Chapter 277: The Jiang Family

"The last live stream?! What's going on?"

"Streamer, your bullshit has me in a trance."

"Let's disperse, everyone. This unscrupulous streamer is just trying to scam us livestream viewers out of our hard-earned money again."

Master Tieling Biao tipped the Super Thriller Live Broadcast Room 999 Underworld Coins: "You make big news every time you go live. What's going on day after day? Did you catch a terminal illness?"

The livestream viewers in the channel sent a flurry of chat messages. Some were hardcore fans who had followed me through all seven streams, some were newbies who had just tuned in, and others were trolls who wished for nothing more than for me to suffer an accident.

The myriad states of the world, right and wrong, good and evil—this small live broadcast room was a mixed bag. Hidden behind screens, the stark differences in human nature were on full display.

"Fellow livestream viewers, thank you for keeping me company every night. Without you, I probably wouldn't have even survived my first stream. But gratitude aside, all good things must come to an end, and we will eventually have to part ways." I watched the chat while keeping an eye on the street outside, staying alert for any passing vehicles.

"Holy shit, are you serious? No more streams? Did you get banned? You son of a bitch, you haven't even taken off your pants yet, why would they ban you?"

"Is this for real? I'll bet the dignity of the geoduck clan that the streamer is just bluffing."

Teletubbies Died of Murder tipped the Super Thriller Live Broadcast Room 99 Underworld Coins: "Boss, whether you keep streaming or not, I'll always be your supporter. Stay strong!"

"No question about it, he's a conscientious streamer. I used to suffer from autism, but ever since I started watching your streams, I've developed eleven split personalities. My mom never has to worry about me being lonely again."

"Me too. My wife and I used to argue all the time, but after I started watching your streams, she became incredibly obedient and never dared to talk back to me again. Anyway, I'm gonna go take her out of the freezer so she can say hi to everyone."

"Uh, after reading the messages from those two bros above, I suddenly don't sympathize with the streamer as much. Him getting banned actually makes a lot of sense..."

The rainstorm raged on, and the situation remained critical. Yet, after starting the stream, I felt inexplicably at ease, as though I had a crowd of people walking right alongside me.

"Livestream viewers, truthfully, through my previous streams, I've gained a new understanding of my special profession."

"Confronting this city's darkest secrets directly, stepping into spine-chilling terrors, unearthing truths buried for years, walking between the Yang Realm and the Underworld, and completing commissions passed from the Underworld to the Yang Realm—this must be my purpose as a streamer."

"I'm no noble person. Struggling between life and death, my only thought at first was to survive. As for any other grudges or entanglements, I never took them to heart."

"It wasn't until the arrival of this eighth stream that I realized how ridiculously wrong I was. I wasn't chosen as the streamer because of luck or skill, but because this disaster itself is connected to me."

"Every stream involves a divine fiend. Now that the Eight Characters Divine Fiends have all been gathered, it's time for the curtain to fall."

After saying that, I looked at the chat. In the less than two minutes since the stream began, the viewer count had broken past two thousand, and the chat was already flying at a chaotic pace.

Some expressed pity, some took pleasure in my misfortune, and others maliciously spammed the screen.

"Streamer, streamer! I saw a wanted poster online, and the guy on it looks just like you!"

"I'm from Xinhu. The streamer is a celebrity now! He's being broadcast on a loop on TV every day!"

"An A-rank wanted criminal! Streamer, I saw early on that you had outstanding horns on the head and knew you weren't an ordinary person!"

Tiancan Doudou: "So terrifying..."

"A reward of a hundred thousand for providing his location! Damn! Hello, 110? I want to report a crime!"

The livestream viewers were spread all over the country, and some of them already knew I was a wanted criminal.

I guessed the phones at the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau command center would be ringing off the hook right about now. The operators were probably dumbfounded as to why so many enthusiastic citizens had suddenly appeared within the span of a minute or two.

Shaking my head, I knew it was unavoidable, so I ignored those comments.

Human nature was something that could neither be measured nor predicted. Even for a friend who was all smiles on the surface, who knew what they would do from behind a screen?

"My location could be exposed at any time, and I'm streaming while being a wanted fugitive. How could I possibly escape?"

I didn't turn off my phone. Instead, I temporarily slipped it into my jacket pocket, covered myself with my raincoat, and walked out of the store.

