Chapter 74: Flash—You Can’t Catch It

After Zhong Yan made the call to notify Belobog Heavy Industries, the scene shifted back to Canvas Street, where Zhao Anmen had already returned with the little girl.

The elderly woman was deeply grateful for his decision to enter the Hollow himself and retrieve his granddaughter, but Zhao Anmen didn't think much of it—protecting civilians was, after all, a peace officer's duty.

Afterward, Zhao Anmen reassured them that someone would soon come to evacuate them. The residents of Canvas Street were visibly hopeful.

They had lived here for far too long. Since the Dead End Hollow had sealed off the passage to New Eridu, it had been ages since any of them had seen the city.

And since their neighborhood had been designated as a demolition zone for the project, once they were taken to New Eridu, the authorities would provide them with new housing—conditions and environment likely far better than what they had here.

Still, some residents were reluctant to leave. After all, Canvas Street was their home. Watching it be reduced to rubble would leave a heavy weight on their hearts.

But for now, they had no choice but to comply with the government's arrangements.

...

At the same time, not far from Canvas Street, inside a Vision Corporation outpost—

"Mr. Perlman, the team just reported that the Dead End Hollow has collapsed significantly. The passage connecting to Canvas Street is now fully exposed."

Charles Perlman, the project lead from Vision Corporation, was a short, obese white-haired old man. When he heard that the passage connecting to Canvas Street had been exposed due to the collapse, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"How could the Hollow collapse without any reason? Did they investigate the cause? If those things escaped, won't our whole operation be exposed?" Perlman fumed, stroking his beard in frustration.

The plan to blow up Canvas Street along with its residents was known only to the upper echelons of Vision Corporation and their most trusted insiders. Ordinary employees were completely unaware of it.

Perlman was one such insider, part of the inner circle involved in the operation.

Although he was nominally the project leader, the true mastermind behind the plan was someone else. Perlman was nothing more than a puppet with little real power.

And the operation itself was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

"They've already investigated the cause of the collapse. The final conclusion is... the Dead End Butcher was taken out."

At those words, it was as if a bolt of lightning exploded in Perlman's ears. It took him a while to process the information before he blurted out in disbelief, "The Dead End Butcher? That thing was killed? Who did it?! Have they found out who?!"

An Ethereal of that caliber—there were only a handful of people in all of New Eridu capable of facing it. Each one was an elite of legendary status.

Perlman didn't know who had slain the Butcher. What he did know was that the Hollow collapse brought nothing but trouble for them.

With the passage to Canvas Street now open, the residents trapped there could reach New Eridu without obstruction.

And if word got out that people had escaped from Canvas Street, their entire plan would be exposed. The consequences would be catastrophic for Vision Corporation.

As the project's leader, Perlman would be the first to face life imprisonment—or worse, a death sentence.

So, no matter what, he couldn't let the residents of Canvas Street make it out alive.

The thought sparked a vicious glint in his eyes. He gave the order immediately: "Send a team to Canvas Street—fast. Wipe them all out before they have a chance to leave. Leave no one behind!"

At this stage, Perlman had no time to worry about consequences. The only way to survive was to snuff out this unexpected variable at the source.

...

Under Perlman's command, the Vision Corporation's purge operation against the Canvas Street residents was quickly set into motion.

A heavily armed squad, all disguised in New Eridu Public Security officer uniforms, headed straight for Canvas Street.

Inside Canvas Street, Zhao Anmen had already anticipated Vision Corporation's move. He'd ordered the residents to hide while he stayed behind—alone—to face the incoming force.

When the entire armed squad reached Canvas Street and saw only Zhao Anmen standing there, the squad leader immediately barked, "Who told you to act ahead of schedule? Get back in line!"

Because everyone in the squad was dressed like a security officer, he had mistaken Zhao Anmen for one of their own.

But he quickly realized something was off.

Zhao Anmen didn't move a muscle in response to his command. Instead, he slowly drew a short blade from his waist.

"He's not one of ours! He's a real cop! Take him down!"

The sudden appearance of an actual New Eridu Public Security officer startled the leader into panic. Without even giving Zhao Anmen a chance to explain, he ordered his men to attack.

But the troops hesitated. After all, this was a legitimate officer. Killing him would bring unimaginable consequences.

And during that brief hesitation, Zhao Anmen suddenly vanished in a golden flash of light.

When he reappeared, he was behind the squad leader, his short blade pressed swiftly and precisely against the man's neck.

The sudden reversal left the leader's face pale with terror. He immediately shouted, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

He had no idea how Zhao Anmen had moved so fast, but he knew that if any of his men twitched, the blade would pierce his throat in an instant.

So, to save his own skin, he gave the only order he could.

And even if they had opened fire, Zhao Anmen could still protect himself.

His teleportation was so fast that even Zhong Yan couldn't react to it. If not for the toll it took on his body with repeated use, he could've used it to evacuate everyone from Canvas Street one by one.

To sum it up in a single phrase—

Flash—you can't catch it1.

* * *

TN1: From the Chinese idiom "瞬息万变" which translates to "Rapid changes, a thousand changes in an instant". It describes something that is fleeting and changes very quickly, making it difficult to grasp or hold onto.