Volume One, Chapter Eighteen: I'm Not That Easy to Kill.

The crimson blaze devoured everything before her eyes, and Ning Rou was thrown to the ground by the force of the explosion. The violent blast shattered every pane of glass in the chemical plant, and even Chen Shu, who was inside, failed to react in time.

A bomb detonating within a chemical plant brings dangers beyond imagination—nearby cities would suffer, let alone the criminal police officers inside carrying out their mission. Yet after the deafening roar, aside from the shards of glass strewn across the floor, nothing else seemed changed.

Ning Rou had witnessed Jiang Chen’s every move with her own eyes—defusing the bomb, running with it in his arms, and finally using his own body to shield the explosion, preventing mass casualties.

She dared not think further. Before she realized it, her eyes were overflowing with tears, and at some point, she began to blame herself. If she hadn’t spoken so harshly to Jiang Chen, perhaps he wouldn’t have returned to investigate, nor would he have died saving her.

Chen Shu’s eyes were bloodshot as he raved, “No! This isn’t right! The bomb shouldn’t have such little power!”

He wasn’t the only one suspicious—even Wu Wei and the other police officers, who’d been rattled by the shockwave, could tell something was off. Normally, a single C4 explosive, no matter where it was made, would have a much larger kill radius; destroying a chemical plant workshop would be child's play.

But this one’s blast was clearly much smaller. Aside from the noise, its kill radius wasn’t even as large as a military grenade.

Su Yike had been watching the second floor throughout, and had seen Jiang Chen save the entire police force by himself, and the plant as well.

A single C4 bomb couldn’t kill everyone, but an explosion in a chemical plant could release hazardous waste, threatening the entire population of Qing City. The skies above Qing City would never be blue again—they’d be green.

For a moment, the image of the taciturn but remarkably capable young exorcist floated before her eyes.

She had no time to think further, for Chen Shu, wielding playing cards as blades, had already lunged at her.

None of the officers present had ever faced such an opponent before; he had surpassed the boundaries of humanity—calling him a monster would not be an exaggeration.

In a single breath, Chen Shu was before Su Yike, his gaze locked on the prominent artery in her neck.

His breathing quickened—he was clearly preparing to savor the taste of blood.

But a sudden, fierce wind swept past, snapping the playing card in his hand in two, along with his now limp right wrist.

Bang—

With a sonic boom, Chen Shu, who’d been only a few meters away from them, was sent flying, crashing to the ground like a kite with its string cut.

A new figure appeared before them all—Jiang Chen.

“You… you’re alive?!” Su Yike exclaimed in delight.

Aside from his dirtied clothes, Jiang Chen bore not a single scratch, which was almost too incredible to believe.

“Tsk, am I so easy to kill? I haven’t even had my wedding night yet,” Jiang Chen replied, his gaze unconsciously drifting to Ning Rou on the second floor.

Ning Rou, initially overjoyed, blushed fiercely at the mention of a wedding night, her cheeks reddening all the way to her ears. Her sorrowful gaze turned to one of playful reproach as she looked at Jiang Chen.

Dragging himself from the rubble, Chen Shu was a far cry from the suave magician he had been moments before—his hair disheveled, covering his face.

The officers, ignoring their pain, retrieved their pistols and aimed them at Chen Shu.

“Put down your guns,” Jiang Chen said frankly. “Even seriously injured, he’s not someone your firearms can kill.”

The officers knew it was futile. After all, the man had just disarmed them with nothing but playing cards—a feat beyond human capability. Their weapons were useless.

Pushing his hair aside, Chen Shu regarded the man he’d seen at the police station with curiosity.

“I haven’t seen you before. Not bad skills, but you won’t leave here today.”

Jiang Chen chuckled lightly. “You can try. But I’ll tell you now, if you make a move, I’ll cripple you—no one can stop me.”

“Arrogant!” Chen Shu barked. “I’ll kill you first, then clean up this group of weaklings—you can all go to hell together.”

With a sudden stomp, Chen Shu shattered the hard cement floor beneath him, cracks spreading like a spiderweb—such strength astonished even these seasoned officers.

It was like something out of a novel. None could believe a person could possess such power in their legs, enough to fracture solid ground with a single step.

They saw only the cracks, not noticing that Chen Shu had already vanished from his spot, a fierce wind howling past their ears.

In the next instant, Jiang Chen intercepted him. Chen Shu moved so swiftly he was a blur to the human eye, but Jiang Chen was no ordinary man; he could keep up.

Chen Shu slashed with his playing cards in a torrent, aiming for Jiang Chen’s vital points.

Jiang Chen advanced with unhurried calm. “If you hadn’t done all this, I might have chatted with you. But you made my wife suffer—so I see no reason to spare your life.”

Suddenly, everything slowed. The scene before them seemed to enter slow motion.

Jiang Chen collected the “slow-motion” playing cards one by one, shuffling them casually as he approached Chen Shu.

Though Chen Shu saw everything Jiang Chen did, his own body could only move with agonizing slowness—as if his speed had been reduced a thousandfold.

His hands remained poised to attack, but Jiang Chen bent his right arm back gently and neatly stacked the playing cards in his palm.

Jiang Chen turned to leave, then seemed to remember something. He reached into his clothes and pulled out two Jokers—placing one on her chest, the other over his own major artery.

The very movements he’d intended for Su Yike and Ning Rou were now mirrored back onto himself.

Chen Shu’s lips moved as if to speak, but Jiang Chen had no interest in last words. If there was anything left to say, it could be discussed with the King of Hell in the underworld.

Jiang Chen returned to his place, a faint, unfathomable smile playing on his lips.

Click.

It was as though everything had reset; time began to flow anew.

Everything seemed the same, yet everything was different. The playing cards in Chen Shu’s hand had become bullets, piercing his chest.

In an instant, a cloud of blood exploded from his chest, and the two Jokers—one red, one black—completed their mission, flying out from his heart and artery. The crimson Joker’s maniacal grin grew even wider.