"Run! Quick!"
The East Star Society's leader felt a chill crawl up his spine. His scalp prickling, he hurriedly emptied the safe, slung a duffel bag over his shoulder, and bolted out the window.
But the moment he landed, someone shouted from nearby.
"Station chief, someone jumped out the window!"
Whoosh!
A streak of blue lightning tore through the night, its afterimage flickering. Li Jinshui had already blocked his path.
"Hey, another gang leader!" Li Jinshui's eyes lit up the moment he saw the man.
He'd caught a big fish. This trip hadn't been for nothing!
"Wait a second, don't panic. Let me see which move would be the most worthwhile." He hurried to reassure the man as he checked his panel.
Meteor Chasing Moon, a hidden-weapon martial skill, was incredibly powerful. The higher his Qi-Blood value, the more terrifying its speed and power became. It was well worth raising its mastery further.
But Lightning Pulse Step was on the verge of reaching great mastery, and it even had the suffix "Can Upgrade Grade." The thought had Li Jinshui itching with anticipation.
Meanwhile, the East Star Society's leader was dumbstruck, the corner of his eye twitching as he fought back tears.
What did he mean, "Let me see which move would be the most worthwhile"?
What kind of person said something like that?
Bang!
He simply dropped his duffel bag and fell to his knees without hesitation.
"Big brother, please spare my life! I was forced to attack you. This was all at the orders of those bastards from Wei Hu Security!"
A dignified gang leader, a Ninth-Grade First-rate Martial Artist, was now begging for mercy in a pitiful state, tears streaming down his face.
The riders behind them watched the scene with a jumble of emotions.
As expected of the station chief!
But the Drifter Gang was true to its name, too. They'd drop to their knees without a second thought. Damn, they had no principles at all.
"To be honest, I'm famous for being softhearted and compassionate. I really don't want to kill you."
Li Jinshui spoke up, then shook his head regretfully. "But you didn't even want to kowtow while begging for mercy. That means you still aren't convinced, so I absolutely can't let you live!"
"Huh? I..." The East Star Society's leader immediately tried to kowtow.
But Li Jinshui had already leapt into the air. His right leg came crashing down like a giant axe, wrapped in surging Qi-Blood and a streak of lightning, slamming into the man's head.
Crack!
The dull sound of flesh and bone breaking rang out. The East Star Society leader's entire head was smashed down into his chest. He crumpled to the ground and died on the spot.
[Killed an enemy while training during a pursuit. Heaven Rewards Diligence: Lightning Pulse Step +100]
"Shame Basic Lightness Skill didn't count."
Li Jinshui clicked his tongue to himself. He'd deliberately used his lightness skill to leap into the air before bringing down Lightning Pulse Step, but only the latter had received a reward.
And the proficiency gained this time wasn't much, either.
When he'd killed the Venom Snake Gang's leader with Meteor Chasing Moon earlier, he'd gained 260 proficiency points outright.
Both were Ninth-Grade martial skills, and both victims had been Ninth-Grade First-rate Martial Artists. The obvious reason for the difference was the "situational conditions."
When he was in a dangerous situation, training gave him a bonus, and killing an enemy while turning the tables gave him an even greater bonus.
But when he had the upper hand and was the one doing the chasing, that proficiency bonus was reduced.
Still, it was a good deal overall. One hundred proficiency points were equivalent to several bottles of Supplement Potion, after all.
"Station chief, the people inside are trying to push the door open," Lin Zhen and the others called from the entrance.
They were holding the factory doors shut with all their strength. No matter how hard the people inside shoved, they couldn't force their way out.
Chen Dali and the others were stationed around the factory, watching the windows to stop anyone else from jumping out and escaping.
"Open the door. I'm in a bit of a hurry."
Li Jinshui wanted to hurry on to the next target and didn't want to waste time. He picked up the duffel bag and darted over to the factory entrance.
Clang!
With a dull thud, the factory's heavy iron doors swung open.
The gang members inside immediately shoved and surged toward the exit. But when they saw Li Jinshui standing outside, they were so terrified they nearly lost their souls.
"Ah! Back up, back up! That maniac is back at the door!"
