Destiny in Cinders

The air was a foul mix of blood and dust, making every breath a struggle. The dim flicker of a fire blended with the rhythmic pulse of the warning lights. Crushed by the immense force, the walls gave way, exposing broken wiring and mechanical guts that hissed with blinding sparks. Out of the massive, dark crater came a blistering shockwave, emitting a low, mournful howling that seemed to bleed from the underworld itself.

The clash between the Fengdu Guard and the black market cultivators raged on, spilling into the deepest reaches of the black market. Even though only the aftershocks could be felt outside, the winds were silenced and the ground continued to shudder. The distant roar of battle persisted.

A figure emerged slowly from the stagnant pool of shattered bone and thickening blood. Dark, viscous blood dripped down his hat and raincoat. An Jing scanned his surroundings as a wave of nausea rose in his chest.

The free-trade zone had been obliterated and the emergency exits were a total bloodbath. An Jing had only survived because his speed had allowed him to slip into a passage just before the cultivators and Fengdu Guard clashed, saving him from direct impact. Fortunately, he also had some means of protection.

The infusion of Evenstar lethal qi could turn a single leaf into plated armor and paper into a sharp blade. His already sturdy bulletproof mantle was enhanced into something akin to a defensive artifact, allowing it to withstand the full brunt of the shockwaves.

But the others weren't as lucky. Though the bodies near An Jing were mostly pulverized, their skeletal remains still held a vague human likeness. However, the corpses outside the passage were scorched beyond recognition.

The fully incinerated remains weren't actually terrifying. To the untrained eye, the blackened heaps of charcoal gave no hint that they had once been living human beings. Most unsettling were the bodies of those who had used defensive artifacts. While their skin had been seared into a blackened crust, crimson blood seeped through cracks, exposing raw, pink tissue that seemed to throb and twitch in the residual heat. Even with a gas mask on, the pungent smell of blood still assaulted his nostrils.

After finally regaining his composure, An Jing inspected the drones and supplies he had shielded beneath him. As he checked his items, he forced his brain back into gear. Those who frequented the black market were anything but law abiding, yet the market operated with a startling degree of legitimacy and felt like an underground shopping mall established by some powerful corporation.

But therein lay the problem. If the boss was right and the black market was backed by the Xuandu Group, inheritors of a legacy passed down by one of the primordial deities, then it shouldn't have been so easily compromised.

Unless... If I recall correctly, Xuandu isn't among the three major corporations of Deepnight City. The legacies of the four primordial deities are Luofu, Shouyang, Xuandu, and Lianshan... Yes! The third powerhouse of Deepnight City isn't Xuandu, it's the Lianshan Group!

Afraid to make a sound, An Jing finished checking his supplies and ducked into a corner, vigilantly surveying the area as he pondered. Deepnight City remains under the exclusive control of the three major corporations, and since Xuandu can't force its way in through legal channels, they established the black market with the tacit approval of certain powerful figures. So the black market pays a "protection fee" in the form of taxes.

But this flies only during times of stability. If there's conflict, then the whole operation is branded illegal, which is why they sent the Fengdu Guard to "clean up" the area, regardless of the casualties. I can't be the sole survivor. The boss of Fortune Road is probably still alive as well. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Once he had calmed himself, An Jing caught the faint sounds of ragged breathing and muffled pleas for help echoing from beneath the emergency stairs. They were the survivors from the black market's lower levels.

He looked closer, but found no traces of the boss's clothing. The man was carrying numerous talismans and almost certainly belonged to a powerful family. Weathering the shockwaves wouldn't have been a problem for him.

Yet, he was nowhere to be found among the bodies littering the ground. However, there were fresh tracks leading toward the surface. It was clear that those who could still move wasted no time in making their escape.

An Jing's eyes landed on a familiar body. The young staff member who had assisted him with the drone was now huddled behind a partially burnt counter, with her hands over her ears.

Though she didn't appear seriously injured on the surface, spared by the flames, the shockwaves had likely shattered her internal organs. Her body remained eerily intact, save for the dark trails of blood leaking from her orifices.

An Jing stared at her silently. She had been a picture of youthful energy—hardworking, full of hope for the future, and bashful as she softly asked him for a good review. But now, she was just a cold corpse.

An Jing looked up, his gaze sweeping across the second floor. Steam curled upward from the carpet of blood and death. Was it really necessary?

The majority of the casualties were clearly unrelated to the major events. It was easy to tell them apart. Even if something vital went missing, couldn't they have just rounded everyone up for questioning? With that sort of overwhelming force, a little more due diligence would have been enough. Yet it just had to be this way. There was absolutely no alternative except for murder—pointless, senseless murder!

Does it really have to be like this?!

An Jing didn't bother with anger, because angrily demanding answers yielded nothing. The monsters behind this would never stop to ask themselves why, unless they ended up the same way, unless they became just another pile of bodies.

Etching the scene into his memory, he reached down to close the girl's bloodsoaked, still-bewildered eyes before turning to walk away. Then he made for the exit on the top floor.

The second floor was the free-trade zone. The third floor was where specialties were sold. The first floor, on the other hand, offered everyday essentials such as ammunition, stimulants, talismans, and pills. From there, the exit to the main plaza was just a short climb away.

An Jing had barely climbed two steps before an icy shiver raced down his spine. He froze, his ears straining as a wave of disbelief and doubt washed over him.

Why is it so... quiet?

The lower levels were in ruins. There were hardly any survivors left among the dead. Those who were lightly injured had already scrambled for the exits, leaving behind a cacophony of screams and frantic wailing. Yet above him, the world had gone unnaturally quiet.

An Jing had expected patrols or even the Fengdu Guard to be holding the upper levels. His plan had been to creep closer to assess the situation before making a move, but now, he wasn't about to move any further. He turned around and headed toward the third floor instead.

The third floor was the specialty zone where he had originally purchased the jadeslice steel. This level was lined with brand outlets and specialty shops like Ocher Hill. It wasn't a place most people would frequent.

Because each shop had their own reinforcement techniques, the damage here was minimal. In truth, these techniques were useless once the Fengdu Guard and black-market cultivators turned the place into a war zone. Though the third floor sat in ruins, strewn with bodies and blood, it remained a pale shadow of the nightmare on the floors above.

An Jing circulated Sword of Tranquility and the Imperial Sky Art. He needed to calm down. He found cover inside a collapsed shop that once sold talisman brushes and spirit ink, taking care to avoid the paralysis boobytrap that Yvelbane had warned him about. Once hidden, he pulled out the drone goggles and remote for the drone from his blood-stained backpack.

When the setup was complete, he started up the Hexlotus Platform. He injected a trace of spirit energy to log in, sliding on the drone goggles to interface directly with the Hexlotus Platform's visual feed. The green lotus rose without a sound, whirling through the air toward the upper floor.