Su Wan's Resolve, Daily Mission Activated

The attic in the shantytown was cramped and damp and cold. Not a ray of daylight could reach inside.

A lingering stench of blood filled the air, mingling with mildew and sweat until it was hard to breathe.

Su Wan curled up in a corner, staring intently at the unconscious man on the wooden bed, her eyes full of anxiety and sorrow.

The man was her comrade. He had been shot in the abdomen while covering their comrades' retreat during the enemy's purge of the liaison station. The bullet was still lodged inside him, and the wound had long since become inflamed and festered. A high fever had left his whole body burning, his lips dry, cracked and pale, and his breathing so faint it seemed it might stop at any moment.

Shanghai had been under a strict lockdown these past few days, and Japanese and puppet agents were everywhere. Any legitimate hospital that treated a gunshot wound would immediately report it to the military police-walking into their hands meant certain death.

The underground communication line had been destroyed, and she could not reach her superiors. She was completely on her own.

She had visited every pharmacy and private physician in the West District. She had either been turned away or given useless folk remedies that could not save a life.

The last old doctor sighed. "Miss, prepare for his funeral. Even Hua Tuo himself couldn't save him..."

Su Wan crouched in the corner, biting her lip hard to keep from crying out.

She could not panic. If she did, they would both die.

In her daze, the image of that young patrolman in his baggy uniform, who had seemed weak and inept, suddenly sprang to mind.

She still remembered it clearly. The day she escaped from the liaison station, she had been shot in the arm. When she later ran into the young patrolman, he had discreetly covered for her and given her a bottle of miraculous medicine. Only moments after she took it, her gunshot wound had completely healed-the medicine's effect was simply unbelievable.

It was a divine feat.

But asking him for help was extremely risky.

If he coveted the reward and informed on her, not only would she fail to save her comrade, she would also doom herself and perhaps implicate the entire organization.

A Yuan suddenly began convulsing, a rattling sound coming from his throat.

Su Wan closed her eyes. When she opened them again, only resolve remained in them.

This was their only chance of survival. Even if she had to gamble with her life, she had to try.

She quickly pulled on a patched coarse-cloth garment, grabbed a handful of ash from the stove and rubbed it on her face, then wrapped a rag around her head.

An utterly ordinary country woman appeared.

She carefully eased the door open a crack, and only after making sure there was no danger nearby did she slip silently out of the attic.

She did not know the young patrolman's name, much less where he lived. All she remembered was that he worked at the West District Police Station, so she could only head for the streets around the station and try her luck.

On the streets of the West District, Shen Yan strolled leisurely along his patrol route in uniform.

He was wondering where he could earn another batch of Good and Evil Points.

Because of what had happened with Scarface Liu, public order on the streets was now absurdly good. Let alone thugs and hooligans, even petty thieves had vanished without a trace. Word had spread among everyone-the new young patrolman in the West District was ruthless and vicious, and not to be crossed.

Some people in illicit trades had sent an intermediary to offer Shen Yan monthly tribute money in exchange for him turning a blind eye. Shen Yan had responded by giving the messenger a brutal beating.

Everyone learned something else about Shen Yan-he did not play by the rules.

Even warring nations did not kill each other's messengers.

Even Old Chen thought he had gone a little too far and advised Shen Yan to rein himself in and be less violent.

Shen Yan could not explain himself. He could hardly say that he had activated Heavenly Eye and seen that the man sent to negotiate was a bastard who forced innocent women into prostitution. Besides, he had only broken three of the man's legs and made a modest twenty Good and Evil Points. Was that excessive?

After that, everyone in the West District who made a living through illicit trades packed up and fled to other jurisdictions.

Shen Yan's income of Good and Evil Points dried up completely.

After wandering aimlessly around the district a few times, he went into a teahouse by the street, sat down in a corner by the window, ordered a bowl of plain tea and sipped it leisurely.

He looked as idle as ever, his gaze seemingly unfocused, but he was discreetly scanning the people passing in the street. As he slacked off and rested his feet, he kept an eye out for targets he could farm for Good and Evil Points.

As his gaze swept past a street corner, Shen Yan's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

Two men in traditional Chinese short jackets, their expressions sinister, were following a country woman at a measured distance. They moved discreetly, their eyes fixed on her, but they could not conceal the hostility about them.

