Stealth Assassination Mastery

"Bring the wine, for the cup must not stop! Assassin Li Bai, reporting for duty, Commander." The voice was in perfectly standard Mandarin, even more fluent than what Luo Xia himself could produce.

Luo Xia felt a sense of absurdity; how was this new robotic subordinate themed after traditional Chinese culture?!

Luo Xia scanned his surroundings, yet he couldn't spot where this new subordinate was hiding.

"Li Bai? Where are you?" Luo Xia asked.

"Commander, Li Bai is right here."

A flicker of light danced over a soda can at Luo Xia's feet, and it transformed into a slender robot even smaller than the can itself.

He looked just like a swordsman dressed in Hanfu robes, though his entire body was composed of metal and translucent materials.

Upon closer inspection, this new subordinate possessed facial features as exquisitely vivid as Violet's, and the intricacy of the Hanfu left Luo Xia in awe; it was woven from countless fine metal filaments, soft as the texture of real fabric.

The robot stood only about fifteen centimeters tall, barely larger than Violet, making him quite petite. Yet, this single robot had consumed twice as much AllSpark energy as Luo Fei.

"Your name is Li Bai?" Luo Xia asked.

"Indeed," Li Bai replied with a rather archaic flair.

Fine, Luo Xia didn't mind this kind of historical cosplay too much, but calling himself an "assassin" felt a bit unreliable.

This wasn't that game every student was obsessed with; did he have to land a few basic attacks before he could unleash an ultimate move?

Luo Xia shoved his inner confusion into a box and asked Li Bai, "Tell me, what can you do?"

"This subordinate excels in infiltration and assassination, and possesses the ability of the Seventy-Two Transformations," Li Bai replied.

"I may not be well-read, but don't try to fool me. The Seventy-Two Transformations are the Great Sage's specialty!" Luo Xia retorted.

"Commander, this subordinate can demonstrate for you."

Li Bai drew his long sword and swung it, causing the air in front of him to ripple. In the blink of an eye, a pigeon appeared where Li Bai had just been standing.

The pigeon was incredibly lifelike, flapping its wings as if it were real. But as it landed on Luo Xia's shoulder, another flicker of light occurred, and it reverted to Li Bai's robotic form.

Immediately after, Li Bai leaped, and upon landing, he had become a palm-sized kitten. The cat took a few steps before transforming into a crawling black widow spider.

After Li Bai's demonstration, Luo Xia realized he really could perform "Seventy-Two Transformations" just like the Great Sage. He could transform not only into animals but also into various common objects, just like the soda can from before.

However, this wasn't true physical transmutation, but rather an illusion created by distorting light. Furthermore, due to Li Bai's small size, the objects and animals he mimicked couldn't exceed his own dimensions; he couldn't even transform into a dog as large as a Teddy.

But this was enough!

This ability was absolutely perfect for rescuing hostages. Those thousand-plus units of AllSpark energy were not wasted; one could even say it was a bargain.

With his newest subordinate, Li Bai, in tow, Luo Xia drove the world's fastest off-road desert vehicle to Hell's Kitchen.

While on the road, Luo Xia dialed Matt's number again, and this time, the call went through.

"Matt, are you alright? I'm almost at your building," Luo Xia said.

"How did you know I came home?" Matt asked, surprised.

"I guessed," Luo Xia wasn't about to tell Matt that he'd had Violet track his location.

Matt: "..."

Guess my foot. Only a fool would believe that!

However, Matt didn't refuse Luo Xia's visit. If not for the Sensor Glove Luo Xia had given him, he would have barely escaped earlier.

When Luo Xia arrived at Matt's door, he didn't ring the bell, instead giving a look to Li Bai, who was standing on his shoulder.

Li Bai immediately understood, leaped off, and latched onto the keyhole. He inserted his long sword into the lock, and in less than a second, the simple mechanism clicked open.

Luo Xia pushed the door open, intending to surprise Matt, but was met with a cup flying toward his face. Just as Luo Xia was about to dodge, a crisp ding sounded—Li Bai's sword had struck the flying glass, knocking the "hidden weapon" away.

With a sharp crash, glass shards scattered across the floor.

"Matt, what the hell are you doing? It's me, Luo Xia!"

Amidst Luo Xia's complaints, Matt jumped out from behind the sofa: "Who told you not to ring the doorbell? I thought those Russians had tracked me down."

Matt's hearing was exceptionally sharp; he had known the lock was being picked. He just hadn't realized the intruder was Luo Xia, so he had tossed the cup instinctively.

"Wait, Luo Xia, what is that on your shoulder?" Matt tilted his head, seemingly listening intently to something.

"Oh, it's a pigeon I keep," Luo Xia said casually, as Li Bai was currently in the form of a white dove perched on his shoulder.

"Don't lie to me. There is no pigeon in this world with that shape, and certainly none without a heartbeat," Matt said quite seriously.

Luo Xia then remembered that this optical illusion could deceive the eyes, but not Matt's ears.

"Fine, it's a robot I designed. You don't need to worry about it," Luo Xia admitted.

Matt wasn't surprised by Luo Xia's robot; after all, he was still wearing the metal bracelet Luo Xia had given him. Having seen such advanced technology once, his capacity to accept it had increased significantly.

"You're coming to see me in the middle of the night—don't tell me you're just here to show off your new invention?" Matt asked.

"Of course not. I'm here to ask for your help. The Russians in Hell's Kitchen kidnapped a boy, and his father asked me to help rescue him," Luo Xia said, briefly explaining Harry's situation.

"Those bastards! To think they're even involved in kidnapping and extortion now," Matt said angrily.

"You saw those Russians tonight. Do you know their numbers and their base of operations?" Luo Xia asked.

"Not exactly. I've been observing them for the past few days and found they often conduct human trafficking at the docks. They lure girls to the pier and ship them out directly in shipping containers. I saved a few girls tonight, but ended up being hunted down by them. It's thanks to this thing you gave me that I made it out," Matt said, pointing to the metal ring on his wrist.

"Then we have a common goal now. I happen to know where Harry is, but I'm afraid I can't rescue him on my own, so I hope you can help me," Luo Xia requested.

"Of course, no problem. But are you planning to go right now? I just alerted them, so they might have tightened their security," Matt said with some concern.

"No, precisely because you disrupted their business at the docks, they should be diverting more manpower to hunt for you. If we go now, it might just be when their defenses are at their weakest," Luo Xia suggested.

"Alright then, let's head out now," Matt said without hesitation.

Luo Xia revealed a smile. With Matt and Li Bai as his trump cards, rescuing the boy should be no problem. Yet, Luo Xia couldn't help but wonder: why exactly did this group of Russians kidnap Harry?

A slum gang—if not for money, why would they offend a behemoth like Osborn?