Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Serpent
Editor: Larbre Studio

…

The phone vibrated insistently, and Li Yan was struck with a thought. He tossed the stun gun aside and pressed to answer.

“Hello?”

“…Hello.”

After a brief silence, a man’s voice came through the line, causing Li Yan to grimace as he chewed the inside of his cheek in frustration.

“What do you want?”

“Twenty minutes, Wu Sheng Day Rental Apartment on Bolan Street, I’ve cleared the place out for you today.”

After those words, the caller hung up.

Li Yan pocketed his phone without paying any attention to the blaring horns and turned to leave, leaving behind a ground full of groaning security personnel.

“Bang!”

The brightly colored sign of Summer Lotus Bathing Beach was kicked in by a man.

It was daytime, and the bathhouse wasn’t crowded. Several young men with brightly dyed hair strutted over, with conspicuous bulges at their waists.

Li Yan looked around.

“Excuse me, fellows, would anyone be kind enough to lend me a motorcycle?”

“I’ll lend you a guava!”

A crowd surged forward hooting loudly.

…

Bolan Street, a well-known red-light district in Hong Kong. Conveniently located, heavily populated, with hourly hotels, restaurants serving Eastern and Western cuisines, mahjong parlors, nightclubs—there’s no end to the nightlife.

Day-rental apartments, hmm, probably just what you’re thinking—available for rent by the day.

The whine of the motorcycle’s turbo was accompanied by a long trail of exhaust fumes. Li Yan got off the bike.

“How could Judy possibly get into trouble here?”

The crowd was shoulder to shoulder, the street bustling. Even the most obtuse person could sense just how odd the choice of location was.

Li Yan had a Crooked Leg Knife wrapped in old newspaper tucked into his belt, along with a pistol he had found in Xiu’s room. There was no point in letting such things go to waste by not using them.

He looked up at the sign of the Wu Sheng Apartment, and, coincidently, at that moment, he felt a burning sensation in his chest.

“Position of the Gu Huo Bird ancient novel shards has been reported. Please be ready to receive.”

“Heh heh,” Li Yan grinned as he stepped into Wu Sheng.

…

Yu smoked one cigarette after another, his expression unhurried.

He had prepared for this day for too long to be concerned about a slight delay.

Your requirements for the Yan Fu event are as follows:

1. Occupy the position of “Red Pole” or higher in any Hongmen society.

2. Ensure that all targets involved in the Yan Fu event are removed from play! Number of remaining targets: 1

3. The Serpent must devour at least three ancient novel shards (must include and prioritize devouring the Gu Huo Bird).

You have not completed targets 2 and 3, with the second task being the most crucial. Completing it will qualify you for return.

Please note! You have only ten hours left to reach the deadline for your return!

On a cursory look, the cramped room of no more than three or four square meters contained two corpses in appalling states, one with several saucer-sized pieces of flesh cleanly excised, exposing smooth bone severances, as if erased by a rubber. The other’s head had vanished, its neck bone viciously snapped!

“If it’s money you want, we can talk about it.”

Judy’s hands were tied with rope, her face pale, her body trembling uncontrollably, yet she still spoke with effort.

There were bloodstains on her cheeks, and seeing Yu unharmed, it was clear the blood wasn’t his.

“An event like Yan Fu, taking place in a booming era like 80’s Hong Kong, even with restrictions in place, is indeed a good place to rack up points,” the man mused, murmuring words Judy couldn’t understand.

“There are too many people and too many eyes here, you won’t get much out of kidnapping me. I can cooperate with you to leave this place, but you have to call and get the person you have sent to the hospital.”

Judy was referring to Li, who had been shot through the lung and was intermittently coughing up blood, her face deathly pale.

Yu tossed away the empty cigarette pack,

“Don’t worry, this chick is hot enough for my liking. I wouldn’t let her die so easily without having my fun. As for leaving this place, what a joke.”

Yu gave a thumbs down.

“This is my turf.”

It was already Yu’s fourth Yan Fu incident, and although the outcomes of the previous trials were hardly satisfactory, after three settlements and meeting certain conditions, he could still obtain a power that defied convention.

