I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

So it wasn't a warning sign after all. I knew the liquidators wouldn't be doing something with such obvious signs of impending doom...

The thought had barely formed when the exile said, seemingly unintentionally, "Believe in yourselves. We will become feathers, and wherever the wind carries us, that is where we will go."

"Hahahaha." Li Lin let out a bitter laugh, feeling utterly hopeless in the face of the exiles whose death flags were flying everywhere.

What's wrong with these liquidators? Have they lost their IQ after dealing with that little vixen Xindan for so long?

The clock hanging on the wall pointed to the hour.

“It’s time. Go up to the roof, my lord,” the exile said simply.

While theoretically there is no problem in praying at dawn, whether in a closed, windless room or at a religiously significant crossroads, the long-standing custom of people to make deals to prolong life at dawn is cleared up.

The dawn is very short, so their movements must be careful and quick, without the slightest delay or carelessness.

“Remember the steps they told you to take. First, fill in your real name on the ash bill, then burn it in the dawn sunlight, and finally place the ashes on your heart. Write neatly without pausing.” The exile repeated.

"I bloom amidst the carnage, just as a flower blooms at dawn," Li Lin shouted, having realized the essence of the matter.

Li Lin took out the draft and filled in his real name with the pen that Forget-Me-Not had given him: Abraham Li Lin.

Then, following the steps the exiles had instructed, the ash bills quickly turned into a pile of grayish-white ash in the sunlight.

Tens of millions of heartbeats suddenly rang in Li Lin's ears. These heartbeats gradually merged with his own, like a vibrating drum, like thunder. Just listening to this sound made one's blood and soul boil.

As Li Lin applied the remaining ashes to his chest, his heartbeat gradually faded, becoming almost inaudible. Something even more silent and elusive covered his body, followed by a faint tingling sensation that began to spread from his shoulders.

It's hard to describe the feeling; it's like a heavy burden has been lifted off my shoulders.

"How are you feeling, my lord?"

Hehehehehehehehehehehehe—

Li Lin's eyes rolled back, and he grinned foolishly, drool seemingly about to drip from the corner of his mouth.

"...?" The exile was puzzled; the Ash Bill shouldn't have this side effect.

Li Lin suddenly became serious, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth: "I've never felt this good before!"

"Ah...oh." The exile had never seen such a special case before, so he could only mumble and hum in response.

Dawn is always very short; soon the sun leaps completely above the horizon, casting its light upon the earth.

But at that moment, an unusual heartbeat could be heard coming from the edge of the city.

thump—

Like the monotonous sound of a clapper, after a long pause, another sound rang out.

thump—

In that instant, Li Lin and the exile turned their heads at the same time, looking towards the edge of the city. The pounding heartbeat, like a clapper, came from there, reminiscent of some kind of evil voodoo ritual.

The exiles were right; the liquidators never cared about their whereabouts. They always entered the city with great fanfare, announcing their arrival in some eccentric way.

All apprentices who studied the art of the invisible, or mystics who delved into the great secrets, heard the strange heartbeat, especially those who used the Book of Ashes to extend their lives.

In this way, the liquidators proclaimed to the exiles in the city: We have found you.

"Exile, I'm fucking here! Where the hell are you? You're not even in Vienna!"

Li Lin's voice acting added a touch of humor to the gathering gloom.

In the dead silence, only the voices of the exiles rang out: "They're here."

In the Key Hunter's attic, the exile gazed at the edge of the city, awaiting the first explosion.

Five minutes later, in the suburbs of Xicheng District.

The deafening roar of explosives suddenly rang out, followed by a sharp siren piercing the sky.

The horn was cut off the next instant.

“The first place,” the exile sighed. “Let’s take another look, let’s take another look.”

He was always very patient in waiting. A hunter should not lack courage, but excessive recklessness may turn the hunter into the prey.

The Purgers had been without enemies for a long time. Long ago, any organization that dared to challenge them had been completely wiped off the map by Defour, until this treacherous traitor appeared.

It's also possible that my record in Granada and the five cities wasn't enough to make them feel pain.

Seven minutes later, the second and third explosions rang out in succession.

Eleven minutes later, the explosion that should have occurred was nowhere to be heard.

“They changed direction,” the exile said calmly. “Hmm, or perhaps their guess was wrong?”

"Let's go, my lord, it's time for the guns to draw blood."

