*Chapter 34: The First Job on Halloween Night*

"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock"

An urgent and messy knocking sound rang out.

"Who's there?"

Footsteps clattered as the old lady asked, walking towards the door. However, there was no answer from outside.

So, she reached out and opened the door, asking again,

"Who's..."

"Whoa!"

A thin, small white shadow suddenly floated past the doorway. No limbs, no body, not even facial features. It was a nimble ghost shadow with only two eyes visible on its entire form.

Before she could even let out a scream, that white shadow had already pounced, charging directly into her arms.

And then hugged her.

"Trick or treat!"

Little shadows poured out from all directions. Some were wearing big witch hats and holding brooms; some were wearing black robes and holding scythes; some were sporting little devil horns and holding pitchforks; and there was even one wearing blue clothes and a red cape.

"Oh, honey, Superman doesn't really count as a ghost."

Tonight was Halloween night. Besides the adults dressed up as ghosts and monsters on the streets, kids also dressed up in strange outfits and turned into little devils, going door-to-door asking for candy. And if you didn't give them candy, they'd cause trouble.

The old lady smiled and took out candy, handing it out to the children around her in a circle. At this moment, her gaze flickered, and she unintentionally saw someone with a pumpkin on their head standing on the street outside. He was also holding a small jack-o'-lantern in his hand.

"What an ugly pumpkin..." she muttered subconsciously. "Has anyone ever worn such an ugly pumpkin head on Halloween night before?"

...

Cody was feeling a bit nervous inside.

He just followed the system's prompt and the navigation to the drop-off location, but honestly, he didn't expect the client to choose this place to pick up the pumpkin.

This was the Diamond District of Gotham City. It was practically across the entire city from the East End. Just like its name suggests, this is where Gotham's rich folks gather.

Across Gotham City, from north to south, the crime rate gradually decreases. The Upper East Side, where the East End is located, is the most chaotic and crime-ridden area in all of Gotham. This area basically accounts for most of Gotham City's crime cases.

A bit further south are the Otisburg and Burnley districts, the relatively more stable Mid-Town area. This place is wealthier than the East End, and the crime rate is much lower. Probably only criminals planning big stuff would come here to cause trouble. Crime incidents happening here are usually major cases that affect the entire city, at least on the level of a bank robbery.

And the southernmost part of Gotham City, the Lower East Side, where the Diamond District where the rich live is located, has the best security. People living here basically live in a different world compared to other areas of Gotham. If you only looked at the Lower East Side, maybe Gotham City would have hope of becoming the city with the lowest crime rate in the world.

But ironically, the biggest mafia boss in all of Gotham, Falcone, and the second biggest gang leader, Maroni, brazenly live in the Diamond District. So rather than saying the crime rate isn't high here, it's more like the criminals here aren't held accountable.

By this time, groups of people dressed up as ghosts and monsters for Halloween were already roaming the dimly lit streets. Big guys wearing hockey masks, masked figures in black robes holding knives, clowns with creepy makeup and red balloons, guys with paper bags on their heads swinging chainsaws, zombies with rotting skin, and so on.

Each one was more realistic, more terrifying than the last. They even made him involuntarily shiver a few times.

He looked at the abstract little jack-o'-lantern in his hand. Weird light shone from the pumpkin eyes that looked like dead fish eyes. The snarling pumpkin mouth had a slightly crooked carving mark, like it was still drooling.

"Would some rich guy really want to buy a pumpkin like this? Can this kind of thing actually scare anyone?"

Just then, someone appeared before him wearing a black round hat on their head, a large trench coat, with their face blurry, and coarse men's gloves on their hands. This image was like the kind of killer you see on TV who pulls out a gun at the drop of a hat, and also belonged to the crowd of "demons and ghosts" on the Halloween street.

He walked silently to Cody's side and pointed to the small jack-o'-lantern in his hand. After paying and taking the pumpkin, he immediately left the street, not saying a single word the whole time, not even making any unnecessary sounds.

"Why would someone's Halloween cosplay be so abstract..."

Cody scratched his head. But seeing the "Task Completed" prompt on the system, he didn't think too much about it. He still had two jobs waiting for him and no time to figure out what this mysterious client wanted to do.

So on this Halloween night, there was an incredibly abstract and ugly pumpkin-headed mystery person. He wore a cheap coat and large men's gloves, wandering aimlessly on the streets of the Diamond District, looking exactly like the kind of nonsensical killer you'd see on TV, drawing people nearby to stop and watch.

...

"Why would someone's Halloween cosplay be so abstract?"

The person in the trench coat couldn't help but think of the guy who sold him the pumpkin on the street.

No, this isn't the time to think about that.

His footsteps were light as he quietly walked up the narrow staircase. It was already late at night by this time, and most of the lights in this magnificent luxury villa had been turned off. Only a few scattered lights from the second floor shone down the hallway.

He walked down the hallway, searching his way inside. Most people in this villa were already asleep by now. However, loud water sounds could vaguely be heard from a room upstairs.

So the person in the trench coat, like a shark that had smelled blood, silently glided towards the direction the sound was coming from.

"Creak~"

A hand turned the faucet nearby. The water filling the bathtub, which was almost full, immediately stopped rising. In the steamy mist, a figure humming a tune sat down in it.

The light in the bathroom was very dim because the person in the bathtub hadn't liked strong light recently. It made him feel uncomfortable.

"Heh, that idiot Daniel..." He submerged his whole body in the water and couldn't help but hum softly. The warm feeling soaked his entire body, enveloping him like the darkness. This reminded him of the feeling of shooting that former bank president on the street back then.

Back then, he was also sheltered by the night and the shadows in the car, just like now. This feeling was too reassuring, even making him a little addicted.

Of course, he wasn't always like this. He only liked this kind of darkness after killing someone. Usually, banquets with clinking glasses, beautiful socialites, and the satisfaction of being the center of attention were the things he liked most.

"Creak~"

A sliver of light suddenly shone on his face, making him involuntarily squint to adjust to the sudden bright light.

How did the door open?

The next second after this thought popped up, his pupils immediately contracted because he realized what the answer to the question was.

"No..."

"Bang! Bang!"

The reply he got was muffled gunshots.