"Damn it, stop shoving! I'm begging you, get back!"
"Quick, jump out the windows! Don't go through the door!"
"Oh, God, there are martial artists guarding the windows, too!"
Thud!
A voluptuous, alluring woman was pushed out of the crowd. She stumbled and fell right in front of Li Jinshui.
"Please, young master, those responsible should be punished. We only joined the gang and followed orders because we had no choice."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "That woman is the boss's lover. She's as vicious as a snake and scorpion, and she's done just as much evil as the rest of us. She also knows where the boss keeps all his money. Spare us, and you can do whatever you want with her!"
"No, please! I'm innocent! They're lying!"
The alluring woman, pale with terror, scrambled over to Li Jinshui and clung desperately to his legs. "The boss forced me to do everything! And all his money was in the safe. He just took it with him!"
Her voice trembled with tears as she slowly lifted her stunning face. She looked as pitiful as a pear blossom damp with rain.
Her rumpled, half-open clothes revealed a broad expanse of pale skin. Her chest heaved with fear. "Big brother, please don't kill me! I'll be your servant. I can do all sorts of work, and I know all sorts of positions..."
"Don't be silly, sis-in-law."
Li Jinshui bent down, gently patted the woman's head, and sighed. "I don't kill women. You can go."
"Huh?"
The woman stared at him, unable to believe her ears.
Everyone else there, including Lin Zhen and the others, was just as stunned.
Holy shit, the station chief had this side to him?
Did pretty women make him lose all sense?
"R-really? Thank you, big brother! Thank you!" The woman hurriedly wiped the tears from her face, overwhelmed by her narrow escape.
"Go on." Li Jinshui's smile remained calm and saintly, radiating the very best of human nature.
But as he waved his hand, a dazzling flash of light slipped out from his palm by accident.
Whoosh!
The flying knife tore through the air and struck the woman between the eyebrows. It pierced through the back of her head, then flew on into the crowd behind her and struck an unlucky man.
Thud! Thud!
Two heavy impacts sounded as the bodies fell one after another.
In an instant, the whole place fell silent.
Everyone felt a shiver run through them. Their legs went weak, and they trembled uncontrollably.
This young man... He was a psychopath, a complete and utter psychopath!
Killing someone should've taken no more than a nod. Damn it, he'd toyed with her before killing her. He'd driven her into utter despair and terror!
Lin Zhen and the other veteran riders wore rigid expressions. Li Jinshui's methods frightened them.
Chen Dali and the others, on the other hand, looked entirely unsurprised. This was nothing new to them.
"Why are you all looking at him like that? Rich people are like this. Haven't you seen it before? Why make such a fuss?"
"Exactly. Young Master Li comes from a distinguished family. It's normal for him to be into weird stuff."
They even explained to the veteran riders that they'd seen rich kids with peculiar tastes like this plenty of times back in school.
Besides, these people were all from the notorious Drifter Gang. They came out at night to burn, kill, and rob, and they'd done plenty of torturing and killing for fun. What was wrong with Young Master Li having a little fun with them?
"All right, the oil's been poured, right? Then I'll light it!"
Li Jinshui kicked the woman back into the crowd and expressionlessly took a lighter from his pocket.
The gang members inside the factory immediately understood what he was about to do and scattered in a panic.
They knew that line and the move of pulling out a lighter all too well. He did it all the time!
"He's going to burn us alive! Run!"
"Damn it, we're dead either way! Go fight him!"
"Fuck you, you little bastard! If I get out of here alive, even if I can't beat you, I'll kill your whole family!"
Some people ran around in a panic, some roared, and some screamed threats at the top of their lungs. But not one of them dared to charge out and face Li Jinshui head-on.
Most tried to climb out the windows, but several veteran riders had already taken up positions beside them. Whenever someone tried to climb out, they kicked them right back inside.
"Stop struggling. If you chose this life, you should've known this day would come."
As Li Jinshui spoke, he tossed the lighter onto the slick of oil on the ground.
Boom!
Sparks ignited the oil, and towering flames surged up, racing wildly around the factory.
In the blink of an eye, red flames soared into the sky and swallowed the entire factory.