Chapter 425: The Cubicle

'I'm the one it wants to kill?' My mind raced as I weighed the possibility.

Next door to my shop was a small restaurant. Whenever I was too lazy to cook, I would buy something from them. The owner was a chubby, good-natured man in his forties. He had a daughter studying out of town and a slim, kindhearted wife.

As the owner's details flashed through my mind, I spoke into the phone. "Who reported it? What was the time of death?"

I knew very well that if the method of murder matched the corpse in the Central Hospital Mortuary, the killer was highly likely to be the Blood Fox. As for why it had targeted me, there were plenty of reasons.

"A delivery driver took an order there. As soon as he walked into the kitchen, he found the owner dead. The time of death was roughly around nine o'clock."

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead the moment Tie Ningxiang finished speaking. I had left the Adult Shop at eight fifty. The Blood Fox Dry Corpse and I had missed each other by mere minutes.

"That was close." The Blood Fox Dry Corpse was far stronger than I was. In a one-on-one fight, I wouldn't stand a chance; there was a ninety percent chance it would bite me to death.

"If you really can't get away, then forget it. I just wanted to give you a heads-up," Tie Ningxiang said, her voice laced with worry over the receiver. "Stay safe. I hope this is just a coincidence."

By the time Tie Ningxiang hung up, I had already missed the last train. I was the only one left on the platform.

'Fortunately, I left Bai Qi and Wang Yu at the Jingying Sanatorium, so they narrowly escaped this disaster. Otherwise, the situation would be even more unpredictable.' If Wang Yu were killed, would the Ghost Mother seek revenge? If the Blood Fox Dry Corpse and the Ghost Mother clashed, what were the odds of winning?

Of course, that was just a passing thought. I could never actually use Wang Yu as bait to provoke a fight between the Ghost Mother and the Blood Fox. That child was pitiful enough already; I couldn't hurt him just to protect myself.

'Since the Blood Fox Dry Corpse failed to hunt me down, will it follow my trail all the way here? It seems I need to add one more to tonight's list of expected enemies.' I gazed at the empty platform, my eyes deep and calm. I didn't feel afraid of the Blood Fox's appearance. Long ago, I had realized a fundamental truth: blind fear and panic changed absolutely nothing.

"Mr. Lu, did your daughter take another mode of transportation? Our line has already suspended operations for the night." Feng Minglong walked over from the information desk, a hint of wariness in his gaze. "That was the final train just now."

"Yeah, I know." I held up my phone. "My wife just told me my daughter made it home safely. She didn't take the subway."

"A false alarm then." Feng Minglong breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"I won't bother you any longer." Gripping my phone, I walked away without hesitation. I glanced around the station. Aside from Feng Minglong, there was only an elderly homeless man huddled in the corridor outside the ticket gates.

'It's this empty?' After passing through the turnstiles, I casually tossed a ten-yuan bill to the homeless man and quickened my pace, ducking into the public restroom outside the ticket gates.

I moved so fast that even the dazed, hollow-eyed homeless man didn't notice me.

'Now, all that's left is to wait.' The live broadcast task was set for midnight, and the subway suspended operations at around eleven ten. I wouldn't have a chance to start the stream until all the staff left. 'Let's hope that Blood Fox doesn't track me down here.'

Even so, a sense of foreboding lingered in my mind.

According to Daoist Priest Xianqing, if the Blood Fox Dry Corpse wanted to recover its peak strength, it needed to consume a massive amount of fresh blood. It had indeed been constantly on the prowl recently. The corpse in the Central Hospital Mortuary was just the one the police had managed to find. How many more bodies were out there that the Jiangcheng police didn't know about?

'Maybe the Blood Fox has already recovered most of its strength, which is why it came knocking.' I sank my awareness into my spirit platform, trying to communicate with the willpower I had obtained through inviting spirits above my sea of consciousness. But after waiting a long time without any response, I had to give up.

'Eight or nine out of ten things in life do not go as desired. I'll just have to take it one step at a time.' I moved very quietly after entering the restroom. Ducking into the very last stall, I didn't dare make a single sound. Only when the voice-activated lights in the corridor outside completely went out did I take out the Underworld Live Show Phone. I reviewed the brief for this live stream task, analyzing the deeper meaning hidden between the lines.

