"That could raise proficiency too?"
Li Jinshui's eyes blazed as he raced through the alleyways.
For a moment, his thoughts ran wild, leaping from one wild idea to the next...
This time, he had personally experienced the truth of the saying: murder and arson made a man rich.
His Lightness Skill had gained 30 proficiency points. Counting the scattered gains he'd picked up while fleeing, he was now at 73/100.
The key was Basic Fist Technique. He'd gained 30 proficiency points before even practicing it. If he killed a few more people, wouldn't he reach the entry level as soon as he learned it?
Unfortunately, this wasn't the time to get carried away.
After all, the strict requirement for the residential compound's Security Squad captain was to be at least a Second-Rate Martial Artist, with at least three years of experience at that level.
Liu Daqiang had held on to the captain's position at Green Osmanthus Garden for so many years, which showed his strength was not to be underestimated.
On top of all the income he'd accumulated over the years, even if he hadn't reached the level of a First-rate Martial Artist, his mastery of martial arts was undoubtedly unfathomable.
Li Jinshui knew when to quit and chose to leave. There was no need to gamble on Liu Daqiang's strength right now.
He was also certain Liu Daqiang wouldn't report it to the authorities. Even if he did, it would be useless: there were no cameras in the alley, and since Liu Daqiang had chased him first, any trouble would be his fault.
There were far too many cases like this in the outer district for the Inspection Bureau to handle them all. Otherwise, so many vagrants wouldn't be coming out at night to run wild.
The only trouble was that he'd offended the Security Company. He probably wouldn't be able to work as a security guard again.
A short while later, Li Jinshui finally made it through the entire maze of narrow streets and blended into the bustling main road outside.
He didn't stop. After walking a little farther, he pulled the bloodstained martial arts school towel from around his neck and stuffed it into a trash can. Then he ducked into a bank and withdrew all ten thousand yuan on his card from an ATM.
After all, Yao Xiaona's parents had been able to freeze her card. There was no telling whether his own card would suffer the same fate, so cash was more reliable.
That ten thousand, together with the two thousand one hundred refunded by the martial arts school and the two thousand two hundred he already had left, came to a total of fourteen thousand three hundred yuan.
He also took the opportunity to sort through his spoils.
The dead security guard's wallet held nearly a thousand yuan in cash and a gold membership card for a foot massage parlor.
The other few bank cards were useless since he didn't know their PINs and couldn't withdraw any money.
He'd also picked up two other things: a phone whose passcode he didn't know, and a necklace that might or might not be gold-plated.
"Talk about being broke!"
Li Jinshui clicked his tongue, opened the map on his phone, and searched for a nearby resale shop. As luck would have it, one was only a few hundred meters away.
He followed the navigation through streets and alleys, and before long, spotted a tiny shop tucked away on a quiet street corner, with a sign that read "We Buy Anything."
In this world, shopkeepers who dared to run places like this usually had some connections. They were bold and well-connected, and their main business was fencing stolen goods. There was no profit in buying anything else, since the market had been completely cornered by Doudou Secondhand.
"Boss, do you buy these? Give me a fair price."
Li Jinshui stepped up and slapped the necklace, phone, and foot massage membership card onto the counter.
The boss looked exactly like a stereotype: he had a broad, fleshy face and a large gold tooth.
He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the items on the counter. Without even testing them, he said, "The phone's in average condition, but it's a good brand. I'll give you two thousand for it. The necklace is 15 grams of pure gold, so I'll give you four thousand five hundred. Take the foot massage card with you. They give those things away everywhere."
"Boss, how about adding a little to make it an even number? I'm a student. It's not easy getting hold of this stuff."
Li Jinshui pushed the items toward him, showing he was serious about doing business.
After a lengthy back-and-forth, they finally closed the deal for a total of six thousand eight hundred yuan.
Gold wasn't worth much in this world. Besides, since the necklace was stolen, taking it to a legitimate jewelry store would risk getting caught. Li Jinshui had no choice but to turn it into cash quickly at a place like this.
