I saw that within its gaping maw rested a pearl, small as a grain of rice, radiating an incredible luminescence.

"Is this... for me?" I asked, pointing to my own chest.

The Shèn, naturally, couldn't speak, only held its mouth open.

With no other choice, I extended two fingers and carefully pinched the tiny pearl.

It was then that a wisp of pale smoke puffed from the Shèn's mouth. I didn't dodge in time and was engulfed in the fumes.

This was the gas the Shèn expelled when creating illusions; it carried a faint, fishy odor.

I knew the Shèn seemed to be trying to tell me something, but since it couldn't speak, this was the only way.

Though I was acutely aware that I was already submerged in an illusion, I still jumped when the television set across the room suddenly flickered to life with a sharp pop.

The room was pitch black save for the television, which hissed static. The light flickered intermittently, making the atmosphere intensely eerie.

I thought to myself, you just want to tell me something, do you really need to create such a bizarre atmosphere?

Just then, the screen flashed, and the image of a male anchor from the evening news suddenly appeared. But looking closely at his mouth, it seemed as if two clam shells had been affixed there, making his appearance utterly strange.

Then, the strange figure on the television spoke to me in a painfully slow, mechanized tone: "Stop dragging me around... it is dangerous outside. This pearl is one I made using hallucinogens. As long as you keep it in your mouth, you can use Nian for two hours."

I said, "Two hours? That's too short, isn't it?"

Before I could finish, the television abruptly snapped off. The room lights returned, and the Shèn had closed its mouth, sinking to the bottom of the fish tank as if dead.

Only the tiny pearl in my hand continued to reflect the overhead light, emitting its strange glow.

"Alright then..." I muttered to myself.

I had once kept the Shèn in my trouser pocket for days without feeding it, never even letting it touch water, and today I had brought it into battle with me.

As a shell creature, it had proven itself remarkably resilient. Any other species would have long since dried up or been smashed by me.

I had never allowed myself to consider what I would do if the Shèn truly died. If it weren't for the Shèn, I would have long since perished under Boss Tong's tortures.

So, even if the pearl granted by the Shèn only lasted two hours, this was the best way to ensure its protection for now.

With that thought, I dropped two hefty chunks of stinking salted fish into the tank, pocketed the pearl, and headed out.

It was ten o’clock at midnight. Since it was already early winter, the weather was frigid, and very few people were out on the streets.

I had deliberately put on an overcoat when leaving, layered over a wool vest and a shirt.

Despite the layers, I still felt a distinct chill. I slipped my hands deep into my coat pockets and walked aimlessly along the brightly lit street.

That's when I spotted a vendor pulling a tricycle, selling grilled mutton skewers beneath a distant streetlamp.

Several small tables were set up by the roadside, all occupied by patrons enjoying the skewers.

Seeing a cluster of people gathered around the source of warmth, I drew closer, ordered a few skewers of lamb kidney and meat skewers, requested two ounces of white liquor, and began eating by myself.

As I ate, I noticed a couple sitting at the table just to my front left.

They looked like students: the man was refined, dressed in a casual suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. The woman was quiet, speaking little; she simply smiled sweetly at whatever the man said.

I felt a pang of envy for the young couple, thinking they must be from some university, out shopping late and stopping here for a midnight snack.

At the table next to the couple sat three middle-aged men whose professions were hard to discern.

They were spewing obscenities, speaking in a language that was clearly not local.

One of them, who had a rather sleazy appearance, kept glancing at the girl at the neighboring table.

I mentally noted that tonight might offer some action, but that man clearly possessed desire without the nerve. He only stole glances, quickly averting his eyes whenever the young man looked his way.

I judged that a man like that would never commit a crime.

Just as I thought these two groups would have no interaction, the young man suddenly pulled out a new model of iPhone, the large-screen version, and started making a call.

I watched the three men at the next table—who had been chatting boisterously—fall silent the moment they saw the phone. They began exchanging glances, signaling the others to look at the boy's phone.

I glanced over at the boy, thinking perhaps they were looking at more than just the phone, because the boy was wearing a ring on his index finger—a jade ring carved with a coiled dragon pattern. Judging by its quality, it must be quite valuable.

Seeing the expressions on those men’s faces when they noticed the ring and the phone, I knew we were in for a payoff tonight.

At that moment, the boy said to the girl, "Let's go, back to the dorms; something's up there."

