Chapter 87: Give Me a Chance—I Want to Be a Good Person (Please Vote for Me)

The instant Hu Jie swallowed the "evil embryo," the entire alternate space seemed to tremble under an invisible force; the air turned thick and oppressive. The water in the pool began to churn violently, black foam bubbling up as if something beneath the surface was awakening.

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

Hu Jie's body suddenly arched, wracked by agony as if struck by lightning. The muscles beneath his black robe convulsed wildly; countless fine veins surfaced on his skin, spreading like webs across his entire body. He let out a deep, hoarse roar, and the eyes behind his mask were consumed by a crimson glow, two blazing flames that revealed endless madness and desire.

"Ah!"

Hu Jie shouted abruptly, his body swelling at a pace visible to the naked eye. The black robe tore apart, exposing the twisted, deformed form beneath. Blisters bulged on his skin, within which black liquid flowed, emitting a nauseating stench of rot.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The blisters burst in succession, splattering black liquid onto the ground outside the pool, corroding deep pits into the floor. Hu Jie's body grew increasingly distorted—his limbs elongated, joints twisted, fingers and toes transformed into sharp claws. His back arched, vertebrae pierced through his skin, forming a row of savage bone spikes. Even his face twisted beneath the mask, the corners of his mouth tearing up to his ears, exposing gleaming fangs.

"Wonderful... power is pouring out endlessly... So this is how marvelous the evil embryo is... I should have consumed it long ago..."

Hu Jie threw back his head, murmuring madly.

Yang Tao felt a heavy pressure on her chest, as though a massive stone weighed upon her. Her almond-shaped eyes, stark in their black and white, were filled with terror; her face was pale as paper. She had heard many tales from her elders, even from her grandfather, that the Six Gates often encountered bizarre and terrifying cases. Until now, she’d only handled minor incidents and had never faced such a horrifying scene.

At this moment, Hu Jie’s monstrous form could no longer be called human. To call him a demon seemed inaccurate; he was more like some grotesque, mutated creation, shrouded in indescribable horror.

This is bad—she’d been far too reckless!

Yang Tao regretted her choices. She should have sought backup from the Six Gates instead of rushing in with Bai Yu Jing.

Hu Jie twisted his neck, making sharp cracking sounds, as if adapting to this new, powerful body. He raised his hand, razor claws glinting coldly in the dim light, beckoning provocatively.

His tone brimmed with arrogance and challenge: "Bai Yu Jing, come on, let me test just how powerful I am now~"

He felt stronger than ever, confident he could defeat ten of his former selves. The surging spiritual pressure kept pouring forth from the evil embryo. Each pulse made him feel stronger, and this strength seemed endless.

"Wonderful!"

Hu Jie grinned, exposing his fangs; his eyes burned ever brighter with crimson light.

Bai Yu Jing looked at him calmly, then turned to Yang Tao, plucking a small hairpin from her bun.

"I have no choice; I can't find anything smaller than this hairpin. I'll use it to slice off your limbs."

His voice was tranquil, yet carried a lofty disdain, as if what he was about to do was trivial—a casual act, like crushing an ant beneath his foot.

Hu Jie's manic delight froze instantly, replaced by overwhelming fury. His spiritual pressure exploded once more, an oppressive force sweeping across the space like an avalanche or tidal wave. Two workers collapsed, unconscious and foaming at the mouth. Even the companion, a seventh-tier spirit master, could not stop trembling, sweat soaking his clothes, his masked face drained of color.

Yang Tao felt nothing.

That was mainly because Bai Yu Jing stood in front of her, shielding her from Hu Jie's spiritual onslaught.

"Arrogant brat, I have surpassed the limits of humanity. You shall be the first sacrifice to this world-shaking power!"

Hu Jie moved abruptly; the pool water erupted, transforming into countless black water arrows that surged toward Bai Yu Jing like a storm.

But Hu Jie moved faster.

He tore through the barrage of water arrows, his form a twisted blur rushing at Bai Yu Jing. The mutated claws ripped through the air, shrieking as they aimed for his throat.

Bai Yu Jing didn't even bat an eyelash.

The silver hairpin in his hand flashed four cold rays in the dim light, swift as shooting stars.

So fast, it seemed even time was pierced.

Hu Jie’s vision blurred; suddenly, he realized his vantage point had inexplicably dropped. He saw two familiar black claws tumbling through the air, strange purple blood spurting from the severed ends.

Are those my hands?!

He came to his senses as searing pain radiated from his limbs. In that instant, Bai Yu Jing had severed his hands and feet, leaving him a torso-bound cripple.

The storm of water arrows fell silently back into the pool.

With a gentle motion, Bai Yu Jing clasped Hu Jie’s neck, as lightly as picking up a fallen leaf, and said, "In your next life, remember: never utter arrogant words so carelessly. It only exposes your incompetence."

