F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

Jiangcheng, Central Financial District.

Top floor office.

Li Jianhong was standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

He gently swirled a glass of expensive red wine between his fingers.

His face displayed the gentle and refined demeanor unique to wealthy businessman Li Jianhong.

Sudden.

His hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air.

All the smiles on that refined and amiable face vanished like the tide.

A deep-seated throbbing in the very essence of the soul arose without warning from nothingness.

hum!

Li Jianhong's mind was in a whirl.

This feeling...

The next second, a palm-sized, grotesque black statue appeared out of thin air in his hand.

At the base of the statue, there is a grotesque gap that has existed for many years.

At this moment, two identical fluctuations, one in his hand and the other... coming from the west of the city?

How is that possible?!

That fragment was completely lost in the legendary dungeon [Abyss of Souls] many years ago when it broke with Shadow Fiend.

Have all senses been severed?!

Lost and found?!

An indescribable surge of ecstasy instantly shattered the composure and pretense he had maintained for nearly twenty years!

Gradually, his mouth turned up in a frenzied, maniacal smile!

He could sense that the power, though weak, was real and substantial.

it is true!

"Haha...hahahaha!"

Unable to suppress it, hoarse and manic laughter echoed in the empty office.

The wine glass in his hand trembled violently with his excitement, spilling bright red wine all over the floor, but he was completely unaware.

However, just as the ecstasy reached its peak—

wrong!

Li Jianhong's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

The official announcement regarding Shadow Fiend has just been made.

The cause of death was being killed by a newly promoted F-rank thief.

And this person is being portrayed by the authorities as a "young hero" with all their might.

Then, at this critical juncture, the core fragment that he had lost for many years and could not find despite using countless resources suddenly appeared...?

Li Jianhong closed his eyes.

It rapidly extended along that reconnected thread of soul, traversing countless city blocks.

finally.

It hovered precisely above a building with a solemn and imposing style.

Jiangcheng City Security Bureau!?

The cold reality completely transformed the ecstasy of regaining what was lost into a chilling sense of vigilance.

After a long while, Li Jianhong slowly opened his eyes.

The fervor in his eyes had vanished, replaced by an unfathomable chill.

Did someone happen to obtain his belongings and choose to hand them over?

Or……

This was a trap from the start?

A flicker of struggle crossed Li Jianhong's face.

Finally, he walked to his desk and slammed the glass of wine down.

"We must get it back no matter what..."

Li Jianhong muttered to himself.

Then, he picked up a uniquely designed satellite phone from the drawer and dialed a number.

The call was connected.

The sounds followed one after another.

"Boss."

Li Jianhong remained silent for a moment.

"Crow, I have a task for you."

His voice remained as steady as ever.

"Go to the third floor of the Security Bureau, at the end of the corridor, to a private office. My things, the last trace of them, are there."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a brief response.

"Yes."

"This is very likely a trap," Li Jianhong said emotionlessly. "Therefore, your primary task is not to retrieve it."

"Instead, they will act as my eyes, to help me find out..."

The cold words were like a pronouncement on the ultimate purpose of a tool.

[Crow] took a deep breath, his voice devoid of any hesitation.

"Understood."

……

Late at night.

On the east side of the Jiangcheng City Security Bureau building, a dark figure silently scaled the wall, skirting a blind spot in the surveillance cameras.

The visitor's code name is "Crow".

Lv.68, Class: Shadow Stalker.

Like a drop of ink blending into the night, he avoided all the visible and hidden sentries, climbing upwards along the pipes on the building's exterior.

The movements are skillful.

In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the third floor.

He twisted his body and squeezed through an unlocked window.

The corridor was deserted.

【Raven】's gaze quickly swept across the surroundings, confirming the environment.

There is no surveillance.

There are no traps.

There was no psionic warning.

Then, his gaze finally settled on the thick wooden door at the far end of the corridor.

【Raven】walked to the door, her fingertips extending into several slender black shadows, probing the door lock like gossamer threads.

Click.

With a barely audible click, the door opened.

The office was completely dark.

The strong, cheap tea smell mixed with the odor of inferior tobacco hit you immediately.

[Crow] frowned subconsciously.

He quickly scanned his surroundings.

On the table sat a chipped enamel mug, a few documents, and nothing else.

He picked up the documents on the table and glanced at them.

Wang Jianguo?

[Crow] Without further hesitation, it silently began its search.

Although the boss's instructions were not to retrieve it.

But as a subordinate, if you don't understand the boss's unspoken meaning, then you've worked for nothing.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the desk drawer—

"In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping, he came to someone else's office and rummaged through their things."

A languid, hoarse voice, as if just awakened, suddenly rang out from the corner of the room.

"Young people these days really don't know any manners at all."

The crow's body suddenly froze.

anyone?

impossible!

