# Chapter 337: The Woman in the Rainy Alley
(To be revised later) Unfortunately, there wasn't much information about this online, so Xu Huo stopped browsing after a while.
He then turned to look for news about the southern district.
Looking at the map, if one wanted to go from the city center to Rose Castle, they would definitely pass through this area. There were only scattered mentions of Rose Castle online, possibly related to the castle owner's identity — the castle owner was known for charity and had received commendations from Central City. Instead, it was the southern district where he found some interesting information.
There was a post online saying that for the past three years, every so often, an old residential building in this area would inexplicably experience rainfall.
The reason it was called inexplicable was because there were no rain clouds, but when the time came, it would drizzle every night. And whenever it rained, people would inexplicably go missing or die.
Someone had given this place a name — Rainy Alley. But it had nothing to do with hazy, beautiful poetry; it was a kind of vague, formless fear.
Xu Huo took a car here and walked inside according to the route described online.
The deeper he went, the more desolate it became. Even before the sky had fully darkened, no one could be seen walking around. Every household had their windows tightly shut, curtains drawn completely closed, with only a few families secretly lifting a corner to peek outside. But as soon as they saw a stranger approaching, they immediately pulled the curtains shut again.
Xu Huo targeted a third-floor apartment and knocked on the door.
It took a while before someone opened the door. The chain lock was still on, leaving only a crack. The owner looked at him warily and asked, "What do you want?"
Xu Huo smiled and said, "I'm looking for a relative. I can't reach them, and I lost the address. They live around here, surname Hu. Do you know them by any chance?"
"Hu?" The person's expression showed recognition. He sighed and said, "Then your relative might not be around anymore. If you go out from here, two intersections down the alley, someone surnamed Hu died there. Died horribly..."
Realizing this was someone else's relative, the resident didn't go into detail but said, "This area isn't safe at night. You'd better leave while you can."
With that, he closed the door.
Xu Huo went downstairs and headed straight for that alley.
The sky was dim. He walked along the uneven stone bricks into the alley. In the short ten-meter-long passage, there were several dark stains on the walls and ground. A faint smell of blood mixed with a foul odor.
At the other end of the alley was another cluster of messy residential buildings, with small passageways branching out in all directions.
Xu Huo didn't go deeper but waited at the entrance of the alley.
Just then, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, pattering down just enough to wet the ground, though it wasn't slippery to walk on. He held his umbrella with his shoulder, lit a cigarette, and looked at the cheongsam-clad woman walking out from the depths of the alley. She held a large white umbrella, walking under the dim yellow streetlight, her figure graceful and alluring.
A strong perfume scent spread through the alley. Xu Huo leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on her.
The cheongsam woman stopped when she reached him, turned around to face him, and flashed a charming smile. "Your umbrella is quite nice. Could you give it to me?"
Xu Huo glanced at his big floral umbrella. "You want it for free?"
The cheongsam woman's delicate smile faltered for a moment, though the corners of her mouth still curled upward. "Selling it to me is fine too."
Xu Huo scrutinized her from head to toe, then grinned. "Not selling. Trade me something for it."
The cheongsam woman elegantly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, the string of small bells on her wrist jingling. "Name your price."
Xu Huo didn't answer but stood up and asked her, "Do you smoke?"
The cheongsam woman hesitated, then nodded. Her snow-white hand reached out gently from under the umbrella, ready to take the cigarette from him. But unexpectedly, Xu Huo flicked his fingers, and the cigarette flew toward her face.
The cheongsam woman caught the cigarette, her expression turning cold.
Xu Huo acted as if he hadn't noticed. "Sister, it's not safe for a woman to walk alone at night. Are you dressed so beautifully for work?"
The cheongsam woman let out a cold laugh. "You men all have nothing but dirty thoughts in your heads."
Xu Huo didn't deny it. Then she continued, "I'm going to a banquet."
"The rich people love to play host. They always want me to accompany them, but I never get enough to eat. I have to find something to eat beforehand every time."
"Sounds like the host is pretty stingy." Xu Huo's lighter flickered on and off in his hand.
The cheongsam woman twirled the cigarette but didn't ask him for a light. Suddenly she asked, "You're carrying big bags and small bags — you're from out of town, aren't you?"
"That's right. I just got here today, looking for a relative." Xu Huo shook his head. "Who knew I wouldn't find them. What a waste of the two bags of local specialties I brought."
The cheongsam woman let out a soft, delicate laugh. "What's your relative's name?"
"I live nearby. Maybe I know them."
Xu Huo turned his head and carefully looked at her face. "Come to think of it, you look a bit like her."
"Her name is Huang Yue."
The rain in the alley suddenly grew heavier. With a *ding* from the brass lighter, Xu Huo shouted the word "Burn!" At the same moment, the woman's five fingers shot toward his throat like lightning!
Two faint *chi-chi* sounds rang out almost simultaneously. As flames leaped up from the hem of the woman's cheongsam, a bloody scratch mark appeared on the side of Xu Huo's neck from her nails.
The two of them pulled back three meters apart, each holding their umbrella.
The cheongsam woman casually patted out the small flame and laughed. "Setting fire in the rain — I have to give you credit for thinking of that."
Xu Huo said thoughtfully, "This rain has the ability to suppress props."
"You're a smart one." The cheongsam woman licked her lips with her blood-red tongue. "I thought I'd have to go to the banquet hungry today, but I never expected such good luck — a player delivering himself to my doorstep."
Xu Huo pulled out a gasoline bottle. "I wonder if your rain can put out gasoline."
The cheongsam woman's eyes darkened. She tossed her white umbrella into the air, leaped up to stick to the wall, and began crawling at an eerie, rapid pace!
*Bang! Bang!*
Glass bottles shattered one after another in the alley, but the cheongsam woman used the two walls to bounce back and forth, dodging the splashing gasoline. By the time she reached Xu Huo, only a few scattered oil spots had gotten on her cheongsam. Her fingernails, which had somehow grown long and sharp, swiped horizontally at his throat!
Xu Huo held up a glass bottle to block beside his head. The nails that looked like they could pierce steel only left a faint scratch on the bottle before changing direction, aiming for his heart!
Xu Huo activated his super running shoes and spun on the spot, smashing a bottle onto her head. "Burn!"
This time, it hit for real. Gasoline poured all over the cheongsam woman's head. A weak flame started from her shoulder, instantly igniting her upper body, wrapping around her head as well!
The woman screamed in pain, dodging the next gasoline bottle. She crawled onto the wall, her speed so fast it left afterimages. Xu Huo only saw the large holes she clawed into the wall rapidly approaching him!
*Bang!* The big floral umbrella flipped onto the ground. Although Xu Huo avoided the fatal attack, he was slammed into the stone wall. The cheongsam woman's fingertips pierced his shoulder, pinning him in place, while her other hand stabbed toward his eyes!
"Explode!" Xu Huo suddenly roared. The cheongsam woman hastily bounced back to the opposite wall, crawling several meters along the surface. But when she didn't hear an explosion, she realized she had been tricked!