Picking Up a Corpse

"These guys really took me for a fat sheep."

Suren sensed those faint, lingering gazes on his back and found it rather boring.

He had come to the Black Market many times and had always been careful.

This was the only time he had come late at night, and the first time someone had targeted him.

But on second thought, if he were one of those drifters, he definitely would not have let tonight's opportunity pass either.

After all, admission to today's auction alone cost five thousand. Robbing just a few people would guarantee they did not leave empty-handed.

The truly powerful big shots all had their own motorcycles. Lone travelers like Suren were the perfect "fat sheep."

The Bird District in North City District, where the Black Market was located, had always been a lawless area.

There were no established gangs here, but the crime rate remained exceptionally high, higher than in any district of the Outer City.

Robbery, extortion, murder, and rape. Violent crimes occurred frequently in this district. In certain dark alleys, unidentified outsiders' bodies could often be seen at dawn, dead for no apparent reason.

Those drifters were not like gangs. They had no fixed territory and no scruples. They gave face to no one. Whether it was the three major gangs or the Public Security Office, anyone with money was a fat sheep, and running into them meant bad luck.

For example, the three shifty-eyed fellows currently following Suren.

It was nearly four in the morning when the auction ended. Although Old Lindun's intercity steam trains operated around the clock, there were barely any people waiting on the platforms outside factory workers' commuting hours.

Suren wrapped himself in his trench coat, tucked his neck beneath the collar, and pulled his hat brim low to conceal his deep-set eyes.

He watched everything around him.

Since it was nighttime, the main beacon atop the tower had already been extinguished. The gas streetlamps were not particularly bright, illuminating only a small patch beneath each lampshade.

Aside from him, there were two other people on the platform.

One was a drunk dozing on a bench. The other was an old woman who, for some reason, had come out for a late-night stroll.

At that moment, Suren spotted several figures moving quickly through the shadows cast by the lights across the road. They appeared to have come from the direction of the Black Market as well.

The hostility prickling against his back grew stronger as the three drifters stepped onto the platform.

Suren showed no change in expression, as though he had noticed nothing unusual.

Perhaps they had not expected a man waiting for a bus at a station to be a Firearm Expert.

The three drifters approached in a triangular formation, contemptuous sneers hanging on their faces.

Two of them extended dark gun barrels from beneath their coats, sealing off Suren's escape routes. The leader pointed his gun at Suren's head and got straight to the point. "Brother, lend us some money to spend."

The standard opening line for a robbery.

But before the word "spend" had even faded, a gun barrel flashed into the man's mouth, forcing the rest of his words back down his throat.

Without a word of nonsense, a shot rang out, and his head exploded into a crimson mess right before their eyes.

Suren pulled the trigger expressionlessly and muttered to himself, If I were you, I'd have fired from ten meters away. You might not have hit me, but at least you'd have had the chance to shoot.

A gunman's movements were actually easy to predict, especially those of non-Professionals.

The motion of drawing a gun, the pause while aiming, and the timing of pulling the trigger. There was more than enough time to catch all of it.

To Suren, a Firearm Expert, the three men drawing their guns looked like children playing around. Their movements were riddled with openings.

Even when that gunman had pointed a gun at his head moments ago, Suren had felt no pressing threat of death.

His neural reaction speed now allowed him to clearly catch the subtle muscle twitch that preceded an opponent pulling the trigger, then calmly dodge before the shot was fired. He even had enough time to return fire.

Just like the headshot before him.

However, while he had dealt with the gun aimed at his head, he could not completely avoid the angles of the two guns aimed at his body.

Seeing their companion get killed right in front of them, the other two thugs froze for an instant, then instinctively pulled their triggers.

Bang!

Bang!

The two firearms spat flames at the same time. Suren twisted aside to avoid one shot, while the other bullet grazed past him.

The instant after his enemies fired, he had already fired twice more with both hands, killing the two stunned-looking robbers outright.

White smoke rose from the graze on Suren's lower abdomen, but no blood flowed. He glanced down and did not care. "Good thing I was wearing a Bulletproof Vest."

That was also one of the reasons he had not panicked in the face of three gun barrels just now.

The three thugs had been shot in the head within a single second. The drunk on the platform woke in terror, while the old woman dropped the paper bag she was holding, spilling its contents all over the ground.

Suren had no intention of dealing with the two passersby. He planned to catch a ride elsewhere.

They were just a few blind little thieves. He had cleaned them up in passing.

It should have been a trivial matter.

In the chaotic Bird District, shootings were far too common. No security officers or patrolmen would come looking for trouble.

But before he could even put away his gun, a bizarre battle suddenly erupted across the street!

Suren had never expected that his few shots would flush out such a "big fish"!

He had noticed those people across the street earlier and had assumed they were drifters and fat sheep as well. But the gunfire was like a fuse tossed into a powder keg. Like startled rabbits, they suddenly broke into a mad sprint.

Then the cloaked figure being pursued fired a shot backward.

And then—

In Suren's field of vision, a house that had been struck actually had a huge section blown out of it!

"Alchemical Bullet?"

