In the early hours of a rainy night, all was silent.
The taillights of a taxi drew two long red lines on the slick road, eventually disappearing at the corner of the street.
In the Haitian Garden District, towering high-rise residential buildings stood silently in the pitch-black night like giants.
Only a few scattered windows still showed a light from those who remained awake through the night.
After a faint unlocking sound, a shadow entered through the door.
Two sets of wet footsteps were left on the hallway floor.
The lights weren’t turned on, merely revealing a tall and muscular silhouette.
In the darkness, the figure removed the rain-soaked and bloodstained clothes and pants, casually balled them up, and tossed them into a corner trash can.
Then, barefoot, they headed to the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of running water echoed from within.
The frosted glass door slid open, and the vapor rushed out eagerly.
The silhouette stepped out, body bare.
Grabbing a towel, they roughly rubbed their hair.
Standing in front of the sink, a "click" signaled the mirror light being switched on.
The soft light instantly outlined a powerful and robust physique.
Fang Cheng put down the towel, gazing calmly at his reflection.
A bald head with sharp facial features.
The sculpted muscles on his body shone with a gentle sheen under the light.
Then, Fang Cheng slowly raised his arms in front, bending them into a classic bodybuilding pose.
His biceps instantly bulged like mountain peaks, with veins like coiled dragons.
Looking at the robust man in the mirror, Fang Cheng’s lips curled slightly.
He leaned closer to the mirror, carefully inspecting his scalp.
Beneath the smooth skin, a dense layer of greenish stubble had emerged.
It was prickly to the touch.
At this growth rate, in one or two months, his flowing hair should be restored.
Fang Cheng smiled contentedly.
Previously, to end things quickly, he used Flame Breath, the True Qi he released not only burned his clothes but also reduced his wig to ashes.
Looks like he’ll need to buy a new one tomorrow.
After showering and drying off, Fang Cheng put on slippers and took a robe from the hanger.
It was something his mother had specially bought for him when she visited a few days ago.
The soft fabric pressed against his skin, carrying a fresh scent of sunshine and soap.
Fang Cheng took a deep breath, stretching his limbs comfortably.
His bones emitted a fine, crackling sound.
Exiting the bathroom, he entered the living room.
The furniture’s outlines appeared somewhat desolate in the dim light.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay an endless rain, blurring the sparse city lights into a swaying haze.
The world seemed to contain only him.
Yet Fang Cheng savored the tranquility.
After a moment of contemplation, he turned and headed to the kitchen.
The massive chest freezer opened, and white vapor drifted up.
He retrieved a whole box of marinated beef and a box of roasted chicken legs from the pile of food.
Fang Cheng returned to the living room, sitting in a chair, enjoying his midnight snack amidst the rainy scene outside.
Having engaged in a fight earlier in the night had expended much energy, making him need to replenish his nutrients.
Despite consuming quite a bit of high-protein yellow mucus while trapped in the Scorpion’s Water Prison.
Most of those nutrients were directly refined into True Qi by his body and stored in the Dantian Qi Sea.
Thus, the hunger in his stomach persisted.
As Fang Cheng chewed the meat, he mentally replayed the evening’s operation.
His ability to accurately pinpoint the Scorpion’s crime location was not by chance.
Even back at the Jiangbei Police Station, with Abang’s connections, he reviewed the "Rainy Night Butcher" case files.
Fang Cheng keenly noticed that these seemingly random crime locations actually followed a pattern.
The killer appeared to have a compulsion, committing nearly one crime each month.
Moreover, after completing three hunts, he would change his operating area.
According to the case records, only one incident had occurred in Jiangbei East previously.
Thus, there was a high probability the Scorpion’s next hunt would occur here.
And in all of Jiangbei East, only Yingchun Road was filled with nightclubs and bars, where fashionable women returning late at night were plenty, making it convenient for him to select a suitable target.
After narrowing down the area, Fang Cheng tracked the suspect all the way here.
He happened to encounter the Special Search Team setting a trap to capture the Scorpion.
He hid in the shadows, silently observing, and instantly recognized Cheng Leyi.
This woman once had a special entanglement with him, but tonight her role had reversed.
She had seemingly descended from hunter to prey coveted by others.
Seeing her and her companion powerless against the perverted fiend, Fang Cheng decided to emerge, efficiently dispatching the target and completing the kill.
Afterward, he didn’t leave immediately.
Instead, he hid in the dark, listening intently to the conversation between the Special Search Team members.
Even Xu Fei’s speculation about the Scorpion’s power level reached his ears.
Fang Cheng also didn’t believe the Scorpion had reached S-Class.
Because the so-called "Domain," in his view, was just a fragile illusion.
Combining the intel provided by Chen Chen with his own combat experience, one conclusion emerged.
The Scorpion was very skilled at using poison and possessed the Special Ability to manipulate water flow.
While trapping Cheng Leyi, he controlled the rain to form a dense curtain that blocked outside vision.