The hairs on his body stood on end instantly, and he turned his head in horror to look in the direction from which the sound came.

A red dot flickers in the darkness.

Followed by.

In the shadows of the corner, a figure had appeared out of nowhere.

The man sat in the chair, his figure blending into the darkness.

If the other party hadn't spoken up, his eyes, which had seen through countless stealth attacks, wouldn't have noticed anything at all!

The person who arrived was none other than Wang Jianguo.

He sat with his legs crossed, a cigarette butt dangling from his mouth, wisps of smoke rising and eventually gathering around the smoke sensor.

It's getting thicker and thicker.

"What are you... looking for?"

[The crow] did not reply.

The moment Wang Jianguo opened his mouth, all the muscles in his body were already tense to the extreme.

The next second, [Raven]'s figure suddenly blurred, turning into a distorted mass of ink, rushing straight at Wang Jianguo!

The assassinations of the Shadow Stalkers are silent and impossible to defend against!

The poisoned dagger, like the fangs of a viper, darted towards Wang Jianguo's heart!

however--

Wang Jianguo remained seated in his chair, without moving an inch.

He simply raised his left hand, which was holding a cigarette butt, and casually flicked it forward at the onrushing blob of ink.

The cigarette butt, burned to the very end, with a tiny spark, landed precisely in the center of the thick ink.

laugh--

With a soft pop, [Raven] stumbled out of the shadows, his proud [Shadow Form] abruptly interrupted!

A searing pain, burning his very soul, caused him to let out a muffled groan.

How is that possible?!

That was just an ordinary cigarette butt, one that even professionals wouldn't give a second glance!

[Raven]'s inner alarm bells rang, but his fighting instincts made him change his move instantly. The dagger drew a strange arc and turned to slash at Wang Jianguo's throat.

Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!

He was confident that even a shield warrior of the same level could not withstand this fatal blow!

But the one in front of him was not a shield warrior.

Instead, he was an old policeman wearing an old man's shirt and with messy hair...

Wang Jianguo looked at the approaching cold light, but didn't even bother to look up.

He extended only two fingers, and with perfect precision, he pinched the target first.

That epic-level poisoned dagger, imbued with all of Raven's power and skill, capable of cutting through gold and jade, was caught by him with such ease.

Not moving.

"Not bad."

Wang Jianguo's lazy voice sounded more terrifying to [Raven] than the whispers of a demon.

"You...didn't you eat dinner?"

Fear gripped his heart instantly.

[Raven] tried to pull back his dagger, but found that the two fingers were like red-hot iron pincers, firmly welding his weapon in place.

He released the dagger and stepped back, only to be horrified to find himself entangled by wisps of smoke that had appeared out of nowhere, firmly locking him in place.

There's no escaping it!

"No...impossible...who are you?!"

The sound of the raven trembled uncontrollably for the first time.

"Detection Technique!"

[Target: Wang Jianguo]

[Occupation: Rank D - Temperature Technician]

[Level: 36]

D-level profession: Temperature Master.

Level 36?

【鸦】's mind went blank with a buzzing sound.

Are you kidding me!

This kind of strength...this overwhelming power...

wrong!

Could it be that this person is...?

"I?"

Wang Jianguo loosened his grip, letting the epic dagger clatter to the ground.

He slowly stood up, stretching his stiff neck, which made a "crackling" sound.

"I'm just an ordinary police officer."

The words fell.

The crow's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

He only felt a blur before his eyes, and a large, calloused hand had already grabbed his neck, easily lifting him into the air.

That power was irresistible and unstoppable.

The crow's legs kicked wildly in the air, its face turning a liverish color due to lack of oxygen.

He looked at the ordinary face so close to his eyes, and all that remained in his eyes was endless despair and enlightenment.

This is not a difference in rank.

This is a crushing defeat on a level of life!

really……

He's not a professional!

he is……

……

at the same time.

Inside that luxurious penthouse apartment.

Li Jianhong was slowly and gracefully wiping an antique vase.

Suddenly, he stopped moving.

A dying thought suddenly resounded in his mind.

[Boss...trap...target...Wang Jianguo...]

[...heretical...path...]

【鸦】 (crow) means dead.

From being discovered to dying, it took only a dozen seconds.

The composure and elegance on Li Jianhong's face completely disappeared, and his expression gradually became solemn.

Heretical path.

A force unbound by rules, destined to self-destruct in madness and distortion...

But this man named Wang Jianguo is not only alive, but also retains a clear mind.

How is that possible!

His gaze pierced through the night, landing precisely on the imposing building, as if he could see the figure sitting in the darkness.

for a long time.

As if he had made up his mind, he picked up the satellite phone and dialed another number.

"Hello, it's me."

"Jiangcheng's plans have encountered some changes and have been temporarily suspended."