Fu Luo stood downstairs, hearing faint “ping ping pang pang” sounds coming from above, gripping his phone with some hesitation.  

Although Lin Yu had said not to call for backup unless gunshots were heard, wasn’t this a bit too intense?  

Weren’t the two sides upstairs supposed to be a Craftsman and a Doctor? Why did the fierce clash of metal sound like a scene straight out of an old Hong Kong martial arts film?  

Endless!  

“Could it be that the shooting actually started earlier, but it was too noisy for me to hear?”  

Fu Luo couldn’t help but suspect.  

However...  

Just as he was doubting, a loud bang came from upstairs, breaking Fu Luo’s train of thought.  

“Bang!”  

An overwhelming sound rang out, and Fu Luo’s expression turned grim.  

“They’re shooting!”  

He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed the number he had saved long ago.  

“Beep—beep—”  

The call was answered after only two rings.  

“Hello?”  

Fu Luo spoke rapidly: “Brother Shan, Heavenly Artisan has been found at Jiuxi Garden Building 4. He’s fighting someone. Come quickly!”  

After he finished, the voice on the other end immediately responded with seriousness.  

“Okay, stay safe. We’re on our way.”  

Then, the call was cut off.  

Fu Luo exhaled.  

What should he do next?  

That gunshot just now sounded like a curtain falling, a final decisive blow, and there was no more movement upstairs.  

Should he go up and check?  

Or... should he hide farther away?  

Fu Luo was torn.  

He was somewhat worried about Lin Yu on one hand, but also afraid of dying on the other.  

Before he could decide...  

“Crack!”  

The crisp sound rang out again, and then Fu Luo saw a window upstairs shatter. A sturdy figure fell down from the building!  

The three-story height was neither high nor low, but an ordinary person jumping down would definitely suffer serious injuries!  

“Bang!”  

That figure landed on the ground but seemed unharmed, quickly getting up.  

Fu Luo saw clearly that the person who fell was not May, who was on the same side...  

But rather, Heavenly Artisan Chen Zhitie!  

He scrambled up in an instant and saw Fu Luo standing below the community building, stunned and speechless.  

“An ambush too?”  

Heavenly Artisan cursed, the left side of his clothes soaked in blood, clearly looking battered and miserable.  

He was holding a hammer, apparently seriously injured.  

Yet he charged fiercely toward Fu Luo, terrifying this so-called Detective enough to panic.  

“Heavenly Artisan? I... I’m not here to block you!”  

Fu Luo hurriedly said, frantically pulling out a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket and slipping them onto his hands.  

Though he barely managed a boxing stance, his loose posture and shrinking gaze revealed his amateur level.  

Sure enough, as Heavenly Artisan rushed at him, Fu Luo was scared back step by step.  

Then...  

“Boom!”  

Pale flames erupted from the broken window just now, and a low roar echoed in the stairwell.  

“Heavenly Artisan, you bastard, get back here!”  

Fu Luo recognized the voice as May’s.  

Hearing this, Heavenly Artisan’s expression drastically changed.  

He punched Fu Luo in the face, and Fu Luo’s vision went black as he collapsed to the ground.  

Before losing consciousness, Fu Luo vaguely saw Heavenly Artisan sprinting toward the southern exit of the community!  

...  

At the south side of Jiuxi Garden, Heavenly Artisan ran quickly and soon reached the community entrance.  

He looked left and right for a moment, then soon saw a taxi approaching.  

“Whoosh—”  

The taxi skidded sharply, tires screeching and dragging a long gray-black mark on the ground, stopping steadily in front of Heavenly Artisan.  

The window rolled down, revealing a mature woman in a tropical floral shirt, her hair tied back, smoking a thin ladies’ cigarette, sitting in the driver’s seat.  

“Oh, Heavenly Artisan, you look pretty beaten up!”  

“You’re actually asking for help yourself!”  

Heavenly Artisan frowned darkly, opened the door, and slid into the back seat. “Cut the crap, Almond. The one targeting me is that damn Detective!”  

“He called people from the Order! And the Zheng City Game Master!”  

The woman called “Almond” chuckled lightly, skillfully shifting gears and flooring the accelerator as the taxi sped off.  

“Stop flattering yourself. The Order and the Game Master only just started making moves. Our Zheng City chief has already led people to intercept them...”  

“You must’ve been attacked by some wild bounty hunter from nowhere!”  

Heavenly Artisan snorted coldly. “Not really. The guy who ambushed me is a Doctor... probably related to the Free Alliance.”  

“He appeared in the same instance as the Master Thief and came knocking right when my gear was stolen...”  

Almond was surprised upon hearing this. “You mean you suspect the Free Alliance did it on purpose?”  

“Of course! What are the chances of this happening by accident?” Heavenly Artisan grit his teeth. “I’ll make them pay... and that Doctor kid who suddenly appeared!”  

“He even dared to burn down my house!”  

Heavenly Artisan gritted his teeth in hatred, holding his left shoulder where blood had stained his clothes, a long wound running through.  

It looked like a gunshot wound.  

But apparently, some method had partially healed it.  

Almond glanced at Heavenly Artisan’s injured shoulder through the rearview mirror, then looked toward the roaring white flames in the distance—now the fire had fully spread, engulfing most of the building!  

She exclaimed.  

“A gun and arson? The profession is still Doctor... Whoever’s trying to kill you really is a master.”  

Heavenly Artisan fell silent.  

“A master, huh? Then sooner or later, I’ll kill him too!”  

He said angrily.  

Almond laughed. “Is that so? Then for such an interesting matter, you have to invite me along...”  

“But you said your place is gone. Where do you plan to go?”  

Heavenly Artisan was silent for a moment, then sighed. “Back to the organization’s base. I really have nowhere else to go.”  

“I’ll lay low there first, wait for the chief to return, and see if there’s any useful news.”  

He seemed calmer now.  

“Although I suspected the Free Alliance just now, thinking it over, it probably isn’t them. They don’t have connections with that Detective and wouldn’t call the Order for help.”  

Almond nodded. “Good. Want me to drive you there?”  

“No need. That would cost too much,” Heavenly Artisan glanced sideways at the taxi meter flashing up front. “This taxi really isn’t cheap. Let me off up ahead.”  

The car entered Zheng City’s old town district, blending perfectly with the atmosphere.  

Almond smiled and stopped the car steadily after passing an intersection. “Alright, see you at the base—pay me when you get there.”  

“You’re in such a hurry, only holding a hammer, didn’t even bring money.”  

Since the Marauders couldn’t use the forum or forum points, all transactions were cash-based inside the group.  

Heavenly Artisan got out without saying much, slamming the door heavily.  

Almond pouted. “Still fiery as ever.”  

Then the taxi sped away, disappearing again into Zheng City’s streets.  

After seeing Almond off, Heavenly Artisan quickly walked into a nearby alley.  

He took off his blood-stained clothes and pulled out a clean, youthful-looking hoodie and sweatpants from his bag to change into.  

Then his facial features shifted, transforming into Lin Yu’s appearance.  

“Phew—”  

Lin Yu exhaled long and relaxed considerably.  

“Not a bad impromptu performance. Looks like... I managed to bluff my way through smoothly.”  

He packed away Heavenly Artisan’s clothes and phone, then took out his own phone and checked the time.  

“Hm... still just in time to watch a fight between the Marauders and the Order.”