Su Mo’s expression turned grave at this moment.

With his spiritual sense, he could clearly detect a weak and unstable aura inside the room mentioned earlier. That had to be the mayor. The aura was faint, but it was still there, which meant he was alive.

However, the basement was different.

There were more than a dozen auras gathered there, and every single one of them was violent, chaotic, and filled with thick bloodlust. None of them carried the presence that ordinary people do.

There was no sign of the Mayor’s family.

A faint unease rose in Su Mo’s chest.

’I have a bad feeling about this.’

Since the Mayor was still alive, Su Mo made a quick decision. He would first confirm the situation in the basement.

---

Meanwhile, in the basement—

A group of criminals stood together, their voices loud and careless, as if nothing of importance had happened.

Some were adjusting their clothes, others pacing restlessly, while a few leaned against the wall with annoyed expressions.

"Boys, we messed up."

One of them spoke first, irritation clear in his tone.

"I told everyone to control themselves."

"Shut up," another snapped back immediately. "You were the worst one there."

"You think we didn’t see you?" someone added with a snort. "You were the most aggressive from the start. If you hadn’t choked her from behind..."

A few people laughed.

Not loudly.

But enough to make the atmosphere feel even more unpleasant.

"Sigh... Boss Ye told us to keep her alive," one of them muttered, clicking his tongue. "Now look what happened."

"That’s not on me," another replied carelessly. "Who would’ve thought she’d break so easily?"

"Easily?" someone scoffed. "We didn’t even give her a break since yesterday. How long did you expect her to last?"

Another voice cut in, annoyed. "Right, if you hadn’t gone too far at the end, she might’ve held on a bit longer."

"That’s rich coming from you," the first man shot back. "You were the most excited one."

The argument almost escalated, but someone waved it off impatiently.

"Forget it. What’s done is done."

There was a brief silence.

Then someone spoke again.

"And what about the kid?"

There was a pause.

"...She’s gone, too?"

"Already?"

"Yeah. Couldn’t handle it."

"You didn’t know?"

"Nope. I was waiting for my turn with the bitch."

"Damn, you missed a good show. Haha!"

A few of them exchanged looks, but none of them seemed particularly bothered.

"Boss said she was our backup," one of them said. "Now even that’s gone."

"Relax," another replied with a shrug. "Boss didn’t seem to care much."

"Yeah," someone added with a grin. "He was also watching the whole thing."

A few people chuckled at that.

"Didn’t even stop it."

"Why would he? He just stood there the whole time."

"Hah... that little one struggling like that... that was some entertainment."

Some laughed. While others felt they hadn’t had enough of the Mayor’s wife. Pity she was already dead.

This was enough to make it clear.

There was no guilt.

Only indifference, that an excellent tool for venting their lust, was broken.

***

Su Mo stood at the entrance.

He heard everything.

Every word.

Every laugh of these disgusting beasts.

His face didn’t change, but something inside him shifted.

The casual ease from before disappeared completely.

His eyes turned cold.

The air around him grew heavy, as if something was quietly building up.

Then—

A wave of spiritual pressure spread out.

It wasn’t loud or flashy like his other abilities, but it was overwhelming, directly attacking their brains.

The criminals didn’t even have time to react. Their bodies stiffened, and their eyes widened.

Then, one after another, they collapsed.

Some fell forward, some dropped where they stood, and some hit the ground hard without making a sound.

The pressure didn’t stop there.

It spread through the entire villa.

Every criminal still standing outside dropped the same way.

Some hit walls, some fell awkwardly, and some simply stopped moving.

Whether they would wake up again—that was uncertain.

---

Leng Shuang, who was still moving through the villa, taking out the criminals one after another, suddenly stopped.

She felt it clearly.

The huge pressure that swept past her without harming her, but it was impossible to ignore.

She looked around.

All the criminals nearby had already fallen.

Her brows furrowed.

"...Master?"

She murmured softly.

"...Did something happen?"

She could feel his anger in that spiritual pressure.

---

Su Mo walked forward.

He didn’t look at the fallen criminals.

Not even once.

The deeper he went, the stronger the smell became. It was heavy, unpleasant, and hard to ignore.

But he didn’t slow down.

His gaze was fixed ahead.

Then he saw them.

Two bodies.

A woman.

And a child.

They lay on the cold floor, motionless.

The woman’s condition showed clear signs of what had happened. She was naked, her hair dishevelled, her body covered in dark bruises, and her eyes were still open, bloodshot and filled with lingering despair.

Beside her lay a small figure.

A little girl about the same age as Li Mei, maybe even younger.

Her body was soaked, her skin had turned bluish, and her fragile body had swollen a bit. Even like this, her features still carried a softness like a cute little doll. Full of childlike innocence.

Su Mo stopped.

His hands slowly clenched at his sides.

The muscles in his arms tightened. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

A faint tremor ran through his fingers.

He remained silent and didn’t move for a moment.

Then he stepped forward.

First, he used his spiritual energy like telekinesis to pull a piece of cloth from nearby and cover the woman’s naked body.

His movements were careful.

Then he walked toward the child and crouched down.

Up close, she looked even smaller.

Even more fragile. Just a child who had barely seen the world.

Su Mo stared at her face.

He stayed there for a few seconds without moving.

Then his pupils turned crimson as he activated his ability.

He wanted to know what those beasts did.