The operation and an unexpected reward
Shen Yan had no idea how long he had slept-
[Ding-!]
A crisp system notification rang out in his mind without warning, jolting him awake.
He sat bolt upright and instinctively reached for the brick under his pillow.
[Host's key actions detected:] [During the Japanese pursuit, risked danger to cover the underground Party courier Su Wan's escape, concealed information, fabricated a trail, and gave her a healing potion, successfully protecting a revolutionary comrade and important intelligence.] [Actions assessed]: upheld righteousness and protected the good, stood firm in the face of danger, and saved the nation and its people. [Reward issued]: Good and Evil Points +72 [Current Good and Evil Points]: 72 [Conditions for opening the Good and Evil Store met. Store opened!]
Shen Yan stared blankly for two seconds before it sank in.
That young girl had made it to safety.
He simply hadn't wanted to watch a patriot die before his eyes and had helped her out of the goodness of his heart.
He hadn't expected an unexpected reward too.
A smile curved Shen Yan's lips.
This system was the real deal.
It really paid him for his work, without holding anything back.
Thinking of that dumbass boss from his original world...
A conscience!
He suppressed his excitement and tapped the Good and Evil Store in his mind.
A pale blue panel instantly spread out, displaying a dazzling array of goods.
[Current Good and Evil Points]: 72 Skills: · Basic Combat Mastery (50 Good and Evil Points): instantly master basic military and police combat techniques · Precision Aiming (40 Good and Evil Points): greatly increases accuracy with firearms and thrown weapons · Stealth and Concealment (60 Good and Evil Points): reduces footstep noise and conceals one's presence · Elementary Acting (30 Good and Evil Points): precisely disguises expressions and tone Items (refreshed daily at 12 noon): Colt M1911A1 | 150 Good and Evil Points | includes .45 ammunition × 7 rounds FN Browning Hi-Power M1935 | 130 Good and Evil Points | includes 9mm ammunition × 13 rounds Walther P38 | 110 Good and Evil Points | includes 9mm ammunition × 8 rounds 4. Tokarev TT-33 | 95 Good and Evil Points | includes 7.62mm ammunition × 8 rounds 5. Nambu Type 94 Compact | 80 Good and Evil Points | includes 8mm Nambu ammunition × 8 rounds 6. Single-shot palm pistol | 55 Good and Evil Points | includes special ammunition × 1 round Pistol accessories: · Simple suppressor sleeve | 22 Good and Evil Points · Universal extended magazine | 18 Good and Evil Points
Shen Yan looked at the prices of the pistols he couldn't afford and sucked in a breath as if he had a toothache.
There wasn't much he could afford.
He was still poor...
He checked the options beyond third-class police sergeant, but they were unavailable for viewing.
"The system's forcing me to make progress."
Shen Yan smiled wryly, his gaze settling on Basic Combat Mastery.
Fifty Good and Evil Points.
He was going after Wang Panghai tonight. As an office drone who had never even been in a fight, without some means of self-defense, he'd be finished before he got halfway there, let alone punished an evildoer.
He gritted his teeth and tapped to redeem it.
[Ding! Spent 50 Good and Evil Points. Basic Combat Mastery successfully redeemed!]
The next second, a scorching current of warmth instantly surged through his limbs and body!
A vast amount of muscle memory from military and police combat flooded into his mind-the angles of punches, the force behind kicks, the timing of blocks, and throwing techniques. All of it surfaced naturally, as though engraved into his instincts.
His formerly scrawny, slack muscles tightened and bulged, their contours lean and firm.
Shen Yan slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white as he felt the solid strength surging through his body.
He stood and punched the air-the sound of it cutting through the wind rang out clearly, his movement smooth and fluid, without the slightest hitch.
He had completely shed his previous weak and feeble state.
Shen Yan looked at his hands, his confidence instantly soaring.
He wasted no more time. In the dark, he pulled the original owner's only gray cloth changshan, a somewhat worn one, from under the bed, then pulled the brim of a battered felt hat low to cover most of his face.
He pushed open the window and made sure no one was outside.
Then he vaulted out.
According to the original owner's memories, Wang Panghai had an unbreakable habit: he went to Yicui House for pleasure every night, but because he feared he couldn't be found if an urgent task came up, he never spent the night there and always left before dawn.
And to avoid trouble with the Japanese military police patrolling the streets, he always took a secluded back alley.
Shen Yan avoided the Japanese patrols on the main roads and made his way through the alleys.
Half an hour later, the faint sound of string and wind instruments from Yicui House reached him. The building was brightly lit, utterly at odds with the deathly silence outside.
He didn't approach the front entrance, instead heading straight for a dark alley behind Yicui House to lie in wait.
There were no lights, no people, and no witnesses here.
The perfect crime scene.
After about four hours, Wang Panghai's unmistakable big belly finally appeared at the back door.
He staggered out, waved away the brothel attendant seeing him off, and walked into the alley alone, humming a tune:
"The crescent moon shines on the pavilion, oh, I gently fan myself and wait for my love..."
Hidden in the darkness, Shen Yan watched the minimap in his mind.
All was quiet.
There was no one else within thirty meters.
Now.
He darted forward, silently circling behind Wang Panghai.
Before Wang Panghai could react, he turned his palm over-and a brick appeared out of thin air, with no regard for martial virtue.
It struck the back of Wang Panghai's head with perfect accuracy.
"Thud!"
Wang Panghai fell stiffly to the ground without so much as a grunt.
Shen Yan crouched down and hit him again.
He had judged the force perfectly-two blows to kill, not one fewer.
Wang Panghai stopped breathing altogether.
[Ding! Successfully punished the evildoer Wang Panghai. Good and Evil Points +26!] [Current Good and Evil Points]: 48
Shen Yan panted rapidly.
He looked down at the corpse on the ground, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside him-
There was none of the nausea, fear, or hesitation he had expected.
Instead, he was a little... excited?
He froze.
Am I a closet pervert?
Did a harmonious society save me?
No.
Looking at Wang Panghai's face, which remained greasy even in death, Shen Yan quickly found a justification:
He was a traitor, after all.
I'm carrying out justice on heaven's behalf.
If my ancestors found out, they'd have to give me a whole page in the family genealogy.
Having settled that in his mind, he crouched down and quickly searched the body.
Before long, he found a dozen or so silver dollars and a pistol.
Hmm, the mob dropped equipment.
Shen Yan checked the minimap again and confirmed that no one was approaching.
Then he dragged Wang Panghai's corpse to an abandoned little courtyard deep in the alley, stuffed it into a dry well, and threw in plenty of clods of dirt and debris.
He cleared away the footprints on the ground and made sure no traces remained.
Then he turned and quickly vanished into the night.
Back in his garret room, Shen Yan shut the door and slumped onto the edge of the bed.
The excitement faded, leaving only exhaustion.
He took out the pistol and examined it closely.
A line of text appeared.
[Colt M1903 (Horse-Brand Pistol)] · Caliber: .32 ACP (7.65mm) · Overall length: 180mm · Unloaded weight: 680g · Magazine capacity: 8 rounds (full magazine) · Effective range: 50-60 meters · Firearm condition: good
Shen Yan put the silver dollars and the gun into his storage space.
A wave of drowsiness came over him, and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
His last thought before sleep was:
The police station definitely won't be peaceful tomorrow.
I'd better get there early and watch the show.