Chapter 15: Lovers' Fountain

The gas station was in utter chaos, not a single conscious attendant in sight. Bai Wei realized that fueling up here today was out of the question.

This place looked as if it had just been ransacked by bandits. But then again, that was hardly unusual in Black Harbor City, Bai Wei mused.

Even so, he rummaged around—if only because he still harbored a faint hope that he might find his husband’s corpse amidst this wreckage. If so, he could forgo the journey into Black Harbor City and collect Lucien’s accidental death insurance without further trouble. But luck had never favored Bai Wei. There was no sign of Lucien. The only person left was an unconscious woman in her forties, likely an employee.

It seemed Lucien’s luck was particularly good—this incident must have occurred after he’d already left.

Bai Wei, his interest fading, was about to leave when the woman behind him awoke and began to scream.

“There was a monster… a monster!”

What a pity, Bai Wei thought. His husband had survived even a monster attack.

Rescuing others had never been Bai Wei’s intention. He checked the map and saw that Lucien’s marker had already entered Black Harbor City. Fortunately, the distance between them was now very close. Bai Wei hesitated no longer, started the vehicle, and gave chase.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Why was there a massive traffic jam on this street in Black Harbor City?

It seemed the city’s traffic was only getting worse. Bai Wei drummed his fingers irritably on the steering wheel. If he hadn’t already moved away from Black Harbor City, he’d surely have devised a way to purge all those drivers who ignored traffic laws…

At that very moment, Lucien was thinking much the same.

“Ha! I found you! Don’t even think of running!” someone shouted.

“Damn, damn, don’t let him get away! The mission just refreshed! That’s him, Scissorhands Li Dehua… Quick! Take him out before the cops arrive!”

Three flamboyant figures—garbed in clashing reds and greens—zigzagged through the halted traffic. Leading the charge was a man in a purple suit with a garish green sweater underneath, twin pistols in hand, cosplaying something indiscernible. Chasing him was a hulking brute, whose troll-like features were only made more incongruous by the archaic suit of armor he wore. The two shouted and dodged between cars, occasionally ducking as if scavenging for trash… The chaos was so surreal that Lucien felt Black Harbor City was growing ever more extraordinary.

Yet faster than both was a girl with pink hair, clad in matching leather, brandishing two katana crackling with electricity. She darted through the traffic with the agility of a mantis, leaping high from one car hood to the next. At last, she landed atop Lucien’s front hood.

“Wow, this NPC model is so handsome,” she exclaimed, only to spring away insect-like, two silver flashes descending upon a figure at the curb.

A lecherous-looking man was pinned to the ground. Without hesitation, the girl drew another dagger and finished him off.

“Mission complete! Eight out of a hundred!” she cheered.

The gunslinger and the troll soon caught up, and so too did the belated, sweat-soaked Black Harbor City police. Some officers began to untangle the traffic, while others tried to negotiate with the gunslinger.

The pink-haired girl stood aside, arms folded, conversing with the troll. Lucien’s car was close enough to hear their voices.

“Ninety-two serial killers left… Good grief, at this rate we’ll be stuck here forever before we can return to our own world.”

“The eight we’ve taken down so far were the easiest. The further we go, the tougher it gets—especially the top ten. We might even be in real danger ourselves.”

“That bad?”

“Especially the final boss, code-named ‘Silencer’—the ‘White Reaper.’ He’s a master of orchestrating fatal coincidences, always lurking in the shadows. We might not even know who he is until he finishes us off.”

“Who knows where the final boss is hiding now, weaving what deadly schemes, or who his next target will be…”

“We’ve been searching for him since our first day in Black Harbor City, but we can’t find him anywhere. It’s infuriating!”

Lucien didn’t understand much of their conversation, but one thing was clear.

Black Harbor City was now exceedingly dangerous! The place was crawling with serial killers, and a mastermind was plotting murders by ‘coincidence’ from the shadows!

Thankfully, he and Bai Wei had met here three years ago, but had since moved to Snow Mountain Town. Otherwise, how could someone as pure-hearted and absent-minded as Bai Wei survive in such a dangerous city?

“Hey, buddy,” the driver in the next car over called to Lucien as the jam slowly eased. “You know those people? They’re new in town. Supposedly they have a list and are hunting serial killers across the city. Cops say they’re from some international organization, and they can’t go home until they’ve wiped out every last serial killer in Black Harbor City. Citizens are told not to provoke them. Do you buy it? I sure don’t.”

Hearing that these people hunted serial killers, Lucien’s worries melted away. When he’d worked as a mercenary, he’d only killed when contracted—never as a serial killer. His wife, Bai Wei, was nothing but an innocent, good-hearted citizen. No matter how strange these people were, they’d protect ordinary folks like them.

“So long as they’re doing good,” Lucien replied, “what’s not to believe?”

“Doing good? All I see is them picking through city trash like they’re searching for rare loot. Just two days ago, I saw one of them fly a helicopter under a bridge, claiming he was chasing an achievement… Good grief, how can anyone trust a bunch of lunatics to save Black Harbor City?”

