Chapter 624: Night of Chaos
by xennovel“Pick up? Pick up a ghost, for crying out loud…”
Lu Xin leapt in fright, only to realize he wasn’t wearing any clothes, and he quickly settled back into the bathtub.
He turned to look at the exploding fiery clouds outside the window, completely dumbfounded.
In an instant, he reassessed the IQ of that guy called Night Owl. Who in their right mind calls that a firework display?
And who calls such an act a way to mark your location?
……
At that moment, Lu Xin wasn’t even contemplating picking someone up – he was desperate to leave the city immediately.
But just as Lu Xin began to panic, the club chat room exploded with activity.
Mechanic: ?
Nine-Headed Serpent: ?
Clockwork Orange: Idiot, did you blow up the armory or what?
Night Owl: No, just a few rockets – the truck wouldn’t fire them, so I triggered it instead.
He even messaged Lu Xin privately, asking when he’d come pick him up.
Clockwork Orange: Don’t be shocked; it’s hard enough buying a house.
Lu Xin replied warily: “He wants to go big now?”
Red Dancing Shoes: Oh, so you were behind this? You gave me quite a scare just now…
Red Dancing Shoes: By the way, does anyone know Zhu Jialiang?
Clockwork Orange: I think he’s one of the top brass at Flame – Mr. Zhu’s eldest son, right? Why ask?
Red Dancing Shoes: I’m planning to toss him off the 99th floor.
Clockwork Orange: ?
Blood Drops: ?
Lu Xin: ??
None Shall Live without Killing Dracula: Damn, is it that lively over there?
None Shall Live without Killing Dracula: Wait for me – once I’m done with this aircraft, I’m heading over immediately.
Clockwork Orange: Who are you squaring off with now?
None Shall Live without Killing Dracula: The West District.
Clockwork Orange: ?? You’re fighting in Flame’s West District?
None Shall Live without Killing Dracula: No, I’m clashing with the West District army of Flame.
Clockwork Orange sent a bewildered emote: How did you manage that?
None Shall Live without Killing Dracula: They chased, so I ran; they retreated, so I went back to fight.
Mechanic: ?
Red Dancing Shoes: Wow, impressive.
None Shall Live without Killing Dracula: Grin, grin.
Clockwork Orange: Wait, answer me first – why are you fighting with the West District?
None Shall Live without Killing Dracula: I’ve forgotten the reason. All I know is, I just wanna fight them…
Clockwork Orange: …
Mechanic: Amazing.
Blood Drops: Brother, I’ve been there – I ended up in prison for ages because of this.
Nine-Headed Serpent: Heh, looks like Flame’s busy tonight – maybe I’ll get a chance.
Clockwork Orange: Upstairs, what are you plotting again?
……
……
“What on earth is going on?”
Lu Xin stared, utterly puzzled, at the relentless flood of chat room messages.
Everyone seemed to be discussing minor issues online, but from his bathtub he could see a breathtaking cityscape outside, with scenes evolving before his eyes.
First, roiling fire clouds ascended, nearly lighting up a corner of the city.
Then, faint sounds of gunfire and explosions filled the air.
Next, alarms blared from downtown as countless police cars rushed in.
Moments later, the western part of the city went dark suddenly, as if the power had cut out.
Thump, thump…
Outside, several helicopters took off, spinning as they headed toward the west of Flame City.
Then the southern part of the city erupted with a tremendous boom, the shockwave making even the glass tremble.
Almost immediately, a few helicopters changed course abruptly…
“What on earth is happening?”
Lu Xin sat in the bathtub, completely numb.
He watched his once-bustling, peaceful city slowly devoured by chaos, his face blank with shock.
“What are these people up to?”
A surge of anxiety gripped him, dashing his hopes for three hundred thousand.
He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or terrified – at least he’d encountered Dracula first, allowing him to wait safely in the bathtub for the meeting. Otherwise, he might have been dragged into criminal activities.
He wondered if these guys would even survive to attend the gathering, given the chaos they were causing in Flame City…
Meanwhile, private messages kept pinging – Night Owl asking when Lu Xin would pick him up.
Red Dancing Shoes also messaged, saying he’d just wrapped things up. How about meeting up for a drink?
Nine-Headed Serpent had already posted a temporary mission in the chat: meet him in the west of the city for a business deal.
Lu Xin took a long look and then switched off his communicator.
He leaned back in the bathtub, letting out a deep, reflective sigh.
He absolutely couldn’t afford to get entangled with these people now – he was sure he’d end up embroiled in criminal antics.
