Chapter 269: The Eighth Live Broadcast

The old man looked at my face and nodded, paying me little mind at first. A few seconds later, as if he suddenly realized something, his mouth slowly opened. His pupils contracted to pinpricks, and he unconsciously leaned back.

"Gao—Gao Jian?" He tried to stand, but his legs turned to jelly. His first attempt to rise failed to lift him off the stool.

I discreetly moved the landline phone to the other side of the counter, unplugged the cord, and added for the old man's benefit, "Yeah. Class-A wanted criminal, Gao Jian."

The teacup slipped from the old man's hand and shattered on the floor, spilling yellowed tea leaves across the tiles.

"Don't be nervous. I won't hurt you. Jiang Long deserved what he got, so you can just think of it as me doing the public a favor." I pulled five yuan in change from my pocket. "Boss, get me a pack of cigarettes."

Curls of smoke drifted through the small shop. A torrential downpour was raging outside, and no other customers came in.

"Old man, do I look like a bad guy to you?" As the cigarette burned down to the filter, I looked at the store owner, who didn't dare move a muscle behind the counter, and gave a helpless expression. "Relax. I won't make things difficult for you, and I certainly won't hurt you."

I had the old man hand over his phone, then turned around to lock the shop's door. I hung up the 'Closed' sign and turned off the convenience store's lights.

Dark clouds blotted out the sky, and heavy rain battered the windows. The old man's anxiety had reached a boiling point. He had no idea what I was doing, assuming I was preparing to silence him for good.

"Young man, you're still young. You have a long road ahead of you. If you turn yourself in now and try for leniency, you might get out in a few years. When the time comes, you can turn over a new leaf and live a good life..."

The old man pleaded earnestly. I smiled and nodded, though my eyes remained fixed on the wall clock.

There was still a long time before eight o'clock tonight, but on rainy days, night always fell early. The room was dark. I paced back and forth with my cigarette, scavenging the convenience store for anything useful.

"Old man, just watch your TV. Don't mind me, I'm only here to charge my phone. Oh, and keep the volume down while you're at it." I tore open a few raincoats from the shelves, picked out a couple of dark-colored ones, and stuffed them into a plastic bag.

With trembling hands, the old man turned on the TV. The moment the screen flared to life, a wanted bulletin scrolled continuously across the bottom.

"Name: Gao Jian. Male, twenty-five years old..." The old man clutched the remote. His face turned an ashen white, his brows knitted tightly together, and sweat rolled down his forehead.

"A city-wide manhunt. The Jiang family's influence really can't be underestimated. Old Master Jiang is probably pressuring the leadership at the Municipal Hall right now." I happily puffed on my cigarette, watching my own wanted poster on the television.

This completely unbothered attitude made the old man even more terrified, convinced he was trapped with a lawless, psychopathic killer who sneered at the law.

"Young man, do you... want a cup of hot tea?" The old man had likely intended to say something else at first, but swallowed the words, changing his tune at the last second out of fear of provoking me.

"No need. Drinking tea leaves lip prints on the rim. It's too easy to expose myself." I held up my hands, which were covered by a thin pair of gloves, and then lifted my shoe. The treads on the soles had been filed down, ensuring they wouldn't leave any distinctive prints.

"Details determine success or failure. I absolutely cannot get caught, at least not tonight."

Silence fell over the convenience store once again, broken only by the weatherman's voice on the TV: "Flood crest warning. The water level at Hankou Station has reached 27.45 meters, hitting the highest mark of the year. Residents along the river, please pay attention to your safety and exercise caution when going outside!"

"The flood is coming. All of this is strikingly similar to five years ago. The killer, the police... betting the lives of the entire city on a game they cannot lose."

My slightly manic tone panicked the old man. He stole a nervous glance back at me. "Young man, there's something I don't know if I should say or not."

"Speak your mind. I might have to bother you for a favor later anyway."

The old man opened his mouth and steeled himself. "I absolutely won't snitch, and I won't call the police. Look, I'm over sixty. I don't have many years left to live anyway. Can you just..."

"Old man, just watch your TV in peace. I won't hurt anyone, and I've never wanted to provoke anyone. What the news is reporting is just what they want you to see. The truth might be completely different."

