In a dimly lit room.
A man in a suit and white gloves had just set down his knife and fork.
"Mm... I can taste the fatigue in the meat, along with a hint of disinfectant."
"What a White-Clad Angel, so willing to dedicate your life to others."
"Your beautiful soul moves me deeply."
"For the sake of that feeling-"
Beep, beep, beep!
His phone rang.
The man's aria-like soliloquy was interrupted, and displeasure immediately crossed his face.
He lowered his head and addressed the mutilated corpse beneath the dining table:
"My sincerest apologies. There are always rude people who like to interrupt our meals."
"Such is life, full of surprises and things beyond our control."
He opened his phone.
A line of small text came into view.
After reading it, the man smiled knowingly.
"You want me to act personally? Very well. After all, I just received word that my deputy is dead."
"Three Assassins have died in succession. That means the other party is no ordinary junior high school student."
"I can do it."
"So, what will you pay in exchange for my services?"
Another line of small text appeared on the phone's screen:
"A girl. Her photo will be sent to you immediately."
A girl...
The man chuckled again and teased in a light, lively tone:
"She holds you in her heart, and you put her up online-"
"Tsk, tsk. Some girls think they can transcend social class, never realizing they've already been tossed onto my plate."
"But I must make one thing clear. I don't collect scraps. You should know my standards of beauty are-"
Zhao Yibing's photo appeared on the screen.
The words died in his mouth.
He held his breath.
For a long while.
He raised his phone high, his eyes fixed on Zhao Yibing on the screen, letting its light shine on his face as though he were on a pilgrimage.
"What a beautiful, pure little lamb."
His voice was full of genuine feeling, even carrying a trace of a sob:
"Believe me, just looking at you, I can already smell that tender, unripe scent of yours."
"To have arranged such a wonderful encounter."
"I'm deeply moved. I'll personally kill that boy... When can she come?"
Another line of small text popped up on the phone.
The man glanced at it, put down his phone, moved his plate aside, and elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Suddenly, he stepped on the corpse on the floor and said in a formal tone of distaste:
"Remember, I won't be eating you again-"
"My heart, my soul, and my taste buds will all linger on that girl, and my stomach must make room for her as well."
"-Our relationship is over."
The man stood, went into the bathroom, took out his travel bag, and laid his toothbrush, razor, towel, and cologne on the counter.
He picked up his phone and ordered a bouquet of white roses. After a moment's thought, he also bought a bottle of red wine and some cumin powder.
After a brief hesitation, he canceled the cumin powder and instead ordered two large jugs of high-quality mineral water, dried tangerine peel, red dates, and goji berries.
He had everything else.
He checked the delivery time.
There was just enough time.
Everything had worked out for the best.
Satisfied, the man picked up his toothbrush, squeezed out some toothpaste, and began brushing his teeth.
Now, he needed to tidy up his appearance, arrange the room, and delight the girl with witty, humorous conversation.
When people were happy, their meat gave off its most natural flavor.
Meat filled with terror and despair turned sour.
Sour...
The man frowned slightly, but his eyes grew brighter, as though he were already excited.
An encounter with a pure, shy, beautiful girl during a mission.
He would never wish to be discourteous to a beauty.
But-
Only when he finally tasted her would he know how well he had performed throughout.
This was the ultimate romance, full of challenges.
He took a deep breath, as though smelling the girl's fragrance again.
It made him chuckle despite himself.
The flutter of youth returned to his body, until he let out a low moan, his whole person looking invigorated and charming.
With his head lowered, he squeezed toothpaste evenly onto his toothbrush and cleaned his teeth with gentle, meticulous strokes.
For a gourmet, teeth were extremely important. Every last scrap of meat left over from before had to be brushed away.
-This was both for kissing and for tasting.
The man rinsed his mouth and tilted his head from side to side, examining his reflection to see whether he had grown too much stubble.
He picked up his razor, silently planning which jokes to tell later and which celebrities' romantic escapades to discuss.
If necessary, he could even pay some money.
Spending money would increase the food's value.
But it would also make him treat the food more seriously, ensuring none went to waste.
It was all worthwhile.
-In a difficult life, an unexpected encounter with a beautiful girl was undoubtedly an unforgettable romantic experience.
It was precious indeed.
Elsewhere.
The Human Martial Arts Group building.
