Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 82: Because He Was Too Weak

He glanced down at the Horizontal Blade in his hand. The originally sharp, smooth edge was now pitted and notched, clearly unusable.

This blade was only forged from ordinary steel, so its current state was to be expected.

He had previously seen weapons forged from high-strength alloys on Zhu Xi’s website exchange list. When he got back, he could see if he could find a way to trade for one.

At this thought, Hu Qi took his phone out of his pocket. After a moment’s consideration, he dialed a number.

BEEP... BEEP...

After just two short rings, the call connected.

"Hello, this is Zhu Xi operator 1076, at your service! Mr. Hu Qi, how may I help you?" A cool, clear female voice came from the other end.

"I accepted the mission in Anxin Cemetery on the outskirts of Anshan City. The mission is now complete, but there was an unexpected incident. My teammate was attacked and killed..."

Hu Qi briefly recounted the events that had transpired.

"Understood. We will dispatch Cleaners immediately. Please keep your line open."

The woman’s voice had also turned serious.

After hanging up, Hu Qi felt his pocket and discovered that the bottle containing the woman’s blood had shattered during the fight.

Seeing this, he got up, went to the security office to grab an empty mineral water bottle, and returned to the man’s body to collect some blood.

Chen Fan’s blood was darker than the woman’s. Unfortunately, because some time had passed, he was only able to fill a little less than half the bottle with the Black Blood from the man’s body.

He sealed the bottle, casually buried it just outside the cemetery, and then walked back inside.

Then, Hu Qi sat down on a toppled gravestone to rest.

Before long, a group of forty to fifty people dressed in black and wearing face masks walked in from outside the cemetery.

"Hello. You can leave the rest to us."

The man in the lead said upon seeing Hu Qi, his voice calm and unruffled.

To them, this bloody scene seemed to be commonplace.

The Cleaners, just as their name suggested, were the personnel within Zhu Xi responsible for cleaning up such scenes and disguising them as accidents.

For a long time, they had been involved in handling the aftermath of incidents all over the country, from cases of Black Blood Species devouring people to the disturbances caused by Zhu Xi members hunting them.

They operated in the shadows, a group of true professionals who could handle matters cleanly from start to finish, disguising and covering up these incidents and replacing them with other explanations.

Zhu Xi members only needed to be responsible for hunting Black Blood Species; they didn’t have to worry about anything else.

Of course, the prerequisite was to avoid fighting in crowded downtown areas, lest too many people witness it. In such cases, even the Cleaners would find it difficult to provide cover.

"I’ll leave it to you, then."

Hu Qi nodded and turned to leave.

After walking out of the cemetery gates, he was met by someone approaching him.

It was a man in black with a cold expression. Based on the aura and oppressive feeling he radiated, he was clearly also a Secret Martial Artist who had cultivated his Qi and Blood.

Upon seeing Hu Qi, his eyes swept up and down over him before he spoke.

"I am Yang Mo, an intelligence officer from Zhu Xi. The parameters of the mission have changed. Please come with me to Zhu Xi to file a report. We also need to verify the details of this mission."

"No problem. But can you let me change my clothes first?"

Hu Qi pointed to his clothes, which were stained with dark red blood and hanging in tatters.

"That’s not a problem, of course."

Yang Mo glanced at him and nodded.

Afterward, the two got into a car and, without any delay, soon arrived at the Anshan City Science and Technology Park, where Zhu Xi was located.

After Hu Qi had washed up and changed into a fresh set of clothes, he was led into a room.

The room was sparsely furnished. A single light hung overhead, and a table sat in the middle. The setup looked a bit like an interrogation room.

The two sat facing each other.

"Now, tell me everything that happened."

Yang Mo switched on a recorder that was sitting to the side.

Hu Qi didn’t hide much, only omitting a few details that were irrelevant to his own strength.

He attributed his success in killing the metamorphosing Black Blood Species to the injuries Xie Fei had inflicted on it earlier.

As Hu Qi spoke, Yang Mo’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

"According to your account, that thing was in a metamorphic phase. If it had succeeded, it would have become a Lower-Rank Black Blood Species."

At this point, he looked at Hu Qi, his gaze filled with shock and suspicion.

"You’re Hu Qi, right? If I recall correctly, you’re one of this year’s new recruits. I never expected you to possess such strength."

"If it hadn’t already been injured, I never would have succeeded."

Hu Qi shook his head.

"Regardless, you were the one who killed it. Thank you for your contribution.

If that thing had successfully completed its metamorphosis, who knows how many people would have died!"

At this, Yang Mo stood up and gave Hu Qi a slight bow, his expression serious.

"The intelligence for this mission was a failure on our department’s part. The reward for this mission will be adjusted accordingly."

"It’s fine. I was just doing my job."

Hu Qi smiled.

"If there’s nothing else, can I go back now?"

"Of course!"

Yang Mo nodded.

Then, as if he had just thought of something, he said, "I’ll see you out!"

Just as the two of them stepped out of the room, they saw a figure standing to one side of the doorway.

It was a middle-aged man with graying temples. A closer look at his face revealed a slight resemblance to Xie Fei.

His eyes were red-rimmed, and the moment the door opened, his gaze locked onto Hu Qi.

"You’re the one who was on the mission with my son?"

"Xie Guang, what do you think you’re doing?"

Before Hu Qi could speak, Yang Mo stepped forward with a slight frown, positioning himself between the two men.

"Why? My son is dead, but you’re completely fine. Did you do something to him?"

Xie Guang ignored Yang Mo, his eyes fixed deadly on Hu Qi, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

"It’s simple. Because he was too weak."

Hu Qi said flatly.

Faced with the other man’s hostility, he had no intention of backing down. This matter had nothing to do with him in the first place.

"You!" Xie Guang’s eyes turned icy, and he looked as if he was about to make a move.

"Xie Guang, you’d better think carefully about the consequences of attacking a fellow Zhu Xi member!"

At that moment, Yang Mo, who was standing to the side, spoke again.

"Besides, the forensic report from your son’s death scene is out. It confirms that the nearly metamorphosed Blood Slave was responsible. It has nothing to do with Hu Qi."

Hearing this, Xie Guang’s expression instantly turned ugly, but he nevertheless stepped aside, no longer blocking their path.

He watched as the two of them walked past him.

"Don’t worry, Captain Yang. How could I possibly attack one of our own?"

At this, his gaze locked onto Hu Qi.

It was as if he was trying to commit Hu Qi’s face and build to memory.

"I just wanted to remind this young man... not to go wandering around at night. It’s too dangerous outside."