âI represent the law of this city, the number one at the very top of the Supreme Courtâ
âClown, I donât care who the one behind you might be, but I can guarantee that you will regret thisâ
After stating this, the middle-aged manâs figure slowly faded away.
He disappeared from the corpse.
The Clown seemed like he still hadnât fully regained his senses as he hummed a tune while walking towards a secluded place in the bank.
There was a city map here.
âDing ding ding, found youâ
The Clown dipped his finger into a pool of blood on the ground and likely traced a mark at a certain corner of the map.
It was the address of the city courtâs Supreme Judge.
âA debt of blood must be paid by bloodââ- although itâs not my debt, Iâm still the collectorâ
The Clown muttered to himself and checked the Watch of Crime at his wrist.
Time has moved forward by 7 minutes.
A line of grey text appeared in the void of space following that:
[From your performance, youâve entered the eighth minute]
[You may choose to receive seven different supernatural abilities, each at the same level as the Mask of the Clown]
[You may also choose to exchange these seven minutes all at once to obtain a more powerful random ability]
[Please make your choice]
The Clown pondered.
In this world, the most powerful person is three times as strong as I am, but I only have 12 hours.
And Iâm not Zhang Ying Hao.
Someone like Zhang Ying Hao can use every last bit of power and tool at his disposal to their extreme in order to kill a certain target.
That is the hitmanâs style.
âââwhile my style of fighting is usually more suitable for using means that others could not predict in order to resolve a problem.
With that in mind, the Clown made his decision.
âI choose to exchange seven minutes all at once to obtain a more powerful random abilityâ
He silently informed the Watch of Crime in his mind.
Following his choice, new lines of grey text appeared:
[In consideration of your unique characteristics, the Watch of Crime has bestowed upon you the second supernatural ability:]
[A Wonderful Echo of Stylistic Art]
...
Nightfall.
The bell tower in front of the Supreme Court.
The Clown stood motionlessly.
Behind him, several beautiful women were gradually having their meal as they sat.
âYou donât have to follow meâ the Clown said without turning around.
One of them replied: âIt canât be helped, weâve been swept into a battle between VIPs, thereâs no way we would be able to escapeâ
Another woman followed up: âIâm just a normal bank teller, so I should have already died earlier. Never did I think Iâd become the witness of a VIPâs crimeââ- even if I stay away from you, Iâll eventually be silenced either wayâ
The Clown didnât reply.
He simply stared closely at the large structure under the shroud of night.
The women exchanged glances.
One particularly beautiful woman fearfully said: âSir, why donât you take us with you and escape? With your strength, youâd surely be able to leave the range of the Supreme Courtâs influence and begin anewâ
âEscape?â
The Clown repeated that word.
He regained his senses, cleared his throat, then said: âWhich one of you knows what the Supreme Court actually does?â
âYou donât even know that?â one of the women exclaimed in shock.
âMay I have the honor of hearing your explanation then?â the Clown grandly gestured.
For some reason, the woman felt certain unprecedented emotion from seeing the Clownâs over-the-top performance.
She took a deep breath, then explained: âThe Supreme Court, the Council, and the Army are the three most powerful forces in this city. They rule above the citizens and hold the right to kill within this era where Apocalypses descend one after another. They are always competing against one another without any regard for the survival of us normal peopleâ
The Clown put up one hand like a concert director.
âI can see that each of you have a supernatural ability, why didnât you join one of these three forces?â
The women smiled bitterly.
âMy ability is simply rapid calculation speed; my combat prowess isnât on par with their requirementsâ
âMy ability is a flexible boneless body, but Iâm afraid of blood, so Iâm not suitable to join them as a soldierâ.
â...â
The women each stated their ability, then quickly returned to the original topic.
âSir, youâve offended a VIP from the Supreme Court, please bring us with you and fleeâ
âPlease donât worry, weâll listen to everything you sayâ
âWe just want to liveâ
The Clown listened and silently stared at the womenâs expressions.
He could see the instinct to survive reflected in their eyes.
The Clown cleared his throat and asked:
âIs the enemy powerful?â
The women all nodded.
