The boy stood high above, expressionless, his cold voice sounding more like an accusation.
Jiang Chen frowned, irritated by this stranger's attitude. "I'm Jiang Chen. Who are you?"
The boy's murderous intent began to surface. Fixing his gaze on Jiang Chen, he said, "I'm the one who's going to send you straight to hell!"
Before Jiang Chen could even react, the boy leapt into the river, swimming swiftly toward him.
"What the hell, you're crazy!" Jiang Chen shouted, turning to flee.
The icy killing intent radiating from the boy made Jiang Chen realize this was no joke. If he didn't escape now, he'd be a fool.
Confused, Jiang Chen wondered why this boy was acting so mad — trying to kill a six-year-old child like him.
Though questions swirled in his mind, there was no time to think clearly under such pressure.
Though Jiang Chen's swimming was fast, the boy's speed was even faster. Driven by his thick soul power, he closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
This was Jiang Chen's first time being chased. He couldn't help but panic slightly — and he could feel the boy's extraordinary strength beneath that murderous intent.
Suddenly, the boy caught up and locked both hands around Jiang Chen's body, forcefully pushing him underwater.
But the boy had clearly underestimated Jiang Chen's strength — a costly mistake.
Struggling, Jiang Chen choked on a few mouthfuls of water, but realized that the boy's power was actually weaker than his.
His physical strength alone neared a thousand jin (roughly 500 kg), and with soul power, it could be amplified by several hundred jin more.
In that instant, a sharp gleam flared in Jiang Chen's eyes. Unleashing his full might, he ripped open the boy's grip and reversed their positions, pinning the boy beneath the water.
The assassin boy was stunned, shock and disbelief filling his mind. He was trapped underwater, unable to break free!
The overwhelming force pressing down on him struck fear deep into his heart. This child really was born with divine strength!
No — this wasn't just divine strength; this was a natural-born monster!
At that moment, the boy cursed the investigator who had collected intelligence so carelessly. Such crucial information reduced to a mere phrase — "divine strength" — was a disservice.
By his calculations, even with all his soul power summoned, his strength barely neared a thousand jin. Yet this freakish child had already exceeded that limit. There was no way he could resist him.
If not for his powerful offensive Martial Soul, he would have died humiliatingly at the child's hands today.
The boy ceased his futile struggle, soul power surging through his body. Suddenly, a sharp sword appeared in his left hand, which he swung backward with practiced precision.
Without turning around, the boy's strike landed perfectly on Jiang Chen's heart, the blade piercing deep.
There was no time for an "accidental death" anymore — otherwise, it would be him who died.
Just when it seemed the boy had given up struggling, Jiang Chen felt a sudden, sharp pain lancing through his nerves. Looking down, he saw a blade piercing his flesh, plunging into his heart.
The boy surfaced, staring at Jiang Chen with a cruel grimace.
"Why?" Jiang Chen stared coldly, hatred burning in his voice.
He was just a child — why did this boy want him dead?
The boy's eyes were cold and emotionless as he quietly said, "Because someone wants you dead. What a shame — such a powerful genius wasted at my hands."
As he spoke, the sword in his hand vanished without a trace, and blood gushed from Jiang Chen's wound.
"You should be the one who dies!" Jiang Chen's voice suddenly turned icy. In the boy's shocked eyes, he transformed into a zombie.
His dark, abyssal eyes seemed to swallow the boy's soul whole.
The moment the transformation completed, Jiang Chen's wounds vanished. His black, razor-sharp nails dug fiercely into the boy's abdomen.
The intense corpse poison erupted within the boy's body, and in an instant, he lost all strength. Though his mind remained conscious, his body was completely ravaged by the toxin.
"How is this possible?!" The boy screamed in horror as he felt his life rapidly slipping away.
He had rarely felt such fear in his life. This child kept overturning everything he thought he knew.
What he thought was a simple task — killing an ordinary kid — had turned into a nightmare. This was a goddamn reaper!
Jiang Chen said nothing. Coldly, he dragged the boy ashore.
The boy's body was already corroded by the corpse poison, but Jiang Chen shielded his head carefully — he still needed information from this boy.
He was only six years old and had never left Shenghun Village. Who exactly wanted him dead?
Until he figured that out, Jiang Chen would never find peace.
In the boy's terrified eyes, Jiang Chen calmly put on his clothes and fixed him with a cold, assessing gaze.
The boy's heart was bitter. As death approached, his resentment toward the investigator had reached an unbearable peak.
Usually, every assassination had a professional overseer lurking at a distance to observe and record the mission's details. But this time, thinking the task too simple, the boy had refused to bring along the overseer.
And now, he was going to die quietly, without a sound.
"Who wants to kill me?" Jiang Chen asked coldly.
The boy's body stiffened, and he shook his head weakly. His neck already felt numb.
"I don't know."
Jiang Chen frowned. "Then who are you?"
"An assassin."
At that moment, a shock ran through Jiang Chen's heart — the one who wanted him dead had sent a hired killer.
"Tell me who your employer is, and I might spare your life."
A faint glimmer of hope flickered in the boy's ashen eyes, but it quickly faded. He could feel his body breaking down beyond repair. Recovery was unlikely, and he didn't know anything about his employer.
Since the day he became an assassin, he had been prepared to die. But he hadn't expected it to come so soon, and at the hands of a child no less.
He shook his head again. "I can't get any info about my employer. Don't waste your breath."
Suddenly, his face twisted into a grimace. "After I'm gone, stronger assassins will come. You can't run. Once we have our eyes on you, your only fate is to wait to die!"
A surge of anger burst in Jiang Chen's chest. Strong assassins? He didn't care. At worst, he could hide in Shenghun Village and let Tang Hao smash them one by one. But being threatened like this was infuriating.
And whoever harbored such dark intentions — he would find them and repay a hundredfold!
He looked coldly down at the boy slumped on the ground. "If you won't tell me, I have other ways."
In the boy's terrified eyes, Jiang Chen transformed again. His eyes turned pitch black, sharp fangs bared as he closed in.
"You… what are you going to do?" the boy stammered.
No matter how indifferent he had been toward life before, facing death now, fear still gripped his heart.
Jiang Chen said nothing. With the boy's horrified gaze upon him, he opened his mouth wide and bit down hard on the boy's neck…