The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

As night deepened, the vibrant atmosphere of Jiangcheng gradually faded away.

West of the city, Blackwater Wharf.

This is one of the largest waterway freight distribution centers in Jiangcheng. During the day, it is bustling with traffic, but at night, apart from a few dim searchlights, all that can be heard is the howling of the river wind and the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

Deep within the dock, a row of abandoned warehouses lay like giant beasts in the darkness.

One of the warehouses was brightly lit.

Inside the warehouse, a dozen men in matching black uniforms were busily moving wooden crates.

A man with a scar on his face and a sinister look in his eyes sat on the second-floor railing, looking down at everything.

He was the viper, the man in charge of the Blackwater Wharf, a man of flesh and blood.

"Hurry up, all of you! This shipment must be delivered before dawn! If you delay the leader's important business, you'll all become fish food in the river!" Viper roared impatiently.

His men moved even faster.

They all knew that the cult leader was about to hold an ascension ceremony, which was the most important moment for the organization, and no step could go wrong.

The venomous snake spat out the cigarette butt from its mouth, but felt somewhat agitated.

To ensure the absolute security of the Queen's Casino, most of the organization's best members were transferred away, and even his two most capable underlings were called in to help with the defenses.

What he has now are all ugly, useless things.

However, he didn't think there would be any problems.

Blackwater Wharf is their territory, which they have been operating in for many years. Even officials who want to get involved have to think twice. Who would dare to provoke them at this time?

Just then, the heavy iron door of the warehouse was knocked on slowly from the outside.

Boom, boom, boom.

Three tones, very rhythmic.

The warehouse fell silent instantly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked warily toward the door.

"Who?" Viper frowned and stood up from the railing.

No one answered.

Only the knocking continued.

Boom, boom, boom.

"Damn it, all that charlatanry!" Viper spat, then winked at his subordinate: "Ah Si, take two men to check it out."

A lean man nodded, and with two companions, weapons in hand, cautiously approached the gate.

He looked out through the observation hole in the door, but it was pitch black outside and he couldn't see anything.

"Who's outside? Speak up or we'll shoot!"

Ah Si shouted, all bluster and no substance.

The knocking stopped.

Ah Si breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that some clueless drunkard had taken the wrong turn.

Just as he was about to turn back to report, a slight click came from the door lock.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, the heavy iron door, which required three or four people to push, slowly opened a crack inward.

A cold draft blew in through the crack in the door.

A black wooden box, engraved with strange patterns, was slowly pushed in from outside the door and stopped in the open space in the center of the warehouse.

Then, the iron gate slowly closed again.

They didn't see a single person from beginning to end.

The warehouse was deathly silent.

All eyes were focused on the black box.

As members of the Flesh Embrace, it's impossible for them not to recognize this thing.

This is the medium for summoning demons, the treasure that the cult leader Blood Butcher has always dreamed of!

A few days ago, the organization issued a strict order to search the entire city for a young man carrying a coffin, who was said to be the one who stole the box.

Now, this box has appeared in front of them so abruptly.

"The box...it's that box!" a believer cried out in a trembling voice.

The snake's breathing became rapid, and its eyes were filled with greed.

He was loyal to the cult leader, and it was impossible for him to remain unmoved in the face of such a treasure that could grant him instant access to power.

If he could obtain this box and present it to the cult leader, it would be an immense achievement! His status would then...

"Quick! Bring the box over here!" Viper practically roared.

The two cultists closest to the box exchanged a glance, both seeing the greed in each other's eyes, and pounced on it almost simultaneously.

However, just as their hands were about to touch the box, something unexpected happened.

The black box suddenly emitted a blinding red light.

An indescribable aura of terror erupted from the box, instantly enveloping the entire warehouse.

That aura was cold and evil; it was the demonic power they worshipped, but it was countless times purer than what they usually sensed.

"what!"

The two closest cultists let out piercing screams. Their bodies were like burning candles, their skin rapidly drying out and their flesh melting away at a visible speed, until only two skeletal skeletons emitting black smoke remained, which fell to the ground and shattered into dust.

The others were terrified and scrambled backward.

"What's going on! What's happening?!" the venomous snake cried out in terror. He could feel the demonic power within him spiraling out of control, as if it were about to burst out of his body and worship the box.

This is not a treasure at all; it's a trap!

Outside the warehouse, on top of a container about 100 meters away.

Chen Guan and Long Ao watched all of this quietly.

"What...what did you do to that box?" Long Ao was somewhat surprised, looking at the eerie red light emanating from the warehouse and the faint screams coming from within. With his eyesight, he couldn't see anything wrong with it.

"It's nothing, it just activated the coordinate mark Lin Jiu left on it." Chen Guan's tone was very calm.

Of course, he wouldn't tell Long Ao that he not only activated the mark, but also used his residual echo to mobilize some of Baal's power and inject a trace of Baal's aura into it.

Barr did not intervene, nor did he say anything, so it's unclear whether he was still paying attention to him.

He left very little inside, not enough to cause real damage, but enough to detonate the mixed and impure demonic power within the Flesh Embrace cultists.

For these believers, Baal's aura was equivalent to the purest power; inhaling it even once would cause them to explode and die.

The first step of the plan was a success.

"What do we do now?" Long Ao asked.

"Wait." Chen Guan's gaze turned towards the Queen's Casino. "Wait until a bigger fish is attracted here."

Viper must be frantically trying to contact Blood Butcher to report what's happening here.

A treasure that can move and kill is enough to make that paranoid cult leader uneasy. He will definitely send someone to check it out, but he will never come in person.

And this is exactly what Chen Guan wants; like fishing, he is now just baiting the spot.

He wanted to draw out the power of Blood Slaughter little by little from that tortoise shell, and then defeat them one by one.

Just then, a figure silently stepped out of Chen Guan's sight and slowly walked towards the warehouse.

The man was dressed in a sharp suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and walking with an elegant gait; it was Lin Jiu.

How did he end up here?

Alarm bells rang loudly in Chen Guan's mind.

Baihu seemed to have noticed the two people on top of the container. He stopped, looked up, and a playful smile appeared on his face.

He gestured for Chen Guan to enter.