167. Lack of martial ethics

As if it were some kind of announcement, when the first explosion ripped through the sky, people who were not seen during the day appeared on the streets of Vienna.

The rioters, like a tide, wandered aimlessly through the alleys until they crashed into the rocks and shattered against the hard steel.

A liquidator, dressed in a black trench coat, wearing bright red gloves and a brown top hat, stepped onto the asphalt road of Vienna.

Sticky blood flowed from their feet; this liquid had recently belonged to bodies that were still alive.

“Geoffrey?”

The liquidator, whose name was called, nodded slightly and withdrew his hand from the abdomen of the gang leader in front of him.

"You fucking..."

The burly man gritted his teeth, pink blood spurting from between his teeth and lips. He wanted to do more, but he was too weak to move.

The liquidator's hand precisely pierced his body, destroying both of his kidneys.

The liquidator named Joffrey raised his hand, grasped the brim of his top hat, and lifted it slightly.

A deep, cold voice came from under the top hat.

"Arrivederci (Goodbye)."

These people who focus on buying and selling life have a better understanding of the human body than the best surgeons. They may appear polite, but when it comes to violence, who would dare call themselves a thug in their presence?

“That solves the problem.” The leader of the liquidator squad nodded. After realizing the danger posed by the exiles, the liquidator organization began to operate in squads of five.

This approach, while seemingly sacrificing the mobility of those tasked with eliminating gang leaders, actually ensures a considerable level of group combat effectiveness. Just now, they had wiped out the third gang that dared to block their path.

Of course, the more they do this, the more they reveal that the dangerous exile is in the city.

“There won’t be a fourth one,” another slender female liquidator approached from a distance and replied. “I’ve already contacted the Vienna police.”

"They will help us suppress those overly energetic competitors."

The head of the liquidation team nodded: "Well done."

He turned around.

The instant he turned around, golden-purple twilight and the fragrance of hawthorn blossoms suddenly burst forth between them.

"Enemy attack!"

The leader of the purges retreated backward in a strange, ground-hugging manner, and swiftly drew a pistol from his waist, firing at an unbelievable angle.

Clearly, this is also a technique of blade application.

The golden-purple twilight dissipated and then gathered again, and Li Lin's figure flashed frequently within it, while his left hand slowly withdrew from the female cleaner's chest.

The lamenting spear pierced the female liquidator's chest with pinpoint accuracy.

Before the battle began, he had already switched his appearance to that of Severus Snape.

The female liquidator, with a gruesome hole in her chest, was thrown to the ground like a rag doll, dark blood gushing from her chest. Only then did the remaining liquidators react and quickly opened fire on Li Lin.

Compared to their leaders, these ordinary liquidators were far less skilled, not only reacting much slower but also lacking in shooting accuracy.

However, when their firepower began to converge, Li Lin's pressure instantly increased, and his constant Phantom Shift and Reveal seemed to be somewhat insufficient.

Li Lin's figure slowly disappeared in the golden-purple twilight.

Before dissipating, a hidden green beam of light struck the "corpse" of the female cleaner on the ground with pinpoint accuracy.

"He's gone." The leader of the liquidators closed his eyes. "Qi Xiang's influence is fading, but he doesn't know us very well. Take Jenny with you... Jenny?"

The voices of the head of the purge team abruptly stopped.

The female cleaner on the ground stared wide-eyed, the blood on her chest had congealed at some point, and she had stopped breathing.

"...We're retreating."

The leader of the liquidation group offered no explanation and made no attempt to take even the bodies of his companions with him.

That traitor, that dared to defy Defour's exiles, clearly had a new ally, powerful enough to single-handedly ambush them and take the lives of his companions.

In Vienna, there is only one extraordinary being capable of generating such a powerful revelation—the madman "Key Hunter" Abraham, who is secretly rumored to be a laughing stock among the Purifiers.

One exile is troublesome enough, but adding a key hunter who can come and go as he pleases makes them an easy target. A cleansing squad would be too reckless.

While writing the information on the bills of exchange and burning them to transmit it, the head of the liquidators pondered his next move.

Every liquidator, upon joining the organization, must sign their name in the Ashes Ledger and contribute half of their lifespan in exchange for the right to buy and sell lifespans.

Although the organization imposed heavy taxes, most of the liquidators were still able to embezzle some income, so much so that those who worked as liquidators for several years often had lifespans exceeding that of ordinary people.