Kill and Plunder

Yu Ye stared wide-eyed at the sudden turn of events before her.

The battle she had expected to be fraught with danger ended before it even began.

One move.

Or rather, it did not even count as a move. Ji Qinglin had robbed the assassin of his ability to act.

The other party might not have been a Qi Practitioner, but judging by his build and footwork, he was still a professional killer.

Crazy Night: Tsk, this guy might be a bastard and a pervert, but he really has some skills.

Yu Ye: Can you tell how he did it?

Crazy Night: No. It seemed like some kind of soul-refining ability, but I've never seen someone hack in that fast.

"Master, you..."

Once he confirmed it had worked, Ji Qinglin ignored Yu Ye. He bent down, drove a knee into the assassin's neck, tore open his clothes, and first pulled out the imitation neural connector embedded at the back of his neck.

The phone's self-defense effect would only last a few seconds. He had to truly disable this guy first.

Back when he had followed Old Hu, he had dismantled and sold quite a few similar robots, so he was naturally familiar with the process.

After pulling out the neural port, Ji Qinglin lifted the other party's arm and took out a coin. Through the artificial flesh inside the puppet's elbow, he turned it three times, then smashed the ejected blade against the ground.

Crack—

The crimson blade of the Ghost Blade snapped off with ease. He repeated the process with the other arm, then picked up the sharp blade and viciously drove it into the gap at the puppet's back.

Hiss—

A small burst of electricity exploded. The puppet's entire body jolted, then its formerly rigid frame completely went limp, and the red glow in its eyes went out.

Ji Qinglin skillfully searched the puppet from head to toe. In the end, he found a 50 Red Coin bill in its clothes pocket.

Unlike USD and SGD, Red Coin was the true hard currency in this era.

Two brand-new Ghost Blade blades plus 50 Red Coin—he had barely avoided taking a loss.

Crazy Night: Damn, subduing, silencing, dismantling, searching the body—all in one smooth flow without the slightest hesitation. This guy definitely runs a shady shop! The kind that kills and robs without leaving anyone alive!

Yu Ye: I don't know, but it definitely wasn't as simple as it looked.

Ji Qinglin noticed Yu Ye staring wide-eyed, her mouth slightly open, as he moved the puppet robot. He tucked the money into his pocket and returned to his earlier smiling expression. "What are you looking at? Do you think raising an apprentice is easy? Do you know how to help subsidize the household? Come over and help!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming."

After the accident just now, Yu Ye's attitude toward Ji Qinglin had changed considerably. She helped him throw the puppet assassin's remains to the roadside.

This kind of puppet robot would still fetch a good price if dismantled and sold, but since it had been sent to kill him, Ji Qinglin feared it might carry some other threat if he took it away. This time, he could only painfully abandon it.

"Master, aren't we taking it back to inspect it and see who sent someone to kill you?"

"There are no clues on this kind of puppet robot other than mission data. Even if the police came, they wouldn't find any evidence. It's precisely because of that excellent security that so many people choose them. Besides, I already have an idea who sent it."

"Master, you really hide your depths well. How did you do that just now?"

Ji Qinglin naturally would not expose his secrets, so he changed the subject. "Eh? Don't try getting friendly with me. Given your performance just now, I've decided to observe you for a while first."

"Yes, Master."

Crazy Night: You're really going to follow him?

Yu Ye: Our ability to protect ourselves is insufficient, and we're strangers in Bangkok. Following him at least gives us somewhere to stay, and from the looks of things, we might actually learn something.

Crazy Night: That's true, but is the 'observation' this guy mentioned really going to be proper observation? "Master, what exactly is this observation you mentioned?"

"Come back with me first. We'll talk then."

Ji Qinglin could tell that this little girl truly wanted to become his apprentice. That makes things easy.

On their way back to the General Store, the two passed a small clothing shop that had not yet closed.

Ji Qinglin had Yu Ye go inside and pick out a few outfits. After all, wearing prison clothes underneath was truly improper. Besides, it was not far from Ji's General Store, so they could also observe whether there were any other assassins lying in wait.

He thought that if the mastermind was who he suspected, there should not be any more threats. Besides, once they returned to the shop, even a whole string of assassins like this would not be a problem.

The owner knew Ji Qinglin. When he saw Ji Qinglin swagger in with a pretty young girl wearing prison clothes beneath her outer garments and a collar around her neck, he was initially stunned. Then he immediately revealed a grin unfit for children.

"Boss Ji, you really play wild. Even the prison beauty scenario, huh?"

Ji Qinglin did not understand at first. It was only when he saw Yu Ye cover her face and lower her head to pick out clothes that he understood what the owner meant.

"Uh, it's not like that. But don't spread this around, all right? I also need a few outfits in other styles."

As Ji Qinglin listed several styles, the owner searched while replying with a lewd grin, "Got it, got it. Like I said, you really know how to play. But you really have to watch your health. If you wear it out, you'll have no choice but to install a Big Steel Cannon. I heard from a friend that there's a new model out—a wolf-tooth massage type with sixteen speed settings, acceleration, and heating."

Ji Qinglin found it hard to explain any further, so he could only go along with it helplessly. He awkwardly waited for Yu Ye to finish choosing her clothes, paid the bill, and the two tacitly hurried out of the clothing shop. Good thing this street is fairly secluded. Otherwise, the reputation I've built over the past two years would be ruined overnight.

"Yu Ye, my shop is just ahead. Why are you running so fast? Did you finish picking out your clothes?"

"Don't worry, I've already chosen them."

As she said this, Yu Ye turned her flushed face away. After all, it was her first time being mistaken for a pervert, and it was not convenient to explain.

"That's good. The total was 46.8 Red Coin. I'll put it on your tab for now. Remember to pay me back later."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, 'huh'? I didn't press the remote this time."

Crazy Night: He's so stingy! His apprentice has to pay for her own clothes! Yu Ye: You've got some nerve saying that. Didn't you say just now that we should get back at him by spending money? Would I have taken so much otherwise? When they reached the mouth of the alley, Ji Qinglin slowed his pace and made a silencing gesture. He glanced inside, and only after confirming that the upside-down "Fortune" light by the door was still lit did he lead Yu Ye over.

Looking at the distinctive sign in the alley and the red illuminated "Fortune" character hanging on the door, Yu Ye frowned slightly and could not help reaching out to touch it.

"Yu Ye?"

Ji Qinglin's voice suddenly came from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought it looked very nice."

"You don't even pick the right time to flatter me. Go inside first."

After confirming it was safe, Ji Qinglin entered Yu Ye's fingerprints and facial data into the General Store's security system, then gave her a brief tour of its layout.

Aside from the bathroom and toilet, the second floor, which served as the living area, only had a small Living Room and a bedroom.

To save space, Ji Qinglin had not set up a bed. Instead, he often laid bedding on the floor of the smaller bedroom, which also gave him a greater sense of security.

But the moment he opened the Living Room door, a Black Shadow pounced out from inside.