Chapter Forty: News from Old Ma

After the patrolling workers left, I took the business card from the tree and saw the three shining characters—Jiang Luyu—deeply engraved upon it. I weighed it in my hand; it was definitely made of precious metal. I couldn't help but marvel at how the wealthy truly stood apart—everything about them was distinctive, even their damn business cards.

Pocketing the card, I spread my wings and flew back toward the academy. In a secluded alley outside, I resumed my human form and slipped into my dormitory. Stretching out on my bed, I fell asleep. Everything proceeded smoothly; I didn't encounter the infamous pair who managed the dormitory.

Speaking of that pair, our entire co-ed dorm secretly called them the “Twin Tigers.” The husband and wife were just like the landlady and her husband from the movie “Kung Fu”—one flamboyant, the other reserved but just as fierce. If anyone crossed them, I could only say: “Whoever dares provoke them is in for a world of hurt!”

Fortunately, I didn’t run into the Twin Tigers. My roommates were already asleep, and Er Peng, Ji Wuli, and a few others weren’t in their beds—they’d probably slipped off to the internet café again.

Lying on my bed, I couldn’t help but sigh at how quickly time passed, as if the god of time had deliberately sped things up. One blink, and it was already the second semester of junior year.

Life went on as usual: working odd jobs, delivering packages, striving to be a model student. This routine continued until one person entered my life and changed everything.

It happened during one of our usual dorm gatherings—of course, Er Peng footed the bill. After we’d eaten and drunk our fill, heading back in high spirits, a stranger managed to slip a note into my hand when no one was looking.

I didn’t check what was written at the time. When I returned, my roommates were sprawled out, dead drunk, even Er Peng was no exception.

Seeing everyone peacefully asleep, I used my supernatural power to clear the alcohol from my system, then pulled out the note. What I discovered was earth-shattering!

The note read: “If you want to save Ma Tao, come to the XX factory in the western suburbs after midnight.”

Another factory in the western suburbs. I couldn’t help but wonder why everyone preferred the factories there—wouldn’t the cemetery in the eastern suburbs be more appropriate?

Besides, wasn’t Old Ma supposed to be on that day trip? Could it be that, after all this time without seeing him, he’d actually been kidnapped?

Thinking carefully, I realized something was wrong. Old Ma’s trip had long since ended, and he hadn’t shown up since that day. A chill ran through me: “That day when A Shuang went to see the vampires, it was a setup—Old Ma was already in a stranger’s hands. And this stranger, to me, was clearly up to no good!”

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was almost ten—two hours until midnight. The buses had stopped running; only taxis were still operating.

I hurriedly grabbed a jacket, dashed out, vaulted over the wall, and flagged down a cab straight to the XX factory in the western suburbs.

To be honest, cab drivers at this hour were reluctant to go out there. I figured there were two reasons: one, they feared I might be a robber; two, even if they didn’t get mugged, they risked being beaten senseless by drunken workers—hardly worth the fare!

The western factory district was one of the roughest parts of Z City, filled with uneducated laborers and constant brawls.

It took great effort to flag down a cab. Even though I’d paid to be taken to the XX factory, the driver dumped me in the middle of a barren field, rattled off a load of nonsense, took thirty yuan from me, and then, claiming he had urgent business at home, sped off—leaving me in this godforsaken wasteland.

Luckily, I’d been here before. Back in the day, my dorm buddies and I had fought the academy’s top students here. Since it was all in the past, there’s no need to elaborate.

I remembered that night was just as dark as this one. The “top students” were all spoiled rich kids who’d brought a dozen hired thugs to fight us. Fortunately, we had Er Peng, our own local tycoon, so we didn’t suffer much. All in all, that fight only strengthened our dorm’s brotherhood. A few of us got roughed up, but we came out on top.

Checking my watch, it was a little past eleven. From here, it was only a half-hour walk to the factory. Bowing my head, I walked alone under the dim, silent streetlights, heading toward the industrial zone.

I hardly saw a single car, let alone a person. The road felt like a path straight to hell—so few living souls ventured here.

After half an hour, I reached the industrial zone and entered the appointed place. This time, what excited me was that I wasn’t communicating with a stranger outside, but was face-to-face in the XX factory’s workshop with a mysterious figure in a black hat.

His hat shadowed his face, revealing only the darkness within. Even with my corpse-demon eyes, I couldn’t pierce the gloom around him. He felt like the embodiment of Death—no, more enigmatic than Death itself.

At his side crouched a burly black cat, adding to the uncanny atmosphere.

As I studied him, he spoke—not revealing his identity but simply saying, “Have a seat.”

His voice was as hoarse as a duck’s, making it impossible to tell if he was a man or a woman. In the dead of night, it sent a chill down my spine.

Still, I couldn’t back down. Sitting opposite him, I said, “Ma Tao is in your hands!”

He didn’t reply but pulled a stack of photographs from a drawer, tossing them onto the table. “See for yourself.”

I picked up the photos. The man in them did look like Uncle Ma—lying motionless, eyes closed, atop a pile of dark, indistinct objects. Looking closer, I realized those black shapes were the kind of poisonous creatures you’d only see in movies. Fury surged within me. Slamming the table, I swung my fist at the mysterious man, shouting, “You killed him, you bastard!”

But my punch never landed. He caught my fist with his hand—and what a hand it was! It resembled a charred skeleton more than flesh.

With that hand, he flung me aside. He motioned for me to close the door and draw the curtains, then slowly removed his black hat.

As he lifted the hat, his face was gradually revealed...

(Thank you, dear readers, for reaching Chapter Forty of this fateful tale. I am deeply grateful for your support. Please continue to back Xiaodong—this story will not be abandoned, no matter what. Driven by my own passion, I humbly ask for your votes. If you’re enjoying the story, please log on to .com to support the official release.)