Lucien’s unease returned. He strained his ears and caught snatches of the red-and-green-clad group’s conversation. They were planning a major operation in a few days. Once they succeeded, they’d obtain an item that would, for twelve hours, let them see the names above every NPC’s head—green for innocents, red for criminals. In other words, they’d be able to identify all the serial killers hiding among the crowds.

The day of this operation was set for the day after Lucien’s scheduled ‘shedding.’

Would this interfere with his transformation? Lucien worried.

With these thoughts, he decided to head to the basement level of a famous nearby mall to buy all the food he’d need for his shedding—especially the freshest seafood, available only there. Meanwhile, far back in the jam, Bai Wei, frazzled by the traffic, spotted a group of strange characters approaching.

“Is there any clue or distinguishing feature for the White Reaper?” one of them asked.

“From the PV, he seems elegant and well-educated… His story and face haven’t even been revealed yet, but there’s already a massive fanbase online. Some of my friends are already creating fan works about him… Eh? Eh?”

The pink-haired girl pointed toward Bai Wei’s car, squealing softly to her companions, “Look at that NPC in the car—so, so, so beautiful!”

“Three adjectives this time—guess this NPC fits your type even more than the last one,” the suit-wearing man quipped.

“My favorite is still the White Reaper. I wonder what kind of schemes my final boss is plotting now… Ah, he’s not planning to assassinate the mayor, is he? He must be up to something big…”

Bai Wei: …

Black Harbor City had become increasingly indescribable to Bai Wei. Bizarre people, inexplicable traffic jams. Fortunately, he was here only to murder his own husband.

At last the traffic began to clear. Bai Wei glanced at his map and was astonished to see Lucien’s car had arrived at an upscale mall in Black Harbor City.

He’d been there back when he’d worked in the city—a place famed for its opulent, romantic decor, hailed as one of the city’s top ten dating spots. Lucien claimed he was here on business, but what business could he possibly have in such a mall?

Bai Wei suddenly recalled Lucien mentioning their “first meeting” in a clothing store.

Could Lucien be here to see someone?

—Exactly as I suspected. What business trip could a repair shop owner possibly have?

Bai Wei was unmoved by the prospect of Lucien’s infidelity, but if Lucien was buying luxury goods, it meant spending what would otherwise become Bai Wei’s inheritance. As a husband, Lucien went on a trip and yet refused to scrimp—even daring to shop in high-end stores rather than staying at a fifty-yuan hostel or eating at a budget diner.

In that moment, Bai Wei decided Lucien was beyond forgiveness—the sooner he died, the better.

Bai Wei knew the city’s layout far better than Lucien. With practiced ease, he slipped into a winding alley, drawing the attention of the group of players, one of whom marveled, “Wow, this NPC’s driving is even crazier than mine.”

Parking with the help of a valet, Bai Wei got out just in time to see Lucien alight from a black sedan nearby.

Lucien, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, strolled into the upscale mall with an air of familiarity. Bai Wei took in his surroundings and quietly trailed after him, waiting for the right moment to strike.

At the mall’s heart was a dazzling musical fountain that, every hour, erupted in a cascade of light and color—a favorite backdrop for lovers' photos. Bai Wei followed Lucien to the fountain, watching as Lucien paused outside an exclusive jewelry store.

Displayed in the window was a high-end collection themed around peach blossoms and cats. Truth be told, though this store was famed for its luxury trinkets aimed at heiresses, this particular line was almost too whimsical—bubbles of pink and sweetness. Bai Wei didn’t even need to think; something this saccharine was certainly not his style.

Yet Lucien began descending the stairs to enter the store from the first floor.

Who was Lucien planning to buy this for?

At that moment, Bai Wei saw his opportunity. Lucien’s path would take him directly beneath a large stage light suspended overhead—at an angle where no cameras could see. If loosened just a little, it would be enough to crush his skull.

Bai Wei moved quickly. Once his task was finished, he slipped down another staircase, preparing to leave the mall.

From the moment he entered, Lucien’s heart had been pounding.

Instinct told him he was being watched. He glanced back several times, but saw nothing. In that moment, he was certain: Black Harbor City was perilous.

At least he and Bai Wei no longer lived here… Otherwise, how could people like them survive in such a place?

With that thought, Lucien turned toward the jewelry store, intent on buying the peach blossom and cat-themed set. The instant he saw it, he’d known it was the perfect gift for Bai Wei—pure as peach blossoms, endearing as a cat.

But as he neared a certain spot, the sensation of being watched intensified. He froze and turned toward the gaze. His expression shifted from bewilderment to confusion.

It was Bai Wei—his wife, following him to Black Harbor City out of concern for his safety!

Bai Wei, caught off guard, was just as surprised. But in that instant, the clock struck the hour. The fountain erupted in a spectacle of light and mist, obscuring their view of each other.

Joyful music filled the mall. The city’s most romantic scene for lovers unfolded before them, each heart separated by the glittering veil of the fountain. And at that very moment—

The stage light on the second floor came crashing down.