I grabbed a broom from behind the wall and swept up the shattered teacup.

Honestly, I hadn't expected Old Master Jiang to be so decisive. When I left the villa and fled the Pinnacle of Happiness, I had missed the armed police by mere seconds. That old fox had probably ordered his subordinates to notify the authorities before Jiang Long was even dead.

"Anyone who can reach his level isn't an ordinary person."

The Jiang family had been operating in Jiangcheng for a long time. Their retaliation was fierce and swift. Had this happened at any other time, my best option would have been to flee far away and avoid their wrath.

But now, with disaster looming and the entire city shrouded in shadow, great chaos was coming. Someone had to step up.

"It's really ironic. I'm wanted by the entire city, yet I have to shoulder the burden of protecting Jiangcheng. The world really has changed."

I smoked one cigarette after another until my lungs burned, but my heart remained perfectly calm, without a single ripple of emotion.

The torrential rain fell harder and harder, droplets hammering against the doors and windows. The fierce wind raged. The TV screen flickered a few times before dissolving into black-and-white static.

"The wind might have snapped the antenna." The old man turned his head to look at me, but he didn't dare move, staying perfectly still in his chair.

Time passed, and the sky turned completely dark. There wasn't a speck of light inside the room; I could only read the wall clock by using my Chasing Eye.

The hands overlapped. It was eight o'clock.

Without warning, a faint, cold light appeared in the convenience store, casting a pale glow over both my face and the old man's.

"Y-Your phone."

"Yeah. I've been waiting for three days."

I picked up the Underworld Live Show Phone, answered it, and held it to my ear.

"Hello?"

Several seconds passed before a man's voice came through the receiver. "Mr. Gao, have you been doing well lately?"

Hearing that familiar voice vividly brought back the memory of my interview at No. 44 No-Lights Road. The man on the line was none other than the interviewer from the Underworld Live Show.

"Not bad. I'm not going to die anytime soon, at least."

My tone was flat, sounding as if we were two old friends joking around after years apart.

"Your progress is obvious. The first part of the assessment has also reached its end."

"The first part of the assessment? Didn't we sign papers before? Haven't I already officially become an Underworld Live Show Streamer?"

"Underworld Live Show Streamers are different from streamers on other platforms, and you're the most unique among them. Naturally, an extra exam had to be arranged."

"What do you mean? You arranged the first seven broadcasts? They were just part of the test?"

"You still need to find the answers yourself. The eighth broadcast is a critical turning point. Only by surviving will you earn the right to ask me questions. I hope you live to see tomorrow's sun—if the sun even rises over Jiangcheng tomorrow, that is."

The call abruptly ended. Not long after, a new text message popped up on the phone.

"The thousand-year dragon has awakened. The lives of the entire city will hang in your hands alone. You control their fate, you stand by their side, and you were pushed into the abyss by them."

"The thousand-year dawn will not arrive. The thousand-year dusk will undergo eternal reincarnation. The eight characters have been gathered. The dragon slayer will ultimately become the dragon."

"Broadcast Task: Find Qiu Ren before midnight."

"Optional Task 1: Kill Qiu Ren. Reward: 5 points."

"Optional Task 2: Kill Lu Xing. Reward: 30 points."

"Optional Task 3: Save Jiangcheng. Reward: One chance to ask a question."

"Attention: The Underworld Live Show Phone's special helpline function has been unlocked. When you encounter an unresolvable fatal situation, you may dial this mysterious number. The other party might help you escape, or they might drag you into deeper despair. The first call is free, with a time limit of three minutes. Every call thereafter will cost 10 points."

I unplugged the charger, pocketed the Underworld Live Show Phone, and began my final checks.

"The broadcast task is to find Qiu Ren before midnight. In other words, while being hunted by the whole city, I have to find another wanted criminal. The difficulty is a bit steep."

The optional tasks for this broadcast also felt fishy to me. First off, the point rewards for killing Qiu Ren and killing Lu Xing were vastly different; it went without saying who the true main character of tonight was.

Moreover, by issuing such blatant optional tasks, the Underworld Live Show was actually giving me a hint.

"I have to go all out tonight. It's either him or me!"