Defeat

He seemed to have gone through an utterly spectacular, twisting battle, and judging by his smug expression, there was no need to ask—he had won.

Mei Ye silently watched the "Master Thief" perform, hesitating over whether to speak up.

"Beep, beep, beep—!"

A message suddenly came through the communicator.

Gold Rat's face stiffened in the middle of his wild laughter, and he was rendered speechless.

"Mei Ye! You little brat, why aren't you here yet? Do you know you're neglecting your duty?"

Captain Jiang's roar came through the communicator. His voice rose and fell sharply; he was clearly furious.

"We encountered Gold Rat—the Gold Rat responsible for the crimes—but he's already escaped. If you still don't come help capture him, I'll count it as deliberate dereliction of duty!"

Mei Ye listened silently to Captain Jiang, his gaze remaining on the man before him as he seemed to calculate something.

"Captain," Mei Ye said coldly, "I've been carrying out the mission. I haven't neglected my duties."

"What?"

Captain Jiang was astonished. "You're not even here in front of me, yet you say you haven't been slacking off. Don't tell me you found Gold Rat?"

"I'm giving you three minutes. If you still don't—"

The communicator disconnected.

Mei Ye hung the communicator at his waist, then swiftly tossed Deng Bai's corpse away like a piece of garbage.

He stared at Gold Rat, his aura steadily rising as blazing fighting intent surged toward the thief.

The scene fell into a suffocating silence.

A moment later, Gold Rat slowly turned around. His gaze swept over the bloodstains on the ground and Deng Bai's corpse nearby, and realization suddenly dawned on him.

He smiled.

"Hey, little brother, can we discuss something?"

Mei Ye did not answer. Gold Rat was merit.

"You pretend you didn't see me, and I'll pretend I didn't see you. We help each other out. What do you say?"

Gold Rat said with a grin.

Having worked as a chivalrous thief for so many years, Gold Rat could tell at a glance that a murder had taken place here.

He tried to have a proper talk with this rather distinctive-looking Demon-Suppressing Guard and leave smoothly.

Mei Ye studied Gold Rat's appearance with curiosity. Gold Rat looked ordinary and carried himself with restraint, the kind of person who was often overlooked in a crowd.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this trait that he had become a great thief who roamed the martial world.

"You're a thief. I'm an officer." Mei Ye's voice was icy, carrying a murderous edge. "Arresting you is only natural. Besides..."

He paused, his gaze flicking toward Deng Bai, whose breath had long since ceased.

"There is only one kind of person in this world who can keep a secret."

Gold Rat's mouth twitched, and his expression darkened.

"You're a disposable pawn who can't even collect a full month's salary. What's the point of blocking me?

"Little brother, do you need money? I can give you some.

"I'll give you a hundred thousand. The price is simply your silence."

"I refuse."

Mei Ye's five fingers shifted along the scabbard. Cold, fierce blade aura spread through the air, and the temperature plummeted.

Seeing that the negotiation had fallen through, Gold Rat's expression turned unpleasant as well.

Still, he was not worried that he could not handle this little lackey. He had roamed the martial world for so many years; how could some unknown brat possibly compare to him?

Today, he would let this wet-behind-the-ears kid learn how formidable his elders were!

Gold Rat bent his legs and crouched low. Then he shot forward in an instant, the air groaning in his wake as a powerful leg lashed toward Mei Ye's face in the blink of an eye.

Mei Ye's expression sharpened. He flipped backward and thrust his blade at Gold Rat.

Gold Rat looked at this stranger in surprise.

This man's reflexes were as fast as lightning. He was practically the finest among his peers.

Still, he was not worried that this man was particularly strong, because that had merely been his warm-up. What came next was Gold Rat's signature move.

"Earth-Splitting Roundhouse Kick!"

Layer upon layer of afterimages flashed through the air, dazzling the eye.

Mei Ye could not catch Gold Rat's true body. He raised his blade to block, only to discover that every afterimage was real.

In other words, Gold Rat had unleashed several attacks at the same time.

But that was impossible. Cloning was not a martial art a Qi Gathering Realm warrior like Gold Rat could master.

Gold Rat... perhaps he was simply very fast.

Mei Ye remained calm. He blocked with his blade while retreating step by step beneath the continuous barrage of attacks.

