You Are What You Eat, Magic Infusion

The abandoned factory's former office had now been converted into a bathroom by Cross.

Steam rose in wisps from the murky medicinal bath. Cross lay sprawled in the liquid, thin streams of blood seeping from the wound on his thigh.

Xiao Miao carried over a bucket of scalding hot wax and poured it all into the bath. The melted wax spread across the surface, quickly forming a seal that locked the medicine's potency into the water.

Cross wore a thoroughly miserable expression as he questioned his life choices.

"Enough already. The stray bullet insisted on rubbing up against you. It wasn't like I could control it." Xiao Miao tossed aside the bucket and rolled his eyes.

Cross knew he had simply been unlucky this time. With a long sigh, he said, "Until you master Curved-Line Shooting, you should practice at the shooting range."

"No problem." Xiao Miao nodded, but did not leave right away. Looking at the medicinal bath, he wondered how he could get his hands on the formula.

In Xiao Miao's view, aside from the Fate Loom and that absurd assassin bloodline, this unremarkable pool of murky medicine was the Brotherhood's greatest treasure.

The medicine stimulated the body's white blood cells and accelerated recovery. Whether it was a knife wound, gunshot wound, bruise, or fracture, a soak in the pool would have someone back on their feet within hours.

Cross had naturally stolen the formula from the Brotherhood. Even this bathroom had been modeled after the Brotherhood's recovery room. It was one of the reasons the Brotherhood could train top-tier assassins.

No one could guarantee they would never be injured. Blood and fire were the nourishment that let elite assassins grow, and a single broken leg could end an assassin's career.

Brotherhood assassins did not have that concern, which was why they could keep accumulating experience and growing stronger.

Xiao Miao initially wanted to use the power of money directly, but he figured Cross probably did not lack cash. After thinking it over, he simply asked, "This medicine is the Brotherhood's exclusive secret formula, right? Have you considered selling it?"

The miraculous effects of this healing medicine could easily support a medical-industry monopoly. By then, Brotherhood leader Sloan would have only one worry left: how to spend the endless stream of money pouring into his pockets.

Cross grinned. "That's completely unrealistic. Do you know what the most important ingredient in the formula is?"

"What?" Xiao Miao perked up his ears.

"People. Lots of people! Otherwise, why do you think I keep corpses in my refrigerator?"

"This..." Xiao Miao truly had not considered that.

Was this America's version of you are what you eat?

Three days later, at the shooting range inside the abandoned factory, Xiao Miao swung his arm in a wide arc and fired. The bullet still flew wildly off course.

Cross shook his head with a sigh, wondering if his judgment had been wrong, then turned and left the range.

After Cross left, Xiao Miao raised the Beretta M92 in his hand again. Holding his breath and focusing, he let a thread of azure magic flow from his palm.

Azure was magic's original color. The blood-red color that appeared when he used Enslavement Magic had actually been distorted by the spell itself.

On the first day of practice, once Xiao Miao realized Cross's method would not work, he immediately began developing techniques of his own.

The magic inside him was like a brand-new limb. Xiao Miao was completely unfamiliar with controlling it, and it was not particularly obedient either. It gave him the same feeling as when he had played Human: Fall Flat and Party Animals.

After three days, Xiao Miao had only just figured out how to mobilize his magic and attach it to a bullet. Without anything to compare it to, he had no idea whether his talent was good or bad.

He pulled the trigger. The primer ignited the gunpowder, and the instant the bullet left the barrel, Xiao Miao immediately controlled his magic and pulled sideways.

Xiao Miao felt as if he were dragging a fully loaded truck speeding down the road.

Guided by Xiao Miao, the bullet shifted sideways by several centimeters, slipping around an obstacle before moving back. Then it completely went beyond his control, flying onward before striking the target.

The system notification sounded, and Xiao Miao's heart leaped with joy.

"Does this count as mastering Curved-Line Shooting?"

He opened the system panel, and two lines of information immediately caught his eye:

[Ding! Through diligent practice, you have independently mastered a skill!]

[Skill: Magic Infusion lv1]

Xiao Miao: ...

It was not Curved-Line Shooting, but Magic Infusion seemed even more useful.

Another four days passed. Xiao Miao successfully raised Magic Infusion to lv4. Within twenty meters, he could roughly imitate the effects of Curved-Line Shooting, but any farther than that was impossible.

"The week is over. It's time for us to act." Cross holstered his gun, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"You have a target?" Xiao Miao asked.

The Brotherhood was too powerful to attack recklessly. They could only pick them off one by one.

Cross had originally planned to assassinate the Brotherhood's top assassins one at a time, but after Mr. X died, the entire Brotherhood became like a cat with its fur standing on end, extremely sensitive.

Sloan had even ordered the core members to travel in pairs, leaving Cross no chance to strike.

Cross nodded. "I've already prepared the bait. Now I'm just waiting for the prey to take it. Before that, familiarize yourself with the intelligence."

He pulled out a stack of documents from his coat, each with a photo attached. "The Brotherhood's core members all have their own specialties. Be careful not to challenge them in the fields they excel at. This is Sloan, the Brotherhood's leader. He was an all-around assassin when he was young. Though he's old now, he's still not to be underestimated..."

"This is Fox. She excels at Curved-Line Shooting and is very strong. This is Butcher... Gunsmith... Mechanic, Exterminator..."

"Wait, you seem to have left someone out." Xiao Miao interrupted Cross and pulled Wesley's photo from his pocket. "I've been investigating the Brotherhood too. This newcomer is named Wesley. He's very talented and deserves attention."

Cross's heart skipped a beat. He forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and said calmly, "He's just a newcomer. How strong can an assassin who has only recently begun training be? There's no need to care about him."

Cross had lied. Wesley was actually his son. To keep his son from becoming an assassin with bloodstained hands, Cross had cruelly abandoned Wesley after his spouse died, leaving him to grow up alone as an orphan.

Unfortunately, Sloan had eventually learned the truth. The Brotherhood found Wesley again, fully awakened his assassin bloodline, and trained him into their trump card against Cross.

Because Cross could not bring himself to harm his own son!

That was precisely why Cross was even more eager to destroy the Brotherhood before his son completely fell into darkness.

"Is that so? But I remember you saying that someone with the bloodline of a top assassin could fully realize his talent in a short time. What if this Wesley is one of those people?" Xiao Miao raised an eyebrow and asked despite knowing the answer.

Cross keenly detected something unusual in Xiao Miao's tone, and his expression darkened. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Stop pretending. Wesley is your son. You may not look alike, but you love him. That can't be faked."

Click!

Without another word, Cross drew the Magnum Eagle II and aimed it at Xiao Miao's head. At the same moment, something cold pressed against Cross's neck from behind.

"!!!"

Cross was suddenly shocked. He had not noticed anyone behind him at all. Turning his head, he saw that a katana was pressed against his neck.

"The foundation of cooperation is honesty. Your biological son... your son is in their hands, and you hid something that important. Mr. Cross, I have serious doubts about your motives."

Cross: ...

What did he mean by dropping the word biological? Although the two of them did not resemble each other at all, the assassin bloodline could not be faked!