- Online Game : God Level Assasin, I am The Shadow!
- GTA Chapter 137
In truth, Gui Ling was not entirely certain if the scarred man before her was the mastermind.
Regardless, the best course of action was to interrogate him with severe measures and extract any possible information.
To the Butcher, however, there was no loyalty whatsoever to Ma Nailiang.
With minimal coercion, he quickly revealed Ma Nailiang’s involvement!
…
At this moment, Ma Nailiang was anxiously awaiting an update.
Suddenly, he received a message: “The target escaped. I need three years of lifespan to acquire a tracking skill. Meet me at this address to provide it.”
The message was from the Butcher.
Ma Nailiang cursed under his breath, “Damn it, can’t even handle something this small.”
There was no way Ma Nailiang could send someone else to negotiate with the Butcher.
And with concerns that the escaped target could jeopardize his plan, he grudgingly took leave and departed from the official safehouse.
However…
Upon arriving at the meeting location, instead of finding the Butcher, Ma Nailiang was immediately struck unconscious!
When he regained consciousness, the stench of blood filled his nostrils. He discovered himself bound tightly, and as his eyes adjusted, he realized he was in a grim, dungeon-like chamber.
“So, you’re the one who wanted to harm my teacher?”
The voice of a young girl, slightly distorted as if using a voice modifier, reached Ma Nailiang’s ears.
He turned his head toward the sound and saw a masked, cold-eyed girl staring at him.
“Your teacher?”
“Damn it, let me go! Do you know who I am?!”
Ma Nailiang struggled violently.
“Denying it is pointless.”
Gui Ling’s voice was icy. “The Butcher messaged you, and you appeared at the agreed location. Who else would it be?”
“Alright, Butcher, as promised—since you revealed the mastermind, I’ll let you have some fun.”
“You may begin.”
With that, Gui Ling motioned, releasing the bound, scarred man from a nearby pillar.
As Ma Nailiang’s terrified eyes widened, the Butcher’s face twisted into a deranged smile, and he approached with a power drill in hand.
“No—!”
“Damn it, no!”
“Get away from me… fuck!”
“My father is Ma Gang, you’ll be dead meat if you touch me…”
“Help! Someone save me—glurk—”
…
What unfolded next was so grotesque that even Gui Ling felt queasy.
The Butcher’s perversions knew no bounds.
“Since you tried to frame my teacher, you can suffer the consequences of your own actions…”
Gui Ling thought coldly, listening to Ma Nailiang’s blood-curdling screams.
When the Butcher was finally done dismembering Ma Nailiang into eight pieces, he put down the chainsaw. Gui Ling instantly hurled a poisoned dart that pierced straight through the Butcher’s heart, killing him on the spot.
Though she had promised the Butcher his life in exchange for cooperation, such words held no weight—any child would know better than to believe them.
With her task complete, Gui Ling glanced at the unconscious, legless Qin Xiaoyou but offered no assistance. She vanished without a trace.
Not long afterward, the authorities were alerted.
Director Dai, who wished to remain anonymous, quickly led a team to the abandoned factory.
Minutes later, they stormed in and entered the basement.
They were greeted by a grisly sight—a well-known site for dismemberment crimes.
Inside, they found a body hacked into eight pieces—it was Ma Nailiang.
There was also a young woman still alive, though her legs had been sawn off, and she was unconscious…
“Upon further investigation, the woman was identified as Qin Xiaoyou, a former student at Jianghai Normal University.”
“The man… is Ma Nailiang, one of our own officials.”
“He had recently taken leave from the safehouse and then went missing, only to be found here…”
“Who could have done this?!”
The authorities launched an immediate investigation!
A renowned female investigator of Jianghai City attempted to use her tracking skills on Ma Nailiang’s dismembered remains, but the result shocked everyone.
“There is no traceable information on the perpetrator.”
“This indicates that the killer of Ma Nailiang is already dead!”
Before leaving, Gui Ling had taken the precaution of removing the Butcher’s corpse to prevent the authorities from linking her to the scene.
With no clear leads, the authorities were utterly baffled!
It was apparent that this incident was tied to the recent string of ‘serial murders,’ but beyond that, they could not make sense of it.
