Chapter 2: One-Shotting an NPC

The Middle City of Skyvault City, at a branch of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.

The air smelled of cheap alcohol, sweat, gun oil, and disinfectant. Exhaust fans turned slowly along the walls, but they couldn’t clear the stale air that had built up in the hall over the years.

Lin Ye stood before the enormous mission screen in the center of the hall, his hands in the pockets of an unmarked black jacket.

Su Jin had also changed out of her usual business attire. She wore a fitted long top, her hair tied simply behind her head.

Even so, she stood out in the crowd, conspicuously out of place among the travel-worn mission takers who carried the smell of blood on them.

She looked around, making little attempt to hide her bewilderment.

Ever since they’d left the Upper City, she’d been wondering what important business Lin Ye had in mind.

She’d considered a reception, a shopping trip, even the possibility that the young master had taken it into his head to seek excitement at an underground casino.

The one place she hadn’t expected him to bring her was the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs’ mission hall.

Skyvault City had never really been a single, unified city.

It was divided into three districts: the Upper, Middle, and Lower Cities.

They occupied the same land, yet might as well have been three entirely different worlds.

The Upper City controlled over ninety-five percent of Skyvault City’s resources.

It had ample food, clean water, advanced medical facilities, and a rigorous security system.

Its high-rise residences were lit year-round, and its banquets and receptions scarcely ever stopped. Upper City residents could spend more than an ordinary person earned in a lifetime on a bottle of wine or an ornament with no practical purpose.

Extreme luxury wasn’t considered a sin in the Upper City. It was simply the most common way of life.

The Middle City, meanwhile, was the great machine that kept the whole city running.

Its factories, transportation, commerce, basic medical services, and most of its administrative offices were concentrated there.

People in the Middle City worked desperately every day, leaving cramped homes at dawn and dragging their exhausted bodies back late at night.

Their pay barely covered food and rent. A single illness or accident could be enough to send an ordinary family tumbling into the Lower City.

Even so, countless people dreamed of living in the Middle City.

Because the real hell was below.

People in the Lower City were scarcely regarded as fellow human beings anymore.

There was no stable order there. Corruption, hunger, and violence filled every street.

Attractive young women were selected and sent to the Middle or Upper City to become playthings for certain people.

Men worked day and night at the dirtiest, most exhausting, and most lethal jobs, all for half a piece of black bread mixed with sawdust.

The greatest dream of someone living in the Lower City was to earn the right to enter the Middle City.

And people in the Middle City did everything they could to make the slightest connection with someone from the Upper City.

Even if it was only serving a drink at a reception, or having an Upper City young master remember their name.

This warped order had endured for many years.

The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs’ mission hall was one of the Middle City’s more unusual places.

Anomalous zones frequently appeared around Skyvault City, and creatures warped by corruption sometimes ventured to the city’s outskirts.

The Bureau couldn’t dispatch official enforcers to every minor anomaly, so it organized incidents whose dangers were still manageable into missions and posted them publicly in the hall.

Anyone with some ability to fight could take one.

Clearing aberrations, investigating anomalous buildings, escorting convoys, retrieving contaminated objects—as long as a person survived and completed the mission, they would receive the corresponding reward.

To an Upper City resident, that reward might not even cover dinner. For many in the Middle City, however, this was the only place to make money quickly.

Provided they lived to come back, of course.

Lin Ye looked up at the missions scrolling across the screen, his expression far more serious than it had been when he left the bedroom.

【Investigation: A series of unexplained disappearances in the Middle City’s eastern district. Seven people missing in total.】

【Clearance: Signs of aberrant creatures found at Abandoned Water Supply Station No. 17 outside the city.】

【Escort: Accompany the Third Medical Transport Team to Quarantine Zone Six in the Lower City.】

【Retrieval: A suspected low-level contaminated object found at the northern waste processing plant.】

His eyes moved from one listing to the next, searching these seemingly ordinary anomalies for a clue to the Aberration Crisis.

A disaster of that magnitude couldn’t appear out of nowhere.

There had to be subtle signs before it broke out in full, though perhaps they were so ordinary that the Bureau hadn’t yet paid them any attention.

Lin Ye was so focused on the screen that he didn’t notice the atmosphere in the hall quietly changing.

To be precise, the change wasn’t directed at him.

Ever since Su Jin entered the mission hall, the gazes around her had never left her.

Most of the people here made their living outside the city or in the Lower City. They were used to seeing mangled aberrations and judging a person’s value in the most direct terms.

To them, her clean, delicate skin, well-kept clothes, and the air of someone accustomed to a comfortable life made her look little different from prey delivered to their doorstep.

At tables near the screen, some murmured over their drinks while others openly looked her up and down.

Su Jin soon noticed the stares.

She instinctively edged half a step closer to Lin Ye and lowered her voice. “Young Master, what are we doing here?”

Lin Ye was still looking at the screen, his gaze fixed on the description of the mission at Abandoned Water Supply Station No. 17. He didn’t answer immediately, only raised a finger to ask her not to interrupt his thoughts for the moment.

