Why Are You So Skilled at This?

Although Texas did not think much of Bai Ye's analysis, it was better than having no leads at all. The next morning, the two decided to investigate.

Texas had not registered as a bounty hunter, since doing so would expose her identity as a member of the Texas Family. However, she had registered for a driver's license before the Texas Family fell, so she could drive a pickup truck freely through the streets of Columbia's mobile city.

"Slow down... slow down! You're driving too fast!"

Bai Ye sat in the passenger seat, pale-faced. This was an unprecedented experience for him, and judging by the boy's expression, it was definitely not an enjoyable one.

"That's all?" Texas glanced at Bai Ye, then pressed down on the accelerator once more.

"We were going even faster out in the wilderness before, yet you slept like a log."

Texas skillfully worked the steering wheel to avoid the vehicles on the road. The girl's driving skills were clearly exceptional, though who knew how she had learned them.

"I was too tired before. Falling asleep couldn't be helped..."

Bai Ye's voice grew softer and softer. In the end, he scratched his head awkwardly and said nothing more.

Their first destination was the city's incense product factory, which Bai Ye believed was the place most likely for the smuggler to sell his formula and spices.

"Spices are raw materials. They only bring greater profits after being processed into incense products. Other than the underground black market, the only one who would take his goods is the city's sole spice-processing factory."

Texas nodded, then followed the route indicated on the map and drove to a street near the factory.

"Going in?"

As Texas spoke, she raised her Originium sword.

"Wait a moment."

Bai Ye spoke as he jumped out of the truck, silently chanting in his heart:

"Eagle Eye."

The skill activated at his command. In the blink of an eye, the buildings within Bai Ye's vision turned translucent gray.

At the same time, a brilliant yellow glow within his field of vision caught his attention.

"Someone's doing lewd stuff!"

Bai Ye did not react at first. Only afterward did he realize what that yellow-glowing figure actually meant.

"I didn't expect him to really be here..."

After deactivating Eagle Eye, Bai Ye muttered to himself. He had only wanted to use the skill to check out the factory, yet he had caught his target red-handed.

"Maybe it's because of the range. Using the entire city as the search area, my mental strength obviously wasn't enough." Bai Ye quickly understood why Eagle Eye had failed to mark the mission target the night before.

"Are we going in to catch him now?"

Texas stood beside Bai Ye and naturally heard his muttering. She had long since stopped finding Bai Ye's seemingly clairvoyant abilities strange.

"Of course, but we need to sneak in."

As Bai Ye spoke, he left the black umbrella in the pickup truck. Carrying it while sneaking around would be far too inconvenient.

Texas had undergone rigorous assassin training, so her stealth skills were naturally extremely proficient. As for Bai Ye, with an Agility stat as high as 16, he too could scale walls and leap across roofs like an Assassin.

Along the way, Texas showed Bai Ye what textbook infiltration looked like. Using cover, blind spots in people's vision, and some utterly baffling routes, the two successfully reached the door of the room where their target was located.

"I can't believe we actually got in just like that... It's incredible."

Bai Ye looked at Texas in surprise. They had encountered quite a few people along the way, but Texas had avoided them all with her superb skill.

Texas expressionlessly drew her blade and slashed at the wooden door with a whoosh—

A gash split the door open. Texas followed with several more slashes, chopping it into fragments.

"So fierce..."

Bai Ye's mouth fell open, but he did not stand there in a daze. He immediately followed Texas into the room.

It was a windowless room, and its only exit had already been blocked by Bai Ye and Texas. As for hidden passages? After scanning with Eagle Eye, Bai Ye could confirm that there were none in this room.

"So, Pet Scott, you're under arrest!"

As he spoke, Bai Ye walked toward their target—the thirty-eight-year-old smuggler.

"Bounty hunters?"

Pet Scott was a handsome Feline man. He glanced at Texas and Bai Ye, his brows tightly furrowed as he rose from his chair.

"It looks like this gentleman has something to rely on."

Bai Ye did not lower his guard in the slightest. After all, the intelligence had never said that this smuggler was a harmless man incapable of hurting even a chicken.

Anyone who operated outside the law was no simple character. Bai Ye remained on high alert, his left hand quietly gripping the holy emblem while his right lightly pinched a dagger that had slipped from his sleeve.

Whoosh—

Yet Texas did not hesitate in the slightest. With a light tap of her right foot against the ground, the girl shot toward Pet Scott like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The corner of Bai Ye's eye twitched. Under his gaze, Texas did not draw her Originium sword. Instead, she smashed its sheathed blade hard into Pet Scott's jaw while kicking the back of his knee.

Thud—

Pet Scott, who had seemed so calm and composed just a second ago, was now sprawled on the ground.

"He's... he's so weak."

Bai Ye had thought this Feline man might possess some hidden trick, but he had not even lasted one move against Texas.

"So I was just playing mind games with thin air?"

Bai Ye stepped closer and saw a hand cannon slip from the smuggler's hand.

"This was what he was relying on."

Texas bent down, picked up the hand cannon, and handed it to Bai Ye.

"Uh, I don't know how to use this..."

Bai Ye fumbled as he accepted the hand cannon. This was his first time touching a firearm—though firearms on Terra were used much like staves.

"Hold on to it for now. Hand cannons are quite useful."

As Texas spoke, she gave the smuggler another blow to the neck, ensuring that he would not wake up anytime soon.

"Rope."

Bai Ye took out a burlap sack and some rope, then watched Texas expertly bind Pet Scott hand and foot before stuffing him into the sack.

"Why are you so skilled at this?!"

Bai Ye hoisted the sack onto his shoulder. He had originally thought that, after gaining skills and receiving Anna's "after-school tutoring," he could use divine arts to put up an even fight against Texas.

But now he realized he had been far too optimistic. Even Texas from three years ago was not someone he could contend against now.

"So I'm the weakest one after all!"