Black Table Bounty

Han Su let out a low breath. "Don't roll away just yet."

He turned to look at the man in the baseball cap. Nothing could be read from behind his sunglasses. "A lawless friend once told me that hurting people is against the law, especially when there are cameras around."

The two men blocking Han Su from the front and back merely grinned silently, as if he had told some enormous joke.

The man in the baseball cap, seated in a chair, smiled. "What are you thinking, Little Brother? We're not here to hurt you. We just want you to cooperate with an investigation."

"At most, you got too emotional and had a little scuffle with my little brothers. Just a misunderstanding. There are no cameras here, so don't go saying nonsense..."

"Besides, I think it'd be better if you cooperated with us."

"Maybe you don't know yet, but someone posted an investigative bounty on the Black Table over your Kidnapping Case. The amount is a full three million..."

Even he paused at that number. Greed shone from his narrowed eyes. "We won't be the only ones coming for you, and the others won't be as easy to talk to as us. Some things can't stay hidden. You'll talk eventually."

"Heh, kidnapped by monsters? You really came up with that one. But what normal person would believe such crap?"

"Why not just tell us honestly what happened back then? We can settle this peacefully once and for all. It'll be good for you too..."

"..."

"Three million?"

As Han Su listened, he frowned slightly. A bounty on the Black Table?

On this Life Path, he was at the bottom of society and knew little about many of Qinggang City's more interesting things.

But during the Life Path where he had been a rich man's son, he had become thoroughly familiar with upper-class etiquette, lifestyles, and certain methods.

The Black Table, for instance, seemed to be a somewhat sinister website that even the Administrative Hall had failed to shut down.

All kinds of shady private commissions and secret transactions were posted there, including investigations, hired work, smuggling, assault, and more.

Many private detectives, bounty hunters, and desperadoes made a living by accepting commissions or collecting bounties through that website.

But this Kidnapping Case had happened ten years ago. Newspapers could not even be bothered to rehash such stale gossip anymore, so why would someone suddenly offer such a high bounty?

The three men surrounding him saw Han Su's expression change and knew he had realized the seriousness of the matter, so they were no longer in a hurry to act.

With a slight glance, the man in the baseball cap signaled for the other two to help Han Su sit down first.

If anyone actually believed me, I'd want to take that three-million bounty myself...

Han Su sighed helplessly inside, then looked up at them with a polite smile. "No smoking in the library."

"Hm?"

All three froze, especially the one with the cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Before they could react, Han Su suddenly slammed his backpack into the muscular man's face, then spun around and fiercely slapped the cigarette-smoking man across the face.

"Hey, hey?"

The man was slapped senseless. The knife in his hand remained raised in midair as he stood there, not knowing what to do.

Hadn't they agreed he was only here to fill out the numbers for two hundred bucks? Why did they actually have to fight?

Before the thought had even fully crossed his mind, Han Su pressed his advantage. As he slapped the man, he stepped forward and grabbed the arm holding the dagger.

He twisted it backward. Crack.

The man screamed, and the knife fell to the floor. Han Su casually kicked it beneath a bookshelf, then turned around. The muscular man had already pulled the backpack away, murderous light in his eyes as he strode toward Han Su.

His rear leg pushed off the ground, and his fist shot forward. The move was fierce and swift, clearly from someone with professional training and even a few traces of professional fighting technique.

But he did not expect Han Su's expression to remain unchanged in the face of his punch.

His one remaining intact eye watched coldly. Only when the man entered striking range did Han Su sway slightly aside, dodging the punch as his right thumb spread apart from his other fingers and smashed hard into the man's throat.

The man was startled by Han Su's quick reaction and hurriedly tried to pull back, but Han Su followed him like a shadow.

He grabbed his arm, drove a knee into his groin, then turned his back and rammed his shoulder into the man's elbow.

Another crisp crack rang out.

"Argh, argh, argh!"

The muscular man choked his howl of pain back into his throat. Veins bulged on his forehead as he staggered backward, clutching his broken arm, his legs pressed tightly together.

Han Su calmly picked up his backpack from the floor.

Others saw him as refined and scholarly, but years of being imprisoned in the Dark Fortress, constantly searching for escape routes under endless pressure, had given him astonishing spatial awareness and reaction speed.

Even the boxing gym's coach thought he had natural talent for fighting.

