Good luck

People once again jostled to pitch the gaunt young man businesses they had promoted countless times before.

"Young man, don't feel down! Come have a good meal at our restaurant, and you'll feel much better! I won't charge you a cent. Just take a photo with me!"

"How can food solve your troubles? What you really need in life is the right partner. My daughter just graduated from high school. She's young, beautiful, kind, and obedient. She fell for you at first sight and said she wouldn't marry anyone else! Want to meet her, young man?"

"Don't listen to him, young man! Spending your whole life with one woman is boring as hell! Come to me. You can pick from women in their teens, twenties, or thirties. I guarantee you'll have a great time tonight! If you like mature women, I can keep you company myself!"

They crowded around him and refused to leave him alone, their faces excited and fierce. Their hands desperately shoved the people around them back, each trying to claim that prime spot for themselves.

These ordinary people shouted around the gaunt young man in his Cold-Proof Suit, hoping to catch his attention. Every one of them dreamed of turning their fortunes around, and every one thought this Sequence Ability User might make that dream come true.

Spittle flew from the crowd. Someone beside Qin Siyang sprayed saliva onto his face, leaving a foul, fishy smell. Mixed with the lingering stench of sweat all around him, it was almost unbearable.

Yet everyone's efforts this time were doomed to fail.

The gaunt young man gave them a cold glance without saying a word, then walked straight away. Though the people around him continued their frantic sales pitches, they still parted of their own accord to let him through.

Only when the gaunt young man had walked far into the distance did they fall silent in disappointment. Then they all turned toward the Safe Zone entrance again, waiting for their next chance...

Shortly after the gaunt young man left the Safe Zone exit, an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old boy pushed effortlessly through the tightly packed crowd like a wild bull. Under their startled, suspicious gazes, he quietly followed.

After confirming that the gaunt young man was taking the main road, Qin Siyang first found a corner to change his outfit and avoid giving himself away.

The [Thief] Sequence, and connections to an Administration Bureau official. If you weren't the one who took the silver coin, I'll just have to accept my fate!

Before long, he caught up with the gaunt young man again.

Qin Siyang looked rather ridiculous now. To keep the gaunt young man from recognizing his outfit while he followed him, he had turned both his jacket and trousers inside out, drawing plenty of looks from passersby.

"Mom, that big brother looks like there's something wrong with his head."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Stay far away from people like that! Remember?"

Qin Siyang ignored the pointing and whispering. He had only one target: the gaunt young man a short distance ahead.

Seemingly having heard the passersby's comments, the gaunt young man stopped and glanced back at Qin Siyang.

But he did not seem to recognize Qin Siyang. He merely looked him over mockingly, then continued on his way.

The two walked along the main road, one behind the other.

Dim streetlights illuminated their silent figures in turn, as though telling a story nobody cared about.

As the pedestrians gradually thinned out, they reached the entrance to a secluded alley. Only the two of them remained.

Qin Siyang continued following behind the gaunt young man.

Even if the gaunt young man had been slow on the uptake, he would have realized something was wrong by now.

The gaunt young man slowed down, waiting for Qin Siyang to pass him.

Qin Siyang kept moving at the same pace, as though he were not following him at all.

The gaunt young man took a look and saw that Qin Siyang appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen. He was either a high school student or had graduated within the last couple of years. No matter how he looked at him, this was an inexperienced youngster who posed no threat whatsoever.

He decided he was overthinking things.

I must have been too tense while hunting gods. It's made me a little jumpy.

I really need to relax.

The gaunt young man stood beneath a streetlight and pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket. He took out a cigarette and put it between his lips. Then, with practiced ease, he pulled matches from his other pocket, shielded them from the wind with the cigarette pack, and struck a match, ready to light up.

Just then, the streetlight's glow in front of him suddenly vanished.

The gaunt young man looked up and saw the student-looking boy who had followed him all the way standing before him.

"I hope it was you."

The gaunt young man immediately realized something was wrong, but before he could react, a dark blur flashed past. Then his entire body flew uncontrollably backward into the gloomy alley.

Bang! The gaunt young man knocked over a trash can in the alley, spilling garbage all over the ground.

Qin Siyang lowered his leg, steadied himself, and strode quickly over to the gaunt young man.

Filthy, stinking garbage covered the gaunt young man, and dirty water stained his orange-and-white Cold-Proof Suit, but he had no time to care. Clutching his chest with both hands and grimacing in pain, he stared at Qin Siyang in terror. "Who... who are you?!"

Qin Siyang did not answer. He punched him in the jaw.

After taking the punch, the gaunt young man made a few gurgling sounds and passed out.

Qin Siyang stared at his chin and muttered, "A Sequence Ability User, all right. One punch didn't even break the bone. Damn, there are hidden experts everywhere. I'd better be even more careful."

Qin Siyang glanced at the trash can, which contained nothing but actual garbage, and felt a little disappointed.

Then he dragged the unconscious gaunt young man out of the heap and searched his body. Finding nothing, he turned his attention to the black backpack distinctive to members of the God-Hunting Team.

He opened the backpack. Inside were more than ten small compartments, each sealed with a zipper.

One compartment held a glass bottle filled with pale blue-green liquid. Qin Siyang picked it up for a closer look and found the words [Special supply for the Sequence Ability Management Bureau-Sequence Potion].

"So this is what a Sequence Potion looks like."

He opened it and took a sniff, and a sweet fragrance filled his nose. But mixed with the stench of garbage all around him, that sweetness only made it more nauseating.

He put the cap back on and slipped the Sequence Potion into his pocket.

He had already learned from [Godslayer Camp] just how precious Sequence Potions were to Sequence Ability Users. Taking this bottle would probably let him threaten the gaunt young man into doing quite a few things.

No, not threaten. He should call it inviting the gaunt young man to do him a few small favors.

He opened the backpack's other compartments and found a cell phone, some copper coins, and a silver coin.

Qin Siyang switched off the phone, then put it in his pocket.

A luxury item like this, worth over a thousand copper coins, was something Qin Siyang badly needed. It was sure to come in handy later.

He picked up the silver coin for a closer look and discovered that it was not the one he had left beneath the paving brick.

"The silver coin I left came from the [Li Mint], but this one is from the [Henry Mint]. Did I get the wrong person?"

He searched the entire backpack and the gaunt young man's body but still did not find that silver coin.

Just as he was puzzling over it, he noticed that the bottom of the backpack seemed uneven, with something hard pressing against his hand.

After examining it for a while longer, he finally found a hidden compartment. It lay beneath the other compartments and was very inconspicuous. If Qin Siyang had not had plenty of time, he might never have discovered it.

He opened the hidden compartment. Inside were some clumps of dirt and a silver coin.

Qin Siyang took out the silver coin and looked at the prominent words [Li Mint] on its side. Then he glanced at the unconscious gaunt young man and smiled faintly.

"Sure enough, boys who smile a lot never have terrible luck."