Chapter 15

The gas station was in disarray, not a single sober employee in sight. Bai Wei realized that he wouldn’t be able to refuel here today.

It looked like the place had been ransacked by robbers. But then again, this was quite common in Black Harbor City, Bai Wei thought.

He still searched around, though—not for anything in particular. Bai Wei clung to the faint hope that he might find his husband’s body amid the wreckage. This way, he could avoid the trip to Black Harbor City and claim Lu Sen’s accidental death insurance. But luck had never favored Bai Wei. There was no sign of Lu Sen. The only person unconscious in the station was a middle-aged woman in her forties.

It seemed Lu Sen was just too lucky. The incident probably happened after he left.

Bai Wei was about to leave when the middle-aged woman behind him suddenly woke up, shouting.

“There’s a monster… a monster!”

Ah, that’s really too bad. After all, his husband had survived this monster attack.

Bai Wei had never intended to save anyone. He looked at the map on his phone, seeing that Lu Sen’s location marker had already entered Black Harbor City. Fortunately, they were very close now. Without hesitation, Bai Wei started the car and chased after him.

But once again, something unexpected happened.

…How could there be such a massive traffic jam on this road into Black Harbor City?

It seemed like Black Harbor City’s traffic situation was getting worse. Bai Wei thought to himself, tapping his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.

If he hadn’t already moved away from Black Harbor City, Bai Wei would have made sure to clean up those lawless drivers…

At that very moment, Lu Sen was thinking the same thing.

“Haha! I found you! Don’t even think about running!”

“Damn it, damn it, don’t let him escape! The mission has refreshed! It’s him, Scissorhands Li Dehua… Hurry up! Take him down before the cops get here!”

Three figures, representing the “red man green woman” concept, weave through the traffic. The leading man is dressed in a purple suit but wears a ridiculous green sweater underneath, holding two guns as if in some cosplay. Hot on his heels is a large man, whose appearance can only be described as “troll-like,” yet he’s wearing armor that seems out of place for this era. The two of them shout and dash through the traffic, occasionally squatting down as if picking up trash… This chaotic scene made Lu Sen feel that Black Harbor City is increasingly becoming a place of peculiar talent.

Faster than them is a girl with pink hair. She wears a leather outfit matching her hair color and wields two electric-shimmering katana swords. The girl moves through the traffic with the agility of a praying mantis, using the power of the car hoods to leap high into the air. Finally, one of her feet lands on the front hood of Lu Sen’s car.

“Wow, this model pedestrian looks so cool,” the girl exclaims as her body leaps high like an insect, and two flashes of silver fall, landing on a spot on the street.

A sleazy-looking man is pinned to the ground. Without hesitation, the girl draws another dagger from her waist and kills him.

“Mission complete! 8/100!” she cheers.

After her, the dual-gun man and the troll-like man arrive. Meanwhile, sweat-drenched Black Harbor City police officers, who are late to the scene, begin managing the traffic and negotiating with the dual-gun man.

The pink-haired girl stands aside, chatting with the troll-like man. Lu Sen’s car is nearby, so he can overhear their conversation.

“There are still 92 more serial killers… Oh my God, how long will it take before we can return to our world?”

“The eight we’ve taken down so far are the easiest. The further we go, the harder it gets. Especially the ones in the top ten, we might even be at risk of losing our lives.”

“Is it really that scary?”

“Especially that final boss, the ‘Silencer,’ the ‘White Death,’ who’s good at creating coincidences to kill targets, hiding behind everyone. We might not even know who it is until we’re taken out.”

“Who knows where this final boss is hiding, what dangerous plans they’re weaving, and which big shot they’re going after next…”

“We’ve been searching for this guy ever since we arrived in Black Harbor City, and we still can’t find him. It’s driving me crazy!”

Although Lu Sen didn’t understand most of their conversation, he caught one important detail: Black Harbor City is very dangerous now, full of serial killers, and a major behind-the-scenes boss is planning various coincidences to commit murders.

Thankfully, he and Bai Wei had met three years ago in Black Harbor City, and now they’ve moved to Snow Mountain Town. Otherwise, the naive and careless Bai Wei would not know how to survive in this dangerous city!

“Hey, buddy.” While managing traffic, the driver of the car next to Lu Sen strikes up a conversation. “Do you know those people? They’re new to Black Harbor City. They’re carrying a list and capturing serial killers around the city every day. The police say they’re from some international organization, and they have to eliminate all the serial killers in Black Harbor City to return. They’re telling citizens not to get in their way… Do you believe it? I don’t.”

Lu Sen, hearing that these people were after serial killers, felt relieved. When he was a mercenary, he killed, but it was only on assignment, not as a serial killer. His wife, Bai Wei, was just a kind-hearted and innocent citizen. Even though these people seemed strange, they would protect ordinary people like him.

So, he said, “As long as these people are doing good, what’s so unbelievable about it?”

The car owner responded, “Doing good? I see them picking through all the city’s trash every day like they’re trying to find special equipment in it. Plus, I saw one of them flying a helicopter through a bridge tunnel the other day, claiming he was doing some achievement… How can anyone believe that a bunch of lunatics are here to save Black Harbor City?”

Lu Sen became a bit worried again. He amplified his hearing and heard those “red man green woman” figures talking about a major operation in a few days. If they complete this operation, they will receive a tool that allows them to see whether NPCs are marked with a green or red name within 12 hours, which means they will be able to identify all the serial killers hiding among the crowd.

