The Killing Continues

Arriving in a deserted alley, Zhang Yao emerged from the shadows and checked the rewards he had received for killing the foreman.

Killed one Ironblood Brotherhood leader. Gained 800 experience. Gained 50 gold coins.

That guy gave quite a lot of experience! Plenty of money, too. Finally, I have a little cash again. Having no money always leaves me feeling uneasy! Zhang Yao thought.

To improve his chances of completing this mission, Zhang Yao had made another trip to Shopkeeper Sun's Spacetime Shop. There, he had selected equipment for his remaining empty equipment slots and armed himself from head to toe.

This time, Zhang Yao had not hesitated over his purchases. In no time at all, he had spent every last gold coin he had left, and he had even sold all his remaining Gems at the Spacetime Shop to buy more equipment. Still, it had been worth it. Not only had his overall defense risen a notch, but he had also gained a few more ways to stay alive.

Phantom Cloak: mid-grade blue equipment. Defense: 25. Special effects: increases movement speed by 10%, agility +2. Granted skill: Phantom. Description: a cloak woven from Shadow Bird feathers, lightweight yet sturdy and durable. Requirements: strength 10, agility 15. Exchange value: 1,000 gold coins.

Phantom: passive skill. Because the cloak is made from Shadow Bird feathers, light refraction causes enemies to misjudge their attacks when fighting the wearer. Phantom's effect is reduced by 50% against ranged attacks.

Shopkeeper Sun had specifically recommended this cloak, and it was the piece of equipment on which Zhang Yao had spent most of his gold coins. Although it had cost a full thousand gold coins, Zhang Yao had no regrets. That was not only because of the Phantom skill attached to the Phantom Cloak, but also because of the 10% increase in movement speed, which gave him another advantage whether he was fighting someone or running away. Most of his remaining equipment consisted of plain, stat-only gear, and its combined cost was not even half that of the Phantom Cloak.

"Nine more. I need to pick up the pace! If I can't finish this mission before dawn tomorrow, my chances will probably be slim!" Zhang Yao took the wanted posters from inside his clothes and carefully began selecting his next target. Although the mission's time limit was ten days, Zhang Yao knew that by tomorrow, news of the assassinations of so many Ironblood Brotherhood members would certainly sweep through the city like wind and rain. Continuing his assassinations then would not be nearly as easy as it was now. On top of that, an unknown number of rivals were competing with him for the same business, which would increase the difficulty by far more than a little. Zhang Yao had to move fast-so fast that neither the Ironblood Brotherhood nor his rivals would have time to react!

Luo De had carefully selected all the wanted posters for Zhang Yao. Although everyone on them belonged to the Ironblood Brotherhood's leadership, they were all minor, inconsequential figures. These people had little real ability. They had climbed to their current positions through either bootlicking or connections, like the foreman Zhang Yao had just killed, who knew only how to exploit the people under him.

"Hmm, he'll be next!" After flipping through the wanted posters once more, Zhang Yao selected one of them. This fellow was named Johnny, a leader responsible for collecting protection money around the docks and warehouses. He was the man Luo De had mentioned earlier: all bluster and flashy moves, impressive to look at but useless in practice.

Zhang Yao concealed himself again and hurried toward one of Johnny's usual haunts. Before long, he found a rundown warehouse where Johnny often spent his time. He owed the speed of his search to Luo De. While helping Zhang Yao select his targets, Luo De had also made a point of noting their preferences and usual haunts, saving Zhang Yao a tremendous amount of effort.

The clamor coming from inside told Zhang Yao that he had come to the right place. Sneaking a look inside, he saw four people squatting in a corner of the dilapidated warehouse, gambling and drinking. The loudest of them was his current target-Johnny.

Zhang Yao looked Johnny over. He was tall, with a vicious face and bulging muscles that made him look exceptionally strong and powerful. If Luo De had not explicitly told Zhang Yao that this fellow was all show and no substance, Zhang Yao might actually have been intimidated by him.

"That round doesn't count! It doesn't count! You must have cheated! Otherwise, how could I lose with such a good hand?" Johnny shouted inside the rundown warehouse, evidently because he had lost money gambling.

"Heh heh, Johnny, that just proves how lousy you are at this. You managed to lose even with a hand that good! Hurry up and pay. Don't think you can welch on me!" One of the men beside Johnny pressed him for the money with a mocking chuckle.

"Exactly! A loss is a loss. You can't refuse to pay, Johnny!" another man beside him chimed in.

The last man simply kept his head down, not daring to speak.

Huh? Hearing their conversation, Zhang Yao froze for a moment. He had initially assumed that Johnny had dragged his subordinates here to gamble, but judging by the way those two spoke, they did not seem to be his underlings. Otherwise, they would never have spoken like that. After all, wasn't an underling demanding money from his boss just courting death?

Zhang Yao looked again at the three men gambling with Johnny. A closer inspection left him overjoyed. The reason was simple: the two demanding money from Johnny were two of the people he intended to "visit" next.

To be safe, Zhang Yao took out the wanted posters and carefully compared them again. Only after confirming the matches did he feel completely reassured. At the same time, he silently marveled at his good luck. This really is buy one, get two free! With these three, I'll have taken out four! If things keep going like this, I can finish the mission without even waiting until dawn tomorrow!

"Am I, Johnny, the sort of man who refuses to pay? I'm going outside to relieve myself first. When I get back, we'll play a couple more rounds, and I'll show you what a god of gambling looks like!" Johnny stood, addressed the two men, then turned and left the warehouse, planning to relieve himself before returning to gamble.

Johnny left the warehouse and turned into a small alley beside it. Before he could even undo his trousers, he felt a chill across his neck, and blood sprayed before his eyes. His hands flailed wildly a few times, then fell limply to his sides.

Killed one Ironblood Brotherhood leader. Gained 1,000 experience. Gained 100 gold coins.

More experience than that foreman, and twice the gold coins, too. Looks like these Ironblood Brotherhood leaders aren't just worth plenty of experience-they're all so rich they practically drip money! Zhang Yao thought as he dragged Johnny's corpse deeper into the alley.

After a long while, Johnny still had not returned. One of the leaders remaining in the warehouse grew impatient and barked at the underling beside him:

"Why isn't he back yet? Don't tell me Johnny's slipped away! Go see what's going on with your boss!"

Faced with the leader's shouting, the underling naturally did not dare say a word. He lowered his head and ran outside.