Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 519 - 15 Gluttonous Rage
Little Alford bit off the cigarette with his steel teeth, his hair standing on end. He swung his fist behind him, staggering a couple of steps before lunging into empty space; to his surprise, there was no one behind him.
Bang~
The crackling sound of flames burning the air was particularly grating. Little Alford turned around in alarm and saw the man with the red bandana sitting on the ground, coughing uncontrollably.
The bald man’s massive body stood rigidly in place, his head scorched by black flames until only a charred stub remained, creating a stark contrast with his exaggerated physique. Before Little Alford could react, the Owl Kiss Dagger sliced neatly at the base of the neck, and amidst a spray of blood, the body was decapitated.
The bitten-off cigarette butt only now hit the ground, sparking a few embers, but was immediately stomped out by Cha Xiaodao.
He looked down at the man with the red bandana and said, "You alright?"
The man gripped his neck and feebly nodded.
"The guys from the gang have gone straight to the Odonk Brotherhood’s den. If they’re all like this monster, I’m afraid the rest of us are no match."
Blood slipped off the Owl Kiss Knife, leaving the blade sparkling clean. Cha Xiaodao twirled the knife into a beautiful arc around his wrist, and after hearing the red bandana man’s words, he finally asked, "Where is it?"
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As the sun set, thuggish ruffians with fierce expressions swaggered through the narrow crisscrossing alleys. They shoved pedestrians and knocked over fruit stands, their yellowed teeth spewing all manner of filthy words. The bulging pockets of their coats revealed the outlines of guns and knives, making people steer clear.
One group was clad in suits and red bandanas, their hair meticulous; while the others mostly donned deerstalker caps and wore woolen coats or jackets, their blue eyes filled with savagery.
Both groups were ferocious, and just as they turned a street corner, they ran smack into each other, only a railway track separating them!
Like a ignited barrel of gunpowder, the two groups exploded with a boom, on the verge of clashing together!
"Woooooo!"
On the railroad, a chimney belched thick black smoke as a red train chugged by like a dragon, forcing both groups to retreat hastily and watch helplessly as the passing train carriages obscured their view of each other.
"..."
Silence, a lengthy silence.
The train was exceptionally long, taking about thirty seconds before it finally passed completely.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"
The two groups finally collided in a frenzy, knives and axes raised high, with occasional gunshots ringing out in the bloody and brutal scene.
"My God!"
On the train, the plump detective chief wore plain clothes and withdrew his gaze, grinding his teeth as he growled at the person opposite: "Liang Hui, have you gone mad?"
Liang Hui methodically dropped sugar cubes into his coffee cup, stirring it well before offering the cup to the superintendent.
"Mr. Jones, I haven’t had this much fun in almost ten years."
Sitting by the window, Liang Hui’s skin was ruddy, his eyes slightly wrinkled, but his straight back and furrowed brows betrayed his vigorous energy.
"The taste is even better when you’re condemned to rot in prison," he said.
Jones chuckled coldly, "Don’t expect me to clean up your mess this time. I can turn a blind eye to a few corpses in the gutter, but I can’t handle a full-scale war between you and another bunch of desperadoes; just cleaning up the bodies would drive me insane!"
"Jones, I’ve always considered you a friend, and I wouldn’t betray a friend. You’ve been the chief in the Chinese district for nearly a decade now. Remember what you used to tell me? How pitiful the police salary is."
"It’s not about the money!"
Jones cut off Liang Hui, "This is too dirty! City Hall will definitely intervene, how do you expect me to get past the inspector? The media will pounce on me like mad dogs, tearing me to shreds."
"What if by yesterday, you were already reassigned from your position as chief here, and the new chief hadn’t been appointed yet? Then the media wouldn’t be able to find you, would they?"
Jones roughly drank his coffee, clinking cup and saucer loudly. He mumbled a few curses and spat at Liang Hui, "Who do you think you are to make decisions for—City Hall or the inspector? With your opium and dirty money?"
"Jones, I can’t decide for anyone, but you can for yourself."
Liang Hui pulled out a stack of green US Dollars and a transfer notice, still lacking a signature.
Jones snatched the notice, scanning it rapidly, his expression changing dramatically.
"You..."
He looked at Liang Hui in disbelief.
"This city taught me the charm of money a long time ago."
Jones thought for a moment, then said sullenly, "I’ll think about it."
With a noncommittal smile, Liang Hui, the gang leader who had been fighting for his life just a few days ago, radiated a depth of allure not seen before.
Jones grabbed the stack of US Dollars and stuffed it into his pocket, coughed, adjusted his collar, and looked around before quickly walking away with his hands in his pockets.
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The address given by the man with the red bandana wasn’t too far; Cha Xiaodao crossed two railway tracks and, within about twenty minutes, arrived at what the man had referred to as the stronghold of the Odonk Brotherhood.
It was an abandoned factory. The spacious plant was eerily silent, with no trace of struggle to be heard...
Rusty steel scaffolds were everywhere, and fat rats scurried across the staircases. The air was thick with the stench of decay.
In the gloomy factory, it felt as if countless cold, damp gazes were fixed on Xiaodao.
A spinning blade flew at Xiaodao’s temple, only to be struck down by his swift reaction.
On the scaffolding, a short man wearing a coffee-colored felt hat was sitting as if on a swing.
"What have you done with Little Alford?"
His voice was deep.
Xiaodao sniffed, detecting a strong scent of blood mixed with the fishy smell of the sea.
Bang!
A half mutilated corpse dropped from the ceiling. Judging by the blood-soaked clothes, it was unmistakably one of Hesheng’s men.
"Am I too late?"
The short man cackled eerily, "What do you think?"
But his smile quickly stiffened. A ball of pitch-black fire appeared between Xiaodao’s hands, emitting an intensely hot wave of heat that made one’s eyes burn.
The golden light from the Eternal Records surrounded Xiaodao’s skin, bathing him in a rich aura of gold. Sinister white vapor rose from the top of his head and back, climbing high into the air and finally condensing into a gaping, ferocious face before explosively dissipating.
"Then let’s make it quick, a swift battle."
Xiaodao’s face grew incredibly somber, his facial muscles slowly twitching.
Thump thump~
The pitch-black ball of fire in his hands alternated between contracting and expanding, reminiscent of a beating heart.
Thump thump~ thump thump~ thump thump~ thump thump~ thumpthumpthumpthump~
The heart’s palpitations grew faster and eventually blended into one continuous rhythm.
Gluttonous Stance.
Gluttonous Rage!
It was the most destructive move within the Taotie legacy, and even the current Xiaodao could barely handle its strain, only when the "Eternal Records" were activated.
"Kill him!"
Someone roared in the darkness.
Boom!
The black flames exploded, enveloping hundreds of square meters of the factory. The ground trembled, and a thick plume of black smoke rose slowly into the air.
