Chapter 12 My Sister's Achilles' Heel, Nightmare Killer
Jianghai City, Old Town District.
Although it lacked the bustle of the city center, it was filled with the warmth of everyday life.
Narrow streets were lined with various snack shops, the air wafting with the aroma of fried skewers and grilled cold noodles.
Carrying two bags of freshly bought milk tea and fried chicken, Jiang Chen hummed an unknown tune as he turned into an aged, old-fashioned residential building.
"Click."
The key turned, and the door opened.
"Brother! You're back!"
A petite figure pounced toward him like a young swallow returning to its nest.
Jiang Chen skillfully caught her with one hand, a doting smile appearing on his face that was never seen on ordinary days: "Slow down, how old are you and still so reckless. Here, the cheese grape tea and Korean fried chicken you wanted."
The girl in his arms was about fifteen or sixteen, with twin ponytails, fair skin, and large, sparkling eyes that brimmed with cleverness. She was Jiang Chen's younger sister, Jiang Xiaoyu.
"Wow! Long live Brother!" Jiang Xiaoyu cheered, snatching the snacks and grumbling indistinctly while stuffing her mouth, "Brother, did you sleep in school again today? Auntie Wang next door says you're the Sleep God of No. 3 High School, and if you sleep any more, you'll be expelled. Our family doesn't have the money for a sponsorship fee."
Jiang Chen changed into his slippers and smiled as he rubbed her head, his eyes tender: "Don't worry, your brother is a Genius now. Just leave such things to me from now on; you just focus on studying hard and getting into a good university. By the way, come home early after school lately, it's not peaceful outside."
"Got it, naggy old man." Jiang Xiaoyu made a face and ran back to her room clutching her snacks.
Watching his sister's retreating back, the tenderness in Jiang Chen's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deep chill.
For this moment of peace, for this only relative. Whoever dared to touch her, even if it were a god, he would make that god sleep forever.
...
Meanwhile, at Jianghai City Central Hospital, in the intensive care unit.
"Ah!!!"
A shrill scream echoed through the corridor.
Zhao Feng was covered in bandages, lying on the hospital bed like a mummy.
Despite receiving the best treatment, he had comminuted fractures all over his body, and his face in particular remained somewhat crooked even after the swelling subsided.
More than the physical pain, the mental humiliation drove him mad.
"I’m going to kill him... I’m going to kill him!" Zhao Feng's eyes were bloodshot, his voice raspy like a demon's, "Dad! You must help me get revenge! I don't just want him dead; I want that Jiang Chen to watch as the person he cares about most is tortured!"
Beside the hospital bed, the head of the Zhao family, Zhao Tianba, had a face as dark as water.
Looking at his son's miserable state, the cigar in his hand was crushed to pieces.
"Feng'er, rest assured." Zhao Tianba's voice was cold enough to bite, "I've already investigated. That kid lives in a run-down place in the West District, with only a middle-school-aged younger sister at home."
"Sister?" A perverted glint flashed in Zhao Feng's eyes, "Good... good! Capture that little bitch! I want to toy with her right in front of Jiang Chen! I want him to kneel on the ground and beg me!"
"As you wish."
Zhao Tianba turned around, looking at a man in black standing in the corner shadows.
"Ghost Shadow, go. Do it cleanly. Remember, he's a kid at the fourth stage of the Qi and Blood Realm; although he's a bit strange, you are at the Peak of the sixth stage of the Qi and Blood Realm and specialize in mental concealment. Killing him will be as easy as reaching into a bag for an object."
The man in black, "Ghost Shadow," let out a raspy, strange laugh, his figure dissipating into the air like smoke: "Rest assured, Family Head. After tonight, Jiang Chen will no longer exist in this world."
...
The night deepened.
The streets of the Old Town District became deathly silent. The third-floor window was half-open, the curtains swaying gently with the night breeze.
Ghost Shadow climbed up to the third floor as silently as a gecko. As a professional killer, he loved these missions of slaughtering Geniuses the most.
He gripped the windowsill and surveyed the scene inside the room.
The target, Jiang Chen, was lying sprawled on the bed, sleeping like a dead pig, and could even be heard snoring lightly.
"Heh, no vigilance at all. Truly seeking death."
Ghost Shadow sneered inwardly, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes. He flipped lightly into the room, the dagger in his hand glinting with a ghostly blue light—a sign that it was coated in lethal poison.
One step.
Two steps.
Ghost Shadow held his breath, slowly approaching the bedside. He enjoyed this pleasure of controlling life and death.
Five meters.
Four meters.
The moment he stepped within three meters of Jiang Chen's bed.
A sudden change occurred!
The originally peaceful and harmonious room underwent a world-shaking change in Ghost Shadow's perception.
The floor turned into a viscous black swamp, blood seeped from the walls, and the air was filled with the suffocating scent of sulfur.
"What’s going on? An illusion?!"
Ghost Shadow was pale with fright; he tried to retreat, only to find his legs were rooted to the spot, unable to move.
He looked up at the bed in terror.
How was that still a sleeping youth?
On that bed, an indescribable ancient behemoth was coiled!
Its body was as massive as a mountain, surrounded by countless purple nightmare tentacles, as it slowly opened a single, massive, blood-red eye, looking down coldly at the ant that had intruded into its territory.
[Warning! A hostile unit has invaded the Dream Domain.]
[Power Assessment: Sixth stage of the Qi and Blood Realm (Trash).]
[Automatic Counterattack Mode: Supreme Nightmare · Fear Descent.]
"Ah... no... don't..."
Ghost Shadow's eyes instantly lost focus, his pupils dilating to the extreme.
In his mental world, countless demons crawled out from the ground to feast on his flesh, and countless tentacles drilled into his brain, churning his Soul.
That fear transcended death; it was a slow slicing that acted directly upon the Soul!
"Who am I... where am I... so many ghosts... so many ghosts!!"
Ghost Shadow knelt on the ground, foaming at the mouth, his body twitching violently as his crotch instantly became wet. His mental defenses collapsed entirely in that moment, and he was directly scared insane.
On the bed, Jiang Chen rolled over, his brow furrowing slightly as he muttered:
"Where did this mosquito come from... so noisy... get lost."
To Ghost Shadow's ears, this sleep-talk sounded like the judgment of a god.
In reality, Jiang Chen seemingly unintentionally stretched his leg and kicked out.
*Bang!*
This kick landed precisely on Ghost Shadow's chest.
The poor ace killer couldn't even let out a scream as he was kicked out the window like a rag doll, tracing a graceful arc before landing heavily in a trash can downstairs.
"Clang!"
The world was finally quiet.
Jiang Chen scratched his butt, pulled the blanket over his head, and continued to sleep soundly.