She remembered what Wen Xue had told her—the old alley behind the abandoned hospital on the south side of the city. That was where Jin Mu had been hiding. That was where she would go.
Pushing through the narrow streets and skipping past filth and smoke, Gu Jin moved like a silent arrow.
The streets of Criminal City were dark and twisted, lit only by broken lamps and the glowing eyes of those who lived in the shadows.
Gu Jin moved quickly, ignoring the stares that burned into her skin like fire. She wasn’t scared—but she was furious.
Behind her, the footsteps grew louder.
"Hey, sweetheart!" one of the men called out. "Where are you rushing off to? Want some company tonight?"
"Don’t be shy," another chuckled. "We’ll take good care of you. Promise."
Gu Jin clenched her jaw, her nails digging into her palms. Ignore them. Find Jin Mu first.
But the comments kept coming—uglier, filthier.
"Look at those legs—damn! Bet she tastes as sweet as she looks."
"Let’s catch her now! I want to be first!"
Gu Jin’s breath turned sharp. Her body stiffened as fury built in her chest.
She stopped walking and pulled out a pair of sleek, enchanted boots from her storage ring—dark green, with faint runes etched along the sides.
She slipped them on with practiced speed.
Just as she was about to fly away, vines burst from the ground beneath her feet. Sharp, thorny, and thick, they wrapped around her ankles, glowing with someone else’s plant element.
She didn’t even flinch.
In an instant, her own vines exploded from her palm, glowing a deeper green, stronger, faster.
They sliced through the others like knives, shredding the enemy’s magic like paper. The broken vines dropped to the ground in pieces, writhing.
She flew into the air without another word.
But the criminals weren’t done.
With wild laughs, they summoned their own tools—some rode flying boards, others used wind spells to chase her through the dark sky like vultures.
"Come on, pretty girl!" one shouted. "Don’t be so rude!"
Gu Jin’s patience snapped.
She landed on a wide rooftop, her boots clicking sharply against the stone. She turned slowly to face the group now hovering around her in the air.
Her face was like ice. Cold. Dangerous.
"I’ll say this once," she said, her voice low and firm. "Leave now. If you don’t, you’ll regret it."
The criminals burst out laughing.
"What are you gonna do, sweetheart?" one sneered. "You look pretty, but we’re not scared."
"Yeah! We’re gonna have a feast tonight!"
Gu Jin’s eyes darkened.
The air around her shifted, pressure rising like a storm about to break.
When the men lunged at her, she didn’t hesitate anymore.
With a flick of her hand, flames burst from her fingers—bright and searing.
Her fire element surged forward, slamming into the first attacker with a blast that sent him crashing through a wall.
The second man tried to sneak behind her, but a whip made of vines wrapped around his neck, yanking him midair and slamming him into the rooftop.
A third tried to attack from above—he didn’t even see the lightning crackling around her palm before it shot upward, throwing him off his flying board and down to the street below.
Now the criminals screamed—not in excitement, but in pain.
One by one, Gu Jin moved through them like a storm. Her fire burned. Her plants are cut. Her lightning stunned.
But then... something different.
A deep, black flame flickered at her fingertips. It twisted unnaturally, like smoke with a life of its own.
She let it loose—only for a brief moment. The fire curled through the air like a serpent, striking one of the men square in the chest and knocking him down hard.
The man screamed—not from pain, but in shock.
He gasped, pointing at her with wide eyes. "Y-You...! That’s... that’s Darkfire! Are you... are you using the Darkfire element!?"
"Darkfire?" someone echoed. "You’re crazy. That element’s almost extinct!"
"No," the first man said, shaking his head quickly. "I swear! I saw it! That color, that burn—only Darkfire looks like that!"
But another scoffed. "Impossible. She’s just some strong cultivator from China. She can’t have Darkfire."
Gu Jin didn’t speak. Her expression didn’t change.
