The Cage of Evil

“That’s right, little missy—we’re using our hands to create happiness by taking your money!”

One of the thugs laughed, and the group burst into mocking laughter.

“One last time—pay up! If you don’t, these hands will start punching instead!”

……

Seeing the tension rise, Bai Ci remained silent. Instead, he casually released a sliver of his magical energy.

Instantly, the entire street was shrouded in an overwhelming aura of elemental power.

As someone who had maxed out magic at the very start, even without invoking the Annihilation Witch form, Bai Ci’s magical presence was already at the pinnacle of this world’s standards.

Holy sh*t!

Boss, run! This guy’s a Sorcerer!

Feeling that terrifying pressure, the thugs instantly realized they’d picked the wrong target.

They scrambled to flee—but their legs felt like lead, frozen in place.

The dense magical force had sealed them within its grip.

“Big brother, have mercy! Forgive our ignorance—we didn’t know you were a Sorcerer!”

Realizing escape was impossible, the once-arrogant thug now knelt on the ground, begging for his life.

“Boss, we only do this to survive… to eat… please, if you spare us, we’ll never do this again!”

The gang leader stammered, tongue tied with fear, voice cracking as he babbled.

“So if I weren’t a Sorcerer, you’d have robbed me today?”

Bai Ci mused, observing the cowering thugs.

“No, no! Boss, please!” The leader’s voice cracked in panic.

“We only collect protection fees—we don’t kill! Even the shop owners here know that…”

He looked near tears.

Today was supposed to be a big score—instead, it turned into a nightmare.
Robbing a Sorcerer.

Xiya let out a light chuckle.

Leaning against the wall, her lavender hair fluttering in the breeze:

“How amusing. Now protection rackets come with industry regulations?”

She flicked her finger. A golden pendant arced through the air, landing before the gang leader with a soft clink.

“Recognize this?”

Even in the mud, the pendant gleamed with blinding gold—its intricate imperial insignia and embedded emerald marking it as priceless.

The thief’s pupils shrank. “T-The royal crest of the capital…?”

“There. It’s yours now—just answer my little brother’s question.”

With a delicate finger, she pointed at “her little brother”—who happened to be Bai Ci.

Bai Ci blinked, confused.

Xiya raised an eyebrow, smug.

Then she tiptoed close, whispering into his ear:

“It was a gift from those old fools in the capital when I was pretending to be the Saintess… something about being a symbol of the city…”

But Bai Ci wasn’t focused on the pendant.

Since when did I become her little brother?!

“But I’ve long since grown tired of it. So buy me a new one~”

“I don’t have money.”

Bai Ci refused flatly. He wouldn’t fall into Xiya’s trap.

“What?!”

Staring at the priceless treasure in the dirt, the thugs stood stunned.

They couldn’t believe it—this Sorcerer could’ve killed them instantly, yet spared them?
And this beautiful girl just handed them something worth a fortune…

“Boss! From now on, you two are our leaders!”
“Ask anything—we’ll tell you everything!” They bowed gratefully.

Hearing this, Bai Ci’s mind lit up. These thugs might know something about that monster.

Was there a connection between the creature and Garuda’s rebirth? That question gnawed at him.

“What’s the deal with those monsters in this city?”

At Bai Ci’s question, the gang leader’s eyes filled with terror.

“Boss, I’ll be honest—the monsters appeared recently, outta nowhere. And… well…”

“And?”

“They… they used to be people…”

“People?”

Bai Ci recalled the monster’s human-like features.
Xiya had also sensed human essence within it.

Does this world have a Resident Evil situation too? Bai Ci thought of famous Earth films.

“Yeah, people. Just yesterday, I saw a man walking—he suddenly collapsed. When he got up… he was that thing.”

“Boss, you gotta be careful! These things bite anyone they see. The whole city’s terrified.”

The leader didn’t know Bai Ci had already slaughtered one of those monsters moments ago.

Bai Ci nodded slowly.

“How many gangs like yours are there in this city?”

“Boss, there are tons like us. We handle protection fees on this street, but others specialize in theft, murder, robbery…”

Too brazen!

Bai Ci hadn’t expected so many criminal groups like this.

But now, he had a plan forming.

“Good. Gather every gang like yours. From now on, all operations in this city are under my control!”

Bai Ci grinned, flashing a row of pristine white teeth.

Whatever it takes—step one to killing a Demon Lord is building a loyal army!

But are these guys, weaker than trash-tier fighters, really useful against a Demon Lord?

Even if not, as an intelligence network, more people means better coverage!

His mind debated back and forth—finally reaching consensus.

“Boss, you’re strong, but some other gangs… we can’t mess with them…”

The leader hesitated.

“Oh? What do you mean?”

“To be honest, while there are many gangs, most have powerful backers.”

“Our Wild Wolves Gang is the lowest tier—no backing. We just scrape by on protection fees.”

“But other gangs? Their sponsors are the big powers in this city.”

“Big powers? Which one’s the strongest here?”

Bai Ci pondered—maybe replacing them would be ideal.

“If we exclude the Holy Heaven Army, then the Shiyu Church is the true ruler of this city.”

“The Shiyu Church?”

Bai Ci blinked. Never thought religion would thrive in a place like this.

“Boss, you’re not from around here, are you?”

Seeing Bai Ci’s confusion, the leader asked carefully.

Bai Ci nodded.

“Though I don’t know how you got in, leaving… won’t be easy.”

The leader sighed. Then, through his story, Bai Ci learned the city’s history—and the truth behind the Shiyu Church.

The Shiyu Church was now the dominant force in this city—known as Sin City.

As for why Sin City had become this wasteland, the answer lay far in the past.

Once, Sin City was the third-largest metropolis of the Yundu Empire—prosperous, resource-rich,
home to countless sorcerers, thriving commerce, and peaceful citizens. Everything was progressing beautifully.

No one expected it—the nightmare came without warning.

Amidst peace, countless eyes emerged from the clouds, watching the land like silent watchers.

The sky turned ominous. Then, in an instant, demon hordes blotted out the sun, descending upon the city.

They tore apart humanity’s dreams of tomorrow.

Viscous lifeforms fell from the sky, crashing onto Sin City’s soil.

The earth split. Centuries-old buildings crumbled. The city became ruins in moments.

Even with countless sorcerers fighting back, they were devoured instantly—bodies erased without a trace.

After just a few hours, the demonic assault mysteriously stopped.

But the damage was done. Three-quarters of the population dead.

Streets once lined with shops now soaked in blood and rotting corpses.

The skies darkened forever.

The attack shocked the empire. But the capital—the heart of Yundu—responded by sealing off Sin City.

To them, Sin City was a cursed land, punished by the gods.

And facing demons, humanity was powerless.

So they sent only token squads of the Holy Heaven Army—not for rescue, but to contain.

To prevent survivors from escaping and spreading the “plague” left behind by the demons.

From that day on, the gates to the outside world closed.

Survivors were exiled—trapped in this ruined city.

To survive, they formed gangs and factions.

The Shiyu Church rose fastest—through ruthless tactics and a surviving Fifth-Tier Sorcerer named Luo Xiu, who survived the initial onslaught.

In no time, they absorbed most factions, seizing absolute control.

Even the Holy Heaven Army stationed here feared them.

The two forces maintained an uneasy truce—neither interfering with the other.

Now Bai Ci understood why the soldiers at the gate wouldn’t let him in.

Back then, they said the city was “under imperial control.”
Now he knew the truth.