On the top floor.
Qian Rushan sat behind a broad desk with a cigar in his mouth.
A spherical object sat in the open space in the room, occasionally flickering with a faint glow.
"What's this?"
Shen Ye asked.
Qian Rushan said, "A delivery from the World United Government's Military Merit and Rank Management Department. For safety's sake, we inspected it and only brought it over to you after confirming everything was in order."
Only then did Shen Ye understand.
Qian Rushan had received military merit for the incident at the Police Station last time.
As the one who had called upon Kunlun, Shen Ye had not yet taken up a profession, so Kunlun had decided to mail him something as a reward.
At the time, he had also received a text saying, "You made an important contribution in this battle."
It seemed this was the reward.
"Thanks. What is it?" Shen Ye asked.
Rather than answering directly, Qian Rushan said, "Press your finger against its surface first to bind your identity and activate it. Then you'll know what it is."
So mysterious...
Shen Ye grumbled inwardly, but still walked over, crouched down, reached out, and pressed a finger against the sphere's surface.
Ding!
The sphere gave a soft chime, followed by an electronic voice:
"Fingerprint matched, brainwaves matched, facial features matched."
"Identity verification passed."
"Please say a phrase. This will serve as your unique activation phrase. Reciting it will allow me to activate."
With Xiao Mengyu's impending fight against the Assassin on his mind, Shen Ye said casually:
"Kill a man every ten paces, leave no trace for a thousand miles."
The sphere instantly unfolded, automatically assembling itself into a Steel Construct roughly two meters long.
Shen Ye stared, dumbfounded.
-It was a Streamlined Black Motorcycle, its body emblazoned with broad stretches of bright green lines, making it easy to imagine it racing along like ghost fire in the night.
"If I'd had a motorcycle like this at your age, who knows how many girls I could've picked up."
Qian Rushan said.
"I do know how to ride, but I don't know what kind of performance this motorcycle has," Shen Ye said honestly.
With his legs crossed, Qian Rushan casually introduced it:
"Water-Cooled Four-Stroke Parallel-Twin Engine, Variable Horizontal Suspension, the signature Angel Wings Flight System, a lightweight space alloy body throughout, Dual Teardrop Headlights, Retro Stainless-Steel Exhaust, Wireless Extended-Range Motor, full artificial intelligence architecture, switching between autonomous and manual driving, and up to thirty minutes of flight time."
"It can fly?" Shen Ye asked in surprise.
"Of course. But you haven't learned to fly, so you'd better let it handle the flying itself," Qian Rushan said.
"What about fuel? How does charging work?" Shen Ye asked.
"It charges wirelessly. Just tell its AI, and it'll find somewhere to charge on its own. It's linked to your Personal ID, so payment is calculated and deducted automatically."
"As for fuel-you basically don't need any, unless you want the thrill of hearing the engine roar," Qian Rushan said.
Shen Ye walked around the motorcycle and couldn't help saying:
"If these green lines were red, it would stand out more when moving, like a ball of blazing fire."
No sooner had he spoken than the color on the motorcycle changed to red.
"It can change color too?" Shen Ye asked in surprise.
A voice came from the motorcycle. "The brand-new Chameleon-Effect Vehicle Wrap changes intelligently, just as you wish."
All right...
"Only kids like this sort of thing," Shen Ye said.
"You are a kid," Qian Rushan said, folding his arms.
"Ah, why did they give me something like this? I thought I'd get a cultivation manual or something."
He gently stroked the motorcycle's body, complaining even as he couldn't bear to take his hands off it.
"I thought so too at first," Qian Rushan said with a shrug. "But it seems Kunlun also thinks you're in serious danger, so it got you the latest-model motorcycle to make escaping easier."
"Is it fast?"
"Once pure electric boost mode activates, it's like a missile-faster than you can imagine."
An idea struck Shen Ye, and he said:
"If Kunlun thinks I'm in danger, it must know who wants to kill me."
Qian Rushan shook his head. "Even if it knows, it won't intervene over something this minor. It has to keep watching over human civilization's survival at all times-"
"Only if you demonstrate corresponding value will it give you a Redemption Code, or consider things from your perspective and provide a suitable reward."
Shen Ye thought of Luo Feichuan, then immediately thought of Xiao Mengyu.
He wondered whether she had run into that Assassin yet.