Chapter 23: Chekhov's Gun

Thud!

The figure in the yellow protective suit finally collapsed.

The revolver in Park Hong’s hand dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and drifted away. He stumbled, his face unable to conceal his exhaustion. This single shot had taken a significant toll on him.

Dragging his heavy feet, he approached the corpse, preparing to stoop and search it. But his reaching hand stopped in mid-air.

Park Hong froze.

"What is this..."

Deep within his scarlet, slit-like pupils, a glimmer of azure blue was reflected.

The youth had fallen face-down, and while the black bullet had pierced his protective suit, beneath the fabric lay a layer of gleaming blue crystal that had wedged the projectile firmly in place. The black bullet was still struggling to spin, but it could not drill any further, having only managed to shatter the crystalline surface into a spiderweb of cracks.

"This guy isn't dead?!"

Park Hong caught a faint scent of blueberries and felt a chill in his heart. The keen intuition he had honed while living life on the edge screamed a frantic warning.

He instinctively recoiled.

But a hand was faster!

*Snap!*

The prone youth suddenly shot out a hand, grabbing Park Hong by the ankle. His grip was like iron, clamped tight as he yanked with all his might.

*Bang!*

Park Hong fell flat on his back.

The figure in the protective suit flipped up and pinned him down once more.

A fleeting glance through the glass mask.

Park Hong’s eyes widened.

What a face he saw!

The young, handsome features were deathly pale. Even though blood streamed from his nose and mouth, those black eyes remained shockingly calm and collected.

*He was waiting for me to get close...*

*Am I...*

*The one being hunted?!*

Park Hong could not believe it. As a member of the "Ghost Grid" and a high-risk fugitive with hands stained in blood, he never imagined a day would come where he would become the prey!

"Hrrgh!" His face contorted, and he let out a guttural roar.

He erupted with desperate, life-or-death strength, black smoke surging around him.

But this time, the youth pinning him down remained unmoved. The two rolled across the ground, yet his opponent clung to him like a yellow anaconda, never letting go.

Wang Xi was thrown behind Park Hong. He seized the opportunity to wrap his legs around the man’s waist, loop one arm around his neck, press his elbow firmly against the man’s chin, and grab his own wrist to form a secure lock.

Then, he pulled upward with explosive force!

Rear Naked Choke!

The disdain in Park Hong’s scarlet pupils had vanished, replaced by panic. He knew all too well how helpless one became once caught in a rear naked choke!

But when Park Hong tried to draw his dagger to counterattack, he felt only a limp weakness... The use of his "Guaranteed Hit" gun had drained him too thoroughly.

"Urgh! Urgh!"

His entire face flushed purple, his eyes rolling back.

The kicking, struggling legs grew slower and weaker, until finally, they went completely still.

Wang Xi felt his opponent go limp, but he did not let his guard down for a second.

It was not until the prompt from Chaos popped up—

[Target neutralized!]

[Capture the ability of "Park Hong"?]

'Yes!'

Wang Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief and released his grip.

He shoved Park Hong’s corpse aside. A green light flickered from the body and vanished into the center of Wang Xi’s forehead.

["Park Hong" card added to independent card pool.]

Wang Xi ignored the notification.

He climbed to his feet, gasping for air. He opened his clenched fist, and a universal card with an azure border lay there.

— "Covenant Prayer Stone"

This was the life-saving card Chu Nai had given him. Had the rear naked choke failed, he would not have hesitated to use this trump card.

Fortunately... he had won.

Wang Xi tucked away the "Covenant Prayer Stone" and, enduring the sharp pain throughout his body, began to rummage through Park Hong’s corpse.

*Coming home wealthy without showing it off is like wearing silk in the dark.*

*Killing an enemy without looting the body is like leaving a sharp blade ringing in the air.*

Before long, Wang Xi pulled out several universal cards. A few seconds later, more cards spontaneously emerged from the surface of the corpse and hung in mid-air!

It seemed that these resident cards had detached from the "host" upon death, reverting to their card form.

It was Wang Xi’s first time seeing such a sight. His eyes filled with wonder as he quickly took inventory.

Two "Solomon Military Laser Pistol Type V (Equipment Card)," white three-star quality.

Four "Solomon Universal Firearm Batteries (Equipment Card)," white one-star quality.

One "Follow Like a Shadow (Skill Card)," green two-star quality.

One "Listen to the Heartbeat (Skill Card)," green two-star quality.

Several skill cards like "Catwalk," "Hold Breath," "Dagger Mastery," and "Kukui Assassination Arts," all white one- to three-star universal cards.

Wang Xi’s head began to swim.

Then, there was one pitch-black card, seemingly capable of swallowing all light, that particularly caught his eye—

"Chekhov’s Gun (Unknown Card)"

"Quality: Black one-star (Unique/Unclassifiable/Upgradable)"

"A great writer once proposed a narrative principle: If a gun appears in the first act, it must be fired by the end of the story... Now, through the power of some force, this gun has manifested, and it must strike its target to complete its mission."

"Upon use, you will wield it, and the shot will inevitably hit the target. Each use consumes a significant amount of energy (including but not limited to physical stamina, and the power of the shot depends on the strength of the energy provided)."

Chekhov’s Gun?

Unique?

