Chapter 100 The Shadow Changer 3

"In my opinion, the very existence of such places of ill repute is an evil and darkness that cannot be ignored," Zhu Shi said.

I then asked Chang'an, "What did you discover?"

“Because I always went to that nightclub for Jin Yu, I didn’t really spend much time there. But after going more often, I noticed something. There were a lot of young girls in that nightclub—that in itself isn’t a big deal, since it’s all about youth. The problem is that I initially thought girls like Jin Yu, who are college students, were young enough, but I didn’t expect…” Chang’an hesitated for a moment, then said, “The youngest one there actually looks seven or eight years younger than Jin Yu.”

"Huh?" Zhu Shi was taken aback and couldn't help but scrutinize the goldfish's face.

Jinyu looks about the same age as me and Zhu Shi, maybe twenty at most. If I were seven or eight years younger than her, wouldn't that be...?

Chang'an did not describe in detail the specific work those girls did in the nightclub, but continued speaking with a very gloomy expression.

“Although I’m not a gentleman who spouts moral platitudes, that kind of thing still crossed my bottom line.” He said in a deep voice, “At first, my goal was just to persuade Goldfish to give up her revenge plan, but after discovering that kind of thing, my goal expanded—I wanted to destroy that nightclub.”

“It’s not that easy to destroy that place. I advise you to give up that idea.” Goldfish glanced at him. “I think you should know very well that there are quite a few wealthy people who frequent that place. If something goes wrong, it will be completely different from what happens in other brothels. So the backing there is very strong, and it can’t be taken down through normal channels.”

“How will I know if I don’t try? As long as the clues I secretly gather are complete enough and the level I report to is high enough, I don’t believe it won’t work.” Chang’an remained unwavering and said to me, “Two days ago, I was attacked, kidnapped and beaten to death. The first thing I thought of after that was that nightclub.”

"Do you think they discovered your clandestine activities of gathering clues, which is why they're targeting your life?" I sorted out the logic behind it.

In other words, the owner of that nightclub might be the eccentric, or the eccentric might be his backer. Therefore, when Chang'an threatened the nightclub, the eccentric sent out his clones to nip the danger in the bud. As for why he didn't just give Chang'an a quick death, but instead went through all the trouble of beating him to death, that remains unknown.

But even so, there were still things that didn't make sense. I asked, "Then why didn't you tell me the truth last time?"

"I'm afraid you'll kill someone." Chang'an gave this answer, which only made me more puzzled.

"I don't understand. Putting aside the possibility that the nightclub's owners and their backers might be the masterminds behind your personal safety threats, the things you discovered they did are already evil enough. Do you think they don't deserve to die?" Although I didn't feel I had the right to judge others' evil, I said it anyway. "Or do you think they must be judged by law, and that individuals have no right to decide the life or death of others? I didn't see this Batman side of you."

"It's not because of those things," he said, his voice complicated. "If you want me to give you specific reasons, I'm not quite sure how to express it to you, it's just..."

"Just?" I asked.

“Your reaction at the time was so calm,” he said. “Later, when I found out that things were not as I thought, I was truly relieved.”

It took me a beat to realize that when he said "at that time," he meant the time two days ago when I killed those two shadow clones in front of him.

At first, I didn't know that the two shadow clones weren't human, yet I still killed them. While there was certainly an element of error involved, it didn't really stir much emotion within me.

However, Chang'an doesn't seem to see it that way.

When he realized that the other party was not human, it was as if a huge weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

"Just for such a ridiculous reason..." I was taken aback.

Meeting his complicated gaze, I couldn't resonate with his thoughts and felt his remarks were quite inappropriate.

It's like in a blood-soaked fantasy battle story, a character who seems to have stepped out of an everyday urban tale suddenly appears, researching the impact of mutual harm on mental health, and why people shouldn't hurt others. They're completely on different wavelengths.

Let's leave those delicate topics to the everyday urban stories where even a minor fall from a bicycle and a broken bone is considered a big deal. Here, it's common to see a few people die.

After having this feeling, I realized the problem. Yes, just as the values ​​that suit fantasy battle stories are different from those that suit everyday urban stories, the world that Zhu Shi and I live in is not on the same wavelength as the world that Chang'an lives in.