Blood poured from Hu Jie’s stumps like a waterfall, corroding the floor and sending up poisonous fumes, but when the blood touched Bai Yu Jing’s robes, an invisible spiritual aura repelled it, not a single drop staining his shoes.

Hu Jie was stunned.

Yang Tao’s eyes nearly bulged from her head.

The contrast was too great; just moments before, he’d been a monster threatening to destroy the world. Now, he was a limbless cripple, writhing in Bai Yu Jing’s grasp like a maggot.

His hideous appearance now evoked only disgust in Yang Tao, no longer any fear.

"Impossible! The world can’t be so vast!"

Hu Jie roared in fury, unable to believe that even after growing stronger, he was so easily defeated.

What did his former self amount to?

Were they even in the same world?

He tried to muster his spiritual pressure in resistance.

Bai Yu Jing shot him a glare: "Behave."

Thump!

Hu Jie heard the evil embryo pulse. Unlike before, when its rhythm signaled power, now the embryo radiated a deep fear, like a mouse before a cat.

That fear seeped into Hu Jie, and suddenly he understood.

It wasn’t that he was too weak, but that this man before him existed on a completely different level.

Just as an ant can never comprehend human strength, he could never reach Bai Yu Jing’s realm.

Hu Jie lost all courage and stammered, "Could you give me a chance to redeem myself?"

"No," Yang Tao answered first, hands on her hips. "People like you must be executed."

Hu Jie feared Bai Yu Jing, so he could hardly tolerate Yang Tao’s bravado. He shouted, "You only care about earning merit! Have you ever considered others? Have you thought about what I went through to become like this?"

His voice, choked with grievance, was full of self-pity.

Yang Tao paused—did this man actually have some tragic, tearful past?

"Enough noise."

Bai Yu Jing gently squeezed Hu Jie’s neck.

A hum resonated; Hu Jie felt a domineering spiritual pressure invade his body, as if a thousand needles pierced his mind. His vision plunged into darkness.

He hadn’t been killed; for someone of his level, keeping him alive would yield more valuable information for the Six Gates.

…

In terms of authority, the Six Gates far surpassed the Embroidered Guards and the Unrighteous. Even ordinary civil disputes were handled by the Six Gates.

As a result, the main entrance of the Six Gates was always bustling, livelier than the night market.

To keep sensitive cases confidential, the Six Gates had a side door on the west, closed to outsiders, used exclusively by undercover constables.

Deputy Constable Shen Chen of the Fifth Squad led five constables and their prisoners through this side entrance.

This case involved Paradise Powder, and until the investigation was complete, it could not be revealed to the public.

The courtyard’s quiet air held no trace of Yang Tao or Bai Yu Jing.

That was nothing.

But even after the group entered the Fifth Squad’s main office in the Investigation Division, there was still no sign of Yang Tao or Bai Yu Jing, leaving Shen Chen and his colleagues baffled.

"Chief Bai should have returned before us—where is he?"

"Could something have happened to them?"

"It makes no sense. With Chief Bai’s strength, able to slay the Eight-Headed Serpent, if they’d been ambushed, there would’ve been some commotion."

"Drug cases are always dangerous. I say we report this to the higher-ups. If something happened to Constable Yang, we’d have trouble explaining to the Chief Constable."

They discussed among themselves.

The four dancers and Wang Siqi’s companion stood quietly inside, wishing they could bury their heads like ostriches.

Bang! A muffled thud came from the doorway, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

"Ahhh!" the five women screamed at the top of their lungs.

In the doorway, Bai Yu Jing stood, holding a grotesque creature by one hand—a torso with dangling bone spikes and blisters oozing foul-smelling fluid. Blood dripped from the stumps, hissing as it corroded small holes in the floor.

Shen Chen’s heart raced. Trouble, just as he’d feared. He rushed forward, "Chief Bai, where’s Constable Yang?!"

"She’s at Fookang Advertising, watching over the four suspects who manufactured Paradise Powder. Don’t worry, I knocked them out; they’ll be safe."

Bai Yu Jing tossed Hu Jie to the ground and said, "Notify Chief Bao at once to handle this. This man is a high-ranking member of the Free Democratic Alliance. There’s something bizarre in his abdomen, like a mutated object from the polluted zone described in books."

"Oh." Shen Chen was a bit dazed.

In just this brief time, the case was solved?

The speed was so unreal, it almost felt fake.

From receiving the tip-off to now, less than ten minutes had passed!

Seeing Shen Chen’s blank expression, Bai Yu Jing urged, "Get moving."

"Right." Shen Chen snapped to attention. "Li, hurry to Fookang Advertising and find Constable Yang. I’ll notify Chief Bao. Zhang, take their statements."

Having made these arrangements, Shen Chen strode quickly out of the office, ready to report the good news to the higher-ups.