Chapter Two: The Raid

Park No. 7 was a newly built forest park on the outskirts. Lin Lei strode forward, moving steadily until he soon arrived near a side gate of the park. It was already late, and the park had long since closed.

He stopped in front of the side gate and checked the time. There was still a while before ten o’clock.

He surveyed his surroundings; there were no surveillance cameras nearby. The area was remote, deserted, and not a soul could be seen on the road. Dim lights flickered above the gate, and a few electric scooters were parked by the roadside.

According to Li Xueshu’s information, the serial killer’s next crime would take place right here.

A rustling sound reached his ears from the distance. Lin Lei raised an eyebrow and peered through the railings into the park.

Several figures, chatting and laughing, made their way to the fence. They squeezed out through a gap slightly wider than the others.

Three girls emerged, all looking very young—two were still wearing their school uniforms, emblazoned with the name “Biyang No. 2 High School.”

Biyang No. 2 High was a nearby senior high school.

After slipping through the bars, the girls didn’t leave immediately but instead gathered at the side gate, laughing and talking.

Lin Lei’s gaze swept over them. Even at a distance, he could clearly hear their conversation.

They were seniors from Biyang No. 2, having skipped evening study to sneak out and play in the park.

Lin Lei observed them closely, confirming that none of them were his target. He checked the time again, his eyes narrowing.

If Li Xueshu’s intel was accurate, the killer could arrive at any moment.

The three girls were just ordinary people—if they were caught up in a fight between Source Energy users, even a minor mishap could end badly.

In fact, Lin Lei even suspected these three might become the next victims.

The girls seemed to notice Lin Lei’s gaze; another wave of laughter followed.

A short-haired girl nudged the long-haired one beside her with a grin. “Feifei, that guy keeps looking over here. Is he checking you out?”

The girl called Feifei was slender and strikingly pretty, with delicate features and a confident smile. She flicked her hair and glanced sidelong at Lin Lei, who stood there solemnly. “Isn’t that only natural?”

In truth, Lin Lei hadn’t focused on her alone; he had studied all three girls carefully.

“Feifei, he’s coming over,” one of them said as Lin Lei walked straight toward them.

Feifei shot him a sidelong glance. “Sorry, I don’t add strangers on ChatNow.”

Lin Lei could only smile wryly. “I didn’t come here for that… The security in Biyang has been terrible lately. You girls shouldn’t be out so late—it’s really dangerous.”

Feifei gave a dry laugh. “Let me guess, you want to offer to walk us back to school? I’ve met plenty like you. Forget it!”

Lin Lei was about to reply when he suddenly looked up, alerted by faint footsteps and murmuring voices in the distance.

Two figures approached from the shadows.

Lin Lei’s eyes sharpened. Though it was dark, his vision was hardly impaired; he could make out the newcomers’ faces from afar.

He showed little surprise outwardly, but inside, he tensed. “The target has arrived.”

With the concealment of his Nightwalker ability, he had no fear of being discovered. He deliberately shifted his gaze away from the newcomers, glancing back at the three girls before him.

“There have been a string of disappearances in the upper city recently, mostly women… Things have only just calmed down. You can check the news yourselves.”

The three girls exchanged uneasy glances.

The short-haired girl tugged at Feifei’s sleeve. “Should we go back?”

Feifei snorted. “Don’t be silly! He’s just trying to scare us.”

Yet despite her words, a hint of fear crept onto her face.

Seeing they wouldn’t leave, Lin Lei stopped trying to persuade them. The targets were closing in; he couldn’t afford to explain further.

The two figures drew near, their laughter growing louder—a man and a woman.

The man wore a crisp suit and wooden-framed glasses, handsome enough for his age. The woman was an unattractive, somewhat overweight middle-aged lady in a black cheongsam, her flesh spilling beneath the fabric.

They were an odd pair, but both wore beaming smiles.

Arm in arm, they radiated an air of intimacy that seemed almost indecent.

This bizarre couple didn’t go unnoticed—the three girls kept stealing glances and whispering among themselves.

Apparently catching wind of the gossip, the man stopped and turned, striding over with a frosty expression.

“What are you staring at, huh?!”

The girls’ whispers died instantly, and they exchanged nervous looks.

“We… we…” The boldness of a moment ago vanished, and they faltered under his glare.

The chubby woman beside him swept her gaze over Lin Lei and the three girls, licking her lips.

The man snorted, then wrapped his arm around the woman’s, but his eyes stayed fixed on the group.

Lin Lei stepped forward with a faint smile, placing himself in front of the girls. “Why so aggressive? Looking for a fight?”

The young man narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing. “Trying to play hero for your classmates?”

Clearly, he’d mistaken Lin Lei as one of the girls’ peers.

Feifei and her friends stared at Lin Lei, bewildered by his sudden intervention.

Tension crackled between the two sides.

Then, without warning, Lin Lei drew a silver pistol from his waist and leveled it at the overweight woman, who was watching the scene unfold with an air of complacency, utterly off guard.

Bang!

A spark flared in the darkness as the gunshot shattered the night.

Shock froze on the woman’s face as a bloody hole appeared in her brow. She crumpled to the ground.

At such close range, Lin Lei had fired so suddenly that she never had a chance to react.

As the report faded, the three girls behind Lin Lei erupted in piercing screams, echoing starkly through the night.

At the same time, the young man was struck dumb.

“What the hell?!”

Panic twisted his face. All I did was scare a few girls—was this really necessary?

Lin Lei charged forward, gun in hand.

The youth, wide-eyed with terror, collapsed to the ground. “P-please, don’t—!”

As Lin Lei bore down on him, he scrambled away, only to crash headlong into a tree. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, utterly senseless.

Without sparing the man a glance, Lin Lei turned his weapon back on the woman’s corpse, firing several more shots.

Ratatat!

He only stopped once her head was reduced to a mangled ruin.