Chapter 713: Garden

There were three kinds of people in the poor district: rat people, dog people and pig people. They all had a sad past. Their brains and souls had devolved beyond those of human beings. They were turned into beasts and tools. It sounded cruel, but they were used to it. Becoming rats, dogs, or pigs was their final option.

The blood in the alley was cleaned up. The evidence was delivered into the taboo zone. Black Crow and Gao Ming didn’t remain idle. They found Corpse Ghost’s storage box at the outer perimeter of the taboo zone. Corpse Ghost had accumulated quite a bit of wealth from taking advantage of those who were forced to come to the taboo zone. However, he had probably spent them all because there was only a black pistol with a worn-off serial and a well-read night police rule book in the box.

“I’m curious. What would happen to an officer if they violated the rules?” Gao Ming kept the gun and flipped through the book.

“The rules provide the night police with superhuman power.” Black Crow and Gao Ming became closer after they worked together to take down Old Dog. Black Crow stopped hiding information. “Old Dog made it clear. The original night police officer came from outside the city, and his heart was filled with a sense of justice. He was trapped here by some kind of power. To resist the malice, he sacrificed himself to tamper with the city rules. The night police rules state that once a person satisfies all the night police rules, they will be rewarded with the power of the first-generation night police. The closer you are to living by the rules, the stronger you’ll be. In contrast, if you violate the rules, your power will be taken away. This is the wonderful dream of the first-generation night police. He wanted to use that to change this city, but he had failed beautifully.”

“The first night police officer came from outside the city… like us?”

“Yes. That’s why only tourists from other cities can join the night police.” After explaining it, Black Crow put away the rulebook. “Do you want to join us? I think you’re quite suitable.”

“No thanks.” Gao Ming had his own path. Editing the rules wasn’t enough to destroy the malice. He had to erase everything and start over.

“Old Dog’s death will be publicised tomorrow. However, the headquarters is too busy trying to pit the two gangs against each other with the video of Hei Ao murdering Yuan Qing’s daughter. They don’t have the time to care about the taboo zone. After all, exploring the taboo zones requires a great price.” Black Crow had the woman and the dog people handle the rest while he led Gao Ming away. “Before others get any ideas, we need to take everything valuable from Old Dog’s home.” At this point, Black Crow’s icy face finally warmed with a smile. Old Dog was an annoying threat, but they finally excised him.

They reached Third Street’s An Fu Avenue. This was where the rich people lived. The streets were spotless. It was a great difference to the poor people's district. Using the key found on Old Dog’s corpse, Black Crow and Gao Ming opened the door to House 17. This bungalow with a giant garden was conspicuous, but no one knew its owner. There were guesses that it belonged to a civil servant or a mistress of a Wan Sheng higher up.

“A night police officer can afford such a big house at An Fu Avenue. Where did Old Dog get the money?”

“I don’t get it either. He wore tattered clothes and did nothing but stay at the station all day. He only left at night.”

They were instantly assaulted by the smell of flowers when they entered the yard. Old Dog had a green thumb.

“So many blooming flowers.” Gao Ming picked up the shovel at the corner and entered the garden. He stuck it into the ground. The roots were severed, causing the fragrance to intensify.

“Blood, flesh, bones… The flowers appear to be breathing.” Black Crow studied the wilting petals. He picked one to put under his nose. “It smells like Zhu Chuan’s new medicine. Your head feels dizzy after taking a huge whiff. Had Old Dog been secretly planting these things behind everyone’s back?” 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Black Crow continued to explore the place. He found a hidden room inside the second-floor bedroom. It had a simple medicine-making tool. There was a record of Zhu Chuan’s eliminated drug production process. Zhu Chuan’s old process was simple. The difficulty was in the procurement of the raw material. They needed living humans to feed a flower called Life. The purer the ‘nutrients’, the greater the flower.

“Living humans were used to create the medicine to resist malice?! Every bite is equivalent to munching on our kin!”

Black Crow picked up the small vials in the room. They were filled with bright red liquid. His body instinctively wanted to shove them into his mouth. He put away the vials and pried open the drawers. They contained criminal evidence of the Zhu Chuan society.

“Old Dog had private dealings with Zhu Chuan. Life Flower was their trade secret.”

Black Crow’s heart chilled as he read through the documents. Even though Zhu Chuan was a new gang on the scene, with the power of the new medicine, they had reached many streets. There were many essential personnel, like Old Dog, who willingly cooperated with them.

“No wonder Wan Sheng had to hold back. Their hands are tied.”

Different from other gangs, Zhu Chuan was cunning. They never actively went after the others. They often presented themselves as doctors and healers. However, they did a lot of dirty things at night. Most patients on Third Street were under their control. Zhu Chuan could turn them into monsters and puppets at any time.

“No wonder Wan Sheng surrendered so many territories without an open fight with Zhu Chuan. Zhu Chuan is responsible for many taboo zones in The Third Street.”

After swiping the valuable things in the hidden room, Black Crow planned to leave. He returned to the garden but didn’t see Gao Ming. “Lee Sansi?”

“I’m underground.”

The flower’s fragrance wafted everywhere. Black Crow followed the voice. The middle of the garden had been dug up. Limbs were exposed. The corpses were bound by plant roots. The roots drilled into their flesh and wrapped around their hearts. Black Crow parted the human faces, and he saw Gao Ming kneeling at the bottom. “What are you doing?”

“I found something interesting.” Gao Ming raised his scratched arms. His palm held a germinating seed.

Supported by Gao Ming’s fresh blood, the seed bloomed into a different flower. It was ugly and dirty. It was fully red. The petals had human faces. The veins pulsed like capillaries.

“My blood can help the flowers grow faster and better.” Gao Ming tore off a petal and handed it to Black Crow. He said excitedly, “Try it. See if it tastes of meat.”

Black Crow frowned and chewed on the petal. With each bite, his heart pounded, and the malice in his heart was suppressed. It was replaced by a different emotion, the admiration for death.