When the funeral service ended, those who paid their respects took their leave, one after the other. Only then did Xiao Luo finally step out of the shadow and make his way slowly toward Takahara Kei’s grave.

  The black-and-white photograph of Takahara Kei captured his benevolent smile. His deep sense of guilt caused him to resort to suicide to atone for his part in inflicting untold suffering to those who died in the experiments conducted by the genetic engineering facility. Xiao Luo recalled a revealing part in his article, entitled “On the Crimes of Ri Nation,” where he wrote: “If I am to die soon, then I would rather lay in eternal slumber bathed in the brightness of divine light, and far away from the shadows. Flowers will sing hymns to soothe the soul of a criminal like me, as mourning spirits perch upon beautiful autumn leaves.”

  “I, Xiao Luo, am here to congratulate you, Mr. Takahara. May you have a good journey!”

  Xiao Luo bowed his head respectfully in front of Takahara Kei’s tombstone, sending this heroic spirit off.

  He turned and was ready to leave when he suddenly saw a figure standing in the distance, dressed in black with a white flower pinned to her chest. She has a beautiful countenance and eyes that sparkled like starlight. She had an innocent, yet melancholic air that lent her an elegant demeanor.

  It was none other than Takahara Keika.

  Xiao Luo froze and then headed off in another direction and pretended not to see her.

  “Thousand-faced murderer, Xiao Han!”

  Takahara Keika threw her umbrella aside and screamed as she dashed toward him, gritting her teeth. As she did so, she pulled out a sharp dagger and brandished it in her hand. In her mind, there was nothing but vengeance.

  But she was no trained assassin, and there were too many weaknesses in her attack!

  Xiao Luo took one step back and evaded the attack, and then lightly tapped his fingers on the blade.

  CLANG!

  \r \r \r

  The mere touch of his fingers resonated in a metallic ring as the blade quivered violently, and Takahara Keika felt a flashing pain in the crook of her thumb. She released her grip on the blade and it immediately flew out of her hand. The tip of the blade pointed plunged into the soft earth, leaving the knife sticking out of the ground not too far away from her.

  After she recovered from her shock, she clenched both of her fists and flailed her arms crudely, striking at Xiao Luo.

  “Bring my daddy back to me, bring him back!” she shrieked as she continued to hit Xiao Luo. This delicate, young girl had suddenly turned into a feral wildcat clawing aggressively at its prey.

  Xiao Luo held on to the umbrella, easily parrying Takahara Keika’s uncoordinated attack. It was like a walk in the park for him, and he wasn’t troubled at all.

  Takahara Keika went on for about five more minutes before she got tired and sat on the ground, wailing pitifully, “Bring my daddy back to me, bring him back!”

  She was soaked in rain, and locks of wet hair clung onto that beautiful face of hers. Her tears mixed with the rainwater as it washed down her face, making a mess of her makeup. Of course, she knew now that this Mie was the Thousand-faced Killer, Xiao Han. It was ironic to think that she had once fallen for this cold-blooded murderer.

  Xiao Luo lowered his head and looked down at her. “I didn’t kill your father,” he said.

  “Maybe not, but you forced him to his death!”

  Takahara Keika looked up viciously and spat, “He wouldn’t have swallowed those sleeping pills and taken his own life if not for you, and he would still be alive. You’re an executioner with blood on your hands, and you won’t die a peaceful death. I will curse you to the deepest level of hell!”

  Xiao Luo was quite taken aback by her words, but he merely smiled. “Even if I were the one who killed your father, what can you do about it, aside from running your mouth here?”

  “I……”

  Takahara Keika bit her lips and stared balefully at him.

  Xiao Luo laughed coldly. “All you have ever done was waste your life away, visiting bars and partying. Your father was the wealthiest man in Ri Nation, and you? You’re just a good-for-nothing. Without Takahara-san, you are nothing at all. There’s nothing you can accomplish, and all you can do is to sit on the ground and cry like an overgrown baby. You’re weak, incompetent, and childish. They say children are a chip off the old block. Takahara Kei was a towering skyscraper, but you are nothing more than a moldy brick that will never amount to anything much.”

  His words hit Takahara Keika like a freight train.

  Her gaze wavered, and her eyes instantly turned red as Xiao Luo’s words left her dignity in tatters.

  Xiao Luo’s expression suddenly changed. He looked like a villain as he squatted beside Takahara Keika, grabbed her collar, and pulled her toward him. “You want to take revenge on me? Sure, come on then. You’re welcome to seek me out once you’re skilled enough, but I suggest you wise up and save yourself the embarrassment. Do you know why I didn’t kill you, even though I enjoy killing so much? It’s because a piece of trash like you isn’t worth killing and you will only dirty my hands!”

  He let her go after saying his piece, casting her to the ground.

  Takahara Keika laid on the ground. She was too afraid to even move a muscle, as if her soul had left her body. She stared with fear in her eyes, looking helpless and pathetic.

  At that moment, a middle-aged lady was seen making a phone call not too far away. Then she cut the call she was on and, though visibly terrified, she called out to Takahara Keika and ran toward her.

  Xiao Luo knew that she had called the police, so he did not linger. He immediately stepped away from Takahara Keika and left. After walking about 10 meters, he turned back and looked at Takahara Keika, who was still there in the rain, in a state of despair. He heaved a sigh. He had not meant to say such things to her. He had only wanted to plant the seed of hatred for him in her mind—this was the only thing he could do for Takahara Kei.

  WOO, WOO! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!

  Several police vehicles arrived, and there was also a helicopter flying in from the distance. The army and the police force were working together, on high alert and ready to respond to any news about the Thousand-faced Killer, Xiao Han. When they received the call, their response immediately.

  Xiao Luo broke into a sports car parked around the memorial park, and then he drove it into the city. He had already received his new passport and identity and planned to head to the airport right away. He would fly to Mei Nation from here.

  WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

  The helicopter above him fired guided missiles as the police cars that were hot on his tail opened fire at him as well. Police and army vehicles had him surrounded in every direction.

  It was a well-coordinated assault!

  Xiao Luo’s lips curled up into a smirk. He steered the sports car calmly, swerving and evading the guided missiles and gunfire effortlessly.

  “Did you get the bast*rd?”

  Anpei’s voice came through the radio. He was overseeing the operation himself from the joint-operation headquarters that the police and army shared. His broken left arm was now in a plaster cast, but he blocked off the pain as he made his way to the headquarters, accompanied by Oshima Jun and the old police chief. His hatred for Xiao Luo was deep, and this had now become a personal vendetta. He wanted nothing more than to tear the man apart, limb by limb.

  “No, Sir. We have not. The target is very skilled at driving, and he has managed to evade everything we’ve thrown at him! And now, he has even ramped up his speed to 200 miles per hour. We cannot get a clear shot on the target,” the frantic voice of a soldier transmitted over the communicator.

  Anpei flew into a rage and scowled, “You useless idiot! You are all nothing but worthless rubbish. If he escapes again this time, I’ll make you lot disembowel yourselves!”

  The voice coming from the communicator faltered as the soldier did his best to respond, “Yes, Sir!”