After school, Qin Siyang went to the Library again to organize the books.
This time, however, he found someone else there besides Teacher Zhu and Wen Shu.
Zhao Liwen.
Zhao Liwen was also studying at a desk in the Library.
Although he wasn't sharing Wen Shu's small table, he was sitting directly opposite her.
Wen Shu's face was expressionless. Her large eyes remained fixed on the test paper before her, as though she were studying intently.
But Qin Siyang knew she wasn't in a good mood.
Usually, when he came to the Library after school to tidy the books, she would greet him with a smile and look relaxed.
Unlike now, when she looked like a studying machine.
Just then, Zhao Liwen walked over to ask Wen Shu a question. She answered without expression, keeping it brief and refusing to say a single unnecessary word.
Qin Siyang shrugged and was about to have another chat with Zhao Number Two when Teacher Zhu coughed beside him.
Teacher Zhu tapped a note on the desk. "For you."
Qin Siyang picked it up and recognized Wen Shu's handwriting.
"Zhao Liwen attends [Ju'an School] because his father is a probationary employee at the local Engineering Bureau, so it's convenient for him to study here. His father will soon become a permanent employee and has some connections and influence. Don't provoke him right now."
Qin Siyang gave a helpless look.
Wen Shu had already anticipated what he would do. What else could he say?
Teacher Zhu said, "Hurry up and finish tidying. Then we'll lock up and leave."
"Okay."
Qin Siyang knew that staying in the Library was torture for Wen Shu right now, so he tidied up as quickly as he could.
Before long, he said to Zhao Liwen and Wen Shu:
"The Library is closing. Please leave."
Wen Shu said nothing. She returned her workbook to the shelf, put on her backpack, and left.
Zhao Liwen, on the other hand, dragged his feet and only came out when Teacher Zhu was about to lock the door.
"Qin Siyang." Zhao Liwen stopped Qin Siyang as he turned to leave.
"What do you want now?"
"I hope you'll consider what I said yesterday. I meant no harm. I was serious about all of it."
Qin Siyang couldn't be bothered with him anymore and kept walking toward the school gates.
Zhao Liwen caught up and said, "I hope you understand that being around Wen Shu will only distract her."
"Are you sick in the head? I didn't say a single word to her. You're the one distracting her from studying, aren't you?"
Zhao Liwen pressed his lips together. "Even with distractions, she can easily get into the two lowest-ranked colleges, so I'm not affecting her."
"But someone like you, who can't get into any college, taking up her energy is nothing but a waste of her time."
Zhao Liwen's words sent anger surging through Qin Siyang.
What did he mean it was fine for him to waste Wen Shu's time?
He had no idea how Zhao Liwen could say something so shameless.
He had thought the guy was just a bookworm. Only now did he realize that Zhao Liwen was a calculating, self-serving opportunist.
If he weren't meeting Roylena tonight, Qin Siyang would have ambushed Zhao Liwen on his way home and clubbed him!
"You sure make your bullshit sound pretty."
Qin Siyang threw out that remark and strode away.
Zhao Liwen watched him coldly from behind, then gave a contemptuous snort and headed home himself.
Qin Siyang went home, put down his backpack, and prepared to meet Roylena.
He recalled the information he had looked up on [Godslayer Camp].
Roylena isn't a [Scent Seeker] Sequence Ability User, but she's investigated cases and tracked down criminals before. She probably has a low-grade scent-tracking item.
It was seven in the evening, and pedestrians were passing through Spring Willow Lane one after another.
The lane was a shortcut from the edge of the Safe Zone to its central district. People who couldn't afford the bus generally passed through here to save time.
Qin Siyang had also learned about Spring Willow Lane while browsing the forum.
The Sequence Ability Users who went to the Exit of Safe Zone 114514 tended to be weaker. They didn't kill many gods, and their earnings weren't particularly high.
Sometimes, they had to walk home to save money. Spring Willow Lane was one of the routes they often took.
Qin Siyang waited until no one was on the road, then slipped into the agreed-upon grove and crouched off to one side.
Then he opened his lunch box and smeared the Three-Winged Flying Fish he had brought back from the cafeteria onto his clothes.
Low-grade scent-tracking items are nowhere near as effective as the [Scent Seeker] Sequence Ability User's skill, [Scent Seeking]. If a stronger smell masks the scent, the item won't be able to track it.
The smell of the cafeteria food should be enough.
That information had also come from a discussion thread on the [Godslayer Camp] forum.
Once he finished smearing his clothes, he closed the lunch box again and quietly waited for Roylena to appear.
At around eight thirty that evening, a figure wearing a trench coat appeared in the grove.
Qin Siyang could hear the dull sound of leather shoes stepping on stones and knew it was probably Roylena.
He didn't know why Roylena had come half an hour early.
He remained hidden among the trees, quietly observing her.
Roylena took out a bottle of perfume and sprayed herself, then stood still without doing anything else.
Before long, the fragrance drifted to Qin Siyang's nose.
The fresh scent soothed him, easing some of his anxiety.
Is this ordinary perfume? Or is it a prerequisite for activating some Sequence skill?
Qin Siyang frowned in thought.
He still didn't know what Roylena's actual Sequence Ability was, so he remained extremely wary.
Roylena seemed to be growing impatient with the wait and kept checking her phone.
Only after confirming that she hadn't set any traps did Qin Siyang cover his face and emerge from the bushes to one side.
However, the clothing he used to cover his face was steeped in the smell of cafeteria food, which made him quite uncomfortable.
Roylena froze briefly when she saw Qin Siyang emerge from the side, then asked coldly, "You were here all along. Why didn't you show yourself?"
"I didn't want to come out too soon."
Qin Siyang honestly stated what he had been thinking.
Roylena flicked her blond bangs aside. "What do you want with me?"
"I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"Speak."
"Introduce me to the person who falsified your Sequence."
Roylena's pupils suddenly dilated, but then she heard the masked man speak again.
"I suggest you take your right hand off the pistol beneath your trench coat. Once a shot goes off, you won't be able to kill me, and there'll be no turning back."
Roylena froze. She hadn't expected him to see through her movements.
What incredible perception and anticipation!
Roylena kept her hand on the gun. Before coming, she had already chambered a round, ready to draw and fire at any moment.
"You're very confident. But I don't think you can move faster than a bullet."
Qin Siyang smiled. "Of course I can't move faster than a bullet. But you have to draw your gun and pull the trigger before it can fire, right?"
"I only have to be faster than you."
Before you continue