He then fished out a wad of cash from his pocket, maybe five or six thousand yuan, and asked the owner, "How much is it!"

The owner glanced at the money in his hand and said, "Young man, why are you carrying so much cash? It’s not safe late at night; you should deposit it soon. Total is seventy-eight..."

The boy largely ignored the owner's caution, pocketed the cash casually after paying, and led the girl out toward the street.

Sure enough, after they left, the three men stood up without a word, paid their bill, and followed them out.

Naturally, I wasn't going to let a tragedy unfold. Feeling a slight thrill, I trailed along behind them.

The lively stall immediately felt much emptier once our three tables cleared out.

After walking a short distance, I glanced back; the shadow of the small stall seemed very distant, almost swallowed by the thin, cold wind.

The young couple ahead had already turned the corner, entering a narrow path unlit by streetlights.

It was then I saw the three men following them all draw knives and also turn onto the narrow path.

I knew something was about to happen; I had to intercept them before those three men did, or a tragedy might occur.

I sped up my pace, my overcoat billowing in the slight breeze, my leather shoes making a rhythmic tap-tap sound on the pavement.

I savored the feeling, reached into my pocket, and popped the pearl into my mouth.

The instant it touched my tongue, my body was flooded with a surge of immense power.

I bent my knees and launched myself upward.

The jump carried me over three meters high. I heard the wind whistling past my ears; I snapped my fingers, and the surveillance camera mounted on the roadside whirred, rotating to an angle where I was no longer visible.

I landed softly, stirring up a few fallen leaves on the ground.

Before the leaves settled, I kicked off again and sprinted forward at maximum velocity.

This time I utilized Nian to push my speed to the absolute limit, like a nitrous-boosted sports car. Whoosh! I shot forward five or six meters, flashing instantly into the alleyway.

The alley was pitch black, but I could sense the Nian signatures of the three men not far ahead.

And ahead of them, the young man and woman stood frozen in panic, unsure what to do.

"Hand over everything valuable you have, or I'll stab you both right now!" As the lead man shouted this, I waved my hand, and the knives in their hands flew out, suspending themselves in mid-air.

Before the three men could express their shock, I arrived like a breeze, passing right between them.

Almost exactly one second later, I materialized ahead of the trio as if by instantaneous teleportation, a slight smile on my face. The leaves on the path were scattered by the air displacement I created.

The three men looked as if they had seen a ghost; their legs buckled, and they nearly collapsed.

Before they could hit the ground, I darted in a flash to one man's nose, meeting his eyes.

The man soiled himself; a stream of hot, steaming feces trickled down his pant leg.

"You're this old and you still wet your pants? That deserves a slap!" I said with a smile, then flicked his forehead.

I applied Nian to that gentle flick, knocking him out instantly. He tumbled backward onto the ground.

The man next to him, seemingly braver, threw a punch toward me.

I casually caught his wrist, swung him around once, and swept the third man off his feet.

All three were subdued in less than a second: one knocked unconscious, the other two seriously injured, groaning on the ground.

I surveyed my handiwork with satisfaction, keeping my back to the young couple the entire time.

"You! Who are you..." the young man finally managed to ask.

I raised one hand. "No need to ask who I am. Remember what the mutton skewer vendor said: it’s best not to carry too much wealth on you at night."

Without waiting for their reply, I sprang four meters straight up from where I stood, landing on a branch of a roadside tree. Then, with another powerful leap, I executed a full flip in the air and landed behind a retaining wall.

Looking back, I knew the couple couldn't see me anymore. I let out a triumphant "Yeah!" and said, "That was seriously cool!"

At that moment, a dog in the yard began barking furiously at me.

No choice left; I leaped again, clearing the roof, and then another jump landed me back on the main street.

I snapped my fingers, and the surveillance cameras rotated back to their original positions. Then, like any regular passerby, I strolled slowly along the sidewalk, feigning that nothing had happened.

I continued my aimless walk down the street, wondering if I'd run into anything else.

But not far ahead, I saw a woman in a very short skirt slowly walking toward me. Trailing behind her were two large, burly men in black suits—dressed in dark suits and wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night—looking highly suspicious.

I was merely curious why the woman was exposing her pale thighs in such cold weather, but I couldn't deliberately cross the street to avoid them just because of that.

So, I walked straight toward them. As the distance closed, I got a clear look at the woman's face.