Chapter 55: Eye of the Scavenger (Please keep reading)

This heavy, powerful whip kick.

Even if it struck a bull, it could knock it to the ground instantly.

Yet, even as he was hit, the man in black managed to forcibly twist his waist, performing an extreme backward lean.

His agility was nothing short of breathtaking.

However, Fang Cheng’s long-planned killing move was not something that could be easily evaded.

After taking the kick, the man in black’s body shuddered like a convulsing leaf, yet he did not immediately lose consciousness.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng swiftly stepped forward to deliver a follow-up strike.

He immediately followed with a sweeping leg takedown, slamming the man to the ground.

Then, he grabbed the arm holding the knife and twisted it violently.

*Crack!*

As the arm joint snapped, the butterfly knife fell to the ground with a metallic *clang*.

Perhaps the intense pain jolted the man in black's dizzy head back to clarity.

He instantly cried out, "I am a pursuer sent by the Organization!"

Fang Cheng froze for a moment upon hearing this, and his grip inadvertently loosened slightly.

At that moment, the man in black squirmed like an eel, attempting to slide backward in a bizarre posture.

Clearly, he was attempting to repeat his old trick to escape.

Fang Cheng’s eyes narrowed, and he pressed himself directly onto the man.

He wrapped his arm around the man's neck, pulling tight with both hands, while simultaneously wrapping his legs around the man's waist to execute a rear-naked choke.

With his throat constricted, the man in black struggled to breathe, his palms desperately slapping the floor.

It seemed he had more to say, or perhaps he was trying to surrender.

But for this enemy who sought to kill him, Fang Cheng showed no mercy. He held the choke tight.

He felt the man's heartbeat slowing down and his breathing growing weaker.

Until, a few seconds later, all signs of struggling ceased entirely.

"Whew—"

Fang Cheng released his grip and let out a heavy, ragged breath.

He looked down at the silent, lifeless man in black lying on the floor.

His gaze grew somewhat vacant.

He had not experienced any of the negative side effects often described in legends regarding a person's first kill.

There was no fear, no terror, no nauseating urge to vomit.

Not only was that absent, but he even felt a faint trace of excitement.

"Could it be... I really have the potential to be a killer?"

Fang Cheng stood up, his heaving chest slowly calming down.

The dressing mirror in the room reflected his current appearance.

In the dim light, he was covered in blood, his hair disheveled, and his eyes shone with an unsettling brightness.

Fang Cheng frowned slightly and wiped his face.

He then promptly cast the ridiculous thought out of his mind.

How could that be possible?

Among his neighbors, he had always been a gentle, kind, innocent, and bright young man of promise.

This accidental killing was merely self-defense.

Even if he were taken to court, Fang Cheng would have ample reason to defend himself.

He quickly regained his composure, his eyes sharpening as he picked up the fallen butterfly knife.

Squatting before the man in black, he gripped the handle firmly and made a horizontal slice.

*Slash!*

The black elastic mask was cut open, revealing the face of a completely unfamiliar middle-aged man.

Fang Cheng glanced at the blood staining the blade and wiped it off on the corpse.

Then, mimicking the victim's likely habits, he performed a few flourishes with the knife around his fingertips.

This butterfly knife was very cool, with sharp edges and a rugged, clean design.

The rotating handle appeared to be made of titanium alloy with a dark gray coating and a concealed screw design, looking very sleek and efficient.

*Swish, swish, swish!*

He stabbed at the air several times; the tactile sensation was incredibly smooth.

This kind of short, agile weapon was perfect for close-quarters combat.

The more Fang Cheng looked at it, the more he liked it, so he decided to keep it as a trophy.

Next, he searched the man in black for other items.

A wallet containing two bank cards and a few hundred yuan in cash.

A set of keys and an unopened pack of chewing gum.

Finally, a black semi-automatic pistol.

Despite such an intense struggle just now, the man hadn't fired a shot.

Aside from the fear of the noise alerting neighbors and bringing the police, he was likely overconfident in his own skills.

He probably intended to use the knife to disable the target, then capture him alive for interrogation.

Fang Cheng felt a sense of relief.

His decisive move to disable the opponent's arm and then choke him had been wise.

Otherwise, a single moment of inattention might have allowed the opponent to turn the tables.

At that moment, a stinging sensation flared in his knee joint.

It was the aftereffect of the "elasticity" technique.

The reason his whip kick could suddenly twist and change direction in mid-air was because he had pushed his flexibility to the absolute limit, stretching his joints, ligaments, and muscles to their maximum capacity.

Of course, this move was actually inspired by his opponents.

Fang Cheng had been holding back, waiting for the right opportunity to strike with a single blow.

Had he failed this time, the opponent would have been on guard, and the effect would have been greatly diminished next time.

【Boxing Experience +20】 【Sanda Experience +70】 【Jiu-Jitsu Experience +70】

Several panels of information floated before his eyes.

Looking at the two combat skills whose progress bars had surged, Fang Cheng couldn't help but feel surprised.

It was understandable that his Sanda experience increased due to using a newly created variable kick.

But why did his Jiu-Jitsu experience increase so much?

Could it be because he had used a finishing move to kill?

Fang Cheng shook his head and looked at the chaotic scene left behind by the battle.

He immediately walked to the window, slightly pulling back the curtain to observe the scene outside through the gap.

The rain continued to fall incessantly. Occasionally, a vehicle passed through the street, but there were no pedestrians.

Fang Cheng's mind raced, thinking about how to properly clean up the aftermath.

The current situation was uncertain; calling the police would only expose his presence and increase unnecessary risk.

After a moment of thought, he went to the kitchen and bathroom downstairs to fetch cleaning agents, salt, a washbasin, a brush, and rags.

Cleaning agents could wash away grime.

High-concentration saltwater could cause the proteins in the blood to precipitate, making it easier to remove from surfaces.

Without professional equipment, he had to make do with what he had.

Drawing on his past experience with manual labor, he moved with great efficiency, cleaning all blood, footprints, and handprints from the floor and walls.

After about ten minutes of work

【Cleaning Experience +4】

Fang Cheng straightened his back and stood up, letting out a soft sigh.

Doing this kind of housework was actually quite tiring.

If his physical constitution weren't high enough, he wouldn't have been able to complete the crime scene cleanup in such a short time.

Scanning the room once more, Fang Cheng still felt a lingering sense of unease.

Recalling the enhancement reward from his "Cleaning" skill reaching Expert level, he opened the panel again.

【Scavenger's Eye: Capable of discovering minute, out-of-place traces in the surrounding environment.】

Fang Cheng attempted to activate the skill.

Instantly, the surroundings seemed to be overlaid with a dark red filter.

In his field of vision, several tiny white light points flickered, catching his attention.

"That is..."

Fang Cheng walked over and looked closely.

It was a single fallen black hair.

At this moment, the outline of the hair strand was faintly shimmering with white light.

"And..."

Fang Cheng picked up the hair and looked back, finding another hair on the floor.

Following the guidance of the light points, he then found a button.

It had likely fallen from a sleeve during the struggle to break down the door and rolled under the cabinet.

Without this special prompt or professional equipment, no one could be this meticulous.

Following the sequence from the doorway to the stairs and then to the upstairs room, after several searches

Fang Cheng finally nodded in satisfaction.

The next critical task was how to deal with the corpse.

Fang Cheng glanced at the man in black's build and looked out the window.

Seeing the vehicles parked in the garage diagonally across the street, an idea immediately came to mind.