A black, unclassifiable unknown card?!

Wang Xi was stunned. He didn't know what this card was, but he knew it was incredibly powerful!

Just moments ago, "Black Mamba" had pulled out this very gun and fired a "Guaranteed Hit" shot that had nearly killed him. If the opponent hadn't been relying solely on physical stamina, and if Wang Xi hadn't used his crowbar to deflect the black bullet and dissipate its force, the bullet would have pierced both his protective suit and the sugar-coating protection—the outcome would have been uncertain!

'This card grows as my strength grows!'

Wang Xi realized this instantly. His eyes burned with fervor.

*Strong against the strong, a natural-born fighter.*

*One pull, one tug, a miracle-maker.*

"I’ll take that!"

Wang Xi swiftly tucked "Chekhov’s Gun" into his pocket before turning his attention to the other cards.

That was when he suddenly calmed down.

*No! I can't take these!*

The fire of greed in his heart was slowly extinguished by reason. Unlike "Chekhov’s Gun," which was clearly "Black Mamba’s" hidden trump card, the other cards would be hot potatoes—he couldn't touch them.

'I called the police; the Public Security Bureau will be here soon. "Black Mamba" is a high-risk fugitive; it’s impossible for him to have had no cards on him. If I take these, I’ll be incriminating myself.'

Wang Xi’s mind raced. He was the victim; killing a high-risk fugitive in self-defense was not a crime—it would even earn him a reward. But if he grew too greedy, it would backfire.

He would turn from innocent to guilty!

*Woo-woo-woo—*

At that moment, the piercing sound of sirens reached him from afar.

Wang Xi fought his greed, his eyes scanning the colorful array of cards one last time before he gritted his teeth.

*Not taking them doesn't mean I can't take any...*

Wang Xi pulled out one "Solomon Military Laser Pistol Type V" and two "Solomon Universal Firearm Batteries."

He left everything else untouched.

He chose these two because they weren't unique. "Black Mamba" likely kept them as spares for emergencies. This provided a loophole for Wang Xi to exploit. It would be less likely to arouse suspicion this way.

After tucking the cards away, he felt his strength rapidly draining, his body collapsing like a deflated balloon.

Thud!

Wang Xi fell to the ground.

Not long after, through his blurred vision, he saw three or four blue hover-police cars driving into the abandoned factory. A group of uniformed officers, fully armed and holding laser pistols, secured the perimeter.

Several officers reached Wang Xi’s side quickly.

"Target located!"

"There’s a survivor! Wearing a yellow Cupid Housekeeping protective suit! Visible trauma to the legs and chest!"

"Medic team, provide emergency aid immediately!"

Wang Xi heard a man’s voice shouting, followed by hurried footsteps. He felt himself being lifted, his protective suit torn open. Then came a sharp sting in his arm as if he’d been injected with something.

A cooling sensation washed over him, and his dazed mind cleared significantly.

When he opened his eyes, his blurred vision refocused. He realized he was surrounded by three or four medical personnel in white uniforms who were treating his wounds.

Not far away, the corpse of "Black Mamba" Park Hong lay quietly on the ground, guarded by several officers. A tall figure in a high-collared trench coat stood over it, crouching to inspect the body and placing the remaining cards into a sealed evidence bag.

Looking at that back, Wang Xi felt a sense of familiarity.

The person stood up, turned around, and walked toward him.

It was a mature woman with the air of an "older sister," sporting wavy purple hair and gold-rimmed glasses perched on a high bridge of her nose. Behind the lenses were amber eyes, calm as a lake, now fixed on Wang Xi with a scrutinizing gaze.

*It’s the woman who got into the car with Chu Nai this morning...*

Wang Xi suddenly realized where he recognized her from.

"Can you still talk?" the purple-haired woman asked coldly.

Wang Xi nodded, his voice raspy as he replied:

"Yes."

"I am Yu Zizi, Chief Inspector of the Gucheng Public Security Bureau," the woman said, nodding in introduction. "Can you answer a few questions for me?"

"Yes."

"Did you report this?"

"Yes."

"Very well." The woman nodded. "According to our records, you are Wang Xi, an intern at Cupid Housekeeping."

"I want to know why you were here, and how you encountered the high-risk fugitive, 'Black Mamba' Park Hong..."

Wang Xi took a deep breath and calmly recounted the events. From working overtime at the company to being assigned to deliver materials, to the car’s navigation failing and leading him here, culminating in the attack by "Black Mamba."

After listening, Chief Inspector Yu frowned slightly. She looked Wang Xi up and down and said softly:

"Do you have any evidence or witnesses?"

She had only asked out of habit, her mind already pondering how an ordinary intern scavenger had managed to kill a high-risk fugitive.

Unexpectedly, Wang Xi nodded.

"I do!"

Then, under Yu Zizi’s slightly surprised gaze, Wang Xi took out his phone, tapped a few buttons, and handed it over.

"This recording is the evidence."

Yu Zizi took the phone and listened intently. The longer she listened, the deeper her eyes became.

Before the recording had finished playing, she gestured to the side and said coldly:

"Notify the Dawn District Public Security Branch. Arrest Lin Zhifeng, Deputy Director of the Cleaning Department at Cupid Housekeeping, immediately!"