Do You Think There's Something Wrong with This Bloodstain?

Old Li and the other two quickly approached the bloodstain.

A large pool of fresh, dark-red blood lay on the ground, not yet coagulated.

Scattered blood droplets speckled the gravel road.

But strangely, the area was not very large.

"Looks like Xiao Jing succeeded."

Old Li crouched down and brushed the edge of the bloodstain with his hand, staining his fingertips red with moisture.

"But he didn't kill them. They got away."

Hearing this, Old Wang rubbed his brow and sighed.

"Xiao Jing must've gone after them. That kid always does this, greedily rushing ahead for credit. Sooner or later, he'll get himself killed."

Xiao Tong walked over with her crossbow and looked at the Red-armored Elite Giant Scorpion.

"Then should we deal with this scorpion now?" There was a hint of impatience in her voice.

"No rush."

Old Li waved his hand and stood up.

"The scorpion can't get away. We can take it anytime. Call Xiao Jing back first. We'll kill it together and split the experience."

He turned to Xiao Tong.

"Xiao Tong, go check the high ground in that ruin and see which direction Xiao Jing chased after them. I'll have Old Wang call him back."

Xiao Tong gave a soft acknowledgment and turned, running toward a nearby broken three-story building.

Her footsteps gradually faded away.

Old Wang stood beside the bloodstain, scanning the ground. Suddenly, he frowned.

"Old Li, don't you think there's something wrong with this bloodstain?"

Hearing that, Old Li followed the direction Old Wang was pointing.

Hm?

Now that Old Wang mentioned it, there really was something off.

If Xiao Jing had opened with Backstab, after driving his dagger into the target's back and pulling it out, the blood should have sprayed from the wound.

The bleeding pattern from an assassin's attack should spread outward around the wound.

Once the victim fell, there should have been a large patch on the ground.

But the spray direction of this pool of blood was wrong.

It had sprayed from one point in one direction.

"There is something wrong. If Xiao Jing had succeeded, the blood wouldn't have sprayed like this."

Old Li stroked his chin and crouched down to examine it carefully.

"The ground should be covered in blood."

Old Wang's expression changed.

"You mean... the other side spotted Xiao Jing first?"

Old Li shook his head.

"Probably not. Xiao Jing might have a sharp tongue, but he doesn't mess around when it comes to work."

"The chances of being discovered while in Shadowmeld are extremely low, unless they have a skill specifically for detecting stealth."

"Then this blood..."

The two exchanged glances, each seeing confusion on the other's face.

Old Li looked toward the top of the ruin and shouted, "Xiao Tong! Do you see Xiao Jing?"

"No!"

On the third floor of the ruin.

Xiao Tong climbed the shattered stairs to the top level.

The view here was wide open, allowing her to overlook an area within one or two hundred meters.

Holding her crossbow, she scanned the surroundings.

There was not a single person in sight.

"Where the hell did Xiao Jing run off to..."

She muttered, then turned toward the edge on the other side, intending to look again from another angle.

But at the instant she turned around.

Xiao Tong suddenly felt a chill run down her back.

She spun around sharply.

A figure dressed in tattered leather armor stood behind her, raising an Edgesteel One-Handed Sword and slashing toward her neck.

Her pupils contracted, and her mouth had only just opened.

Shing!

A chill passed across her throat.

-312! (Weak Point Hit)

Warm liquid gushed from the wound in her neck.

Xiao Tong instinctively clutched her throat with both hands. Her crossbow slipped from her grasp and crashed to the ground.

Gan Ming did not hesitate. He drew the blade back and cut into the same spot on her neck from another angle.

Second strike!

-287! (Weak Point Hit)

Third strike, Fanged Charge!

Hah!

A surge of brute force flooded his sword arm as he swung horizontally.

Splurt!

Her head separated from her body.

Gan Ming grabbed the flying head.

Soul Snatch!

A long string of notifications popped up.

[Soul Snatch successful!]

[Innate Talent acquired: Lock-On (Mark a target. Attacks against the marked target gain +25% hit rate and +25% critical hit rate. The mark lasts until the target dies or is manually canceled. Only one target may be marked at a time.)]

