Chapter Thirty-Four: Debts Must Be Paid

“Heh,” the old beggar replied to Qi Chen’s deadly threat with a cold sneer, tightening his grip on the young boy’s throat, his tone growing increasingly arrogant. “Would the Department of Anomaly Handling dare harm a hostage?”

As a long-time wanderer in the shadows, survival demands a thorough understanding of the Anomaly Handling Departments in each of the Alliance’s major cities. The official secrecy mechanisms make it nearly impossible to uncover the anomalous abilities of department members, but deducing their operational philosophy and rules is much easier.

City No. 3 itself was a rather peculiar existence, and most rogue anomaly users had heard whispers about the style of its Anomaly Handling Department. This was a group fundamentally at odds with most anomaly practitioners, yet fiercely dedicated to protecting ordinary people.

The old beggar had heard tales: to survive an encounter with the agents of City No. 3, either never harm the innocent from the start, or, if you do, never hesitate again! Because those who crossed this line and failed to escape always vanished without a trace.

He was certain that, with his experience and the hostage in hand, he could easily toy with this rookie before him! As long as he kept the boy pressed in the corner, even within Qi Chen’s projection range, it would be enough to hold him at bay!

Suddenly!

The skeletal anomaly shot out from the shadows of the corner, hollow eyes brimming with death, swinging its bone-clawed bowl straight at Qi Chen!

Bang!

The Overlord manifested at Qi Chen’s side, raising his arm to block the skeleton’s attack. As he prepared to counter, the old beggar swiftly drew a kitchen knife he’d snatched from this very house, pressing it against the captive boy’s throat, his threat unmistakable.

“Go ahead, try it!”

The Overlord paused, and the skeletal anomaly seized the opportunity to circle directly to Qi Chen, sweeping its bowl at him.

Qi Chen was hardly foolish enough to sit and wait for death. With a backward roll, he dodged the strike and landed at the bedroom door. His face was grave; he gently grasped the handle and turned it, slamming the door shut and twisting the lock until it was sealed.

“Young man, do you really intend to fight me to the end?

“If you leave now, I promise the boy will live... Otherwise, this innocent kid might bid farewell to this world because of you.

“There’s no need to sacrifice a young life for an old man like me,” the beggar, believing himself victorious, switched to verbal tactics, sizing up Qi Chen as nothing more than a greenhorn.

Despite the uncanny possessing powers and speed beyond comprehension, if the wielder’s temperament is lacking, even the strongest anomaly cannot be fully realized.

Qi Chen remained silent, but the fire in his eyes burned ever brighter. The Overlord’s rough roar echoed in his mind, itching to storm forth and crush the old beggar into pulp!

Click.

A crisp sound as Qi Chen reached for the bedroom light switch. The second floor of this residence was added later by the owner, and being surrounded by commercial buildings, the bedroom had no windows.

With the door tightly shut, the only light came from the bedroom lamp. As it flicked off, everything plunged into deep darkness.

And shadows exist only because of light.

A surge of intense danger welled up in the old beggar’s heart; none knew better than he how a lightless environment would cripple his abilities!

A fierce, icy aura crashed toward him like a storm. Instinctively, as his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness, he stabbed the knife toward the boy’s neck in a desperate bid, his face twisted in resolve for mutual destruction with Qi Chen!

Anomaly practitioners possess keen night vision, but the abrupt shift from brightness to darkness inevitably brings a moment of disorientation.

That brief instant was all the Overlord needed—and Qi Chen had calculated for it!

Crack!

The sharp sound of bone breaking exploded in the dark bedroom. The old beggar’s knife-wielding hand was instantly crushed by overwhelming force, a howl of agony tearing from his throat.

But it wasn’t over yet. With a roar, the Overlord seized the old beggar’s head, lifting him bodily from the ground!

“Beggar’s Heart!” In the face of mortal danger, a rush of hormones allowed the old man to suppress the searing pain, summoning his anomaly for a desperate final stand!

Without shadows, the skeletal anomaly could no longer roam freely, forced instead to emerge directly from the beggar’s own body.

But how could its speed and strength ever match the Overlord?

“Roar!”

The Overlord’s fist struck like a cannonball, landing squarely on the skeleton’s face. Pale bones cracked under a web of fissures. Then, in the same manner, he flipped his hand and grabbed the skull in his grasp.

Now, his left hand gripped the old beggar’s head, his right held the skeleton’s skull.

The old beggar tried to speak, but the Overlord’s palm clamped over his mouth, muffling all sound.

Standing unwavering at the doorway, Qi Chen finally spoke, his voice calm and flowing through the pitch-black room:

“I won’t kill you, but you will return everything you stole from others!”

A dull thud of fists echoed in the room, and the old beggar’s screams faded, dwindling to nothing.

...

...

Outside the residence, the warm-hearted man, panting from his run, paused beneath the building, sensing something amiss. He summoned his Passion, which followed closely behind, advancing slowly.

Curiously, his footsteps made no sound.

“Why is the door open?” He frowned as he entered, inevitably confronted by the carnage in the living room, just as Qi Chen had before.

His heart shuddered, fists clenched tight. Holding his breath, he crept silently up the wooden stairs.

“Qi Chen... where are you, kid?”

Unwilling to face the most likely tragic outcome, the warm-hearted man found himself, for the first time in ages, anxious for another’s sake. Yet his years of dealing with anomalies had trained him to quickly control his emotions. He pressed Passion gently against the bedroom door, activating his ability.

A patch of the wooden door softened rapidly under his anomaly, sliding down like mud and revealing a hole, granting him ample view inside.

Peering through, his tense fists immediately relaxed.

Inside, Qi Chen sat quietly on the bed, gently cradling an unconscious boy, his face serene.

In the corner, a bloodied figure could barely be discerned.

“Senior, you’re here.”

...