Gold Medal Killer

In a suburb, inside an abandoned factory.

A cracking sound echoed through the desolate woodland as dry, withered fallen leaves were crushed under heavy footsteps. Two massive figures emerged from the trees.

They were the brothers Yellow Big Tiger, dressed in a suit, and Little Black Cub, entirely black.

A tall jeep was parked by the factory entrance. The lion with dreadlocks from the Monster Club leaned against the car, wearing a leather jacket and smoking a thick cigar.

"Sorry, we're a few minutes late," Yellow Big Tiger said as he approached. "We had to cross the railway tracks, and a train went by, so we had to wait for a bit."

"No problem," the dreadlocked lion chuckled. "I just got here myself, and you guys showed up right after I lit this."

"Where are the killers?" Yellow Big Tiger asked.

"Inside," the dreadlocked lion said. He took a powerful puff, finishing the large cigar. The flame shot up to his fingers. He closed his eyes, twitched his head, and exhaled a large cloud of smoke as if his soul had left his body. Only then did he slowly open his eyes. "Follow me."

Yellow Big Tiger turned to his brother. "Don't learn from him. Smoking like that, three cigars and you'll get lung cancer."

"Can't be helped," the dreadlocked lion said with a hint of helplessness. "Those two brothers inside can't handle any stimulation. They see a spark and get agitated easily."

Upon entering the factory gates, they found a spacious workshop filled with broken machinery. There was no one in sight. The dreadlocked lion led them up to the factory's second floor.

"So agitated, can they be trusted?" Yellow Big Tiger frowned.

"All I can tell you is, these two brothers are the strongest Gold Medal Killers I could get in touch with," the dreadlocked lion said. "Back in the Wasteland, they once teamed up to kill a Gang Realm cultivator! Since coming to the city, they haven't failed a single mission. All targets have been eliminated cleanly. The only downside is, well..."

"What?" Yellow Big Tiger asked.

"They sometimes kill the employer too," the dreadlocked lion said, quickly adding, "They just get angry easily. Don't provoke them."

As they spoke, he pushed open the door to the second-floor workshop.

Immediately, the tiger demon brothers saw another pair of demon brothers inside the workshop.

They were two half-transformed demons, standing over two meters tall. They were a brownish-tan color with extremely developed muscles. Relative to their large bodies, their heads were quite small. Their heads resembled a mix of a rat and a deer, with large black eyes that looked vacant.

Both demons wore ill-fitting overalls, one in denim blue and the other in camouflage green. One even wore a hat askew. They looked... not very bright.

Yellow Big Tiger looked at them and asked, "Rats?"

Behind him, Black Tiger guessed, "Kangaroo?"

The demon in camouflage green swayed over to Black Tiger, suddenly raised its right hand, which held a hammer, and slammed it down hard on Black Tiger's head.

CLANG!

The blow was powerful and incredibly fast. It would have crushed a person's skull.

Fortunately, Black Tiger's physique was tough. He was only knocked to the ground, letting out a pained cry, "Roar!"

"What are you doing?" Yellow Big Tiger immediately got into a fighting stance, shouting, "Trying to double-cross us?"

The one in denim blue pulled out something as well – a large wrench stained with paint – and took a fighting stance.

"Calm down!" the dreadlocked lion quickly pushed the two demons apart and said to Yellow Big Tiger, "Don't say things like that. I told you they get angry easily!"

"What did I say?" Yellow Big Tiger helped his brother up and asked indignantly.

"You..." the camouflage green demon stammered, "You're the rat, we are... noble Rhinoceros Deer!"

"Got it, got it," the dreadlocked lion quickly said. "These two brothers are Rhinoceros Deer demons. They were born in the Wasteland and don't have names. You can call them Big Rhinoceros Deer and Second Rhinoceros Deer."

Most demons in the Wasteland are wild. Even after gaining sentience, they don't have the concept of naming themselves.

Demons like the Tiger Head Gang, who can name themselves based on color and rank, giving names like Yellow Big Tiger and Little Black Cub, are considered highly educated families in the Wasteland.

It's roughly equivalent to a human PhD.

"Kangaroo isn't... a rat. Besides, what's so noble about Rhinoceros Deer?" Black Tiger, clutching his bloody head, stood up gritting his teeth.

He didn't speak very fluently. He usually spoke in short phrases, but this blow forced him to speak in full sentences.

