn’t speak a word.

“But if you answer my questions, there’s no reason to torture you. I’ll give you a quick death.” Lin Xiao toyed with the short blade. His gaze suddenly turned sharp as knives. “Now, what’s your choice?”

“I… I… what do you want to know?” the killer said, trembling, face ashen, as though all strength had been drained from him.

“Do you have any accomplices in Jinghai City?”

The killer shook his head. “No.”

Without a change in expression, Lin Xiao picked up the blade and cut off another finger.

“Tell the truth. I won’t give you a second chance.”

“Yes…” The killer’s lips turned purple from the pain. His eyes rolled back. He was already heavily injured, and now this torture made him wish he were dead. His will completely collapsed. “I have an accomplice. He’s also in Jinghai.”

After that, the killer no longer hid anything. He answered all of Lin Xiao’s questions truthfully.

Once the last question was answered, Lin Xiao grabbed the killer by the neck and, with a swift twist, ended his wretched life.

“Killing one is killing, killing two is the same. Since he has an accomplice, I’ll deal with him as well.” Lin Xiao stood and walked off. “Though I’m retired, cleaning up this kind of human scum has always been my duty. But I didn’t expect this killer and his accomplice to be part of such a mysterious group.”

From the killer’s words, Lin Xiao had learned that the so-called Purifiers were a newly emerged assassin organization. They used purification as a pretext for murder, highly secretive. The killer himself had only recently joined.

Lin Xiao opened his palm. In it lay a small bone token. The front was engraved with the word ‘Purify,’ the back with ‘Black’.

“The Purifiers divide their ranks into Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow, four levels. And with this killer’s strength, he was only Black-level? Doesn’t that mean Heaven-level members could be experts of the Flowing Force?

“These two came to Jinghai to complete a mission assigned by the organization. But this one couldn’t suppress his lust for killing, went on a spree a few days ago, was seen by Fang Yuan, and that’s how things spiraled. It cost him his life in the end.”

Lin Xiao’s eyes turned deep and contemplative, thoughts swirling.

“A newly risen, highly ambitious assassin organization like this poses the greatest threat to national security. To rise quickly through the ranks, they’ll keep assassinating people. Looks like I’ll need to stay on high alert from now on.”

Though Lin Xiao had left the army, as the former captain of the Dragon Sword Squad, he had a natural hostility toward such dark forces, especially an organization like the Purifiers, with methods so utterly deranged.

He had a vague premonition in his heart. Sooner or later, this so-called Purifier group would cross paths with him again.