Blending into the darkness, I actually felt a long-lost sense of security.

A while later, someone suddenly entered the restroom. I held my breath and listened closely. Footsteps walked past the first stall, and the person knocked on each of the doors one by one. Once they confirmed the stalls were empty, they walked back out.

The voice-activated lights switched off, plunging the restroom back into darkness.

'Leather shoes. That wasn't the homeless man, so it must be the staff. It looks like they're about to lock up the station.' I waited patiently. Suddenly, a chaotic commotion rang out outside—it sounded like someone running frantically before taking a hard fall.

I was a bit curious, but the live stream task was my highest priority right now. I forced down the urge to check and stayed put.

After a while, the outside fell quiet again. I glanced down at my watch. It was eleven eleven.

'Just to be safe, I'll head out at eleven forty.' Patience was an essential trait for a hunter, and my patience had always been excellent.

I controlled my breathing in the darkness as the minutes and seconds ticked by.

When eleven forty finally rolled around, I stretched my back, stood up straight, and pulled out the Underworld Live Show's Large-Screen Phone. 'Using the Brooch makes it too hard to interact with the livestream viewers. Unless it's a special situation, I'm better off using the first-person perspective.'

With a smile on my face, I plugged in the Portable Encoding Stick and turned on the camera.

"Connecting to live chat..."

"Acquiring video feed..."

"Data stabilized. Start the live stream?"

"Yes."

"Welcome, Teletubbies Died of Murder, to the live broadcast room. Welcome, Master Tieling Biao, to the live broadcast room. Welcome..."

The video feed stabilized, and my figure appeared on the stream.

Smiling and Living On tipped the Super Thriller Live Broadcast Room 999 Underworld Coins: "Streamer! I'm the guy from your last stream who was about to kill himself after his girlfriend dumped him. I want to thank all the livestream viewers for talking some sense into me. I've got it all figured out now. I'm going to stay strong and keep on living. A real man stands tall in this world—why worry about finding a wife!"

"We're doomed. Another viewer has gone crazy watching this stream."

"Hey, the guy two comments up, want to swap some experiences? Did you stuff your girlfriend's body in the fridge, or did you hide her in the closet?"

"You guys have such twisted minds! Hey, whoever you are, I support you. A real man should be that bold! So what if you've switched to liking guys now? We understand. Different genders are just for reproduction; the same gender is true love. Welcome to our 'Futa' association."

Smiling and Living On tipped the Super Thriller Live Broadcast Room 1 Yuanbao: "What does Futa mean?"

Teletubbies Died of Murder tipped the Super Thriller Live Broadcast Room 1 Yuanbao: "Stop right there! We are ending this question right now. You guys have derailed this thread way too much."

Only a few minutes after I started the stream, the viewer count began to soar. The growth rate only started slowing down once it broke past five thousand. The chat was flying by so fast I could barely keep up. 'I really have no idea if this is from the audience I built up over my last few broadcasts, or if it's because of that beautiful streamer's recommendation.'

At that thought, a cold glint flashed in my eyes. The consequences would be severe if she actually dared to expose my identity. 'Let's hope she isn't that foolish.'

I rubbed my face, pulled myself together, and looked into the camera. "Welcome, everyone, to the Super Thriller Live Broadcast Room. Before we kick off today's stream, I have to tell you something. Beneath every city hides the most evil, the most filthy things imaginable. Today, we're going to board the Death Special Train together and head into the deepest depths of the city to explore the unknown, dark side of this world. Perhaps you're also wondering—is that place where the sunlight can never reach known as the Underworld?"

After I finished speaking, I glanced at the chat. The livestream viewers were already hyped up. "I'm currently inside the public restroom at the Jiangcheng Northern Suburb Subway Station. The main doors to the station were locked a long time ago. I will now lead you all..."

As I turned the camera and prepared to push open the stall door, I suddenly noticed something extra on my screen.

Illuminated by the faint, cold glow of the phone, a human head was pressed flat against the partition of the stall right next to mine, staring at me in dead silence.