A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

An hour later, in a remote corner of Leijing, stood an abandoned building as silent and gloomy as a tomb.

Torrential rain poured down.

Storm clouds surged from the far horizon, casting a heavy gloom over a massive swath of the sky.

It was as if a reservoir's floodgates had been thrown open in the sky. Tens of millions of tons of rain cascaded in a deluge, the bead-sized drops tracing beautiful parabolas as they battered the brightly lit city in the night.

By now, the time White Jack and Lorenzo had agreed upon at the port had arrived.

The six members of Death Crow were gathered here. Their figures were illuminated by harsh lightning, then quickly vanished back into the darkness. Pounding rain battered the windows with heavy thuds, the world outside swallowed by a curtain of water.

It felt as if the curtain had closed on a finished play.

Only six members had come to exchange the hostages because Giovanni and Bai Ziling were still unconscious, resting in their hotel room back at the base. Expecting someone who had just been sliced in half at the waist to bounce back immediately was unrealistic, and no one was going to bring along that frail little vampire anyway.

Aside from them, the members responsible for escorting those two back to the base were the Wolf Butler and the Puppeteer.

To ensure that not a single member of Death Crow fell into White Jack's hands again, preventing any new complications.

The Comet Fragments were already in their possession; all they needed to do now was guarantee that everyone retreated unscathed.

"White Jack's actions are highly unpredictable. It's very possible that the moment we trade for Heimeng, he'll turn around and have someone kidnap the unconscious Giovanni. We must remain vigilant,"

Lorenzo had warned them before setting out, leafing through his Bible as he spoke.

But most members of Death Crow didn't care. They didn't think that white-suited clown could cause much of a stir, feeling their leader was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Back in the present, the members of Death Crow stepped onto the floor and looked around.

The dimly lit floor was completely empty. Not a single soul was in sight.

"Could we have been played?"

The red-haired girl broke the silence, tilting her head and fiddling with her pirate hat.

"He probably didn't dare show up," Black Magic Hand said. "Exchanging hostages with us in a place like this? Once he gets what he wants, he'll have nowhere to run."

"Hard to say. That White Jack is no ordinary guy, Qingzi, my boy."

Guchen took a swig of strong liquor, wiping his mouth as he teased, "Someone so weak managed to lead us by the nose. Haven't you realized something is wrong here?"

"That is exactly why we must pay him back a hundredfold. That is our style." Sorakagehime cradled her scabbard, her black kimono fluttering in the wind and rain that blew in through the window.

Lorenzo remained silent.

Boom!

Suddenly, a flash of lightning tore through the gloomy storm clouds above, turning the sky into fleeting daylight. The rain lashed down madly, making the entire world seem to tremble.

At the same time, an eerie white top hat drifted in through the window, floating against the wind and rain. White Jack's figure materialized out of thin air right after it. The bizarre doll caught the hat with one hand while holding Heimeng with the other, pressing the tip of his Magic Cane against her throat.

Heimeng appeared to be awake now.

She wore the hood of her sweatshirt up. Her face was devoid of expression, making her resemble a wary little black cat.

Of course... only Ke Mingqing himself knew that this wasn't Heimeng at all, but his number two Theater Puppet.

"I seem to recall hearing someone suggest I wouldn't show up," White Jack said faintly. "Fun fact: there is no one in the world more trustworthy than White Jack. If there is, then White Jack is the second most trustworthy. And if there's someone else, then I'm the third."

"It takes guts to actually show up here..." Black Magic Hand said after a moment of silence.

"Could we speak a bit more politely? I do have a hostage in my hands, you know." White Jack shrugged, pressing his fist blade against Heimeng's throat. "Why do we all sound like stereotypical villains from American comic books? I'd hoped we could all be charming and charismatic villains, like Team Rocket."

Lorenzo remained silent for a moment before asking Heimeng unhurriedly, "Is there anyone else in this abandoned building?"

Ke Mingqing, currently playing the role of White Jack, raised his eyebrows slightly at these words. He hadn't expected Lorenzo to ask so bluntly.

Thus, he manipulated the number two Theater Puppet, altering its voice to match Heimeng's clear, cold tone. The puppet shook its head and replied, "No, Boss. Just this psycho."

