Sanxing City

Sanxing City was bustling with activities as always. The dazzling lights on the streets, the lights from cars forming a beautiful spectrum, as well as lights from huge buildings. All these and more made it almost impossible to tell it was late night. The night sky formed a blanket of boundless blackness, forming a mesmerizing contrast to the city below it.

Zhi Luan had just walked out from an alley and the dazzling view of the city almost blinded him. It felt like he was staring directly at multiple suns, except the said suns had different colors. In addition to that was the noise that followed. It felt like he was hearing a thousand things at the same time, and most of them were made by humans. He looked ahead and noticed that the source of the lights and the noise mostly came from small weirdly shaped carriages pulled by no horse or even a donkey. There were people inside these carriages, but he still wondered how the carriages could move without being pulled by an animal.

'Goodness!'

Zhi Luan couldn't believe what he was seeing. The small carriages were the least of his problems at this point. He joined the crowd moving along the streets, staring foolishly at everything. The people of this era wore different garments unlike what he was familiar with. Some people wore puffy jackets made from fur, while some wore skin-tight tops with noodle-like hands that exposed their necks and cleavage. In his lifetime, Zhi Luan would have never imagined that people would wear such clothes outside.

However, as Zhi Luan walked along the street, the stares of the people made him uncomfortable. Disregarding his height that towered above most of them, Zhi Luan's clothes also seemed to have drawn some attention. His clothes radiated the charisma of a man from a wealthy background. To see such a person wandering around the streets this late at night like a confused buffoon, made many surprised. Zhi Luan didn't need to be told that he stood out from the crowd. If he wanted to blend in well, he had to get a change of clothes. With that in mind, he cornered at the next alley.

Zhi Luan considered Sanxing City to be the most beautiful place he had ever been to, and now that he stood at the top of a huge building, the view of the city was astounding by many folds. The air felt different, with the lingering aroma from roadside food stalls, as well as the horrible smell that oozed from those small carriages. Yet, Zhi Luan didn't mind; this was all a new experience for him. The problem he was currently faced with was how to get a change of clothes, and that was why he climbed this building in the first place.

This was a habit of his, a second nature of sorts. Every time Zhi Luan entered a foreign city, he would always survey it from a high point within or outside the city. This would help him form a mental picture of the city to avoid unnecessary dangers and mostly to also map out a route of escape in case he caused any trouble. In an alley not far away, Zhi Luan spotted a man walking behind a lady. Without hesitating a second later, he quickly rushed over, jumping off the roof of buildings.

~A few minutes earlier~

It was just like every other night after work for Yan Qincheng. Despite being the middle of fall, there were occasional cold nights, but tonight was slightly colder than usual. Yan Qincheng wore a furry coat and a muffler around her neck. Her apartment wasn't far from here, just a few blocks away. She was a bit absentminded when she suddenly bumped into someone. Looking up, a man who appeared to be in his middle age was gently massaging his sore chin.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry,"

Yan Qincheng quickly apologized.

"I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and bumped into you. I hope I didn't hurt you."

 "I only hit my chin… it's no big deal. I'm rather worried for you. I have a strong chin, and I'm afraid I might have hurt you."

Yan Qincheng knew the man was only trying to be nice and not make things awkward, so she bowed slightly.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your understanding."

However, just as she tried to raise her head, a sudden wave of drowsiness almost made her stumble over. Her vision gradually blurred as she became increasingly lightheaded.

"Careful,"

The man rushed to hold Yan Qincheng from falling.

"See, I told you I had a strong chin. Let me get you out of here where you can rest a little"

Yan Qincheng could barely understand what was going on at this point. She had slightly bumped the man's chin, but it felt like she had hit her head on a concrete wall. Without the slightest capacity to stop and think, Yan Qincheng let herself be guided out of the street and into a nearby alley.

As she was led into the alley, Yan Qincheng heard the man muttering something under his breath, but couldn't make out the words. It wasn't till they were a distance away from the street that the man spoke audibly.

"You can rest here… for as long as you like."

There was a sudden change in the man's tone at the end of his sentence.

"Women like you are too easy to hunt, and here I thought it might be tough to get you."

Despite feeling drowsy, Yan Qincheng heard everything the man said, and a sudden thought occurred to her.

About three months ago, the Sanxing City Police Department had been investigating a case about young ladies being gruesomely murdered, with multiple stab wounds on their bodies, and the corpse left in an almost mangled state. It was concluded as a serial killer case, and the culprit was actively on the loose!