May 27, 1018, 6:13 PM.
Dayu Country, Tian Nan Province.
Yunmeng City, Chihe Mansion.
A thirty-three-story apartment building.
Alkaid stood quietly in the elevator, listening to the humming of its operation.
Also in the elevator were a young couple in their twenties and a female student wearing the uniform of the neighboring No. 15 Middle School.
"Thud."
A dull sound ensued, and the elevator, traveling to the twelfth floor, suddenly stopped, plunging into darkness.
"Another power outage? Are those at the electricity department slacking off? This is the fifth or sixth time in two months!"
The man from the couple complained.
"In the last year or two, the number of power outages has clearly increased. Sometimes there are more than a dozen a month. I read online that it's due to the sun being in an active phase, causing repeated bursts that disrupt the power and lead to global magnetic field anomalies."
The woman explained.
"I don't care whether the sun is active."
The man responded, kicking the elevator door irritably, "I only care about when the power comes back on!"
"The duration of a solar storm outburst isn't usually long, but if it causes damage to the electrical equipment, then it's hard to say how long the outage will last. However, on average, it can take anywhere from half an hour to an hour to recover."
"Damn, so we're trapped here for at least half an hour!?"
The man cursed, kicking the elevator door again with force.
This scene frightened the middle school girl, who retreated to a corner of the elevator.
"Sir..."
Alkaid spoke politely, "Could you please not kick the elevator door? If you accidentally cause any damage..."
"Is this elevator yours? I'll kick if I want to? Are you bothered by it?"
Alkaid couldn't finish his sentence before he was harshly interrupted by the man.
After speaking, the man kicked the elevator door even harder, producing a loud "bang".
Alkaid glanced at him using the dim light.
Specifically, at his neck.
He had noticed upon arrival that the man was about 1.85 meters tall, possibly due to regular workouts, and appeared quite robust. Translating that into a Martial Artist's level...
Oh, not a Martial Artist; merely an apprentice at most.
To wield a weapon is to wield lethality.
Does possessing a weapon invoke lethal intentions?
Well, in a law-abiding society, not to the point of murder, but possibly just a bit more brutish in behavior and demeanor.
However...
The two were so close.
A single punch could break his neck.
He glanced at the visibly tense schoolgirl beside them...
Forget it.
There's a student here.
At that moment, Alkaid stopped talking.
Seeing this, the man scoffed and kicked the elevator door again, as if to show off.
"Bang!"
"Alright, we get it, you just passed your Martial Arts level, impressive. But remember, damaging public property can be costly."
The woman pulled him back.
"So what if it's damaged? The power's out, there's no surveillance, who would know?"
The man laughed scornfully, yet ceased his destructive behavior.
Time passed in this dreary manner.
Thankfully, after just three minutes, the apartment seemed to activate its backup power, and the elevator resumed operation.
As the elevator reached the first floor and the doors opened, the young couple strutted out pompously.
Following them was the startled middle school girl, still managing to hasten to school as quickly as possible.
Last of all was the unhurried Alkaid.
Once outside the apartment, he scanned a shared bicycle and rode to the old city district.
To be precise, to an old district confirmed for renovation, where residents had already moved out.
Scanning a mental map and estimating the position of a red dot, Alkaid chose a shop that had long been closed, and sat down on the cement steps, casually sipping from a bottle of mineral water.
A cool breeze lifted a flyer with the word "demolish" printed on it, carrying it deeper into the alley.
There, a man in his fifties, dressed in a shirt and with his hands behind his back, appeared at a corner of the alley, accompanied by a woman in her twenties.
His deep and powerful voice was faintly audible: "Is there a problem with the Luo family?"
"Yes, although it's just a widow and orphan, they have some connection with a Martial Artist named He Feng. They found the site during demolition, and in the conflict, a man named Liuzi was kicked to death."
The woman replied.
She seemed to be in her twenties but dressed in a women's business suit which gave her a mature and composed aura.
"However, that He Feng is already in prison for murder, getting him sentenced to death shouldn't be difficult. As for the remaining widow and orphan, someone will handle them tomorrow night."
"Hmm, this old city renovation project involves more than three billion yuan. We have a ten percent stake claiming 'technology' as our investment, and I don't want any problems."
"Godfather, Qing'er understands."
The woman responded crisply.
At that moment, the man seemed to sense something, his gaze suddenly landing on Alkaid, who sat on the steps looking like a typical college student.
Alkaid also set down the bottle of mineral water he had just sipped from, stood up, and calmly met his gaze: "Xia Li, general manager of Longquan Real Estate?"
"You are..."
The man studied Alkaid, furrowing his brows.
The man before him...
Gave him a sense of danger.
His strength was among the top in Yunmeng City and was renowned nationwide. Except for his peers, he had few challengers, having personally ended more than a dozen lives in the past decade.
This was also why those investors insisted on partnering with him for the redevelopment of this district.
That this man in his early twenties could make him feel threatened was utterly inconceivable.
In the next moment, Alkaid moved.
His attack was like a dragon emerging from the sea, fierce and brutal, the murderous aura overwhelming.
In just a moment of eye contact, Xia Li was already shaken to the core.
Murderous intent!