White Jack lifted his Magic Cane and tapped the end against Heimeng's shoulder twice. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "How can you whisper secrets right in front of me? It breaks Lord White Jack's heart."

"Shut up..."

Black Magic Hand lowered his face slightly, veins bulging on his forehead. Watching this lunatic strut around in front of them with no way to stop him was an absolutely humiliating experience.

"Are you certain there is no one else in the building?" Lorenzo asked a second time, staring into Heimeng's eyes.

Ke Mingqing made the hoodie-wearing girl nod, offering no further nonsense this time.

"Is that so..." Lorenzo mused for a moment. Even though Heimeng said so, he still turned to the others beside him just in case and ordered, "Bill, Sora, Captain... The three of you will stand guard in different areas outside the building. If you encounter any enemies, do not linger in combat. Report to us and regroup immediately."

Receiving their leader's command, the three members of Death Crow exchanged a glance.

"I'll go take a piss first, then. There happens to be a restroom in the next building over," Bandage Man said, scratching his head.

"The rain out there is awfully heavy. Since you're making a wounded girl stand guard, I hope the rest of you pull your weight and bring little sister Heimeng back," Captain Red said, gesturing to her severed right arm.

Sorakagehime remained silent, her expression entirely indifferent.

She stared deeply at White Jack, meeting his hollow gaze, then released the girl with the high ponytail and pale yellow dress from her arms.

After setting Xia Zili on the ground, Sorakagehime turned herself and her black kimono into an ink-like shadow, gradually melting into the darkness at her feet.

The three left quickly. Soon, only Lorenzo, Guchen, and Black Magic Hand remained in the building.

"Oh, Mr. Lorenzo," White Jack said. "Since I'm surrounded by your people now, how about I take my hostage away first for fairness' sake, and then it's your turn?"

Lorenzo nodded silently. He gave Guchen a meaningful look.

As previously mentioned, Guchen's esper abilities included a "Ghost Horse" and a "Revolver," but he also possessed a pair of "Handcuffs." As long as he shackled his target with these handcuffs, an esper would lose all their abilities for one minute.

Lorenzo figured there was a high probability that White Jack was an esper. If Guchen cuffed him, the clown wouldn't be able to turn into a wisp of smoke and escape.

Of course, this was only The Pope's speculation. There were simply too many unknown factors regarding the figure standing before them...

To be honest, Lorenzo was already starting to regret not taking the man seriously during their first encounter.

Lorenzo raised his eyes, staring fixedly at White Jack as he spoke slowly, "The hostage is right there. Help yourself."

"Oh, no rush. Let me just confirm my escape route."

Saying this, White Jack didn't hurry toward Lorenzo. Instead, he leisurely turned around and sat by the window, crossing his legs.

Amidst the howling wind and rain, he kept his cane resting against Heimeng's neck, casting his hollow, eerie gaze down at the glowing screen of his phone.

...

...

Meanwhile, in the ruins outside the building.

Captain Red sat in a corner of the rubble. She closed her eyes slightly, letting the heavy rain pour over her head, her long red hair plastered wetly down her back.

Scarlett liked torrential rain. It reminded her of the smell of the sea, of the days she spent hunting on the ocean. Seagulls flying in from the horizon, cumulonimbus clouds blanketing the entire sky—she would lie on the swaying deck, spacing out, feeling like the whole world belonged to her.

After a while, the red-haired girl suddenly opened her lively eyes.

Resting her chin on her only remaining hand, she glanced at the message that had popped up on her phone.

[Cosimo: Is everything alright on your end?]

[Captain Red: Boss is negotiating with that white tight-ass. Don't know the result yet.]

[Cosimo: Anyone else there?]

[Captain Red: Haven't seen anyone yet.]

Suddenly, a massive, burly shadow strode slowly out from the curtain of rain. It was an old man with a white ponytail, wearing a cafe uniform wrapped in an apron.

Captain Red turned her head, looking at the old man through the rain. She blinked and sneered, "Aren't you a bit too old to be wandering around outside?"

"You young people really are something. Managing to step right on this old man's landmine with your very first sentence." Zorro scratched his head, slowly removing the reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

In the pouring rain, the old man rolled up his right sleeve, revealing an arm striped in black and red, glowing with crimson veins.