Su Jin followed his gaze but saw only a row of clinical details about aberrant creatures.

She couldn’t imagine what any of this had to do with them.

Just then, a strong smell of alcohol approached from the side.

A heavyset middle-aged man walked over, carrying half a glass of cloudy liquor.

An old scar ran across his face, a badly worn pistol hung at his waist, and unwashed dark brown bloodstains marked his coat.

Without asking Lin Ye, the man draped a thick arm over his shoulder. Then he tilted his head and gave Su Jin a piercing whistle.

“New here?” He took a swig, his bleary eyes fixed on her. “Kid, you’ve got good taste. Is this woman yours?”

Su Jin’s expression changed, and she immediately moved behind Lin Ye.

Lin Ye acted as though he hadn’t heard, still frowning at the mission screen.

The man waited two seconds. When no answer came, his smile began to sour.

He pressed his hand harder against Lin Ye’s shoulder and deliberately swirled the liquor in his glass. “I’m talking to you. Are you deaf? Bringing a looker like that into the mission hall—wasn’t that an invitation for the boys to have a good look?”

Laughter rose from the nearby tables.

Someone slapped a tabletop and jeered, “Scar, don’t go frightening the little young master. Look at that soft skin of his. Maybe he ran away from some private club himself.”

Another man pushed a sheathed knife to the edge of the table, grinning to reveal yellowed teeth. “Leave the woman, and the kid would fetch a good price too. Those rich old geezers in the Lower City have been developing stranger tastes lately.”

The middle-aged man laughed all the more brazenly and leaned closer to Lin Ye. “I’m not asking for her for free. Lend her to me for a night, and tomorrow I’ll take you on an E-rank mission. With a little luck, you’ll earn enough to eat for half a month. How about it? A good deal, right?”

Su Jin clutched the hem of Lin Ye’s jacket.

She’d met plenty of people in the Upper City who spoke and acted frivolously, but no one had ever dared say something like that in front of Lin Ye.

However little regard people might have for the young master, he was still the finance director’s only son. Those who wanted connections in the Upper City ordinarily couldn’t abase themselves enough in front of him.

But this was a mission hall in the Middle City.

No one around them recognized either of them or knew who Lin Ye was.

“Young Master,” she said quietly, both a reminder and a hint of unease in her voice.

Lin Ye finally looked away from the mission screen.

He glanced at the arm across his shoulder, then looked up at the middle-aged man reeking of alcohol.

Thinking he’d finally backed down, the man grinned and added, “Don’t worry. I’m a man who respects the rules. As long as she behaves, I promise I won’t break her. Once I’m done with her, there are a few brothers outside who’d also like to—”

Lin Ye sighed softly. There was no anger in his voice, only mild irritation.

“These NPCs are really annoying.”

The man didn’t understand the word. His brow knotted. “What did you say?”

A tremendous crash suddenly shook the hall.

Without warning, the man flew backward. His glass burst apart in midair, and before the scattered liquor could hit the floor, he slammed into the wall at the far end of the mission hall.

The solid wall caved in with a boom.

His body was buried deep in it, his limbs hanging limp. His chest no longer rose or fell.

The hall fell deathly silent.

The people who’d been jeering froze where they were, their smiles still on their faces.

Seconds later, chairs and tables scraped across the floor as nearly everyone nearby rose at once.

Some drew pistols, others pulled short knives, and one man gripped the long sword on his back.

Dark gun barrels aimed at Lin Ye from several directions.

“You killed Scar!”

“You dare attack someone on Bureau grounds? Tired of living?”

“Hands up, or I’ll shoot you right now!”

Su Jin stood frozen too.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the body embedded in the distant wall, then slowly turned toward Lin Ye, as though seeing him for the first time.

She hadn’t even seen how he’d struck.

Lin Ye had already turned back to the mission screen.

“The water station, medical transport, missing people…” he murmured, sorting through possible connections between the missions, paying the others no attention at all.

The gunmen exchanged looks, scarcely able to believe he could calmly study missions after killing someone.

Before long, hurried footsteps sounded from a passage along one side of the hall.

Several men in black enforcement uniforms rushed in. Their leader wore a silver badge of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs on his chest. He pushed through the onlookers and immediately saw the body in the wall.

“What’s going on?” The lead enforcer strode to the center of the hall. Once he’d confirmed the man was dead, his face darkened. “Who gave you the nerve to kill someone inside the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs?”

The people around him lowered their weapons a little, though they didn’t put them away.

Someone pointed at Lin Ye, anger mingled with a certain satisfaction in his voice. “It was him. Scar only went over to say a few words, and he suddenly beat him to death.”

“That’s right, the kid in black.”

“We all saw it. He doesn’t respect the Bureau at all.”

In moments, nearly everyone was pointing at Lin Ye.

The lead enforcer followed their fingers and found Lin Ye standing with his back to him, still studying the screen. His expression grew uglier.

“You’ve got some nerve.” He took a few steps forward, suppressing his anger, his right hand already on the weapon at his waist.

