A/N: FICTION!
The night air smelled like smoke, oil, and fried food from the street vendors nearby.
The city never slept, cars honked, people shouted, and somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed.
Haoran exhaled, watching the two men stumble away, barely able to stand. The fight was over in seconds. Too easy. He rolled his shoulders, still feeling the spirit's power through his body.
"Weaklings," he muttered. "They won't try that again."
All he wanted was a damn lightbulb. He had just stepped out of a tiny electronics shop, bag in hand, when these rich idiots decided to corner him. Maybe they thought he looked broke. Maybe they thought he was an easy target.
They thought wrong.
Now, the two men were slumped against a parked sports car, a sleek, black machine that probably cost more than his entire apartment. The driver's door was still open, soft LED lights glowing inside. Their fancy cologne mixed with the scent of blood in the air.
He smoked again, back to his body.
The spirit inside him stirred, its presence like a shadow stretching inside his chest.
"Now, take their wallets," The spirit whispered.
Haoran was crouching down. "Oh? Thought we were above petty theft."
The spirit chuckled. "Think of it as payment for their stupidity."
Haoran reached into the first guy's jacket, pulling out a sleek leather wallet. Heavy. A good sign. He flipped it open, platinum cards, thick cash, VIP memberships to overpriced clubs. Rich kids who never had to struggle.
"Let's see what we got."
He pulled the cash and tossed the wallet back onto the guy's chest. Did the same to the second man.
"¥7,000," he muttered, putting the money into his pocket. "Not bad for a lightbulb run."
"Better in your hands than theirs."
Haoran kicked the car door shut with a thud. The two men groaned, barely conscious. He glanced at them one last time, then walked away, hands in his pockets.
"Next time, pick a better target."
The city swallowed him back into the night, leaving the rich fools behind, broke, bleeding, and lucky to still be breathing.
Haoran eyes moved over the ID again, his grip tightening. The name wasn't what caught his attention, it was the company logo stamped beside it. A golden dragon coiled around a red coin. His stomach turned.
"Wait, this guy works at Mó Lóng Wú Jìng?
The spirit inside him stirred, curling like smoke. It recognized them immediately.
A faint scent lingered in the air, just enough for the spirit to sense something. His vision blurred and suddenly, images flashed in his mind, bright neon lights, the sound of mahjong tiles clicking, the snap of playing cards, and a crowd cheering around a fight.
He saw men moving fast, their punches sharp and controlled, their eyes cold.
Macau. Gambling. Martial arts.
These weren't just regular guys. They were trained fighters, living off their skills. And if they were linked to Mó Lóng Wú Jìng, that meant trouble.
Haroan's expression hardened, flipping through the IDs again. These guys weren't just rich punks, they were linked to something much worse.
"So, what do we do?" Haoran asked, pocketing the IDs.
The spirit's voice was like a whisper in the back of his mind. "Simple. We hunt."
The spirit hummed in amusement, its presence shifting within Haoran like curling smoke.
"Looks like one of them is tied to something much bigger." The spirit said.
"Interesting. This could work in our favor."
Haoran rolled the ID between his fingers, his mind already running through possibilities.
He wants money.
"Yeah? And how do we use it?"
"Carefully. These aren't small-time thugs, we're talking about people with power. If we move recklessly, we won't just be dealing with street-level scum anymore."
"Good. I was getting bored with small-time scum."
"Confidence is one thing, but strategy keeps you alive. We have to be smart. We can't just take them head-on without a plan."
Haoran exhaled, leaning against the cold brick wall of the alley. But in this moment, it was just him and the ghost in his head.
"Fine," he muttered. "Before we jump into this, we've got bigger problems, like keeping a roof over my damn head. We need more cash, food, and a better plan if we're gonna keep doing this."
"Ah, finally thinking ahead. Good. Then let's get to work."