A few moments later, the three individuals checked into one of the nearby hotels and quickly made their way up to the room. As they did, the employee who stood behind the check-in counter suddenly felt a cold breeze rush past her which caused her to shiver.
"There's a really bad draft in here." The employee said to herself as she shook her head.
"I'm going to go freshen up a bit. In the meantime, don't go anywhere." The woman said in an alluring voice as she stepped into the restroom after entering into their assigned room. Not too long after she did, the sound of running shower water could be heard coming from the other side of the door.
"Heh, this is the life. You put in the work and you get paid. That's why I could never give this up, Bai Hui." One of the men said with a large smirk on his face.
"I told you that it would all work out in the end. You should trust in this big brother of yours more often, Yan He." The man called Bai Hui responded.
"Big brother? Ha, who was it that saved you from all those guys jumping you back then?" Yan He said as he playfully punched Bai Hui's shoulder.
"Yeah, well who was it that saved you from Hell Fist back in high school?" Bai Hui said as he burst into a fit of laughter.
"Hahaha, those were the good days! Nobody dared to mess with us after that. That's also when that guy from the Dragon Stone gang came to recruit us." Yan He said.
The two continued to reminisce about the past for a couple of minutes as they waited.
"You know, it was actually more fun than I thought it would be burning a place to the ground. I kinda understand why some people do it just for fun." Bai Hui said.
"I guess it was kinda like a fire show. Think that's something people would pay to see?" Yan He asked.
"Who knows? I'm sure there are some rich people desperate enough for that form of entertainment. You know, they always like crazy and brutal things like in those movies." Bai Hui said.
As Bai Hui spoke, the door leading into the restroom slowly cracked open. When it did, both Yan He and Bai Hui immediately stopped talking and looked over in the direction of the restroom door. They both had large excited grins on their faces.
"It took you a while to freshen up. Are you trying to be a tease by making us wait?" Bai Hui said. There was a look in his eyes as if he were ready to leap up and pounce on the woman as soon as she walked out.
However, when he saw who exited the door, he could not help but rub his eyes as if he were seeing things. He did not see a beautiful woman scarcely wrapped in a simple bath towel, but rather, he saw the blurry image of a young man.
"Woah, I really did have too much to drink." Bai Hui muttered to himself as he shook his head.
"Yo Yan He, you seeing this? Yan He? Hey, are you lost for words or something?" Bai Hui said as he turned his head to look at Yan He who was giving him the silent treatment. However, what came into his sight caused his entire face to turn deathly pale.
"Yan He!" Bai Hui yelled in surprise as he was frozen in place by the sight of Yan He helplessly gasping for air.
At the moment, Yan He was holding onto his throat as a steady stream of red liquid could be seen pouring uncontrollably from his neck.
Yan He tried to speak, but was unable to do so and would simply cough up blood every time he attempted it. He grabbed onto Bai Hui with a look of fear and disbelief in his eyes, he did not want to die.
"I gotta call someone. Someone… A person." Bai Hui was still under the influence and so his train of thought was all over the place. He was trying to find his phone to call for help, however, he soon heard a cold voice sound out from the other side of the room.
"You appear to enjoy the misfortunate of others but not yourself. There are some people that deserve no second chances." The voice said. The voice belonged to the figure who just stepped out of the restroom, Jin. After he heard their room number, he had already left ahead of them to arrive first.
When the woman entered the bathroom, Jin immediately struck her pressure point and put her to sleep. After that, Jin ran the shower water to make it seem as if she were taking simply tiding up.
Originally, he planned on extracting information the old fashion way, through a simple means of interrogation and the threat of death. Even if their fate was already sealed and there was no way for them to escape a death sentence, there was still a chance for them in the next life.
However, Jin no longer had any such reservations after hearing their talk about how they enjoyed it as if it were some type of show for entertainment.
"Wha-" Before Bai Hui could say a single word, Jin's hand was already pressed against his throat. Bai Hui gasped for air and struggled to try to break free of Jin's grip, but it was too strong. No matter what he did, the grip on his neck did not loosen even the slightest of bits.
Soon after, he began to lose the ability to struggle as his vision was turning dark. Bai Hui had no idea what he did to deserve such a cruel attack. He wanted to plead for his life, but no words escaped from his mouth.
Jin no longer wasted any time as tapped his finger on Bai Hui's forehead. He chose to use the most frowned upon, but effective, method that was designed specifically to extract information by cultivators in the Seven Realms, Soul Searching.
The reason that Soul Searching was frowned upon was due to the irreversible side effects it had on the chosen target, the total destruction of their soul. Even if one died, they would still be able to go experience the reincarnation cycle and eventually be reborn.