A sharp glint suddenly flashed through his eyes, and he reached directly toward one spot.

Gold Rat was instantly startled. One of his legs had been caught!

He hurriedly struggled, kicking at Mei Ye's neck with his other leg.

But Mei Ye's body was too tough, too powerful. A mere kick could not injure him.

"How can this be? Such a powerful body!"

Gold Rat cried out in shock. Their realms were roughly the same, yet Mei Ye's physical body was far stronger than his. Was this the kind of body a Demon-Suppressing Guard could possess?

Could this kid have some earth-shattering background?

With that thought, Gold Rat examined Mei Ye more closely. The more he looked, the more unfathomable Mei Ye seemed—he even appeared far nobler than Tang Jianxing.

Gold Rat cursed his bad luck inwardly. This was getting troublesome.

Sensing pursuers behind him, Gold Rat did not want to remain entangled any longer. He tried to break free and flee, but Mei Ye's blade was aimed at his vital points. Every movement he made was under Mei Ye's watch. If he revealed even the slightest opening, there was no doubt that Mei Ye's practiced blade techniques would make him pay in the next instant.

Cold sweat appeared on Gold Rat's face as he retreated several steps in a row. The tip of the blade pursued him relentlessly, nearly slicing off his nose.

From who knew where, Gold Rat produced a short blade and barely blocked Mei Ye's sword. But Mei Ye was simply too strong. With only a slight increase in force, Gold Rat was forced to bend his knees and crushed a brick beneath them as he knelt.

Gold Rat's pupils trembled. He cursed inwardly that the Demon Suppression Bureau actually had a man like this. The price had to go up!

Ju Bai radiated golden light all over as he took a step forward, closing in on Gold Rat. Blade light followed, silver light spilling across the ground, gentle and beautiful.

Gold Rat screamed and flew backward. A huge gash opened across his chest, blood pouring out as bloody blossoms bloomed across the ground.

Mei Ye's handsome face carried a demonic air. In the next instant, a fatal killing move struck at Gold Rat.

"No...!"

Gold Rat's face went pale, his heart lodged in his throat as he hurriedly signaled surrender.

But Mei Ye was faster. Before Gold Rat could finish speaking, Mei Ye's blade sliced off his head.

Gold Rat's head flew into the air, all color draining from it as his pupils instantly went unfocused. Like a piece of trash, it hit the ground with a thud.

Gold Rat's body still held the gesture of a raised hand trying to stop him, but it was already powerless. Soon, it crashed to the ground.

[Killed an early-stage Qi Gathering Realm expert]

[Merit Points +3245!]

Mei Ye sheathed his blade, and a trace of relief appeared on his face, calm as a chrysanthemum.

The disgust from encountering that pervert in the middle of the night finally cleared away like rain giving way to sunshine.

Mei Ye stepped forward and crouched to search the corpse. Before long, he found something.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was the museum's prized treasure. Something must have gone wrong with the captain's side. Good thing I'm here.

"Hello, Captain... there was a reason just now... really... I killed Gold Rat..."

Mei Ye took out his communicator and contacted Captain Jiang. Captain Jiang roared on the other end, as though venting furiously after being humiliated.

In the end, it was only when Mei Ye revealed a heavyweight piece of news that Captain Jiang fell silent.

"What?"

Captain Jiang's voice sounded strange, as though he thought he had misheard.

"You killed Gold Rat?"

Captain Jiang's voice rose several decibels, drawing over several team members beside him.

"Mm." Mei Ye's tone did not change in the slightest, as if he were discussing something as ordinary as what to eat for breakfast. "He showed up just now, but I killed him."

"You killed him?!" Captain Jiang could hardly believe it. That stubborn headache of his had actually resolved the enemy as soon as he went on a mission. "Are you fucking kidding me, Mei Ye? This isn't the time for jokes!"

"His corpse is right beside me..." Mei Ye said unhurriedly. "Also, I found the museum's prized treasure that Gold Rat stole."

Captain Jiang's body jolted. Never mind whether Mei Ye was joking—the missing painting was the most important thing right now.

"Where are you? Hurry and come meet up with us! You must especially keep that painting safe!" Captain Jiang ordered impatiently.

Mei Ye agreed, hung up, and headed toward the museum with swift steps like the wind.