Big Shot Calls It Fucking Awesome

The two women's eyes immediately reddened, tears pattering down their faces.

But with their faces clamped in place, they did not dare move. They could only hold their breath and nod desperately.

Gan Ming watched the scene without saying a word.

[Soul Snatch Panel Automatically Opened]

[Soul Snatch Target: Awakened]

[Tier: First Tier]

[Level: ??]

[Innate Talent (1): Gale]

[Specialized Skills (4): Longbow Mastery, Wind-Pressure Shot, Armor-Piercing Arrows, Arrow Rain Coverage]

[Skills: Eagle-Eye Vision・Steady Shot・Ammunition Enhancement・Physical Enhancement・Danger Sense・Weakness Perception・Sprint・Ballistic Correction・Windwalking Step・Shield Art・Wound Treatment・Battlefield First Aid・War Cry・Block・Aura Concealment (15 Total)]

First Tier, with two question marks for his level.

They were both First Tier, but the question marks meant this man was at least fifty levels higher than him.

Gan Ming was currently level 15. That meant the other man was at least level 65.

Four specialized skills, fifteen ordinary skills, and Gale paired with Longbow Mastery—a standard ranged damage-dealing build.

This guy was a veteran.

A few seconds passed.

The man released the two women, turned to Gan Ming, and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Sorry, brother. Those two don't know any better. Don't take it to heart."

Gan Ming waved his hand, looking somewhat apologetic as well.

"I understand. Honestly, I thought it was pretty bad myself. I nearly passed out from the smell, so I hurried over to find somewhere to take a shower."

The man looked Gan Ming up and down.

"Brother, your clothes are torn up like this... Have you been living in the Fallen Zone for days?"

"No." Gan Ming showed a slightly embarrassed expression. "I came from the Lower District. I only awakened not long ago."

"The Lower District?"

The man froze, then his eyes widened.

"You awakened through the Awakener Center?"

Gan Ming's brows twitched slightly, but he still nodded and admitted it.

"Yes."

The next second—

The expression on the man's face changed.

He extended his right hand and gave Gan Ming a thumbs-up.

"Fucking awesome."

Just those two words.

Before Gan Ming could react,

the man had already pushed the two women in his arms toward him, one from each side.

"Which one do you like? I'll give her to you for tonight."

The moment the two women bumped into Gan Ming's chest, they briefly touched the layer of dried mixed filth on his body.

"Ah!!"

Two screams rang out.

The two of them sprang backward, scrambling into the corner of the elevator.

Gan Ming smiled and shook his head.

"Thanks for the offer, but no need. Right now, I just want to get a good night's sleep."

He turned to look at the elevator buttons.

"What floor are you going to?"

"Three."

Gan Ming pressed 3 and 4.

The elevator hummed and began to rise.

The man crossed his arms and leaned against the elevator wall. Ignoring the two women huddled in the corner, he continued chatting with Gan Ming.

"What's your name, brother?" He extended his right hand first. "He Yuan."

"Gan Ming."

Gan Ming looked at his own hand.

The gaps beneath his nails were packed with dried blackish-brown grime, and the back of his hand was smeared with fragments of Scorpion Bug pulp and shell.

He did not reach out.

But He Yuan stepped forward and grabbed his hand directly.

His grip was very strong.

"Gan Ming."

He Yuan repeated the name, squeezed Gan Ming's hand, then released it.

"I'll remember that."

Gan Ming lowered his head to look at the hand that had been shaken, then at He Yuan's hand.

A layer of unidentifiable grime had already stained He Yuan's palm.

He Yuan casually wiped it twice on his trench coat.

"Want to have dinner together tonight? My treat."

"Thanks for the invitation, but I really shouldn't trouble you."

Gan Ming stepped aside with a smile.

"I spent the whole day fighting in the Fallen Zone. My mind's completely numb right now. After dinner, I'm going straight to sleep. I still have to get up early tomorrow."

He Yuan did not insist.

He took a business card from the inner pocket of his trench coat and stuffed it into Gan Ming's hand.

"Take it. If we get the chance, we can go to the Fallen Zone together and look out for each other."

Gan Ming accepted it and took a look.

The card had a name and a string of contact numbers printed on it.

There was also a line of smaller text beneath them: Freelance Hunter.

"Sorry, I don't have any business cards." Gan Ming put the card into his Storage Ring.

"Hey, we all started out that way." He Yuan waved it off. "Don't be a stranger. I'll wait for your call."

Ding.

The third floor arrived.

The elevator doors opened, and the two women bolted out without looking back. Their high heels clacked rapidly against the hallway floor.

He Yuan watched their retreating backs and snorted disdainfully.

"Heh. Women."

Gan Ming responded with a smile.

He Yuan waved at him, stepped out of the elevator, and strode after the two women.

Ding.

The doors closed.

Gan Ming was the only one left in the elevator.

The smile faded from his face.

He Yuan was an interesting person.

And after hearing the words "awakened through the Awakener Center,"

the respect that had appeared in his eyes

had been genuine.

That was strange.

Was there some special significance to the Awakener Center?

Ding.

The fourth floor arrived.

Gan Ming stepped out of the elevator, swiped his card, and entered room 403.

The moment he pushed open the door, cool air from the air conditioner washed over him.

The room was not large, but it was clean.

There was a five-foot bed, its white sheets smooth without a single wrinkle.

A lamp and a telephone sat on the bedside table. The curtains were drawn, and there was a wardrobe and a small table in the corner.

The bathroom door stood half-open, revealing white tiles and a mirror polished to a shine.

Gan Ming stood at the doorway without rushing inside.

He lowered his head and looked at the gray footprints he had left on the floor.

Two and a half years.

On the cement beneath that bridge in the Lower District, even footprints would not remain.

Because the ground was always covered in a layer of mud and garbage too thick to leave a clear shape in.

Gan Ming entered the bathroom and took all the Storage Rings from his pockets.

He lined them up neatly on the sink counter beside his original one.

Then he stripped off all his clothes, rolled them into a ball, and shoved them into the trash can.

Splash.

The moment the hot water poured over him, Gan Ming closed his eyes in comfort.

Water streamed down from his head, carrying grayish-brown wastewater down with it.

Monster blood pulp, bug pulp, dust, and sweat flowed past his ankles and into the drain.

He simply stood beneath the showerhead without moving.

The water was very hot.

In the Lower District, there was only cold water, and it came from a single shared pipe.

By the time it was your turn in line, what came out was everyone else's bathwater.

Tonight, he showered for a very long time.

Even after scrubbing himself twice with body wash and shampooing three times,

a faint bloody smell still lingered in his nose.

It was human blood. No matter what he did, he could not wash it away.

Gan Ming stared at himself in the mirror and sighed.

"I really can't even stay clean for one day."

After saying that, he wrapped a towel around his lower body and walked out of the bathroom bare-chested.

Then he lay down on the bed.

The instant the spring mattress took his full weight, Gan Ming's mind went completely blank.

Then he began thinking about what to do tomorrow.