Unusual Fate Records

Chapter 1001. Rainy Season
The June rains linger in Sakyoto, the 16th ward of the city.

Cities named with "capital" are a thing of the past, having long since become economic centers. The world has long since become an economic entity with alliances, regions, states, counties, and cities as its main boundaries.

As the ancient cultural capital of the He clan, the city boasts a rich cultural heritage accumulated over many years, which has fostered a thriving tourism industry. Countless tourists travel from afar to visit and forge bonds with the locals.

The young man listened quietly to the rain outside the shop, holding a large bowl of buckwheat noodles, and finished the last sip of soup.

He placed the coins under the bowl, bowed to the busy shop owner, and said gratefully in broken Japanese, "Thank you for your hospitality."

The shop manager gave me a kind smile; foreign travelers patronize the shop almost every day.

The young man was somewhat shy, dressed simply but appropriately. He picked up his long black umbrella, lifted the curtain of the small shop, and disappeared into the drizzling rain.

"Hello." The young man had just left home when he received a phone call at a street corner. He had to find a quiet alleyway to reply in broken Japanese, "This is Jin Ziyue."

"Hello, Ms. Jin, this is Fuyuan Restaurant. Is this the part-time job resume you submitted?"

"Yes." The young man who answered the phone perked up, but soon his body stiffened.

A sharp object was pressed against his waist; even through his clothes, he could feel the coldness of it—it was a dagger.

Someone approached from behind, and a deep, somber voice slowly said, "Don't make any rash moves."

Jin Ziyue realized that he had encountered thugs.

The voice on the other end of the phone asked, "Jin Sang, are you still there?"

The thug gave a sullen instruction: "Continue."

"Yes, I am." Jin Ziyue held the phone in his right hand, while his left hand remained in the position of holding an umbrella.

"That's good. To confirm some information, there are a few more questions I need to clarify with you."

"Okay." Jin Ziyue tried his best to keep his tone normal and concise, following the thugs' instructions to the greatest extent possible.

Is Mr. Jin Chinese?

“Yes,” Jin Ziyue said sincerely, “I came to Kyoto to study and train.”

"I see. Do you have any experience in this field?"

"Before leaving my hometown, I worked in a restaurant and have some experience as a waiter," Jin Ziyue said politely.

"That's great! How much time do you spend on your part-time job each week?"

Jin Ziyue pondered for a while, and the impatient thug increased the pressure of his knife, slightly piercing his clothes.

Feeling the pain in his lower back, Jin Ziyue could only say, "It's more than four days a week."

He looked around and saw that there weren't many pedestrians on this rainy day. It was a dark corner of a narrow alley, and the chances of being found and rescued in the short term were slim.

"That's great. Please come for an interview tomorrow. We can discuss the specific compensation then, is that alright?" The other party seemed very satisfied with Jin Ziyue's answer.

"I am extremely grateful," Jin Ziyue said respectfully.

"We look forward to your arrival." The other party hung up the phone.

A chilling aura swept over him from behind, and the thug's patience ran out: "Hey kid, got money to study abroad? Hand over your money."

Jin Ziyue glanced at the street corner and made sure again that there were no surveillance cameras or pedestrians.

"Hey, I'm asking you a question, hand over the money!" The thug roared into the rain without bothering to lower his voice, while simultaneously thrusting his knife forward with all his might.

The person wielding the knife couldn't see Jin Ziyue's suddenly cold face.

I only felt the knife tip lighten, without the resistance of cutting into flesh.

The young man took a light step forward, dodging the deadly blade. The umbrella obscured his pupils, but his hand holding the umbrella remained steady.

With his right foot planted firmly, he twisted his waist and turned, his left foot swung back, and his leg shot out like a black lightning bolt, sweeping away the dagger that was thrusting at him again with a force sharper than a blade. Rain lashed against his trouser leg, splashing onto the assailant's face as he swiftly pulled his leg back.

The force still lingered in his leg, and the thug was thrown over, slamming into the trash can, which rolled down with a clatter.

Garbage and scraps were mixed together on the ground.

The thug raised his hand, panting, surrounded by a nauseating stench. He slumped down in the middle, like a stray dog.