However, this was not possible without a soul. If one's soul was destroyed, then there was no reincarnation cycle. They would experience what was known as a "True Death" in the Seven Realms. No longer would that person be able to enter the reincarnation cycle and they would simply disappear for all eternity.
Of course, if one's soul was powerful enough, they could resist the Soul Searching technique. But, in this world that lacked spiritual essence, one could never truly develop a strong soul enough to resist. Not to mention, the person currently using the technique was someone with monstrous soul energy.
Jin, however, did not have a shred of remorse for his actions. A few moments later, Bai Hui's body began to rapidly age as his hair turned gray and his skin shriveled up and formed wrinkles. Just a couple of seconds after that, Bai Hui turned into dust. Bai Hui no longer existed in this world and he would never do so again!
After completing the Soul Searching on Bai Hui, Jin he did the same thing to Yan He before the last bit of life could leave his body. With his strong soul, he had no issues sorting through all the information he received.
'Their main headquarters is actually located in such an open area?'
There was a saying that hiding in plain sight was often the best choice, however, this was a bit too much in plain sight. Either they were extremely idiotic or had enough influence that they simply did not care.
'Before I head there, there are a few other things I have to take care of first. After all, it would be impolite if I simply went over empty-handed.'
Jin walked over to the side door that led to a small balcony outside. He jumped down from inside the hotel room and soon disappeared into the night like a phantom.
…
Somewhere at a fancy restaurant located in the more high-class social area of the city, Breaker sat at a table with a group of men discussing some business.
At the moment, the entire place was empty besides the twenty men sitting at the large table. If anyone saw these people gathered together in one place, they would be shocked. The reason was that some of them were powerful and influential politicians, while others were well known to have various ties to some dangerous criminal organizations.
There were even some corporate heavyweights in the business world present at the table.
"Breaker, I heard that the K route base was hit by someone. I assume that it will not delay the promise you've made to me and my company, correct?" One of the men at the table said. He wore an expensive looking suit and appeared to be in his late forties.
"There's no need to worry Mr. Tao, it was nothing more than a minor setback that is already being taken care of, you have my word." Breaker said as he raised his wine glass and took a sip from it calmly.
"Right, right. Wasn't there some rumors going around about some Ghost Demon or something?"
"Oh, you must mean that Phantom Reaper character. Tell us Breaker, are the rumors true? Does this Phantom Reaper person actually exist? If he does, who is he working for?"
"I assure you gentlemen, that Phantom Reaper nonsense if nothing more than a baseless rumor meant to discredit us. The attack was definitely planned carefully with multiple people playing key roles. I have already found some leads, but I assure you that there is no such thing as a Phantom Reaper." Breaker said in confidence in his voice.
"Bah, I knew it. After all, one man doing that much damage alone? What a joke!"
Breaker kept a natural and calm outer appearance, however, he knew that this Phantom Reaper person was indeed real. But, one man taking out an entire Dragon Stone hideout alone was not a good look for them and so he would obviously keep the truth to himself.
The people at this table were all vicious wolves who looked to exploit any possible situation that would further benefit their own self-interest. Breaker was not about to hand them a free card to do so.
A few moments later, one of the restaurant servers came over and whispered something into Breaker's ear.
"Are you positive?" Breaker asked.
The server nodded in response to the question.
"I see…" Breaker said as he picked up and wiped his mouth off with a napkin before standing to his feet.
"Hm? Leaving so soon Breaker? We still have much to discuss regarding the Tunnel Project."
"Gentlemen, you must excuse my rude behavior, but an important matter has come up that I must attend to immediately. However, please feel free to stay and enjoy your meal. Of course, the servers will make sure that all your needs are met while I am away." Breaker said in an unhurried manner as he took his leave from the restaurant.
As soon as the door closed behind him, a deepened expression found its way onto Breaker's face. He had just received news that over ten of their base of operations had been hit! All the products were destroyed and everyone there was either badly injured or dead.
There was one thing mentioned in the reports that grabbed his attention. It matched the same description used to describe the attacker of the K route located at Dragon's Paradise.
"So you've finally shown yourself, Phantom Reaper. However, don't think that you'll be able to run around freely in our city and get away with it." Breaker said as he removed his cellphone from his pocket as a black car with tinted windows pulled up to his location.
The driver got out and opened the door for Breaker as he entered into the car.
"Head towards the Dragon Den." Breaker ordered the driver as he lifted his phone up to his ear. After ringing for a bit, someone finally picked up on the other side of the line.
"He's making a move. Tell your team to get ready, I have a feeling that we will be receiving a special guest tonight. Let's make sure we greet him properly." Breaker said before hanging up the cellphone.
"Everything is going according to plan. All you have to do is play your role properly. You have one job to accomplish before your death, Phantom Reaper. Do not disappoint me." Breaker said as a slight grin found its way onto his face.
