I need to gather the merrymakers once more.

“Is this where you live?”

Following the instructions of Chiyo Asagiri, Sakura Motobu drove Chen Shang to his doorstep. The secretary to the yakuza heiress, who had some past grievances with him, had shown him nothing but a cold face throughout the journey. After Chen Shang got out of the car, Sakura Motobu rolled down the window and said,

“The young lady has registered her contact information on your phone. Of course, she’ll reach out to you at any time, so I hope you won’t fail to appreciate her… And if you do anything harmful to her, I’ll kill you on the spot.”

“As long as she doesn’t come looking for trouble, I won’t do anything to her,” Chen Shang replied, waving his hand and leaving without looking back.

It wasn’t until he stepped inside his home that Chen Shang finally exhaled as if he’d survived a disaster, his heart pounding like a water pump.

—It’s supposed to be the daily life arc, so why am I facing such dangerous situations?

First, he’d gotten entangled with a character he had no intention of pursuing; then he’d been kidnapped by gangsters; he had tried to escape by triggering a bug in Chiyo’s character logic, but nearly got himself killed instead; and in the end, he broke Chiyo’s AI behavior, making her inexplicably fall for him.

Today had been the closest he’d ever come to death. Even when he toppled Jin Yuchuang before, it hadn’t been this perilous.

The worst part was that, even though the effect of the [Calm Hormone] had long worn off, he still had to feign composure and act as if he was completely unfazed. Fortunately, he hadn’t slipped up; even Sakura Motobu, while driving him home, wore a wary expression, as if thinking, “This guy is so calm—he must have something up his sleeve.”

“This is a mess…” Chen Shang took off his shoes and walked from the entrance into the living room.

As he entered, he saw the table covered with cold dishes. Nayuta was curled up in a chair, arms wrapped around her knees, staring at her phone with a troubled look.

Hearing footsteps, Nayuta immediately turned her head, and the worry between her brows disappeared.

“Brother! Why are you back so late? You didn’t even answer your phone…” Nayuta ran over, her eyes full of concern.

“Sorry, I got held up by something,” Chen Shang replied, not intending to explain—he’d played the enigmatic brother with her more than once.

“But you could at least return a call!”

Upon closer inspection, Chen Shang noticed her eyes were a little red; she must have been anxious to the extreme. In the past hour, Nayuta had called him dozens of times and sent over ten messages.

But Chen Shang, worried those gangsters might target his sister, had simply added her to his phone’s blacklist and temporarily blocked her messages.

“All right, I’ll take you out for barbecue tomorrow,” he said, quickly changing the subject.

“Hmm…” Hearing that, Nayuta’s mood eased a little, and she dropped the matter.

After a simple dinner, Chen Shang returned to his room.

To his surprise, the collapse points—which had nearly dropped to zero—had risen back to over fifty.

“Is it because I messed up the Asagiri heiress…?”

He closed the system interface, deciding it was best to save up points for now.

The thought of suddenly gaining an unwanted member in his harem made his head ache.

...

On Saturday evening, Chen Shang took Nayuta to the bustling downtown district.

As promised, he was taking her out for barbecue. Though Chen Shang wasn’t earning money yet and was spending family funds, Nayuta didn’t care—as long as she could go out with her brother, nothing else mattered.

The atmosphere of the Longmen district’s downtown street was completely different from the residential areas. On either side of the road stood three-story iron buildings in classical style, stacked haphazardly. Neon lights formed all kinds of patterns, flashing on the walls.

Dazzling signs hung everywhere, making people dizzy with their brilliance, as if the lights would swallow the pedestrians whole.

The street was crowded with people. Nayuta instinctively grabbed Chen Shang’s hand to avoid being swept away.

Chen Shang glanced at a storefront with a sign featuring a beautiful woman, simply labeled “Beautiful Women”—clearly one of those places for those who know.

“Why are people from Arakawa opening this kind of shop here?” he wondered aloud.

“Why, do you want to go?” Nayuta teased, grinning mischievously.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I? If a man doesn’t want to go, is he really a man?” Chen Shang replied with a straight face, making Nayuta blush and her heart race.

“Hmph! Pervert brother!” Nayuta kicked him, turning away in a huff.

They arrived at a barbecue restaurant and took a seat by the window.

Nayuta happily picked up the menu, while Chen Shang’s attention was drawn to a news report on the restaurant TV.

“Last night, there was a murder in Kunlun district. The victim was an elder of a local cultivation sect… According to speculation, the murder may be linked to the serial killer ‘Midnight Headsman,’ whose activities have increased in Kunlun in recent years.”

Chen Shang looked at the censored image of the semi-mechanical elderly corpse. He could vaguely see the robes and wounds like those from a thousand cuts; the elder’s head was also severed.

“Midnight Headsman…” Chen Shang murmured, his gaze deepening.

The restaurant owner seemed to realize the news wasn’t suitable for the setting and quickly switched channels.

“Brother, come look at the menu!” Nayuta handed him the menu, pulling him back to the present.

“Order whatever you like. I can eat anything.” He pushed the menu back to her.

“Then I’ll have Kiramei barbecue, mutant lamb skewers, and charcoal-grilled sand beetles!” Nayuta eagerly waved at the waiter.

While they waited for their food, Chen Shang’s phone rang.

He glanced at the caller: “Shiyotsuba.”

Chen Shang hurried to the restroom, making sure he was alone before answering.

“Hello, what’s up?” he asked.

“Zihahaha! You’re still alive!” came an ear-piercing, devilish laugh from the other end.

“I found out you went into the Tokugawa Society branch yesterday. I thought they might’ve kidnapped you!”

“Did it occur to you to rescue me?” Chen Shang countered.

“You don’t really think I’m your babysitter, do you? I could make your death a lot more interesting! Zihahaha!” Black Calis cackled.

Even with a favorability of 31, Black Calis was still a gleeful anarchist. If Chen Shang’s death amused her, she’d make it as flamboyant as possible.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Shang asked seriously,

“By the way, have you heard of the ‘Midnight Headsman’ case?”

“Oh, you mean the Kunlun serial killer.” Black Calis’s tone grew languid. “Just so you know, I don’t care for ‘serial killing’—it’s a crime with no aesthetic.”

In Night Core City, serial killers were not uncommon. Jack of the Fog in White Chapel, the butcher-pig farmer in Iron Ridge, the heretic executioner in Paradise…all notorious names, never caught.

Worst of all, those were only the criminals active in the mid-tier districts. In the slums, grab three people off the street and you’d find at least one who’s killed someone.

“But this Midnight Headsman is different,” Chen Shang grinned, “He’s not like those killers who murder for pleasure or obsession.”

“Go on,” Black Calis was intrigued.

Chen Shang deliberately held back, testing, “Do you like revenge stories?”

“Of course. My favorite novel is ‘Dragon King of Monte Cristo.’”

“Then, one month from now, let’s go to Kunlun to investigate the Midnight Headsman.” Chen Shang snapped his fingers, proposing.

“Why wait a month?” she asked.

He scratched his head, regretful, “Because school doesn’t break for autumn until then.”

“You don’t skip class?”

“If I can’t find a job, should I let my sister support me?” Chen Shang retorted.

Black Calis suddenly laughed teasingly, “I’ll support you~”

“No…let’s wait a month,” Chen Shang nearly choked, quickly changing the subject.

“Then, you’ll witness a fascinating revenge drama.”