He slowly lifted his head, his gaze blazing like a torch.

...

...

At the same time, there was a public restroom inside the abandoned building directly across from them.

The restroom was pitch black, but moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating a figure wrapped up like a black mummy and coating his body in a cold, metallic sheen.

Right now, Bandage Man had a length of bandage suspended above his head, connecting him to the ceiling and leaving him hanging upside down in mid-air.

He unhurriedly unwound the bandages around his crotch while flipping through the latest issue of the Gold Medalist manga.

Bandage Man whistled, pissing while hanging upside down. The urine traced a neat parabola through the air, splashing into the urinal below.

Right then, the sound of a flushing toilet came from the stall behind him. A young man in a pitch-black trench coat pushed the door open and casually walked out.

It played out just like two ordinary people crossing paths in a public restroom. Both of their reactions were so natural that nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all.

Bandage Man didn't react at first. It took him a long moment before he blanked out slightly, turning his head amidst the splashing sound of his piss.

"Who're you?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, peering at the man through the gaps in his bandages.

The trench-coated youth was wearing a black owl mask, its surface etched with a red V-shaped strip of light.

A crack of thunder exploded outside the window, illuminating the young man's face for a split second.

"What an elegant posture. Are you any different from an animal?"

Owl Judge mocked. Suddenly raising his fingertips, a streak of pitch-dark moonlight shot out from his hand, illuminating his pupils.

In the next instant, before Bandage Man could snap back to reality and before his stream even finished, the moonlight pierced cleanly through his head. His brain matter was incinerated in a flash, leaving him without even the chance to form a thought.

"Oh... I heard someone couldn't dissolve his body into bandages while relieving himself, or else he'd get piss all over himself... But even if I gave you the chance, I doubt you'd have reacted in time anyway."

Owl Judge spoke carelessly, curling his lips into a smirk as he tugged at his pitch-black gloves.

The gloomy moonlight crisscrossed through the restroom, thoroughly shredding Bandage Man's corpse. Soon, a mess of pureed flesh and shredded bandages drifted down, splattering into the yellowed urinal.

As if nothing had happened, Owl Judge turned and walked toward the restroom exit, pulling out his phone to send White Jack a message.

The corridor was dead quiet, save for the howling wind, the driving rain, and his echoing footsteps.

The members of Death Crow were gathered in the other building, meaning this side was completely safe. Therefore, Owl Judge made no deliberate effort to mask his presence.

[Ke Linye: I've taken care of one.]

[White Jack: Received. As expected of Mr. Judge, your handiwork is truly reassuring.]

[Ke Linye: I'm heading over now. Keep the rest of Death Crow pinned down. Don't let them leave.]

[White Jack: I won't be able to stall for too long. They aren't idiots. Please hurry. Oh, right... Miss Zero blocked me, so I must ask—how is she doing?]

[Ke Linye: Worry about anyone else you like; there's absolutely no need to worry about her.]

[White Jack: Fair enough... By the way, since you guys don't know what Ember's true form looks like, I'm worried you heavy-handed maniacs might accidentally attack one of our own the moment you step onto the second floor.]

[White Jack: So, to prevent that from happening, I'll send you her photo first.]

[White Jack: I hope you can ensure her safety when you come in for backup later.]

Owl Judge pulled his eyes from his phone, looking out the window.

His gaze pierced through the curtain of rain. He turned his head and glanced at the abandoned building directly across the way, where White Jack and Lorenzo were locked in a standoff. A young girl lay on the floor, her face obscured from this distance.

[Ke Linye: Send it. You did me a favor, after all, though I never really cared much for that homicidal girl anyway.]

[White Jack: (Image.)]

Owl Judge's footsteps faltered. The corridor fell dead silent.

A streak of snow-white lightning flashed from the storm clouds, followed by a crashing peal of thunder. Amid the rustling wind and rain, the pitch-black figure stood completely still.

He lowered his head, staring fixedly at his phone screen. Reflected in his eyes was, shockingly:

—Xia Zili's face.

"Xiao... Li?"

A moment later, Owl Judge finally spoke, whispering in astonishment, his face wearing a very strange expression.

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