Just like now…

Maybe it wouldn’t be long before he introduced himself to some newcomers as, um… Serpent. That sounded pretty good.

Judy clenched her teeth as she stared at Yu for a while.

“Aren’t you an orphan? How is your Mandarin so good? You’ve never been overseas. How could you possibly recognize Li Yan who grew up on the mainland?”

Yu smiled and exhaled a ring of smoke, “If you knew to investigate me in advance, why didn’t you check up on your paramour?”

As he was speaking, his eyes sharpened and his face darkened as he walked over to the window, catching a glimpse of the corner of Li Yan’s clothing as he entered the apartment.

“Really just showing up like that?”

Yu’s face showed some astonishment as he turned to look at Judy again, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

It was true that he had detected Li Yan’s identity before anyone else, but that didn’t make up for the substantial gap between them, yes, the substantial difference between him and Li Yan.

Before venturing into the Yan Fu world, one often mastered abilities that were out of reach for ordinary people, commonly known as specializations. Such specialization, at least for the first two or three incidents, was the foundation of one’s livelihood in the Yan Fu journey and also related to the direction of future development.

His specialization was advantageous in investigation, but his direct combat capability was nearly nonexistent.

“Biological Affinity: 63%”

This specialization was much rarer than Ancient Martial Arts, unfortunately, it also made his Yan Fu incidents painfully challenging.

But now, paired with his incipient inheritance abilities, the situation was vastly different.

Serpent’s Fang·Binge

Category: Inheritance (only obtainable through special rewards after completing Yan Fu incidents)

Quality: Rare

The Serpent is in a state of hunger at the start of a Yan Fu incident. After release, it can be fed and Serpent Points spent to satiate it, the higher its satiety, the greater its power.

Please note! Once the Serpent is released, it can only move within a two-hundred-meter radius. Going beyond this range will result in severe backlash.

There are many restrictions, but…

Once fully developed, Yu could take on a small special forces team!

…

When Li Yan entered the day rental apartment, he frowned.

The air was pungent, and the corridor, along with every room, was extremely cramped. The corridor was only two or three meters wide, and the rooms were barely over three meters.

“What an elaborate plan.”

Li Yan sighed inwardly.

If he had brought his Han Sword along, it would be difficult to wield in such a narrow space.

In this case, the motorcycle and Crooked Leg Knife he’d borrowed were almost serendipitous.

What’s more interesting is that there were at least three bodyguards with guns beside Judy. If he had the power to confront firearms directly, there would be no need to employ such tricks, nor would there be any need to use Judy to threaten him.

The reason behind this was worth pondering…

Li Yan did not think his opponent was very clever. If the adversary had been truly flawless, or had exceptional abilities, they would not have waited until now to make a move. If it weren’t for some other matters that Li Yan still needed to attend to, he would have already ended this Yan Fu incident.

Moreover, entrusting one’s entire scheme and anticipation on the passive approach that one will come upon hearing of Judy’s situation was something Li Yan disdained.

If the opponent remains indifferent, all your cleverness is wasted, isn’t it?

A chilling thought flashed through his mind.

Burn this place to the ground, force him out!

Even if it harms the innocent, they are merely unremarkable people of this world.

After all, he had known Judy for only about twenty days. A man isn’t a man without ruthlessness, and besides, she might not even get into trouble…

Even if one steps back, the truth and illusion of this world are hard to determine. The people here might just be like NPCs in a game; if killed, then they are just killed.

It was tempting, but in a flash, it passed.

Lei Hongsheng praised him for having three parts of evilness.

These three parts refer not only to ruthlessness in action but more so to an integrity that remains unaffected by circumstances or so-called interests and positions.

The evilness is important, but the three parts are even more crucial.

“Before the tiger’s eyes, there is no abyss…”

Li Yan softly recited the words he had said when he killed Cheng Hunan, stepping into the apartment, his gaze growing sharper.

“In front of a coward, there are obstacles everywhere.”