The West Mountain Club fell into a dead silence, broken only by the sound of thunder rolling outside.
On the floor, the "Shadow"—the terrifying replica of Jiang Daolin—was writhing in a pool of his own blood, his body mangled by the very weapon he tried to use.
Jiang Daolin stepped over the Shadow's broken body and looked at the nine trembling figures huddled in the corner.
These were the kings of Beijing. They controlled real estate, energy, media, and pharmaceuticals. But right now, they looked no different from the beggars on the street.
"Mr. Jiang... please..." The head of the Li family, a man who usually commanded thousands of employees, was now on his knees, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't order the hit on the orphanage! It was him! It was the Shadow! I... I just wanted a new liver..."
"A new liver."
Jiang Daolin walked over to a luxurious leather chair and sat down. He placed the bloody Corpse Suppressing Ruler on the table with a heavy thud.
"Do you know where that liver came from?"
Jiang Daolin took out the yellowed ledger.
"Subject 304. A 19-year-old university student. He was kidnapped while backpacking. He was conscious when they opened him up."
Jiang Daolin looked at Mr. Li with eyes devoid of warmth.
"He begged too. Just like you are begging now."
"But you were drinking champagne on the deck of the Elysium while he screamed."
"No... I didn't know... I swear..." Mr. Li backed away until he hit the wall.
"Ignorance is not an excuse for cannibalism," Jiang Daolin said softly.
He raised his hand.
Swish!
A silver needle flew out, piercing Mr. Li's acupoint. The tycoon froze instantly, unable to move or speak, only his eyes darting around in terror.
"I won't kill you immediately," Jiang Daolin said, turning to the other eight tycoons. "I want you all to watch. Watch how your 'allies' pay their debts."
"Who's next?"
The remaining tycoons screamed and tried to scramble for the door. But the heavy blast-proof doors were locked from the outside.
Suddenly, a harsh, mechanical laughter came from the floor.
It was the Shadow.
Despite his jaw being shattered, the Shadow was laughing. His eyes, which were identical to Jiang Daolin's, glowed with a fanatical, twisted light.
"You... think... you won?" The Shadow wheezed, blood bubbling from his mouth.
Jiang Daolin looked down at him. "You are broken. Your masters abandoned you."
"Masters?" The Shadow's eyes widened maniacally. "No... I am just... version 1.0..."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
A faint sound started emitting from the Shadow's chest.
Jiang Daolin's expression changed. Stitcher's Sense: Danger.
"Run!"
He didn't hesitate. He grabbed the nearest heavy oak table and flipped it over to use as a shield.
BOOM!
The Shadow's chest exploded from the inside. It wasn't a large bomb, but it was precise. A miniature incendiary device planted directly in his heart.
The Shadow was instantly incinerated, turning into a pile of black ash. The Kylin Organization didn't allow failures to live. They didn't even allow their corpses to be examined.
The shockwave knocked the tycoons over.
When the smoke cleared, Jiang Daolin stood up from behind the table. He was unharmed, but his face was grim.
He looked at the pile of ash that used to be his "brother." So ruthless. They treated a living, breathing human—even a clone—as nothing more than a disposable tool.
"This is who you made a deal with," Jiang Daolin pointed at the ash and said to the terrified survivors. "If I don't kill you, they will silence you eventually."
"So, I'm giving you a choice."
Jiang Daolin walked to the center of the room.
"Option A: I sew your mouths shut and send you to the police. You will rot in prison, and Kylin will likely assassinate you within a week."
"Option B: You tell me everything. Where is the Kylin headquarters? Where are they keeping the 'Source' (Jiang Xiaoyu)?"
"If your information is valuable... I might let you live to see the sunrise."
The tycoons looked at each other. They were businessmen. They knew how to weigh pros and cons.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The head of the Wang family crawled forward. "The Kylin Manor! It's in the North! Hidden in the Yan Mountains!"
"I know about the 'Source'!" Another tycoon shouted, desperate to prove his worth. "I heard them talking! The girl... your sister... she is special! They aren't just taking her blood... they are trying to clone her!"
Clone.
Jiang Daolin's heart stopped for a beat. The Shadow was a clone of him. Now they wanted to clone Xiaoyu? To create an endless supply of "Panacea"?
The rage that erupted in Jiang Daolin's chest was colder than any ice, hotter than any fire.
"Good," Jiang Daolin whispered.
He walked past the tycoons, heading towards the door.
"You can go to the police now. Confess everything."
"Wait! Mr. Jiang!" The Li family head cried out. "What about the curse? The ghost of the student?"
Jiang Daolin stopped at the door.
"The ghost doesn't need me to avenge him anymore."
He pointed to the shadows in the corner of the room. To the naked eye, there was nothing. But in the eyes of the guilty, shadows seemed to be moving, forming human shapes.
"He's been watching you this whole time."
Jiang Daolin kicked the door open and walked out into the storm.
Behind him, screams of terror erupted from the VIP lounge. Not because of Jiang Daolin, but because of the guilt and fear that would haunt them for the rest of their short lives.
The debt was collected. Target locked: Kylin Manor.