[Specialization Skill acquired: Crossbow Mastery (When equipped with a crossbow weapon: Attack Speed +20%, Ranged Accuracy +25%, Crossbow Bolt Penetration +15%.)]

[Specialization Skill acquired: Tracking Shot (Fire three tracking crossbow bolts that automatically pursue a locked-on target. Each bolt deals damage equal to 90% Physical Attack. Cooldown: 18 seconds. Mana Cost: 18.)]

[Skill acquired: Steady Shot (Enter a steady stance. Your next ranged attack deals +40% damage. Cooldown: 12 seconds. Mana Cost: 8.)]

[Skill acquired: Eagle-Eye Vision (Passive): Vision range increased by 80%. Can clearly distinguish target details within 100 meters.]

[Skill acquired: Ammunition Enhancement (Passive): Ranged ammunition attack power +12%.]

[Skill acquired: Danger Sense. Duplicate acquisition converted into Talent Proficiency.]

[Skill acquired: Physical Enhancement. Duplicate acquisition converted into Talent Proficiency.]

[Skill acquired: Wound Treatment. Duplicate acquisition converted into Talent Proficiency.]

Nine attempts, all successful.

Gan Ming raised an eyebrow.

His success rate today was pretty high.

Soul Snatch had a far higher success rate against Awakened than against monsters.

And Gan Ming had discovered something else.

From the standpoint of Soul Snatch gains, killing people was indeed far more profitable than killing monsters.

He had no time to dwell on it.

With one hand, he stuffed Xiao Tong's headless corpse into the ring.

Clatter, clatter.

Two Storage Rings rolled across the ground.

He bent down, picked them up, and slipped them into his pocket.

Then he picked up the crossbow from the ground.

The crossbow glowed with a faint blue sheen. It was of fine quality.

It was worth more than any piece of equipment Gan Ming currently had.

An attribute panel appeared.

[Cold Crow Repeating Crossbow (Fine)]

[Type: Weapon · Crossbow]

[Physical Attack: +68]

[Additional Attributes: Agility +5, Spirit +3]

[Equipment Requirement: Agility 18]

[Special Effect: Rapid Fire (Normal attacks have a 15% chance to trigger a double shot. The second shot deals 70% damage.)]

[Durability: 62/65]

Good stuff!

But its equipment requirement was 18 Agility.

Gan Ming opened his attribute panel.

Agility: 15.

He was short by 3 points.

Fortunately, he had not yet used the unassigned attribute points from his recent level-up.

He had originally planned to save them all until he figured out his optimal build before assigning them.

But the current situation was special.

There were still two living targets downstairs.

Gan Ming decisively invested 3 points into Agility.

[Agility: 18]

Good. The equipment requirement was met.

Cold Crow Repeating Crossbow equipped successfully.

Next came skill adjustments.

Gan Ming opened his active skill list.

Eight slots.

His current setup focused on close combat.

But now, he was going to carry out a long-range snipe.

[Hard Shell] removed. [Crossbow Mastery] activated.

[Potential Stimulation] removed. [Lock-On] activated.

[Ambush] removed. [Tracking Shot] activated.

[Currently Active (8/8): Fanged Charge, Bark Armor, Crossbow Mastery, Tracking Shot, Shadowmeld, Lock-On, Beast Scent, Swift Dash]

The replacements were complete.

In an instant, Gan Ming found that the weapon felt completely different in his hands.

The passive boosts from Crossbow Mastery gave this novice, who had never even touched a crossbow before, muscle memory within a second.

Gan Ming sheathed the Edgesteel One-Handed Sword at his waist, raised the Cold Crow Repeating Crossbow, and walked to the edge of the ruin.

He leaned over and looked down.

On the gravel road more than twenty meters away, Old Li and Old Wang were still crouching beside the bloodstain, discussing something.

Twenty meters.

At this distance, all three bolts from Tracking Shot could easily hit.

Just as he was about to make his move, Old Li's voice came from below.

"Xiao Tong! Still haven't found Xiao Jing? Why don't you come down first? Let's take down the scorpion and split the experience! Teach him a lesson."