The only one he could trust was Dracula…
……
“Thud, thud, thud…”
Just then, a sudden knock on the window shattered the silence.
Lu Xin gasped and spun around, startled.
There, pressed against the window, was Dracula’s small face – eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, and one hand still mid-knock. Yet now, she was glaring at him with one terrified, widened eye, as if she’d forgotten everything she wanted to say.
Only then did Lu Xin react, quickly wrapping a bath towel around himself and yanking the window open. “What’s wrong?”
“Something’s happened…”
With a swift slide, Dracula crawled out the window, sprinting into the living room while shouting:
“Grab your things and go – it’s not safe here anymore!”
“……”
“Ouch…”
Lu Xin was startled and urgently asked, “What happened?”
“They found the body…”
Dracula’s angry voice boomed from the living room, “I had no idea that guard unit was right by the river…”
“……”
Lu Xin could hardly process it all.
He’d just thought Dracula was the only reliable one in the group…
And now she dumped a body right next to the law enforcement office?
Before he could even complain about whether she was too dependable or too reckless, Lu Xin hurriedly washed off the foam, dried his hair and body, then changed into a fresh set of clean clothes. He gathered the old clothes he’d thrown in the washing machine into a plastic bag prepared by Han Bing, and secured it inside his suitcase with a combination lock.
Only then did he put on his socks and shoes, grab the black bag and his suitcase, and dash out the door.
Dracula had changed into a new outfit and donned an eye mask. She leaned by the door waiting for him, grinning, “Don’t worry, there’s no need to panic.”
“I ran fast just now – even if they chase after us, they’ll have to wait…”
“……”
Just as Lu Xin was about to leave with Dracula, he spotted a patrol of guards charging down the corridor from afar.
Ahead, a man dressed as a waiter was running and shouting in that direction:
“Over there!”
“……”
Lu Xin immediately stepped back and closed the door, then turned to Dracula, “Didn’t you say they wouldn’t come so soon?”
Dracula looked confused for a moment before suddenly patting her head, “I got it – it’s not the guard unit…”
“They’re from the hotel; they reported me. They must have discovered I used counterfeit money…”
“……”
“?”
Lu Xin cried out in shock, “You used counterfeit money?”
“Is this really the time to mention that?”
Dracula dragged a suitcase to the window, pushed it open with force, and Lu Xin joined her. Peeking down, he saw they were at least a hundred meters above the ground. The cold night wind whipped his face while the lights and pedestrians below looked as tiny as ants.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
Outside, persistent knocking on the door grew louder with someone shouting, “Open up – Health Inspection!”
Lu Xin and Dracula exchanged a glance, both aware that their only option was to climb out the window.
But looking down at each other, Lu Xin clutched his black bag and suitcase tightly.
Dracula, hefting two suitcases – one red, one black – along with a huge backpack, was ready too.
Without a word, they silently decided not to abandon their luggage.
Steeling themselves, they grabbed their suitcases and climbed out the window.
Meanwhile, outside, the pounding on the door grew even more frantic.
Using his sister’s help, Lu Xin crouched and squeezed out, biting the black bag in his mouth. With the suitcase in hand and using just one hand and two feet, he managed to climb onto the roof. Glancing down, he saw Dracula scaling the wall – her slender arms hauling up two suitcases as she climbed using only her legs.
Lu Xin couldn’t help but wonder, “Is Dracula using spider-type abilities too?”
He was genuinely surprised, “Her power seems even stronger than my sister’s…”
“…She’s on a whole other level compared to the Gecko.”
“Speaking of the Gecko, why does this scene feel so familiar?”
“…”
“Clack…”
At the same moment that Dracula reached the roof, sounds of a door being smashed open below echoed from a nearby room.
Soon, frantic footsteps filled the room – someone was shouting as if reporting, “The presidential suite guest is missing. I suspect they’re not ordinary people – come check immediately!”
“What now? My car is still in the parking lot…”
Lu Xin stood on the roof, exasperated, asking Dracula.
“Don’t worry – thankfully, it was only a few regular law enforcement officers chasing us…”
Dracula patted her chest and nonchalantly waved, “No big deal, with our abilities, we’ve got this.”
Thump, thump…
Before she could finish, several helicopters swept over with dazzling lights, crisscrossing around them.
Below, clusters of police cars, military vehicles, and heavily armed response teams converged on their location, blocking off multiple streets.
In the distance, a few armored giants were rapidly approaching.
Lu Xin, dumbfounded, turned stiffly to Dracula, “You call this a small-scale operation?”