Suren's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could holster his firearm, he had already dropped to the ground without hesitation, rolled quickly behind a sufficiently thick stone wall, and avoided getting caught in the crossfire.

The moment he saw the Alchemical Bullet, he guessed that the people across the street were all Professionals!

"Could this be murder for loot?"

Suren speculated inwardly.

But what came next was even more outrageous.

Among the pursuers, one man's hands suddenly ignited with roaring flames. He threw a punch, and a savage fire dragon swept dozens of meters down the street. Yet the cloaked figure ahead merely raised a hand, as though a black hole had appeared in his palm, and absorbed every last flame!

The other pursuers also drew all kinds of firearms and unleashed a barrage of shots at the person ahead.

"Magic Caster!"

Seeing the power of that punch and the Alchemical Bullets exploding throughout the street, Suren's expression darkened.

At that moment, he realized he had likely stumbled into a battle between High-Tier Professionals.

Without a second thought, he immediately planned to turn around and leave.

Getting involved in a battle of this level meant he might not even know how he died.

Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.

The cloaked figure being chased had originally intended to flee down the street, only to find people blocking the way ahead as well.

Suren spotted the ambushers before that person did and inwardly cried, Don't come over here.

But with both ends blocked, the cloaked figure could only flee toward the other side of the street.

And across the street was precisely the platform where Suren was hiding!

With nowhere else to go, the cloaked figure charged straight toward Suren.

Anyone being surrounded by so many people was naturally no harmless character. The cloaked figure suddenly spread both arms, and two steel cables shot out with a whoosh, hooking onto the platform's iron pillars. Then the cables retracted, launching the figure into the air.

Suren stared in astonishment as the figure flew over his head like a great bird.

In that brief glance, his sharp eyesight clearly saw the face beneath the hood. His gaze sharpened. "Huh? Isn't that the woman with the million bounty on her head?"

No wonder she was worth so much. She was a High-Tier Professional!

After she flew over his head, Suren dared not move. If he ran now, the people behind her might mistake him for her accomplice and shoot him dead on the spot.

Then, in the next instant, several more figures flew over Suren's head with a series of whoosh, whoosh, whoosh sounds.

Gunfire continued without pause.

Suren kept his head down and played ostrich, searching for a chance to slip away.

Then, a muffled thud suddenly rang out, like something heavy hitting the ground.

Looking closely, he saw a corpse with a shattered head had landed right beside him.

"..."

Suren felt utterly baffled by the entire situation.

Looking around again, he saw that no one was paying attention to a minor passerby like him. All the black-clad figures had chased after the woman into the depths of the alley, and the gunfire was growing more distant.

The Gray Mist around the corpse was close enough that it was instantly absorbed.

"You have obtained Memory Fragment ×3 from Ferry Valentine."

"You have received a piece of information: 'Damn that woman. If we fail to catch her, we're all dead.'"

"You have acquired some High-Level Mechanical Knowledge."

"You have comprehended the earth-element Alchemy spell Triple Earth Spikes."

"Casting Experience +19"

"Mental Power +0.29"

"Someone from the Umbrella Organization?"

Suren quickly learned the corpse's origins from the stripped information.

After looking around, he did not hesitate at all. He picked up the corpse's firearm and Storage Ring, then plunged straight toward the Black Market.

Rumor had it that the hidden boss behind the Shadow Alley Black Market was a top-tier powerhouse whom even the Inner City could do nothing about.

The safest place Suren could think of at that moment was returning to the Black Market!

Things went smoothly enough. Avoiding the direction of the gunfire, Suren made his way back to the Black Market without obstruction.

The Umbrella Organization's belongings were not easy to keep. He did not dare hold onto the stolen goods, so he sold everything to Black Market merchants in one go.

It had to be said that this elite Inner City organization was truly wealthy. The corpse had not carried much else, but that Rune Firearm and the pile of Alchemical Bullets alone were worth a fortune.

It seemed that Alchemical Bullets were standard ammunition among Umbrella Organization members, with dozens issued at a time.

Suren guessed it might have something to do with the level of missions they carried out, but that was not his concern.

After bundling up everything from the Storage Ring, he actually sold it all for more than a million!

The sounds of battle outside grew louder and louder, even drawing out hidden Professionals from the Black Market.

Suren mingled with the crowd and went out as well.

He did not go to watch the excitement. Instead, he circled through several districts and cautiously returned to Green Street.

Only after coming back to his senses did he realize that the thrilling and dangerous second half of the night felt like an illusion.

An hour ago, he had been so poor that he only had enough money left for living expenses.

Then, because he had encountered a bizarre chase and gunfight, picked up a corpse that had fallen from the sky, he had somehow become rich?

Thanks to 'aaronttt' for 500, 'I Am Crazy for Books, Yet Cannot Weave Dreams' for 500, 'Fantasy Shattered,' 'finger9846,' 'Old Waist Disc Three Circles,' 'If Life Has Another World,' 'Ieat,' 'E Zong Xiao,' and '20170510155306657.' Thank you all for your donations and support. You brothers are awesome!