Their attention then turned to the unconscious young woman, Qin Xiaoyou, hoping she might hold some answers.
Meanwhile, as officials awaited her recovery, something unexpected occurred.
An employee from the classified ‘Strategic Department’ broke down in tears and confessed.
Perhaps unnerved by Ma Nailiang’s gruesome fate, the employee could no longer bear the pressure and revealed everything about Ma Nailiang’s demands.
“What? Privately disclosed Shadow’s online and offline timings?”
“What did Ma Nailiang need this information for?”
“Could it be—he was framing Shadow?”
The realization struck the investigation team like a thunderbolt.
Everyone understood then: Ma Nailiang was the mastermind behind the plot to frame Shadow, using public opinion to turn Shadow against the authorities!
Soon after, in the crime scene’s chamber, the unconscious Qin Xiaoyou’s phone was discovered.
The phone contained a video recording.
In it, a man with a scarred face, wearing a skull-patterned glove, was torturing Ma Nailiang with a drill and chainsaw.
The recording lasted for over three minutes before Ma Nailiang’s screams ceased.
Shortly afterward, a poisoned dart flew in from off-screen, killing the scarred man. The footage abruptly ended.
After watching the video, everyone understood what had transpired.
“Ma Nailiang colluded with the killer to orchestrate dismemberment cases and frame Shadow.”
“But they were intercepted by a powerful figure who ended it all.”
Now the question remained:
Who was the mysterious figure that killed the murderer?
Identifying the culprit using only a poisoned dart was impossible, as it was a common skill within the Godforsaken Game.
Some speculated it was Shadow.
But throughout the entire affair, Shadow had never logged out of the game!
“This suggests we have a new, anonymous hero in Jianghai City—a mysterious vigilante?”
…
Shortly thereafter, Jianghai City’s authorities publicly declared that recent claims of Shadow being a ‘serial killer’ were unfounded rumors.
The true criminal had been apprehended, and a portrait of the scarred man was released.
“At present, Shadow remains our strategic partner with the Great Summer authorities. Please rest assured.”
“In addition, society owes its thanks to many anonymous heroes, including the individual responsible for this capture.”
“For safety reasons, we will not disclose the identity of this hero, but know that our society is moving in a better direction…”
“All evil shall be brought to justice!”
…
Meanwhile.
Qin Xiaoyou remained unconscious.
As for Qin Feng, he paid little mind to these events.
He trusted Gui Ling’s capabilities.
When Qin Feng finished his meal and returned to the game, he headed to the Evil Spirit Academy, prepared to manage his newly acquired spoils and embark on a journey to the Arcane Spire.
“This Devourer Bloodline is something else…”
“My body used to need food every six hours, now it’s every two.”
Qin Feng felt exasperated.
The Gluttony Disciple trait had increased not only his appetite but his consumption as well. Fortunately, while in the game, his physical body would dissipate waste using unknown interdimensional energy—otherwise, he’d spend his entire day eating and digesting…
At that moment, An Yu sent Qin Feng a private message.
After apologizing for the inconvenience caused by the serial killer rumors, she mentioned the ‘mysterious vigilante.’
Qin Feng was puzzled by the nickname.
What kind of embarrassing title was that?!
Doesn’t my little protégé care about her reputation?
Finally, An Yu brought news of interest…
A new Ancient God Slate had appeared near a novice town in Jianghai City.
However, this time, it was located high in the sky—over a thousand meters above the ground.
The town’s players had been forced to stay within the safety zone, as five airborne golden-tier bosses hunted together, making the skies off-limits to all.
“Five airborne monsters, all golden-tier bosses, hunting together. This must be another Ancient God Slate event.”
“Looks like I’ll need a flying mount.”
Qin Feng narrowed his eyes.
Players wouldn’t gain personal flight capabilities until much later.
In the early stages, mounts were the only means of flight.
Fortunately, as long as Qin Feng reached Level 20, he’d have a guaranteed path to obtaining a flying mount!
He glanced at his experience bar.
“Almost there. Taking down that emerald-tier boss, the Demon’s Blade, should do it.”