The day of their big operation is the day after Lu Sen’s transformation… Lu Sen anxiously thought, this won’t interfere with his transformation, will it?

With these thoughts, Lu Sen decided to go to a well-known mall’s basement nearby to buy the food he needed for his transformation, especially the freshest seafood available only there. Meanwhile, Bai Wei, stuck in the traffic, noticed a strange group of people walking toward him.

“Do you have any clues or characteristics of the ‘White Death’?”

“From the PV, he seems like an elegant, well-educated character… his plot and face haven’t even been revealed yet, but he’s already got a huge fan following online. A few of my friends even started making fan works about him… Hey? Hey?”

The pink-haired girl pointed at Bai Wei’s direction and excitedly whispered to her companion, “Look at that NPC in the car, he’s so handsome, so handsome, so handsome!”

“Using three adjectives this time, looks like this NPC fits your taste more than the last one,” the man in the suit quipped.

“The one who fits my taste the most is still the White Death. I wonder where my final boss is hiding, weaving some kind of conspiracy… Ah, no, could he be planning to kill the mayor… He must be up to something important…”

Bai Wei: …

Black Harbor City is becoming increasingly indescribable for Bai Wei. Strange people, strange traffic jams. Thankfully, he’s only here to kill his husband.

The traffic finally clears. Bai Wei glances at the map and is shocked to find that Lu Sen’s car has reached a high-end mall in Black Harbor City.

Bai Wei had been to this mall when he worked in Black Harbor City. Known for its expensive, romantic decor, it was one of the top ten date spots in Black Harbor City. What is Lu Sen doing there, talking business?

Bai Wei suddenly remembered what Lu Sen had mentioned about their “first meeting” in the clothing store.

Could it be that Lu Sen came here to meet someone else?

— I knew it! What business could a car repair shop owner have that requires travel!

Bai Wei showed no reaction to Lu Sen’s affair, but if Lu Sen were to buy luxury goods, he would be spending his inheritances. As a husband, how could he not know how to live frugally when he travels? Not only did he have suspicions about meeting other people, but he also dared to visit high-end stores, staying in more expensive hotels, and not relying on cheap eateries for meals.

At that moment, Bai Wei decided that Lu Sen was unforgivable, and the sooner he was gone, the better.

Compared to Lu Sen, Bai Wei was more familiar with the terrain of Black Harbor City. He took a sudden turn and entered a complex alley. Behind him, the players who were casually hanging around on the street turned around. One of them sighed, “Wow, this NPC drives even better than I do.”

Bai Wei smoothly parked the car with the help of the doorman. As he got out of the car, he noticed Lu Sen also getting out of another black car not far away.

Lu Sen, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, walked into the high-end shopping mall as if he was quite familiar with it. Bai Wei glanced around and quietly followed him, waiting for the right moment to act.

—–

In the center of the mall was a beautiful musical fountain that leaped and sparkled at every hour. Many couples in Black Harbor City liked to take pictures there. Bai Wei quietly followed Lu Sen until they reached the fountain. He saw Lu Sen stop and stand outside a high-end jewelry store.

On display at the store was a set of luxury jewelry with a peach blossom cat theme. To be honest, even though this jewelry store was known for catering to rich young women, the jewelry seemed overly dreamy and excessively sweet, like pink bubbles. Bai Wei didn’t even need to think about it; he was sure that such overly sweet items weren’t suitable for him.

But surprisingly, Lu Sen went down the stairs and was about to enter the jewelry store from the first floor.

Who was Lu Sen planning to buy this for?

At that moment, Bai Wei saw an opportunity. A large light hung above Lu Sen’s head on his path, just out of the view of the surveillance cameras. With a slight shift, it would fall directly on Lu Sen’s head.

Bai Wei acted quickly. After finishing everything, he took the other stairs to leave the mall.

Since entering the high-end mall, Lu Sen’s heart had been racing.

His intuition told him that he was being watched. He turned around several times but saw nothing. At that moment, he was sure Black Harbor City was a dangerous place.

Fortunately, he and Bai Wei no longer lived in Black Harbor City… Lu Sen thought. Otherwise, people like them wouldn’t be able to survive here!

Thinking about this, Lu Sen planned to enter the jewelry store and buy the peach blossom and cat-themed jewelry. The moment he saw the jewelry, he felt that it was the perfect gift for Bai Wei. After all, Bai Wei was as pure as peach blossoms and as cute as a cat.

However, as he walked to a certain point, Lu Sen once again felt the strong sensation of being watched. As expected! Black Harbor City was dangerous, maybe even a serial killer was watching him!

Lu Sen immediately stopped and turned around to look in the direction of the gaze. At that moment, he looked shocked.

Then, confusion.

It was Bai Wei. His wife, Bai Wei, had secretly followed him from Black Harbor City because she was worried about his safety!

Bai Wei, too, was taken by surprise at that moment… but just as Lu Sen turned around, the clock struck the hour. The fountain shot up into the air, its sparkling water creating a barrier between them.

The cheerful music echoed throughout the mall. The most popular dating scene for couples in Black Harbor City appeared at that moment.

Separated by the most beautiful lovers’ fountain in Black Harbor City, their thoughts were obscured by the mist. And just at that moment—

The spotlight from the second floor came crashing down.