By the time Liam returned home, the sky was already dark.
He closed the door tightly, leaned against it, and gasped for breath. Even with his enhanced physical fitness, the continuous high-intensity running and the psychological impact of killing for the first time left him exhausted.
He didn't turn on the light—there was no light to turn on anyway. He groped his way to the cardboard sofa and collapsed onto it, staring blankly at the pitch-black ceiling.
The schoolbag full of god remains was thrown aside. He had no mood to deal with it now; he just wanted to rest quietly.
After a long while, Liam slowly came to his senses. He dragged his tired body to the window, lifted the curtain slightly, and looked outside.
The night outside the safe zone was still endless. The stars twinkled faintly, and strange gods wandered by from time to time, their silhouettes bizarre and terrifying.
But Liam didn't feel scared anymore. After experiencing life and death, these gods that once made him feel creepy now seemed trivial.
He turned around, picked up the schoolbag, and poured out the remaining dozen or so god remains. He didn't eat them immediately—his stomach was still churning from the killing. Instead, he found a clean lunch box, put the remains inside, and hid them under the bed.
"Eat them tomorrow," he muttered to himself. Then he took off his blood-stained clothes, found a clean set from the pile of rags in the corner, and put them on.
Just as he was about to lie down and rest, he suddenly heard a siren in the distance. The sound was sharp and piercing, breaking the silence of the night.
Liam's heart skipped a beat. "Could it be that the fire I set was discovered?"
He quickly ran to the window and looked into the distance. He saw red and blue police lights flashing in the direction of Exit 89757, getting closer and closer.
"It's over..." Liam's face turned pale. He had thought he had handled the scene perfectly, but he didn't expect the police to arrive so quickly.
But after thinking for a moment, he calmed down again. "The fire was set in an abandoned warehouse. Even if it's discovered, the police might not immediately link it to the three gangsters. And the god remains theft case hasn't been reported yet—maybe the police are here for something else."
He forced himself to calm down, but his ears remained pricked up, listening to the movement outside.
The sirens gradually approached, then stopped not far from his residence. After a while, he heard footsteps and voices.
"Inspector Olof, we've arrived at Exit 89757. The witness reported that the god remains in the trash cans here are missing." A clear female voice echoed in the night.
God remains theft case!
Liam's heart sank. It seemed the drunkard had sobered up and reported the matter.
"Missing again?" A deep male voice replied, with a hint of annoyance. "Yesterday it was Exit 114514, today it's Exit 89757. Who's so bored to steal these useless things?"
"According to the witness, he saw a figure near the trash cans before the god remains disappeared. But he was drunk and couldn't describe the figure clearly." The female voice continued.
"Drunkard's testimony is unreliable." The male voice sighed. "But since two cases have occurred in two days, we can't ignore it. Let's go check the scene first."
Footsteps approached the direction of the trash cans. Liam held his breath, not daring to make a sound. He knew that if the police found any clues leading to him, he would be in big trouble.
After a while, the footsteps stopped. He heard the female voice again: "Inspector, the trash cans are completely empty. There are some faint bloodstains on the edges, but they're too blurred to identify."
"Bloodstains?" The male voice sounded surprised. "Could it be that the thief was injured while stealing the god remains?"
"It's possible. But the bloodstains are very faint, and there's no trail leading away. It's likely been cleaned up."
Liam secretly praised his foresight. He had wiped the bloodstains on the trash cans with his coat before leaving. Although he didn't wipe them completely clean, it was enough to confuse the police.
"Check the surrounding area. See if there are any witnesses or traces left behind." The male voice ordered.
"Understood."
Footsteps scattered around. Liam's heart tightened—what if the police found the alley where he killed the three gangsters? What if they found the warehouse with the burning bodies?
He didn't dare to think further. He could only pray silently that the police wouldn't find those places.
Time passed minute by minute. The police searched around for a long time, but there was no more movement related to the alley or the warehouse. Liam gradually relaxed—maybe the fire hadn't been discovered yet, or maybe the police were focused on the god remains theft case and didn't pay attention to other places.
After a while, he heard the male voice say: "It's getting late. Let's go back first. Post a notice tomorrow, asking anyone with information about the god remains theft to come forward. Also, send someone to monitor the trash cans at other exits. I don't believe this thief can keep stealing without being caught."
"Yes, Inspector Olof."
The sirens sounded again, gradually moving away and fading into the distance.
Liam finally let out a long breath, his back soaked in cold sweat. He slid down the door and sat on the ground, his legs weak.
"That was close..." He muttered to himself. This experience made him realize that his methods were still too immature. He needed to be more careful in the future.
He stood up, walked to the bed, picked up the lunch box with god remains, and ate them all in one go. The pain of the energy surging through his body made him temporarily forget the fear just now.
After eating, he checked his information panel again. There was no further advancement, but his physical strength had clearly increased again.
"Keep growing stronger," Liam said firmly. "Only when I'm strong enough can I face any danger calmly."
He lay down on the cardboard sofa, but he couldn't fall asleep for a long time. The sound of the siren, the faces of the three gangsters, and the police's conversation kept replaying in his mind.
He knew that this was just the beginning. The police had already noticed the god remains theft case, and he would face more dangers in the future.
But he had no choice but to move forward. He had already stepped onto this path of no return—there was no turning back.
The next morning, Liam woke up early. He packed up his things, took the lunch box with the eaten god remains, and planned to throw it away on the way to school.
As soon as he walked out of the alley, he saw posters pasted on the street lamp poles. The posters had a photo of the empty trash cans and text asking for information about the god remains thief.
Liam quickly looked away, pretending not to see, and walked toward school with his head down.
He knew that the police wouldn't give up easily. He had to be more careful in the future, and at the same time, he had to find a way to disguise his Sequence as soon as possible. Only then could he truly feel at ease.
When he passed by the internet café, he paused for a moment. He thought about going in to check the forum for a suitable disguise Sequence, but he didn't have enough money. He had to wait until he got his part-time salary at the end of the week.
"Just a few more days," he told himself. Then he quickened his pace and walked toward school. The sunless morning was still cold, but Liam's heart was burning with determination. He knew that he had to seize every minute and second to grow stronger.