Chapter 175: A Monster beyond comprehension

Yang Chen glanced at Han Zhenya, who was still keeping up her act and couldn't help but find it amusing.Unfortunately for her, Nyx had already informed him of her murderous intentions toward him. As a result, her performance was utterly pointless in his eyes.

"Thorny rose," Yang Chen remarked with a smile, tapping his finger on the table.

Today, he came to meet the gangster queen.

Since she had no intention of revealing her true self, he had no choice but to force her hand.

Despite Han Zhenya's supposed retirement, the gangs she once controlled remain active and operational to this day. After all, the terms of the Soul Contract, signed by Han Zhenya, only required her to renounce her role as a gangster in exchange for sparing her life.

There was no stipulation about disbanding her gangs.

While he isn't sure of the loyalty of her members outside Thunder Tide City, he is confident that those within the city are still fully loyal to her, waiting for her return.

The moment he mentioned "Thorny rose," Han Zhenya froze, and the atmosphere inside the shop shifted dramatically.

That was the name of her very first gang!

"Fu Shi, could you step outside for a moment?" she asked calmly. "I'd like to speak with this customer alone."

Though Han Zhenya kept her expression neutral, she wanted Fu Shi out of the room before he uncovered more about her past. Fu Shi had nothing to do with her old life, and she didn't want her dragged into something dangerous or harmed because of her.

Naturally, Fu Shi did not know "Thorny Rose" or Han Zhenya's past. She was confused by her request but complied, leaving the room and allowing Yang Chen and Han Zhenya to be alone.

Before stepping out, Fu Shi gave Yang Chen a long, thoughtful look. She had known Han Zhenya for nearly a decade, and in all that time, she'd never seen her show interest in any man.

Yet now, after meeting him for the first time, this situation arose.

'So, I'm not the only one, huh…' A smirk appeared on her lips as she came to that realization.

As soon as Fu Shi left the room, Han Zhenya waved her hand, creating a sound barrier around the shop to prevent anyone from overhearing their conversation.

"Who are you? And what do you want?"

She asked, her tone now cold and sharp while releasing her aura in an attempt to intimidate him.

Of course, she already knew about Yang Chen.

A few days earlier, She detected him with her spectral sense when he entered the field of her spectral sense. She had watched him effortlessly infiltrate the headquarters of a new gang in her territory, deal with its leader, and turn him into his puppet.

If it was simply that, she wouldn't have paid much attention. But it was the way he fought and the ability he used that caught her eye.

She couldn't possibly forget the ice powers of that cursed woman, Tang Bingyin—especially since it was because of her that Han Zhenya lost her eyesight.

For the first time in a long while, she had to contact her subordinates to run a background check on him, trying to uncover any connection between him and Tang Bingyin.

To her surprise, despite being human, this man owned a luxurious mansion and was the principal of the Eternal Dawn Academy. Given his knowledge about her, Han Zhenya could tell he likely had ties to law enforcement as well.

After all, her information was extremely well hidden—practically nonexistent to the public.

Yet, no matter how thoroughly her subordinates searched, they couldn't find any link between Yang Chen and Tang Bingyin.

"Lend me your help," Yang Chen said directly.

Since he needed her assistance, he tried his best to appear dependable. Only by earning her trust could he hope to secure her cooperation.

Han Zhenya's expression darkened at his request. She couldn't fathom where he got the confidence to make such demands, especially since even the city lord couldn't command her so easily.

"Do you think being connected to that woman makes you capable of anything?"

"I don't know how you got her powers or what your relationship is with her…"

"But don't think you'll leave here alive if you keep provoking me." After speaking, Han Zhenya clutched her chest, feeling a tight squeeze in her heart.

'Damn this soul contract...'

'Just a little more time...'

'And I'll sever the karma thread and free myself from its restrictions.'

Yang Chen was taken aback by her reaction, not expecting her to be this reckless. After a moment of thought, he realized his words had wounded her pride.

Even he would have been upset if he were in her shoes.Yang Chen knew that by now, she had likely done a background check on him—discovering his age, address, and everything else about him.

A young man, not even in his 20s, making such demands of her?

What more, He was related to her enemy who was the cause of her downfall.

Her reaction was perfectly natural and expected.

'Hmm, how should I move forward?' he wondered, continuing to observe her closely.

To be honest, Yang Chen had much grander plans for Han Zhenya than just seeking her help or making her his woman.

In the past, Han Zhenya had controlled the mafia gangs throughout the Ghost Human Kingdom, with power rivaling that of the three major forces.

If he could help her break the soul contract and bring her to his side, his plans to conquer the Ghost Human Kingdom would be much smoother.

Her organization, while slightly weaker than the three major forces, would allow him to gather information quickly, as her gang's influence stretched to every corner of the kingdom.

However, recalling how she had been defeated by Tang Bingyin, Yang Chen found it hard to believe.

He couldn't fathom how Han Zhenya, with her S-rank talent related to karma, had lost to Tang Bingyin.

'There's something off about this whole thing...' he thought.

'Either I underestimated Tang Bingyin, or this woman is hiding something...'

'But why would she purposely lose to Tang Bingyin?'

'And on top of that, she lost her eyesight as well.'

Suddenly, Yang Chen had a realization, and his expression changed.

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'Losing her eyesight... and the Eyes of Karma?'

'Don't tell me that was the condition for awakening her talent!'

*Gulp.*

As the thought hit him, he swallowed hard, and his gaze shifted. If his hunch was correct, losing her eyesight was part of Han Zhenya's plan to awaken her abilities. If that were true, she was far more dangerous than he had initially imagined.

Watching his reaction, Han Zhenya's lips curled into a smile. While she had changed significantly after awakening her talent and abandoning her past ways, it didn't mean she would let anyone order her around.

"What's your real objective in approaching Fu Shi?" Han Zhenya asked seriously.

She already knew from her subordinates that Yang Chen and Fu Shi had met and that he had dealt with the gangsters stalking her. It had been her mistake to simply order her people to protect Fu Shi and her daughter.

She also had a reason for doing this and it was because of the soul contract's restrictions that she had to avoid direct contact with her old subordinates as much as possible.

Yang Chen fell into deep thought after hearing her question. He hadn't expected her to be so protective of Fu Shi.

'Who exactly is Fu Shi? Why does she care so much about her? And what's the connection between them?'

Seeing his confusion, Han Zhenya snorted inwardly.

'Hmph, take your time and think of an excuse.'

'I'll just confirm it with my eyes.' With that thought, she activated her Eyes of Karma. In an instant, the world around her was cloaked in darkness, and countless threads of karma flowed through the air.

This was a world only she could see, and no one could deceive her eyes.

'Let me see what kind of person you truly are—'

Before she could finish her thought, her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. For a moment, She even doubted her senses.

'Th-this... What is this!?'

'H-how is this even possible?' Han Zhenya completely lost her composure after witnessing the scene in front of her. She covered one of her eyes with her hands and muttered in disbelief.

".....A Monster"