I cannot expect Chang'an to judge things according to my values. From his perspective, it is incomprehensible that his friend would be so nonchalant about murder. This is not something that can be easily dismissed with a simple "You're really brave."

I turned my head and glanced at Zhu Shi, only to find that she was looking at me too.

Then she turned to Chang'an and said, "And then? Since you think that nightclub was behind your attack, why did we see you coming out of it earlier? What did you do inside? Weren't you afraid they would attack you again?"

"I plan to report the evidence I've already collected directly to the relevant departments, but before that, I want to bring the goldfish out first," Chang'an answered honestly. "As for whether we'll be attacked..."

"Although I don't quite understand what you were talking about, they would never lay a hand on a guest in public. Even if they were to do something, they would do it secretly and maintain a facade of harmony. Otherwise, who would want to be a guest at their place again?" said the goldfish.

"While that was part of the reason, the main one is that I noticed they seemed quite wary of me. I guess it's because they failed to get to me two days ago, and they're unsure of my strength. I wanted to take this opportunity to intimidate them and get the goldfish out first," Chang'an explained. "However, they probably noticed you two bumped into me outside the shop, so after thinking it over, I decided it would be better to tell you the whole truth."

“You should have told us the truth a long time ago. Even if you wanted to bring the person out first, you could have asked us for help. If you didn’t want to discuss it with Zhuang Cheng, then come to me. Where did you learn this habit of wanting to deal with problems on your own?” Zhu Shi said with exasperation.

Chang'an seemed to glance at me subconsciously. Wait, was it my fault?

“I see…” Asaha suddenly spoke up, “So, is the person eavesdropping on our conversation outside the door also from that nightclub?”

"What?" Chang'an and Jinyu were both startled, while Zhu Shi remained calm.

I planned to light a "firefly" to sense if there were really people outside. But before I could do that, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and a man in a black suit, who looked to be in his thirties or forties, strode in.

“What a perceptive young lady! Now that you’ve been exposed, there’s nothing we can do. If you had pretended not to know, I would have given you a little more breathing room.” He spoke in a deep voice first, then looked at the goldfish. “Judging from your tone just now, you were indeed on Zhu Chang’an’s side, weren’t you? I knew Zhu Chang’an was so precise when he was searching for clues in the shop; you must have been secretly supporting him. The boss values ​​you so much, yet you’ve let her down.”

"Hmph..." The goldfish faintly showed fear, but still forced itself to remain calm.

Zhu Shi asked without changing his expression, "The nightclub owner allowed my brother to bring the goldfish outside just to see if the goldfish was the mole?"

"It was just a side trip. The real purpose was for me to follow them and probe Zhu Chang'an's background." The man in the black suit seemed confident in controlling the entire situation. He even casually closed the door and looked at Chang'an again. "The boss was initially wary of whether you had hidden power, but you just exposed yourself. It seems there were other factors that allowed you to escape two days ago; you were powerless on your own. And since you only met these people by chance outside, it means they weren't your support either. You're finished."

"Who is he?" I asked the goldfish.

"He's the boss's most capable assistant." Goldfish finally couldn't hide his fear. "I heard he used to be a professional hitman, and now he's in charge of the boss's bodyguard job. In the past, some outsiders tried to interfere with the nightclub's business, but they disappeared without a trace. Rumor has it that they died at his hands."

"Do you still have the leisure to talk now?" the man in the black suit sneered. "Or do you think that with five of you on your side, you don't need to be afraid of me alone? I don't even need to draw my weapon to deal with you. But that's fine, it'll also be good to shatter your hopes and let you see a terror you've never imagined in your past lives..."

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers, and an extraordinary change occurred in the private room. Shadows, like ink seeping from the wallpaper, flowed out from the cracks along the edges of the room, accumulating into dark, deep pools.

From the pool, one after another, monsters resembling demons from hell crawled out.

These are all shadow clones of the strange man.

The goldfish trembled as it witnessed this nightmarish scene. Chang'an also reflexively became very tense.

"How about it? These demons are soldiers bestowed upon me by the boss's partner, and they all obey my commands now." The man in the black suit spread his arms exaggeratedly, revealing a smile as confident as an emperor with the power of life and death. "This is power beyond common sense. If you don't want to be devoured by demons starting from your fingers and toes, then obediently follow my instructions..."

"...Huh? What's with your reactions, you three? Why are you looking at me like that?"

(End of this chapter)