The Clown clapped his hands happily: âThatâs perfect. I have a senior who once taught me how to deal with this exact situationâ
âHow would you deal with it?â one of the women tried asking.
The Clown replied: âAgainst a more powerful enemy, you only need to not give him the chance to actâ
The Clown pulled a conductor baton out of nowhere, lightly tapped it on the rocky surface of the bell tower, and continued monologuing:
âThis situation reminds me of something I heard in the past. Excuse me for paying my past a short visitâ-â
âThere are too many in this world who do not wear a mask, yet conceal themselves in other ways, but I wear my mask in order to expand my soul and become my real selfâ
âIn this city of crimes, I shall utter a voice of my ownâ
âThat isâââ
The Clown pointed at the Supreme Court building with his baton.
Boom!!!
Black fog and intense flames erupted.
A resounding sound of numerous explosions.
The ground was continuously shaken by the impact.
The wind sharply howled.
âAll crimes in this world should be eradicated, as dictated by the law of karma, as well as my own contributing echoâ
âââA Wonderful Echo of Stylistic Art!â
âAhahahahahaha!â
The Clown laughed maniacally.
The watch on his wrist was moving at a rapid pace.
The grand and towering Supreme Court quickly collapsed, reduced to rubble.
A figure flew out of the ruined structure, trying to escape, only to be caught by the Clown from afar and brought back to the bell tower.
Thud!
The figure was thrown down from the air, desperately struggling to stand as he fell.
The Clown landed, grabbed the other partyâs face and whispered: âMister Supreme Judge, from this moment onward, I declare you relieved of all of your duties, take a trip to Huang Quan and have some time offâ
The man on the ground was bleeding all over, having lost an arm from the explosion, he breathed heavily: âRe...release me, I amââ-â
âHeâs one of my menâ
A solemn male voice resounded in the sky.
The Clown looked up.
Only to see an old man with a grey beard wearing a proper business suit as well as a solemn expression while he stood hovering in the sky.
âNow who the hell are you?â the Clown asked without changing his expression.
ââthree times.
This old man is three times as strong as I am.
The Clown was quickly considering the trend of the battle.
The old man looked down on him and casually answered: âI am the manager of this place, the great Awaitingâs servant, and the one youâre trying to kill is my sonâ
The Clown stood up and clapped his hand.
A khopesh manifested from the void of space, propping right below the Supreme Judgeâs neck.
âFeel free to elaborateâ the Clown replied.
The old man flashed a mocking smile and said: âYou still donât get it? Your trial is being conducted on my turf. Have you thought carefully about what would happen if you touched my son?â
âRelease my son, then settle down and do whatever it is youâre supposed to doâ
âKeep well in mind, this isnât the place for you to act as you pleasedâ
The Clown stood motionlessly.
The old man scowled and was about to say something else.
The Clown suddenly jumped, stepped to the Supreme Judgeâs left side, and shouted: âExcuse me, the one youâre trying to kill is my mountââ ah wait, youâre still trying to kill him? Alright, heâs actually my discipleââ ah wait, you still insist on killing him? Iâll tell the truth, heâs actually my adopted sonâ
After spouting those lines, he then jumped to the Supreme Judgeâs right side, displaying a shocked and wary expression while fearfully saying: âAh, so he wasnât an enemy, this is merely a misunderstanding, you can take him awayâ
âGoodbyeâ
âGoodbyeâ
After that little act, the Clown once again sat down in front of the Supreme Judge and held the khopesh tightly.
âLookie lookieâ
The Clown chuckled.
The khopesh swung upwards.
The Supreme Judgeâs head was directly cut off and held in his hand.
âBahahaha, did you really think Iâd actually let your son go?â
The Clown laughter resounded.
âThat ending is too boring, so Iâve given you a much darker ending insteadâ
The Clown held up the head as if showing it off, then laughed hysterically as if he couldnât hold himself back
âAhahaha, wasnât it exciting? Wasnât that riveting!?â
Following this declaration, the second hand and minute hand on his Watch of Crime started spinning wildly.