That brought the cash on him to a little over twenty-two thousand yuan.
"All right, that's settled. I can get a Supplement Potion, and my Basic Lightness Skill can reach the entry level too."
With the cash tucked away, Li Jinshui hurried toward the large supermarket across the road.
He wandered around the supermarket for a few laps, making sure nobody was following him. Then he changed into some cheap clothes before leaving through the back door.
Next, he found a chain pharmacy and bought a D-Grade Supplement Potion for twenty thousand yuan.
"Here's to the great Datang Pharmaceuticals!"
In a deserted alley, Li Jinshui estimated that about a tenth of the potion remained. He uncapped the bottle, took a quick sip, then screwed the cap back on to keep the medicinal properties from evaporating.
As the potion slid down his throat and into his stomach, Li Jinshui immediately exerted force through his feet and leaped upward. His body traced an elegant, graceful arc through the air.
[Gathering Spirit from the Mundane, Heaven Rewards Diligence, Basic Lightness Skill +10]
Heaven Rewards Diligence gave him three feedback notifications in a row, and the potion in his stomach was consumed completely.
At the same time, Li Jinshui felt his legs tremble, as if an invisible hand had gently clasped them. His muscle groups kept contracting and tightening, while the pathways along which his Qi-Blood flowed seemed to be guided and fixed in place by an unseen force.
Countless scenes flashed through his mind: memories of more than ten years spent practicing the Lightness Skill day and night.
Li Jinshui slowly opened his eyes. When he set his foot on the ground again, what came back to him was no longer the solid force of support, but a light, springy sensation, as though he could leap into the air at any moment.
The line on the Heaven Rewards Diligence panel had finally changed.
[Basic Lightness Skill (Entry 3/100)]
"I've finally reached the entry level."
Li Jinshui smiled with relief.
Now, when he used the Lightness Skill, he could feel how smoothly it responded, as if it were an extension of his own limbs. He wouldn't stumble and stagger anymore.
If he returned to the moment when he'd been surrounded earlier, he was sure the security guard wouldn't have had a chance to take a shortcut and catch up.
Reaching the entry level in the Lightness Skill had not only greatly increased his speed; he wouldn't even need to run away anymore. He could close in with the Lightness Skill and fight head-on, taking the security guard's life within three moves!
Of course, most importantly, he'd now met all the requirements to enter the Delivery Youth Training Camp.
"There's still time before dark. If I head to the Youth Training Camp now, I might even make it in time for dinner."
Li Jinshui immediately pulled out his phone and opened Dart Dart Ride to call a car.
Then he tucked the remaining Supplement Potion close to his body. There was no hurry to use it now. After he got into the Youth Training Camp, he could decide whether to improve his Lightness Skill or learn a new basic offensive martial art.
A short while later, Li Jinshui returned to the apartment building.
He'd deliberately set the pickup point there. After getting into the car, he asked the driver to wait a little longer.
Unfortunately, Liu Daqiang didn't show up this time. There was even a new security guard at the apartment building.
"Hey, man, are you new here? Where's the old guy?"
Li Jinshui rolled down the window and waved cheerfully to the new security guard.
Whoosh!
The next second, more than a dozen burly men in security uniforms burst out of the apartment building.
"Oh, crap!"
Li Jinshui jumped in fright, hurriedly ducked back into the car, and frantically slapped the back of the driver's seat, urging him, "Driver, go, go! Floor it! You'd better protect me, bodyguard. If anything happens to me, I'm definitely claiming it from Daqing Insurance!"
"Why are you acting tough when you can't back it up? For crying out loud!"
The driver rolled his eyes and cursed as he floored it. The car roared and shot away.
"You bastard! Don't run if you've got the guts!"
The dozen or so security guards hurled out their anti-riot forks and chased the car for more than ten meters, their curses ringing through the air.