Harvest

Harvest

The enemies were all dead. Lu Li hurriedly summoned the Kunlun Mirror into his hand and inspected it carefully.

The treasure had taken a shotgun blast, yet not even the slightest mark remained.

"It's tough! This magic treasure would work even better for defense..."

Relieved, Lu Li sent the Kunlun Mirror back into his Sea of Consciousness to be nurtured.

Next, he found the key on Antonio's corpse and unlocked the cage.

Jessica had been waiting so long she was practically staring holes through the bars. The moment the door opened, she threw herself into Lu Li's arms and burst into tears, letting out all the fear and hurt she'd been carrying for days.

The girl was lively and adorable, and kindhearted, too. She shouldn't have had to suffer such a tragic fate.

Lu Li gently comforted her, reassuring her again and again. "It's all right. It's all over now."

"Lu Li! You're amazing!"

Jessica recovered, wiped away her tears, and said excitedly, "You took out the gang's hideout all by yourself!"

Lu Li smiled. "I did it to save you, after all. Let's get out of here."

"No, no!" Jessica put on a stern little face and said gravely,

"So many people know I fell into the Decapitation Gang's hands. If I go back completely unharmed, people will ask questions... The Decapitation Gang are Benjamin's dogs. I can't let them drag you into this!"

The tank that had opened fire in the street earlier belonged to Benjamin, and all the gangs in the entire border region worked for him.

He might be called a drug lord, but "warlord" was really the better word. Lu Li absolutely couldn't afford to get on his bad side!

Fortunately, Jessica was a clever little thing and already had a plan~

She planted a quick kiss on Lu Li's cheek, then went back into the cage and locked the door herself.

"I'll stay here! Take all the Star Alliance dollars from the safe, leave the opium behind... and then call the police!"

That was the girl's plan.

Lu Li thought it over... and it really could work!

The police would definitely rescue Jessica, and the opium in the safe would count as a "good deed" for them.

That way, the blame would shift to the police.

As for who the real culprit was, the police would surely start by slowly investigating the Decapitation Gang's thousands upon thousands of enemies. There was no way they'd suspect a cripple.

Lu Li said solemnly, "It really is a good plan. You'll just have to put up with this for a while."

Jessica chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine~"

"Mm. I'll be watching from nearby, too."

Lu Li nodded firmly, then found a travel bag and stuffed all the Star Alliance dollars from the safe inside.

With no time to count them, Lu Li went back into the hallway and scavenged the weapons and ammunition scattered across the floor, especially the two shotguns.

The gangsters hadn't maintained their pistols very well, though, so Lu Li only took four that were at least ninety percent new.

He also found a lot of watches and lighters...

Once he'd finished, he used Antonio's finger to unlock his phone and called the police.

He tossed the useless phone to the ground, splashing a few drops of blood.

The hallway was strewn with corpses, and the air reeked of iron. The floor was sticky underfoot.

But Lu Li didn't find the sight disgusting. If anything, he felt a rush of satisfaction.

The people he'd killed were beasts dressed up as humans. They didn't deserve to live.

Just then, Jessica curled up in the cage and waved goodbye.

Looking at the girl's sweet smile, Lu Li suddenly felt grateful for Spirit Refinement.

Grateful for this miraculous ability, which had given a cripple the power to turn his fate around!

A cool sensation spread through his mind, and his thoughts became crystal clear.

But the feeling vanished just as quickly, like an illusion, leaving him strangely bereft.

"My head feels cool. It's like I've suddenly figured something out... A conviction?"

"Is my conviction to protect? No... that doesn't quite feel right."

Lu Li trudged through the sticky blood, stepping over countless corpses in horrifying states, and limped away.

Lu Li arrived at a fried chicken shop open twenty-four hours a day, not far from the nightclub.

He'd just ordered a meal, and it had only just been brought out when he heard sirens.

The police arrived at the scene quickly, followed close behind by reporters from all over.

The incident had caused quite a stir. Major TV stations like Aztec and Channel 5 had sent their top crews.

Before long, a number of young women were carried out on stretchers.

They were all poor souls kidnapped by the Decapitation Gang. Jessica was among them.

She seemed to be in good shape and walked out on her own.

As if by telepathy, she looked straight toward the fried chicken shop where Lu Li was sitting, then quickly averted her gaze.

A policewoman came over to comfort her and asked if she'd seen anything.

Jessica put on a frightened look and kept shaking her head.

With no other choice, the police sent her to the hospital in an ambulance.

Seeing that everything had settled down, Lu Li returned to his apartment.

He counted up his spoils. This time, he'd really made a killing.

First, there was the cash. He counted out a full two hundred thousand dollars!

He also had a pile of watches he could take to the other world and spend there.

And the two shotguns would greatly improve his ability to protect himself.

The Wang brothers he'd faced before had taken three or four .45 rounds before they died.

But with a shotgun, half a blast would be enough to take their worthless lives!

These two Remington M870s could fire a pound of lead shot at once, enough to kill a brown bear!

Just as Lu Li was fiddling with the shotguns, his phone rang.

To his surprise, it was Doctor Laila!

Lu Li hurriedly answered. "Hello, Doctor Laila. What is it?"

[Lu Li, I've just had a patient come in. Her name is Jessica. She says she's your friend?]

What a coincidence, Lu Li thought. Then he said, "That's right. Is something wrong?"

[She was kidnapped by a gang, but luckily the police rescued her. You should come see her.]

"I'll be right there!"

Lu Li changed his clothes and rushed out. Before long, he had arrived at the Tijuana General Hospital, which he hadn't visited in a while.

He knew his way around, and went straight to the ward, where he found Doctor Laila and Jessica.

Doctor Laila said gently, "You've come at just the right time. Go comfort the poor girl; she's frightened."

Jessica gave him a subtle look and pretended to be weak. "I want to go home..."

Lu Li asked, "Doctor Laila, can I take her home?"

Doctor Laila thought it over. "If you insist... that's fine. Just make sure she gets plenty of rest and doesn't get too upset."

"Thank you, Doctor Laila."

It sure was convenient to know people. The two left the hospital without a hitch and returned to the apartment.

As soon as they walked in, the feeble look vanished from Jessica's face. She said excitedly,

"The police couldn't get anything out of anyone. They've ruled it a gang shootout!"

"That's great."

Lu Li was glad to avoid more trouble, but then he started worrying about what to do with the girl.

He asked, "Where's your home? Should I take you back?"

Jessica ignored him and looked around the apartment, her eyes shifting. "You live here alone?"

"Mm, I do."

"I don't have a home anymore... Can I stay with you?"

Jessica gave him a pitiful look. "I don't eat much, and I'll help clean. I won't be a bother~"

Lu Li furrowed his brow, feeling that it might be inconvenient.

But Jessica gazed at him with pleading, watery eyes...

Lu Li figured he wasn't home very often anyway, so he decided to agree.

"All right, you can stay here. But what about your parents?"

"They sold me to the Decapitation Gang. I might as well consider them dead~"

Jessica flopped onto the bed and rolled around happily.

Lu Li opened his mouth, but no words came out.