CHAPTER 324: CHAPTER 202: JACK THE RIPPER’S TRUE NAME, THE MISSING ORIGAMI

In a secluded corner of London, inside a dark basement, the blades of the ventilation fan hummed, and the light bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered on and off.

A school uniformed girl tilted her head, raised the small knife in her hand, and pressed it against Xia Pingzhou’s neck.

Her eyes, as dark as the polar night, remained still as she scrutinized his face. The knife, polished to a gleam, reflected Xia Pingzhou’s indifferent expression.

As he munched on an apple, he truthfully recounted the series of events that transpired on the morning of July 26th, inside the underground bar.

Before speaking, he emphasized that he was unaware at the time and was tricked by a hacker into visiting that underground bar. As soon as he mentioned this, his phone vibrated.

[Hacker: ?]

Xia Pingzhou typed a line and hit reply.

[Xia Pingzhou: In-game, do not disturb (automatic reply)]

When talking about what happened after being dragged into "Jurassic World" by Mario, Xia Pingzhou made some artistic modifications, not mentioning his collaboration with Su Zimai. Instead, he said Su Zimai, seeking revenge for the auction incident, almost froze him to death using the Refrigerator Demon.

"Just like that," the school uniformed girl looked up at him, "A Refrigerator Demon could hurt you like this?"

Saying this, she silently summoned Celestial Driver, the dark red giant scythe transforming in the air into a six-foot tachi, seemingly ready to strike.

"Wasn’t your Celestial Driver a scythe?" Xia Pingzhou asked casually.

"Two forms, one is the ’Demon Blade,’ the other is ’Crying Blood.’" Jack the Ripper said, "Don’t change the subject."

"At the time, I was being chased by dinosaurs and didn’t notice that minor nuisance." Xia Pingzhou said with a blank expression, "She used Magic Gloves to unleash a rabbit that took a bite out of my back, resulting in the wound you see, the rabbit’s teeth were as sharp as a knife."

"What happened next?"

Xia Pingzhou slowly recounted: "The leader of the Ghost Train Corps used the Movie Demon’s ability to transport me back to the underground bar, where I unexpectedly encountered you and the young miss. You both know what happened later, so I won’t bother recounting it."

Jack the Ripper thought for a moment: "Ke Qirui... Why did she help you? Wouldn’t it be better to leave you in that game world?"

"Because she has something to ask me." Xia Pingzhou paused, "Besides, if she could capture me alive and bring me back to the association, it would be quite an achievement for her Exorcist squad, just like how she didn’t forget to take the red traffic light when escaping."

"Oh, I see."

Jack the Ripper said while retracting the Demon Blade, tucking the small knife into her sleeve as well.

After a moment of silence, Xia Pingzhou asked: "Speaking of which, I’ve always wanted to ask you, how can you do those things so easily?"

"What do you mean?"

"Killing people, dismembering them, and hanging them up high like a trophy. Your past deeds are well-known, leading me to instinctively keep my distance when I joined the group."

"Adolescence," said the school uniformed girl, "One needs a way to vent, I chose an interesting way of killing to break from the norm. My Celestial Driver was perfect for killing, also suitable for dismemberment."

She lowered her gaze, her eyes still as dark as the polar night, seemingly ready to pull anyone into the abyss.

Xia Pingzhou lamented: "You’re bad in the most natural way."

"I rarely do that now."

"Turned over a new leaf?"

"No, having too many enemies is inconvenient, and killing ordinary people no longer satisfies my Celestial Driver. Now, only demons and high-level Power Users can advance my Celestial Driver." Jack the Ripper looked at him, "Why are you asking so much, do you want to be my next disembowelment subject?"

"I’d rather pass on that."

"In fact, I think we’re very much alike."

"In what way?"

"Your gaze is similar to mine back then, that... relying on your abilities, treating life like a game, not seeing people around you as real, so acting without scruples." Jack the Ripper paused, "The only difference is that I took action, and you did not."

"You have quite a sense of humor." Xia Pingzhou mocked, "I joined the group partly to find someone, partly for money, I have no special taste for killing."

"In any case, now that we are in the group, we’re birds of a feather." Jack the Ripper said, "Go find the young miss, I don’t know where she is, you should know."

"Why is she behaving like a child?"

"She is a child, never really grew up." The school uniformed girl said, "But with the butler’s death, she was forced to start changing."

Xia Pingzhou was silent for a moment, picking up the half-eaten apple that had fallen on the bed, taking a bite with a crunch.

"And you, do you think you’ve grown up?" he asked.

"Better than you." Jack the Ripper said indifferently.

After all, I’m actually twelve; are we even comparable, Xia Pingzhou thought.

Pausing, Jack the Ripper suddenly said: "Someone who cries in a little girl’s arms to seek comfort has no right to talk big."

Xia Pingzhou froze for a moment: "Did the hacker say that?"

"Everyone in the group except the leader knows." Jack the Ripper chuckled, turning her gaze away, "He also said you and the young miss exposed your backgrounds, as a pitiful, love-deprived, parentless little boy still searching for his long-missing little sister."

Xia Pingzhou took a deep breath, silently picked up his phone, typed, and sent.

[Xia Pingzhou: What about trust?]