There were no cars on the road. I hesitated for a long time before walking back toward the convenience store. Pressing myself against the wall in the back alley, I pulled down the brim of my hat and hid in the shadows.

As the torrential rain washed down, I scanned the road from the corner of my eye. "That mother and daughter must have called the police by now. An ambulance and police cars will definitely be coming soon. I can't let Lu Xing escape. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

About five or six minutes later, a police car and an ambulance arrived simultaneously. Doctors and nurses rushed into the convenience store, not even bothering to open their umbrellas.

The police followed closely behind them, leaving only the driver inside the police car.

"Stealing a police car... no matter how I think about it, it's a bit crazy." I swallowed hard, my Adam's apple bobbing. My fingers trembled slightly as I slowly walked out of the alley.

The ambulance was meant for saving critically injured patients. If I drove it away, the police officer inside the convenience store who had been severely injured by Lu Xing would be in mortal danger. Therefore, the only choice I had was the police car.

I walked faster and faster. There was no room for me to change my mind now. I sprinted out of the alley and dashed straight to the side of the police car.

"Who's there?!" the police officer left driving the car shouted from inside. I clearly saw him reach for his lower back.

"Fate Ghost!"

A terrifying scene that he would never forget for the rest of his life unfolded. Countless strands of black hair shot out from beneath my raincoat, binding him like the tentacles of a sea monster.

Yanking the car door open, I snatched the officer's service weapon and dragged him out of the vehicle. "Borrowing your car for a bit."

Bang! I slammed the door shut. Without even thinking about the direction, I immediately drove the police car away.

"Wanted criminal spotted! Hanyang District First Team has discovered the wanted criminal! On Qingsong Road, requesting backup!"

The police officer's shouts came from behind me, though I couldn't hear them clearly. My only thought was to catch Lu Xing as quickly as possible.

I dug out the Black Wooden Box and placed the Mother-Child Gu next to the steering wheel. The Mother Insect's head was pointed toward the city center, occasionally bumping its head against the wooden box.

"It looks like the distance isn't too far, but why would Lu Xing and the others run toward the city center?"

I accelerated the car, not thinking too much about it as I followed the Mother Insect's guidance and gave chase toward the city center.

After driving past two intersections, a police roadblock appeared ahead. This was the very heart of the city. Although I had anticipated that the police would set up barricades here, I didn't detour so I could catch Lu Xing faster.

"Stop the vehicle!" In the pouring rain, the officers' duty jackets reflected the glare of the headlights. Two police officers held warning lights, trying to force me to stop.

Stealing a police car and assaulting an officer carried a minimum sentence of three years. That was on top of my being suspected of murder, resisting arrest, and maliciously inciting Bai Qi to attack the police.

If all the crimes I'd committed tonight were proven, I'd have to thank the authorities for their leniency even if I got life in prison.

"I can't be caught. At least not tonight." Compared to all those other charges, violently ramming through a police cordon and security zone didn't seem like a big deal anymore.

Gritting my teeth, I slammed on the gas pedal. I swerved past the officers, smashed through the roadblock, and sped away.

The two officers never expected me to be crazy enough to brazenly crash through a checkpoint right in the middle of the city center. One of them immediately hopped on a police motorcycle to give chase, while the other rapidly called for backup.

"The city roads stretch out in all directions, but none of them are safe. The police know my location, but I don't know which direction the police cars will come from. This is going to be difficult."

I admitted I had been a bit impulsive after seeing Lu Xing, carelessly putting myself into a desperate situation. But as long as I could catch him, all of it would be worth it.

There was no turning back for me now. If I could catch him and tell everyone he was the real culprit from five years ago, I might just have a sliver of a chance to clear my name.

The car sped along. Gradually, the Mother Insect reacted again. It turned its head toward the west and began ramming against the walls of the box.

"West? The area slightly west of the city center seems to be the Jiang family's territory."

As I rapidly drove past building after building, even I was surprised by my own good luck. A full half hour had passed since I started the stream, and I surprisingly hadn't run into a single police car.

"I've never had good luck. Something feels wrong."

Entering the western side of the city, I could already see Jiangcheng's landmark building in the distance—Century New Garden.

The three massive buildings sat in a triangular formation, pinning down Jiangcheng's dragon head. The closer I got, the stronger the unease in my heart became.

"Did Lu Xing intentionally lure me toward the Jiang family?"