Warehouse 44 remained closed today, shrouded in darkness without the lights on.

After securing the door, He Gu used his phone’s flashlight for illumination and took out a vial of crow’s blood, dabbing a small amount on the nape of his neck.

Then, with a crow feather in his mouth, he crawled into the delivery tunnel, bottom first and head out, just like the night before.

Everything was similar to the previous night, except this time He Gu had a backpack slung over his shoulder.

With the experience from last night, he crawled through the tunnel with less hesitation and more force.

Soon, a shrill and unpleasant voice rang in his ears: “Hehehe… brought a backpack tonight? Have you already gathered all four types of blood?”

It was the voice of the Shadow.

As the Shadow spoke, He Gu felt a cold, slimy sensation on his back as it skillfully attached itself to him.

He Gu didn’t respond to the Shadow’s question but instead asked while crawling forward, “By the way, if a pseudo-Purple like me loses the attachment of a Shadow, that’s a problem, right?”

“Of course!” the Shadow replied in a high-pitched voice. “With me on you, as long as you don’t break any taboos, you’re mostly safe.”

“But without me, everything in there will target you, and you wouldn’t stand a chance against any of them!”

The Shadow added, “You’re not thinking of double-crossing me, are you? I warn you, if you mess with me, I have ways to escape, but you’ll definitely be trapped!”

He Gu replied indifferently, “I’m just getting a lay of the land to prepare for others. Why so nervous?”

Having heard the Shadow’s words, He Gu had a good grasp of the situation. He patted his pocket and quickened his pace through the tunnel.

Twenty minutes later, He Gu felt the ground give way beneath him, and he slid down the “pipe slide” into the main conveyor belt of the delivery channel.

Crouching on the conveyor belt, he was slowly carried backward by its motion.

Soon, He Gu was once again deposited into the sorting workshop, tumbling awkwardly into a pile of cardboard boxes.

But as he stood up from the boxes, he saw a figure watching him with a smirk – not Old Ma with his large iron hook, but 401 from the office next door.

401, dressed in a purple uniform like He Gu, toyed with a syringe in his hand while looking at He Gu with a playful smile.

“You finally made it.”

The smile on 401’s face was full of amusement.

He Gu seemed unfazed by 401’s presence. After standing up, he didn’t rush to leave but instead found a wooden crate to sit on amidst the boxes.

Seeing this, 401 frowned slightly, “You don’t seem surprised to see me?”

He Gu, with a lazy demeanor, slipped his hands into his pockets, as relaxed as an old man chatting on the street corner.

“Surprised? No. With all the groundwork you’ve laid, weren’t you just waiting for me to come in?”

At He Gu’s words, 401 narrowed his eyes slightly, then laughed again, “Feigning composure won’t save you, and you can’t fool me with that act.”

Then, 401 added, “I bet the moment you saw me, you realized the danger and decided to pretend you’d seen through my plan, hoping to bluff me and buy time, right?”

401’s confident smile returned, “It’s useless. The moment you decided to enter this tunnel tonight, you lost any chance of survival.”

He Gu looked at him as if he were an idiot, “You think I’m bluffing you?”

401 seemed to be infuriated by He Gu’s gaze, scoffing, “Oh? Fine, then indulge me. What have you discovered?”

“Don’t worry, I have plenty of time. I’m not afraid of your stalling.”

He Gu looked at him with pity, “From the moment you discussed harvesting me in the basement corridor and deliberately let me overhear, you gave yourselves away.”

At these words, 401’s pupils shrank slightly, but he sneered, “Continue.”

He Gu shrugged, “No need. I’ve stalled long enough. The person I’ve been waiting for has arrived.”

As he spoke, He Gu calmly looked past 401.

401’s expression changed, and he instinctively turned to look behind him.

There, not far behind him, was Old Ma, dragging his large iron hook and moving stiffly towards them.

Was Old Ma the person He Gu was waiting for?

No, there was a trick here!

401 quickly realized something was amiss and turned back to He Gu.

But as he did, he saw He Gu holding a bottle filled with a blue liquid, already unscrewing the cap.

Before 401 could react, He Gu leaped from the crate, bottle in hand, lunging at him.

“You…”

401 was both shocked and angry, but before he could speak, He Gu had already pounced on him, clinging tightly.

In that instant, 401 was genuinely frightened, the turn of events far exceeding his expectations and momentarily short-circuiting his brain.

He also wondered what the blue liquid in He Gu’s hand was for.

What good would it do for him to pounce like this?

401 was confident in waiting here for He Gu; he was sure he could take him down!

Even unarmed, he could beat He Gu with ease!

But the situation unfolded in a way 401 never anticipated.

He Gu’s embrace was not to grapple with him.

Just as 401 was about to push He Gu away, he felt a chill on the back of his neck, which quickly spread down his spine, soon making his entire back cold.

401 realized He Gu must have poured the blue liquid on his back!

But what was the point of that?

In the next moment, before 401 could grasp what was happening, a hoarse and piercing scream erupted from his back.

Then 401 felt his Shadow thrashing and struggling violently.

Realizing something was wrong, 401 forcefully pushed He Gu away.

He Gu felt a massive force hit his chest, as if struck by a train, sending him flying back against the wall and then crashing into the pile of boxes.

Meanwhile, 401’s Shadow writhed like a slug thrown into a vat of sulfuric acid, screaming agonizingly while his back emitted plumes of white smoke and even frothy white bubbles.

In a matter of seconds, the Shadow’s voice ceased.

Feeling the changes on his back, 401 looked at He Gu in horror, “You! You killed my Shadow!?”

“Thud!”

Before 401 could finish, his shoulder blade was pierced by a sharp iron hook…