Big Rhinoceros Deer, in denim blue, was relatively calmer. He put away his wrench and said, "My brother isn't very smart. Don't mind him. When we were in the Wasteland, other demons looked down on us because we were Rhinoceros Deer, and it left us with some psychological scars."

"I've never seen Rhinoceros Deer demons reach their level of cultivation before," the dreadlocked lion said, seeing the atmosphere ease. "Their physical bodies are incredibly strong, almost indestructible. And their signature headbutt move, it's like smashing through gods and buddhas."

"As long as they can fight," Yellow Big Tiger said with a stern face. "As long as they can kill my enemy, I can overlook what just happened."

"We never fail to kill," Big Rhinoceros Deer said coldly. "We only kill more, never less."

"It doesn't have to be more," Yellow Big Tiger said. "You know my requirements, right? You must follow my orders during the operation. The target isn't stupid. If you expose yourselves even slightly, he'll notify the Supervision Bureau..."

Before he could finish, the Second Rhinoceros Deer in camouflage green swayed in front of Yellow Big Tiger and suddenly raised its hand.

Another hammer blow!

Even though Yellow Big Tiger was wary as he approached, the opponent's speed was unexpectedly fast and the power was unexpectedly great. He couldn't dodge it. With a CLANG, he was knocked to the ground!

"Aow—" he roared in pain.

"What are you doing?" Black Tiger got into a defensive posture.

"Calm down!" the dreadlocked lion intervened again, advising, "I forgot to mention, these two brothers are particularly sensitive to one word. As soon as they hear it, they get stimulated and become very agitated."

"That's right!" Big Rhinoceros Deer's eyes were red, but he restrained himself and held back Second Rhinoceros Deer. "You didn't know just now, I don't blame you. Please be more careful in the future."

"Which word?" Yellow Big Tiger stood up, asking angrily.

The lion dared not say, only replying, "Think about it, it's that word, of course!"

The Black Tiger beside him guessed, "Could it be... the word 'idiot'? Don't they always say 'idiot rhinoceros deer,' 'idiot rhinoceros deer'? Maybe they've been provoked? They can't... can't stand hearing people say... 'idiot'."

After the Black Tiger finished speaking, it looked up and saw four pairs of blood-red eyes.

"You guessed correctly," the Big Rhinoceros Deer stared straight at it. "You're not allowed to say the word 'idiot' in front of us."

"And definitely not the words 'idiot rhinoceros deer'," the Second Rhinoceros Deer's gaze was also icy.

"You just said it several times, didn't you?" the Big Rhinoceros Deer's tone was as sinister as a vengeful ghost.

"No," the Black Tiger backed away, covering its head. "I didn't mean to call you idiot rhinoceros deer. I was just stating a fact. Maybe people always call you idiot rhinoceros deer. This time it's my fault, okay? I promise not to say those words again, not even the word 'idiot'! If I say 'idiot' again, I'll be a stupid dog! Hey... Big Brother, save me..."

The situation was dire. Its originally labored human speech suddenly became fluent, even a bit rapid.

The two angry rhinoceros deer had bloodshot eyes, their demonic flames leaping several feet high, creating a terrifying aura that enveloped the entire factory in a deathly silence.

The Black Tiger felt a surge of despair. It turned to its older brother for help, only to find Yellow Big Tiger and the dreadlocked lion huddled in a corner, discussing cigar tips.

"I'm telling you, you have to light this cigar before smoking it," Yellow Big Tiger said.

"Oh, wow," the dreadlocked lion gave a thumbs-up. "An expert."

"You two, don't pretend you're not involved! This act is too fake!" the Black Tiger roared. "Do you take me for a complete fool?"

"You said it again!" the Big Rhinoceros Deer raised its wrench high.

"You... kept... talking, you... never stopped!" the Second Rhinoceros Deer wiped the blood off its hammer and raised it again.

Thump thump thump thump!

Clang!

Splat splat splat!

Whack!

Boom--

Inside the secluded factory, the muffled sounds of beating and miserable howls echoed.

Yellow Big Tiger peeked over discreetly, a look of helplessness on its face. "How long are they going to keep this up?"

"They usually stop when they get tired," the dreadlocked lion clicked its tongue. "See, I told you their cultivation is high, right? Look at this surging demonic energy; cultivators below the Gang Realm wouldn't even be able to break their skin."

"That's true, huh."

"See, I told you you could count on me."

"Why are you hitting them on the head? Are you going to beat my little brother into an idiot?"

"Hey! Did you say it?"

"No, no, no..."

"I heard you."

"Shut up, you bastard!"