[Hacker: In-game, do not disturb (auto-reply)]

[Xia Pingzhou: ?]

[Hacker: In-game, do not disturb (auto-reply)]

Actually, Xia Pingzhou didn’t really mind. He knew that many people in the corps, including the leader, were suspicious of his background. The hacker’s announcement inadvertently helped him by reducing their doubts somewhat.

"By the way, you don’t seem to know my name yet." Jack suddenly mentioned.

"Aren’t you called Jack?" Xia Pingzhou turned to look at her, thinking for a moment, "The lady also calls you ’Jack’.

"That’s just a code name," said the girl in a school uniform, "My real name is Yanmo Lin. The lady finds that name awkward to pronounce, so she usually calls me by my code name, and I don’t like people knowing my real name."

She paused: "Even in the corps, only she knows my real name. Everyone else who knew it is dead."

"Why are you telling me then?"

"What do you think?" Yanmo Lin met his gaze.

Xia Pingzhou shook his head.

"I consider her my only friend," Yanmo Lin said, "If you hurt her... I’d kill you without hesitation, ignoring the corps’ rules."

Xia Pingzhou said nothing, merely withdrawing his gaze from her face.

"By the way, the time for the next mission is already set," Yanmo Lin said.

"When?"

"August 1st, Norway," Yanmo Lin said, "With that said, go find her."

"Alright."

Xia Pingzhou leaned against the headboard, removing the bandages from his body while releasing Celestial Driver. The interwoven black and white light flowed out, slowly revolving around him.

Seemingly understanding what he intended to do, Yanmo Lin showed no sign of vigilance.

He extended his right hand, touching a chess piece shadow on the path, summoning the Bishop’s Statue by the bedside.

The Bishop Giant, clothed in a white robe and eyes lowered, turned heavy pages of the scripture as it chanted, with a warm light falling from the pages, gently spilling onto Xia Pingzhou’s back like a stream flowing over the terrifying scar.

In less than half a minute, Xia Pingzhou’s wound was completely healed, his skin smooth as if it had never been damaged. He moved his stiff shoulders, bones crackling, and quietly put on his clothes, wrapping up in a black coat.

"Let’s go," he said.

As he turned around, he discovered the girl in the black and white school uniform had already vanished. Xia Pingzhou seriously suspected that upon reaching the third tier, she might have awakened some Invisibility Ability, making it necessary to guard against it next time.

He regained his scattered thoughts, retracting the Bishop’s Statue while picking up his phone from the bedside and opening the commonly used chatting app in Japan—"Line".

[Xia Pingzhou: Where are you?]

[Ayase Origami: Walking the cat, do not disturb (auto-reply)]

Xia Pingzhou shrugged and then sent a message to the hacker.

[Xia Pingzhou: Where’s the lady?]

[Hacker: No idea, they say she’s shut herself in and didn’t take her phone. You can look around in London yourself, I’m off to play games.]

[Hacker: Damn, talking about this gets me mad, won’t introduce you to bars anymore. Gaming at home, getting blamed for no reason.]

[Xia Pingzhou: It’s always your fault for being useless.]

Xia Pingzhou shook his head, pocketed his phone into his black coat pocket, put his hands in his pockets, and walked out of the basement, proceeding along a ridiculously lengthy corridor.

A few minutes later, he finally saw a staircase leading upwards.

He thought that this underground clinic was excessively hidden, and didn’t know who brought him to this ghostly place; maybe it was Jack’s connections, or the leader’s connections, as Ayase Origami’s character wouldn’t get to know unnecessary people.

Thinking this, Xia Pingzhou climbed the stairs, exited the underground passage, and pushed open the door at the exit. Moonlight greeted him. In sight was a deep alley, deserted, with nearby dirt and clutter, along with a "No Entry" sign.

He bypassed the sign, heading toward the brightly lit street, where the noise of the city washed away his chaotic thoughts.

Initially, Xia Pingzhou took a taxi back to the hotel in Westminster District, used the room card from his coat to open the room, pressed the light switch, but didn’t see Ayase Origami’s figure.

Then he went to Millennium Bridge, gazing at the boats on the Thames River, trying to spot a girl in a reddish-brown kimono on the deck, but once again returned empty-handed.

Finally, Xia Pingzhou turned over, leaning against the bridge rail, blowing in the evening breeze while glancing towards the south shore of London. The massive Ferris wheel rotated under the night sky, spreading warm light outward. A blast of wind descended from above the city, blowing his fringe.

He was slightly taken aback: "Could it be there..."

So he moved on, headed toward the amusement park to the south. At the entrance, he saw a kid with a face full of envy, casually put an arm around his shoulder, approached the ticket seller, falsely claimed he was his son looking for his mother, and entered the amusement park using the parent-child ticket price.

The kid, tears flowing, nodded in gratitude to him.

Xia Pingzhou only crouched down, patted his head, and told him that in the future, whenever he met a woman named Tong Zizhu, he should call her mom.

After a short walk, Xia Pingzhou stopped in front of the Ferris wheel, looked up, and with his transcendent dynamic vision, scanned each brightly lit cabin in the night.

After a while, he saw a girl in a reddish-brown kimono, sitting alone in one cabin, eyes vacant, gazing at the towering clock tower in the distance.