However, she cursed herself for being lax and giving away herself.
Gu Jin turned on her heel, ready to leave. Her boots made no sound as she stepped toward the edge of the rooftop, the cold wind brushing past her face.
Behind her, she could hear the groans of the criminals she had just beaten. Their bodies bruised, burned, and bleeding—but still, they moved. She glanced over her shoulder.
One of them was crawling forward, hand dragging against the ground as he tried to follow her. Another, barely able to stand, reached out like a beggar.
Slowly, she turned her head to face them. Her crimson eyes locked onto theirs, calm yet terrifying.
It was just a glance.
The air turned to ice. The criminals froze where they were, their blood running cold.
"If you move even one more step," she said quietly, "I’ll make sure none of you leave this rooftop alive."
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the weight of death. Sharp, sure, and final.
Gu Jin continued, her tone like a blade slicing through the air, "You’re lucky I’m in a hurry. Otherwise, I would’ve turned this rooftop into your grave."
The fear in their eyes deepened. It wasn’t just fear of pain—it was fear of her. Of her eyes. Eyes that didn’t flinch. Eyes that looked at them the way a predator looks at meat.
One of them whispered, barely audible, "She... she’s got that look... like the Butcher of West Prison... no, worse..."
Another nodded weakly. "She’s not normal... she’s one of those..."
Gu Jin turned away again, her cloak fluttering slightly as she walked to the edge. Without another word, she leapt into the air, boots glowing softly as she disappeared into the night.
The rooftop was silent.
The man who had spoken earlier, the one who had seen the Darkfire, scrambled up with a hiss of pain and pulled out a cracked old phone. He punched in a number with trembling fingers.
The line clicked after a few rings.
A calm voice answered, "What is it?"
The man looked around, lowering his voice. "I saw her."
"The woman. The one with Darkfire."
Then the voice on the phone spoke again, sharper. "You’d better not be lying."
"I’m not!" the man said quickly. "I’m serious! She used it. Only for a second, but I know what I saw. Black flame, like smoke, burned through magic like butter. That’s Darkfire."
The line was quiet again.
Then, "What do you want?"
The man smirked, greed lighting up his battered face. "Two hundred million dollars."
"You’ll get it," the voice said finally. "Now tell me everything."
"She’s Chinese. Young. Beautiful. Red eyes. Black hair. She was wearing a white top and black jeans. She looked like she came from one of those rich families. And she was headed toward the south side of Criminal City."
The voice didn’t reply at first.
Then, coldly: "If this tip is false... I will track you down. And I will kill you."
The man’s face turned pale. "I swear, it’s true! She really exists! You’ll see—"
The call ended with a beep.
He lowered the phone with a nervous breath, eyes wide and heart racing.
............................
South Side of Criminal City
Gu Jin moved quietly through the crumbling alleyways. Her boots landed softly on old stone roads, weaving past broken fences, rusted signs, and flickering lights.
This part of the city was even worse than the rest.
The air smelled like blood and smoke, and the buildings leaned as if they would collapse any second.
She remembered Wen Xue’s words clearly: "The old alley behind the abandoned hospital."
She had found the hospital. Now she moved toward the alley behind it.
Men with long scars on their faces. Women with knives hidden in their sleeves. Children with guns in their pockets.
Their eyes were hollow. Wild. Twisted. Like they had forgotten what it meant to be human.
But Gu Jin didn’t flinch. She didn’t slow down.
She didn’t feel fear. In fact, she felt something else.
It was like her heart had stopped reacting to danger. Like her soul had gone quiet.
I belong here, she thought.
As if this city of blood and chaos were more familiar than the peaceful courtyards of the Gu residence.
Maybe because she was raised in a place where killing was as normal as breathing, Gu Jin felt like she could be what she wanted.
A chilly aura radiated around her as she reached for the first room she saw. She hoped Jin Mu was inside and opened the door only to be stunned by the scene in front of her.