A Top Scholar in Everything

The police station in the Water Storage District is easy to find.

Upon arrival at the station, the two of them revealed their identities as bounty hunters and presented the task sheet from the Bounty Hunter Association.

Then, the police station promptly issued an action permit.

"Do you have any leads on this task?"

Walking down the street, Meng Siyu looked at the requirements on the task sheet, furrowing her brows.

There were five missing person cases in total.

Each case involved a local missing, and their valuable belongings were also robbed. However, strangely, their families did not report the incidents.

The perpetrator seemed to be clearly motivated by greed.

Just that the actions were clean.

The police did not uncover any clues.

So, after feeling clueless, they reported the case to the Bounty Hunter Association.

In terms of law enforcement in Zenith City, it is generally managed jointly by the Anomaly Bureau, the Bounty Hunter Association, and the Armed Department.

The Church only deals with matters concerning its followers and some special mystical events.

The Martial Arts School is similar.

However, the Martial Arts School has its own task system and often sends students to assist with tasks, granting it slightly more authority than the Church.

"Actually, understanding things is simple, just find the local underworld figures."

"They know these matters better than us."

Baiyu looked at the information obtained from the police station.

The most chaotic area in the Water Storage District is known as "Rat Street."

Initially, it was formed by connecting a few abandoned streets together. But due to the harsh environment and fierce locals, it has always belonged to a semi-gray area over the years.

Adding to it, each year the administrators of the street dutifully pay a sizable amount of taxes, and someone from above oversees it, making the locals turn a blind eye.

Over the years.

Rat Street has continuously developed and expanded, becoming the largest underground black market in the Water Storage District.

Gamble halls, brothels, underground rings, dark markets…

It has taken on the initial form of an underground world.

The person in charge of this Rat Street is known as Blood Hand Kang Chu.

He is reputed to have good skills and background, being the top figure both openly and secretly.

Baiyu needed to find him.

...

After leaving the police station, he and Meng Siyu headed straight to Rat Street.

As rumored, the environment here did not appear friendly, with sinister gazes staring at them from the roadside at all times.

Fortunately, Meng Siyu had changed into simple clothes before coming.

If not, such a beautiful woman might have been surrounded instantly.

Of course, she wasn't afraid of these ordinary people.

Less trouble is always better.

The shops along the streets were all open.

Street vendors are a feature of Rat Street, packed densely, with a massive flow of people.

The feature of the entire street is dense, complex, with intricate lanes and overlapping buildings, forming a maze.

"What are you doing?"

After walking for only a short while.

Meng Siyu grabbed a man's hand with a frosty look.

The pressure from a Tier Eight Martial Artist surged out, causing the man's legs to tremble incessantly, kneeling halfway to the ground.

His hands still clutched a few banknotes tightly.

It was obvious.

This man was an old pickpocket, stealing openly, yet caught by Baiyu and Meng Siyu.

Meng Siyu's shout disturbed the passersby.

The onlookers witnessed the scene and uncharacteristically avoided it, with no one acting righteously, not even those who usually stayed for the commotion.

Meanwhile, the young men who were standing idly by the street corners approached the two.

They faintly formed a surrounding stance.

"Baiyu, are you sure about this plan? These people don't seem afraid of us."

Meng Siyu's expression was cold as ice, yet her voice betrayed the panic within her.

"These pickpockets operate in groups. Once someone gets caught, the surrounding accomplices might stand out to protect them. Generally, people in this situation can only resign themselves to misfortune... But we were originally here to meet Kang Chu."

Baiyu responded with an assuring glance.

Then, he grabbed the man's wrist, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Crack.

A clear sound of bone cracking echoed, like snapping a plastic pipe.

The man cried out in pain, his right wrist bent bizarrely, with the joint completely sunken, mangled with flesh.

Those young men who were calmly approaching earlier had their expressions change, glaring fiercely at the duo.

However, the earlier hostility was gone.

The terrifying grip capable of crushing a person's wrist might very well be that of a Martial Artist!

These people have long survived here by scraping meals, although they cannot discern the strength of Blood Qi in a person, they can make some educated guesses from certain angles.

Even so.

Even if it were Martial Artists, they couldn't just sit and watch.

Unity has always been the reason they survive here.

Moreover, Rat Street has its own rules, and many foreign Martial Artists have to behave obediently.

"Why did you injure our people?"

A relatively steadier-looking young man stepped forward; although lacking confidence, he summoned his courage and didn't retreat an inch.

However.

Before he could finish, a cold gun barrel pressed against his head.

The taste of gunpowder filled his nose.

"Take us to Blood Hand Kang Chu."

Baiyu's words were indisputable, filled with a strong threat.

The young man gritted his teeth, suppressing his inner fear, "Kang Chu doesn't meet outsiders, who are you?"

"Humph, with so many recent missing person cases, do you think no one has noticed?"

"Bounty hunters?"

"You can think of it that way. Of course, if you wish for death, you can remain silent. After all, you have plenty of brothers around you. Surely one of them is eager to rise."

Baiyu's words almost shattered the young man's inner resolve.

In this situation, he had no strategy for resistance.

"I'll take you."

"But I'm only responsible for guiding you; whether you can meet Kang Chu depends on your luck."

The young man finally relented.

Baiyu and Meng Siyu exchanged glances.

Although their approach was violent and crude, it turned out to be surprisingly effective.

Rat Street was intricate.

Most of it consists of illegal constructions, one connected to another.

Over ten thousand people live here.

Due to the high population density and its location in a lawless gray area, along with the difficulty of investigation and inherent chaos, it is almost a haven for crime.

Moreover, Rat Street's outskirts connect to several underground ports.

Fugitives from all over flock to this place.

If anyone were most familiar with this area's layout, it might be these pickpockets.

Without their guidance, Baiyu and Meng Siyu would not know how much effort it would take to find Kang Chu.

...

The two entered a small underground boxing ring.

A hundred or so people were watching a fight between a man and a beast on the ring, with blood flying and a scene full of primitive brutality.

Just by chance.

When Baiyu walked in, the man was flung by a ferocious tiger on the ring and landed right at his feet.

A roar followed.

The ferocious tiger leaped toward Baiyu, opening its bloody mouth.

"Beast."

Baiyu's right hand surged with Blood Qi, his veins and muscles erupted, punching the ferocious tiger on the forehead.

Bang.

The huge tiger head exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

The intense shouting around the ring came to a sudden stop, leaving everyone staring at Baiyu's blood-dripping fist in a daze.