Jin Ziyue stared at the man indifferently.

The rain preserved the last shred of dignity in the man.

The gloomy sky seemed like a mocking face.

The man stumbled to his feet. Rain lashed his face, and his wet hair obscured his features.

Jin Ziyue turned around indifferently, his hand holding the umbrella remaining motionless, and stepped into the puddle.

We were about to walk out of the alley.

"Damn it, even a piece of trash like you looks down on me!"

Although the man behind her was weak, he still shouted during his pauses to catch his breath.

Jin Ziyue glanced down at the shoes under the umbrella; the shoes were stained with dirty water.

"One day I will make all of you who underestimate me pay the price!"

"Uh uh—"

A chill suddenly descended, and the alley behind them was dark and deep, like a curse that had been unleashed.

The man seemed to have been hit hard; his screams lasted only a moment before being drowned out by the sound of the rain.

Jin Ziyue stopped in his tracks.

The smell of blood spread like water on rice paper.

They came silently and struck ruthlessly.

"Do you think he's noisy or not?" It sounded like a casual greeting, but the newcomer's voice was like the reverberation of sand being mixed in a concrete mixer.

Jin Ziyue turned around, his gray skin revealing bony protrusions. The newcomer stood behind the young man, his head turned back from his shoulder, close to the young man's neck.

The young man couldn't make a sound; all that remained was his bulging eyes staring straight up at the rain, his jaw agape, revealing half-yellowed teeth.

It's better to call it "bite" than "stick".

"Not bad." The gray-skinned humanoid creature raised its head, its left hand emerging from behind the man's ribs, its right hand using sharp claws to pinch the man's remains, tossing them aside and slamming them against the wall. Its murky blue eyes stared at Jin Ziyue. "The texture is a bit like cartilage, want to try some?"

Its mouth is bright red, and when it grins, its mouth is full of sharp teeth.

The only distinguishing feature of the humanoid appearance is its hooded outfit.

Jin Ziyue slowly raised the umbrella and pulled out a thin knife from the handle.

"Oh, that's too polite." It seemed regretful. "Another human with no sense of romance."

"Thump, thump."

The only response was the sound of Jin Ziyue quickening his pace and the sound of footsteps stomping through puddles.

"Hey, are you the ghost hunter that's been all the rage lately?" it seemed to be muttering to itself, smacking its lips, "Maybe you'd taste better than this wretched, rotten meat?"

The umbrella spiraled upwards, scattering countless raindrops; the person beneath it lunged sideways, a slender knife aimed directly at his brow.

The gray monster let out an exaggerated cry and leaped backward.

Almost the instant he touched the wall, his face turned cold, and he sprang up with the force of his hind legs, as if he were equipped with a spring, as swift as an arrow.

A gray shadow darted through the rain, feigning to reach out a claw towards Jin Ziyue's eye, but then quickly turned around, feinted, and used the wall on the right to return to Jin Ziyue's back, striking straight at the back of his neck.

Almost simultaneously, Jin Ziyue flipped his fingertips, turning the hilt of his knife around. A cold glint flashed, and the blade traced a half-circle in the rain. The moment he raised the knife, the tip, like a snake, slashed diagonally upwards toward his heart and lungs.

moment--

The slender umbrella-handled knife pierced through Jin Ziyue's body, stopping only when the blade was completely through and the umbrella handle reached his chest.

The blade behind him was impaled on the monster's head.

Dewdrops slowly slid down the slanted blade, making the blade, stained with muddy water, even gleam brighter.

"Clap."

The umbrella swirled in the air before slowly drifting down, its reflection shimmering on the man's hazy figure beside the puddle.

The monster, which had fallen at the same time, also fell.

The rain soaked its hood, its head was nailed to the tip of the knife, its hair was like dry grass, its body slumped down, kneeling in the puddle.

Jin Ziyue remained expressionless as he slowly drew his sword. The ghost head moved with the sword until it pressed against his back, the ghost head's touch resonating on his spine, its claws resting limply on his shoulder.

The rain pattered down on his face.

His eyes were exactly the same as the murky sky.

(End of this chapter)