Almost at the same moment, the Heavenly Eye System automatically displayed an information panel, clear as day:

[Name]: Matsumoto Yasuo

[Identity]: Plainclothes agent of the Japanese military's Special Higher Police

[Good and Evil Points]: -80

[Mental activity]: *Keep a close eye on this Chinese woman, follow the trail and dig out the entire underground liaison station!*

[Name]: Sato Kenji

[Identity]: Plainclothes agent of the Japanese military's Special Higher Police

[Good and Evil Points]: -78

[Mental activity]: *A crude disguise, and she doesn't even know the basics of shaking a tail. This is practically a free commendation.*

Shen Yan turned his gaze to the country woman ahead of them.

Heavenly Eye lit up again:

[Name]: Su Wan

[Identity]: Underground Party courier

[Good and Evil Points]: +72

[Mental activity]: *I have to find that young patrolman and beg him for the life-saving medicine. I have to save A Yuan!*

Looking at the two Japanese agents planning to play the long game for a bigger catch, then at Su Wan, who was completely unaware of the danger she was in, Shen Yan irritably rubbed the spot between his brows.

How had this girl survived in Shanghai until now, with agents everywhere, when her vigilance was so ridiculously poor? How could her superiors feel safe letting her go out alone?

Just then, a cool system notification suddenly rang out in Shen Yan's mind, instantly dispelling his irritation:

[Unexpected daily mission triggered]

Mission: Rescue the patriot in desperate straits, protect her identity and evade Japanese and puppet checks

Mission rewards: An additional 100 Good and Evil Points, a small expansion of System Space, small red healing bottles ×5

A glimmer of delight flashed in Shen Yan's eyes.

He silently calculated: the two agents were worth a combined 158 Good and Evil Points, the reward for rescuing Su Wan was 72 points, plus an extra 100 points, a space expansion and five small red bottles.

This was a big haul.

This silly girl is my god of wealth.

He immediately got up and left the teahouse, then stood in the middle of the street and stretched conspicuously, making himself stand out.

Then he turned and strolled toward a narrow alley nearby.

Su Wan recognized the familiar figure at once, and her eyes lit up. She was about to call out when she clapped a hand over her mouth, looked around nervously, and, after making sure it was safe, hurried after Shen Yan.

Not far away, Matsumoto Yasuo and Sato Kenji exchanged a glance, malice flashing in their eyes:

The fish has taken the bait!

The two immediately quickened their pace and followed closely.

Su Wan followed Shen Yan through the twists and turns of the alley, but she remained several steps behind and could not catch up.

As she reached a corner, a hand suddenly shot out and covered her mouth, stifling her startled cry. Another hand caught her arm and gently pressed her against the wall.

Shen Yan gestured for her to be quiet.

Then he slowly released her, took out a pistol fitted with a suppressor, and leaned against the wall. Keeping his eyes on the two points steadily approaching on the small map in his mind, he steadied his breathing.

He darted out.

Raised his hand.

Fired!

"Pfft, pfft-"

Two muffled shots rang out almost simultaneously.

Matsumoto Yasuo and Sato Kenji were shot between the brows. Blood sprayed from the backs of their heads, and they fell stiffly to the ground, dead without so much as a grunt.

Shen Yan turned to Su Wan, who had both hands over her mouth and her eyes wide as saucers, and rapped her on the forehead with his knuckles.

"Ah!"

Su Wan instinctively clutched her head and crouched down, her eyes reddening at once. She was full of guilt-she had made another terrible mistake and had nearly dragged the kind young patrolman down with her.

Seeing her aggrieved, frightened expression, Shen Yan sighed inwardly.

A girl her age should have been living carefree on a school campus in modern times. Instead, she had to live through constant danger in this chaotic age. It was truly not easy.

He reached down and pulled Su Wan to her feet, then instructed her in a low voice:

"Go to the teahouse I just came out of. Tell the owner you're a friend of mine, Shen Yan, and ask him to arrange a private room. Wait for me there."

"Mm."

Su Wan nodded with a pout and hurried out of the alley with her head lowered.

Watching her disappear at the mouth of the alley, Shen Yan raised a hand and gathered both corpses, the spent casings and every trace of blood into System Space. Only after checking carefully and confirming that he had missed nothing did he leisurely turn and head back to the teahouse.

The rewards had been credited, his Good and Evil Points had soared, and the space expansion was complete.

Now, it was time to deal with the girl's troubles.