Suddenly, Chen Zhao had an idea, a very risky one!
The demonic crystal!
The gang leader might be saved if he ate the demonic crystal.
However, Chen Zhao feed him the entire piece.
Chen Zhao took out the demonic crystal, after which he raised his head and asked Morgery, "Do you have a hammer?"
"What's that for?"
"Do you have it?" Chen Zhao did not explain more.
"Find him a hammer."
Morgery turned around and left. After a short while, he returned with a hammer.
Chen Zhao did not know if the demonic crystal was indestructible, but he had no other choice at the moment.
Chen Zhao took the hammer and raised it high in the air.
However, suddenly, the Grim Reaper approached him.
"Are you going to save him with this?" A strange voice sounded off in Chen Zhao's mind.
Chen Zhao tried to use his thoughts to reply. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
"Give me the demonic crystal. I'll let him off."
"The demonic crystals is worth much more than his life," Chen Zhao replied.
"Yes, but if he dies, you'll die as well."
"Are you the Grim Reaper? Why do I feel like you're more of a demon?"
"I'm indeed a demon. The Grim Reaper is only what you humans call me. To be precise, my race is known as Soulbringers."
"Demon? A demon that I know told me that no other demons have entered the human world in the past thousand years."
"Do you know other demons? Although we Soulbringers are also demons, we do not live in Hell. Instead, we are found in the crevices between Hell and the human world."
"Then how do you send souls into Hell?"
"We're not responsible for bringing souls into Hell. Fallen souls will drop into Hell themselves. We Soulbringers are only in charge of special souls, like his."
"How is he special?"
"He is both a bad guy and a good guy. There are both the bright side and the dark side of human nature. We'll bring him to the crevices. Then, we'll strip the useless part off, extract the rest, and refine it into a demonic crystal like the one in your hand. Therefore, if you give that crystal to me, I'll let him go."
"Can you decide whether he lives or dies?"
"No I can't, but I have a say in if he dies now. He still has some vitality in him. As long as you don't kill him directly, he still has a chance to live."
"I can only give you half of it. He's only worth that much."
"Deal," the Soulbringer replied readily.
Then, Chen Zhao dropped the hammer, crushing the demonic crystal into many pieces.
It seemed like the crystal was nowhere near strong. Chen Zhao picked the pieces up.
Then, while the other two people were not watching, he gave half of the demonic crystal fragments to the Soulbringer.
"Are you not leaving?"
Chen Zhao really felt uncomfortable to have a Grim Reaper beside him.
"Don't worry. You can count on my words. I won't break my promise. I just want to tell you that your surgery will succeed, but twenty minutes later, he'll still die from a gunshot."
Chen Zhao's body trembled. "Who is it? Morgery?"
"Nope. It's a female."
Chen Zhao blinked in astonishment. Should he tell him?
Chen Zhao raised his head. He looked at the gang leader, and then at Morgery.
"Are your wounds caused by a woman?"
Immediately, Morgery drew his gun out and pointed it at the back of Chen Zhao's head.
"How do you know?"
"Before I came in, I saw a woman on the street. That's why I asked. Isn't it abnormal for a woman to appear at this kind of place at this time and in this weather?"
The leader's eyes glimmered. "I owe you a big one."
"Nope. I was only being responsible for my patient."
Chen Zhao started taking out the bullet from the leader's chest. The Soulbringer did not leave during the entire process.
"I'm in charge of this subdistrict. If you need me, you can find me again."
"Is there a Grim Reaper, no, I mean Soulbringer, at every subdistrict?"
"Not exactly. We exist between the light and shadows and are only attracted by souls with complex personalities like this one. We're not confined by Hell. It's just that there are a great number of special souls in this area, so I'm staying here."
"Is it true that as long as you're here, you can determine the life or death of everyone?"
"We can't determine the life or death of anyone. Instead, we can only sense the scene before someone dies. For example, just now I told you the cause of his death, and then you told him, thereby helping him to avoid it. On the other hand, if a person is out of vitality, no matter what you and I do, we can't stop his death. No, in fact, demonic crystals can."
"Huh? Can demonic crystals extend one's lifespan?"
"Yes, but everything is two-sided. Demonic crystals can extend one's life, but it similarly destroys one's bodily functions. It's just like how you doctors always say that overdose is bad. It's the exact same reason. The human body cannot tolerate too many demonic crystals. Only demons can eat them directly. If you want to extend a person's lifespan with demonic crystals, grind it into powder and feed an extremely small amount to him. It's best if you give it to old people though. If young people like you eat it, the demonic crystal will destroy your bodily functions and make you extremely weak. You'll need a long time to recover."
"Got it."
Chen Zhao took out the bullet carefully and at the same time stopped the gang leader's bleeding.
"Your life is safe for now."
At the moment, the gang leader was still very weak. He nodded gently. "Thank you."
"I need to take my pay, and then I'll leave."
Morgery paid Chen Zhao three thousand dollars exact.
Chen Zhao did not want to stay here for any longer. However, the Grim Reaper left with Chen Zhao.
"If I need your help in the future, how do I contact you?"
"If you're in this area, I will be able to sense your presence. Whether you need it or not, I'll come and chat with you. If you need me to go to another place, you need to tell me early. Moreover, if I leave this region, my sense of death will not be as strong. If the person is already targeted by another Soulbringer, I will no longer be able to feel his death. The death of any individual can only be felt by one Soulbringer."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"What?"
"If I run into danger and need you to protect me, can you do it?"
"I can't save you, but I can make your adversary's death come early."
Chen Zhao felt that the ability of the Soulbringers was most compatible with his profession.
At least, it was much more useful than the two little bastards, Beelzebub and Raymond.
"Oh, do you have a name? Or are you under anyone?"
"Death has no name. Also, we are not subordinate to any of the demon kings."
"I'll give you a name. It's really weird to call you Grim Reaper or Soulbringer. Of course, if it's taboo for you, then forget it."
"A name? I have no taboos. You're the only human who wants to give Death a name."
"Look at how black your entire body is. I'll call you Blackie then."
"Alright. I'm Blackie from now on."