Chapter 71 – Pluto

“Just killing that annoying Yellow Hair isn’t enough. Don’t forget there’s still a witness,” the voice reminded her.

Zhao Xinning picked up the gun she had set on the counter, loaded a bullet, and aimed it at the middle-aged man.

Just as she had told Yellow Hair, she really did know how to use a gun. She didn’t need to be taught.

Back when she used to play shooting games with Lin Xi, Zhao Xinning had put in a lot of effort so she could keep up with her. She learned about the firearms in the games and trained her reaction speed.

She never would have thought that something she had learned in a game would one day be used like this in the real world.

Yellow Hair, whose throat had been slit by the knife, kept bleeding out. He collapsed to the floor and breathed his last.

The middle-aged man was completely dumbfounded. This harmless-looking young girl was actually this ruthless.

She killed without hesitation.

Before he could react, Zhao Xinning had already pointed the gun at him.

The middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat.

Sure enough, you could never underestimate anyone who came to the black market to buy things.

“Are you hiding a gun behind your waist?” Zhao Xinning ordered coldly. “Raise your hands.”

“Little girl, you’re still so young. You mustn’t go down the road of crime-“

Bang!

The gunshot rang out.

The middle-aged man was blown to pieces across the floor.

Just as Yellow Hair had introduced it, this modified gun, made using “Thornshadow” bone spikes and named “Meat Grinder,” really could blast a person apart with a single shot.

Zhao Xinning slowly lowered the hand holding the gun.

Originally, she had wanted the middle-aged man to raise his hands so she could walk over and kill him with the knife, the same way she had killed Yellow Hair.

After all, cleaning up someone scattered all over the floor would be difficult.

Unfortunately, the middle-aged man had no intention of cooperating.

“Very good,” the voice said to Zhao Xinning. “Yellow Hair deserved to die for trying to lay his hands on you. As for this middle-aged man, if anyone’s to blame, he can blame Yellow Hair.”

“Yellow Hair was a bad guy, and Shi Yu is an even worse bad guy.”

“Think of killing Yellow Hair as a rehearsal for killing Shi Yu.”

“How do you feel right now?”

“I…” Zhao Xinning felt a rush of exhilaration. “I feel great. That’s right. Yellow Hair was a bad guy who wanted to hurt me, and Shi Yu is an unforgivable villain who ‘polluted’ Xi.”

“They both deserve to die.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Exactly. That’s the awareness you need,” the voice said to Zhao Xinning. “That’s the conviction you need. No matter how dangerous or difficult it gets, you have to take Xi back!”

“So how should we deal with the scene now, Pluto?” Zhao Xinning asked.

“Pluto? Who?”

“You,” Zhao Xinning said. “It’s the name I gave you. Pluto, in Roman mythology, rules over the underworld and death.”

“You’re like Pluto. You’re the one who made me think of killing. You’re the one who made me kill two people.”

“All right, I accept the name,” Pluto said. “To the bad guys who want to hurt you, I am Pluto. But to you, I am the angel who saved you from pain and despair.”

“No,” Zhao Xinning said. “I only have one angel. Her name is Lin Xi.”

“Oh my, oh my,” Pluto laughed. “You love Xi more than you love yourself.”

Zhao Xinning put the gun and bullets into her bag. “So, how do we deal with the scene?”

Pluto suggested, “Set a fire and burn it all clean.”

“Good idea.” Zhao Xinning searched the shop for fuel, then began pouring it into every corner of the room.

Zhao Xinning found a lighter on Yellow Hair, flicked it on, and tossed the lit lighter into the fuel-filled room.

Then she left without even looking back.

“Good thing this is the black market. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be able to just stroll away like this.”

“I need to hurry up and buy the rest of the stuff, then get back to the hotel as soon as possible.”

…

Half an hour after Zhao Xinning left, the flames blazing up into the sky finally drew attention.

Among the circle of gawking onlookers outside, a man in sunglasses retreated from the crowd, silently took out his phone, and made a call.

“Hello? Boss?”

“Something happened.”

“The shop Yellow Hair and Old Deng were watching caught fire. A huge fire.”

“Was it an accident, or did someone do it?” the person on the other end asked. “Where are Yellow Hair and Old Deng?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen either of them. Please wait a moment, I’ll look around.”

“Don’t bother. They’re probably dead. Whoever set this fire did it to destroy the evidence.”

“What?!” Sunglasses Man was shocked. “Boss, are you saying someone dared to mess with our Shock Shark Gang?!”

“That’s right. Dark Realm Disaster incidents have been happening a lot lately, so business has been booming. It’s inevitable that some of our competitors would get desperate and use such a ‘simple and straightforward’ method to attack us.”

“You mean the White Fox Society?” Sunglasses Man said furiously. “Boss, I’ll gather people right now and go to war with them!”

In the black market, murder and arson were standard tools of “business competition.” After all, the side that suffered couldn’t exactly call the police.

The black market had its own rules, and Sunglasses Man’s proposal for equal retaliation fit those rules perfectly.

“No rush. First, we find the person who killed our people and set the fire.”

“Once we have both witness testimony and material evidence, then when we go after the White Fox Society, the Order Bureau won’t object. They might even support us.”

The Order Bureau was the violent organization that established and maintained order in the black market. Any faction that dared to act recklessly there risked being physically sanctioned by the Order Bureau.

“Yes, Boss. I’ll get on it right away,” Sunglasses Man said.

“Remember, even if you have to search every corner of the black market, you will find this person for me! Yellow Hair and Old Deng can’t die for nothing. This is our best chance to bring down the White Fox Society.”

“Understood. I will definitely find the guy who killed them and set that fire!”

…

Lin Xi woke up from an excellent sleep, having slept all the way until dawn.

“Good morning, Xi,” Zhao Xinning said gently from where she lay on her side.

Lin Xi’s mind cleared in an instant.

Right. Xinning and I slept in the same bed. I actually slept in the same bed as Angel-sama… Even thinking about it now, Lin Xi still felt as if she were dreaming.

No wonder she had slept so well last night. This, too, had to be Angel-sama’s power.

“Good morning, Xinning,” Lin Xi said, then asked with a hint of uncertainty, “Last night, did any of my bad sleeping habits bother you?”

Because of that one thing Lin Xi had muttered in her sleep, Zhao Xinning had been busy all night without sleeping a wink.

After returning from the black market, she had lain down on the bed and quietly watched Lin Xi.

“Not at all,” Zhao Xinning said. “I slept very well.”

“I slept really well too.” Lin Xi vaguely remembered eating that delicious, fragrant “Grilled Bird” again in her dream. “Last night really was an unforgettable night.”

Zhao Xinning deeply agreed with that statement.

“Yes. Last night really was an unforgettable night.”