Besides, in order to escape successfully whenever he was dragged back after being kidnapped, Han Su had continued training diligently even after returning to the present. After all, when he returned to the Ancient Castle, he had only a ten-year-old body, and his stamina was locked in place.

But his reaction speed and techniques for exerting force often allowed him to act far more efficiently.

Furthermore, because of the torment of the Dark Fortress, Han Su had lived many different lives.

Blind, disfigured, crippled, gravely ill... all of that had made him especially skilled at making effective use of the parts of his body that still worked.

More importantly, though, no matter how vicious people in the real world tried to look, they were simply far inferior to those monsters.

I get chased by monsters in the Ancient Castle every day until I scream my head off. You think you can bully me in the real world?

Han Su slung his backpack over his shoulder, then looked at the man in the baseball cap and took two steps closer.

"Give me your arm."

The man in the baseball cap had long lost his earlier playful smile. Shock surged in his eyes.

Never mind the man hired for two hundred dollars. The other had cost over five thousand and had been his regular muscle for years since he started taking private commissions. How had this inconspicuous student brought him down in just a few moves?

Sweat poured from his forehead as he forced out a difficult smile. "L-Little Brother, there's no need for this, right? Hurting people is against the law..."

"You said there were no cameras here."

Han Su did not waste words. He raised his hand as if to slap him. The man in the baseball cap reflexively lifted an arm to block, only for Han Su to seize it. His entire body instantly stiffened.

Han Su looked at him with a faint smile. "Since you're a private detective, don't you understand one thing? In this city, there are at least two kinds of people you can't afford to provoke."

"One kind is the rich. You can't afford to provoke them."

"The other kind is people like me, people who can barely keep living another day..."

"..."

"Don't rush..."

The man in the baseball cap broke out in cold sweat and shouted, "You got into Qinggang University! You have a wonderful future ahead of you..."

"But I'm angry every day."

Amid his cries, Han Su grabbed his arm and smashed it hard against the edge of the table.

Once, twice, three times. On the third blow, the man's arm gave its third crisp crack, followed immediately by a heart-rending scream.

"Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh!"

His baseball cap fell off, revealing a slick-haired man.

Only then did Han Su release his arm. Feeling refreshed, he straightened up and rummaged through the books until he found the symbol he had shown the long-haired female student earlier. After thinking about it, he traced over it once more and made it look more vivid.

He slapped the sheet of paper in front of the slick-haired man, gestured for him to be quiet, and said, "I won't let you come for nothing. You want a clue? This symbol is your clue. Go investigate it!"

"If you really find something, I'll give you thirty million!"

"..."

After saying that, Han Su did not waste another word and left the library directly.

Although private detectives and bounty hunters who scraped around at the bottom of society usually had little real ability, Han Su did not mind casting out another line. What if they really struck it lucky and uncovered something?

Of course, he did not have thirty million.

"Who suddenly posted this bounty? And who had the nerve to put up three million all at once?"

After leaving the library, Han Su reined in his emotions somewhat. Even as he headed toward the bus stop, the question kept circling through his mind.

This was an era where two hundred thousand could buy a life, and one hundred thousand could get someone's leg broken or leave them crippled. Three million was already an enormous sum.

But the key was that while this Kidnapping Case still haunted Han Su like a shadow, to everyone else, it was a cold case from ten years ago.

Why would someone suddenly offer such a huge bounty now?

His "present" was uncertain, and because of that, Han Su had not paid much attention to what happened in his current life for a long time.

The only thing he could think of was that this bounty might bring him plenty of trouble. But it did not matter. At most, within half a month, he would be dragged back into the past again. Whether he could escape back here afterward was another question entirely.

Lost in thought, Han Su arrived beneath the bus stop sign outside and silently pulled up his collar to cover his face.

"Mr. Han..."

Just as Han Su patiently waited for the bus, a figure appeared in front of him.

Looking up, he saw a very thin man wearing a black raincoat, with only a stubbled face exposed.

He looked only a little over thirty, yet there was a weariness between his brows. He carried a silver case covered in dust, making him look like a traveler who had not returned home in a long time.

What kind of day is this? They just keep coming one after another...

Han Su was already quite unhappy, but there were cameras here, so he still looked at the man politely, his eyes narrowing slightly. "May I ask who you are...?"

"Song Chushi. We've met before."