Chapter 3: The Shadow Farmer
Rumors spread like wildfire.
Every night, a dark figure appeared from nowhere — a man in black who hunted down criminals without hesitation.
They called him The Shadow Farmer, because he seemed to harvest something unseen from every soul he struck down.
---
The city trembled in fear.
Gang leaders vanished overnight.
Cops searched every alley, but all they found were trails of blood and silence.
---
On one rooftop, Jin Yuan stood under the pale moonlight. His mask covered his face from the nose down, his long black hair dancing with the wind. His eyes — once bright and warm — now reflected only emptiness.
> "I'll make everyone regret being fools," he murmured, voice calm as death itself.
He leapt from the rooftop, landing without a sound. Below, a group of men laughed and drank, unaware that death was standing behind them.
The laughter stopped in an instant.
Jin Yuan unsheathed his massive blade — a weapon no ordinary man could even lift — and chaos erupted.
Blood painted the alley walls.
Screams echoed, then faded.
Moments later, the streets were silent again.
Jin Yuan sat on the edge of the roof, breathing quietly.
His blade, still dripping red, reflected the moonlight like a mirror to his soul.
> "They deserved this," he said softly.
"Stealing people's hard-earned money… ruining lives for greed."
He tilted his head back and looked at the stars.
> "This world never listens to words. Only to violence."
---
Days later, somewhere in the outskirts of the city —
Jin Yuan walked alone down a dark, empty road.
From a nearby house window, a little girl spotted him and called out:
> "What are you doing, mister?"
Jin Yuan stopped, looking up at her. His tone was flat, almost emotionless.
> "Farming."
> "Farming? But it's midnight! You'll catch a cold!"
A faint smile appeared beneath his mask.
> "Aura farming," he said simply.
Before the girl could reply, Jin Yuan leapt effortlessly onto a rooftop and vanished into the darkness.
---
The next evening, under a fading sunset —
Chanoki found Jin Yuan sitting on an old park bench, his black coat fluttering in the wind.
She approached him hesitantly, her voice trembling.
> "Jin Yuan… may I talk to you?"
He didn't turn his head.
> "What is it, Ms. Cheater?"
The words hit her harder than a blade. Chanoki lowered her gaze, shame flickering across her face. She didn't argue. Instead, she quietly sat beside him.
> "Why are you doing this, Jin?" she asked softly. "If you don't mind me asking…"
He turned toward her, his expression gentle — but hollow.
> "Being a monster to change the fate of this world isn't easy," he said calmly.
"Words are cheap. People keep talking about justice, kindness, morality… but they never act. They only watch."
Chanoki's eyes glistened, but she stayed silent.
> "I'll change their minds," Jin Yuan continued.
"I'll tear down the useless system that feeds on the weak. I'll rebuild this world — even if I have to burn it first."
He looked at her, smiling faintly.
> "You see, Chanoki… the world may see me as a villain."
"And if I must become the greatest villain alive to fix it — then I'll be the most dangerous one this world has ever known."
The last rays of the sun faded, leaving only the sound of the wind through the trees.
Jin Yuan stood, his shadow stretching long and thin across the park.
Without another word, he walked into the darkness, leaving Chanoki staring at his fading figure — the man who once smiled like the sun, now colder than the night itself.
---
End of Chapter 3.
---
🔥 Author's Note:
The path of destruction has already begun.
Jin Yuan is no hero, no savior. He's the consequence of a broken world — a man who lost everything and chose to become something worse.
They call it evil.
He calls it balance.