“You openly commit murder in the Bureau, then act as if nothing happened. Do you really think no one here can deal with you?”

Lin Ye didn’t react.

He’d just ruled out two low-value missions and moved his attention to the others.

Watching the enforcers approach, Su Jin finally recovered from her shock.

She didn’t know why Lin Ye had suddenly acquired such terrifying power, but she knew exactly where they were.

The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs didn’t answer to Skyvault City.

If he was deemed to have attacked an enforcer, things would become extremely troublesome even if his father could get him released.

“Young Master.” She tugged hard on Lin Ye’s sleeve, clear panic entering her voice for the first time.

His arm shifted under her pull, but he still didn’t turn around.

The lead enforcer had never been ignored like this.

A muscle twitched in his face, and his last shred of patience vanished. “Take him down! If he resists, shoot him on the spot!”

Two enforcers immediately closed in from either side.

Their leader reached for Lin Ye’s shoulder himself, intending to force the arrogant young man to the floor.

Before the hand could touch him, Lin Ye finally turned around, visibly impatient.

“Listen, you NPCs. I’m just here to take a mission.”

He frowned at the gun barrels around him, making little effort to hide his irritation. “You keep getting in my face one after another. Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

The lead enforcer froze for a moment.

He clearly didn’t know what an NPC was, but he understood the contempt in Lin Ye’s voice.

“Take a mission?” His anger only grew, and his hand closed around the weapon at his waist. “You killed someone in the Bureau and still want to take a mission? I don’t care who you are. You’re not walking out of here today!”

He took a forceful step forward.

Just as both sides were about to come to blows, the door to an office at the side of the hall suddenly opened from within.

A woman in her twenties rushed out, her face pale. Her coat wasn’t even properly buttoned, and cold sweat beaded her forehead, as if she’d just seen something utterly terrifying.

“Don’t!”

She braced herself against the doorframe, breathing hard, but still summoned the strength to shout across the hall. “Everyone, stop! Nobody move!”

Several enforcers halted, and the onlookers waiting for a spectacle stared in surprise. The lead enforcer looked back at the woman, startled at first, then frowned in confusion.

“Deacon?” He pointed at the body in the wall, then at Lin Ye. “This man killed someone inside the Bureau and was preparing to attack the enforcers. Why are you telling us to stop?”

She didn’t answer.

Her eyes remained fixed on Lin Ye, undisguised fear lingering deep in them.

When she saw the lead enforcer still hadn’t backed down, her face darkened. She practically roared at him, “I said stop! Don’t you understand? If you don’t want to die, put your hand down and have everyone put away their weapons!”

The shout stunned him.

People in the hall looked at one another, none of them understanding what was happening.

The woman took a deep breath and forced her ragged breathing under control. She released the doorframe and walked through the passage opening in the crowd, one step at a time, until she stood before Lin Ye.

The closer she came, the more complicated her expression became.

She stopped in front of him and glanced first at the secretary still clutching his sleeve. Then she lowered her head slightly.

“Sir, I am terribly sorry. Our people handled this badly and disturbed you both. On behalf of the Skyvault City branch of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, I apologize.”

A collective, suppressed gasp went through the crowd.

The lead enforcer opened his mouth, evidently unable to accept that she would bow her head to a man who’d just killed someone.

Lin Ye was surprised too.

He studied the woman and, certain he didn’t recognize her face, asked in confusion, “Do you know me?”

“No.” She shook her head slowly, answering without the slightest hesitation. “This is the first time I’ve met you.”

“That’s strange, then.” Lin Ye glanced at the body in the distance, then at the weapons that had been lowered around him. A trace of interest entered his voice. “If you don’t know me, why did you stop them?”

The woman was silent for a moment, as though considering how to explain.

Instead of answering directly, she turned first to the lead enforcer. “Have everyone step back. Don’t let them crowd around here. And above all, don’t point weapons at this gentleman again.”

“But he killed someone,” the lead enforcer said in a low voice. “Even if he’s a high-Sequence supernatural, he still owes the Bureau an explanation.”

She looked at him, her tone turning exceptionally grave. “That man gave offense first. We’ll investigate the exact responsibility later. Right now, you have only one thing to do: obey my orders. Otherwise, whatever happens, I won’t be able to save you.”

The lead enforcer’s expression shifted, but in the end he raised a hand and signaled the others to move back.

Only when the woman was certain no one nearby was preparing to attack did her tense shoulders relax slightly.

She faced Lin Ye again, though her voice remained cautious. “My ability is similar to divination. It lets me sense danger in the near future. Normally, I can only tell whether something is broadly favorable or unfavorable. When the danger is strong enough, or a choice would have serious consequences, I sometimes see images of what may happen.”

Lin Ye’s interest deepened.

“So what did you see just now?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

Slowly, she raised her head and looked past his shoulder at the people in the hall, each wearing a different expression.

After a moment, she looked back at Lin Ye, her expression conflicted.

“I saw the entire Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.”

She spoke quietly, but everyone in the hall could hear her.

“Apart from the two of you, there wasn’t a single person left alive.”