Yin Yang surveyed the layout of the surroundings and then studied the patterns on the floor. He thought to himself that there was indeed an expert here.
The emotional energy of desire here wasn't being wasted at all; it was all being absorbed by the incantations beneath his feet.
If he wasn't mistaken, there must be something beneath the floorboards—most likely a transcendent item.
While he was lost in thought, it was already his classmate's turn to take the stage.
The student was somewhat nervous, but when he saw Yin Yang in the audience, his emotions settled instantly.
He gently strummed his guitar and began singing a popular song.
Yin Yang beckoned to a nearby waiter and took three gold notes from his pocket, handing them over.
"Ten thousand for drinks, twenty thousand for flower baskets."
The waiter glanced at the gold notes and replied respectfully.
"Do you need the gift announced, sir?"
At the Pleasure Bar, any gift exceeding ten thousand would be announced by a designated person; this was known as 'announcing the gift.'
Sometimes, when singers took the stage, their fans would even compete with each other to see who could send more gifts.
The bar usually made a fortune from that.
However, not every patron liked that kind of attention. So, when a gift reached the threshold, the waiters would specifically ask if the service was required.
Yin Yang waved his hand, indicating it wasn't necessary.
But his actions were fully witnessed by his classmate on stage. The student's eyes grew a bit red; he knew Yin Yang had come today specifically to bolster his reputation and help him secure his spot at the Pleasure Bar.
Great favors need no words of thanks; he could only think of how to repay him later.
Just as Yin Yang was about to leave, he spotted a familiar tattoo.
It was a black lotus!
The Shadow Lotus Cult!
Yin Yang raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen anyone from the Shadow Lotus Cult since leaving the Qi family. He hadn't expected to run into them today.
He wondered if this person was on the Killer pathway. If they were, he might be able to get a Sequence 8 Killer potion from them!
After all, he had a cat at home waiting for it.
With that in mind, Yin Yang walked straight toward the individual. When the distance between them was less than a meter, Yin Yang tripped over his own feet and fell toward the man.
But just as he was about to make contact, the man nimbly dodged out of the way.
Fortunately, someone nearby caught Yin Yang.
"Little brother, are you alright?"
The man looked worried. Yin Yang quickly stood up, an embarrassed smile on his face.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. The light is too dim here, and I wasn't watching my step. I'm truly sorry. I didn't hit your friend, did I?"
The man smiled and waved it off.
"No, no. Don't worry about it, little brother."
Yin Yang gave another apologetic smile before turning to leave.
From that brief encounter, Yin Yang was almost certain that the man was indeed of the Killer pathway, though he didn't know which Sequence.
Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to mark him. To find them, he would have to use other methods.
Yin Yang stepped out of the bar into the night.
He silently pulled out the Accident Pen. Although he hadn't placed a mark on the target, he could create an 'accident' for himself—one that would lead to an accidental encounter with the man.
...
Seeing Yin Yang leave the bar, the killer frowned.
"Why did you choose to meet in such a noisy place?"
The middle-aged man who had smoothed over the awkwardness earlier laughed.
"What difference does the location make? Are our people here?"
"They've arrived. Are you sure that item is in Wang City?"
"Of course. I saw with my own eyes that it was sent to the Security Bureau."
Hearing this, the killer's frown deepened.
"If it was sent to the Security Bureau, that means it's hidden in the Hidden Vault. Do you know how many people in history have successfully stolen something from a Hidden Vault?"
"Zero."
"Exactly. Zero. No one has ever succeeded!"
The killer pushed his cocktail aside.
"Are you trying to send the brothers to their deaths?"
The middle-aged man chuckled.
"The success rate of stealing from a Hidden Vault is zero, but what if we can make someone bring that item out of the vault?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"A riot, and some hostages."
"Stop beating around the bush. Give me specifics!"
"Do you know Wang City University?"
"Yeah."
"There are many children of powerful figures studying there. If we take them as hostages, do you think we can trade them for that item with the Security Bureau?"
The killer frowned.
"The Security Bureau won't compromise."
"You're wrong."
The middle-aged man seemed very confident.
"If it were the Bureau Chief of another city, they might not compromise."
"But this is the Bureau Chief of Wang City. I know him very well. He's a coward who's tough on the outside but hollow on the inside. As long as we hit him where it hurts, he will definitely yield!"
"After all, he is the good apprentice I personally taught."
...
Evening.
Yin Yang put on a transparent raincoat and a black mask, appearing silently in a small alley.
This alley was the place the Accident Pen had written where the two would meet.
However, the higher the Sequence of the target, the more vague the accidents created by the Accident Pen became.
For example, if the target were an ordinary person, Yin Yang could directly write exactly when, where, and how the person would appear.
But if the target was Sequence 9 or Sequence 8, Yin Yang could only write when and where they would appear.
If they were Sequence 7 or Sequence 6, Yin Yang could only write either the time or the place—he had to choose one or the other.
If they were above Sequence 6, Yin Yang could only get a general direction, such as which way to travel.
Yin Yang took out a pen and began writing incantations in the surrounding alleyway.
The materials he used were extremely special; the incantations would automatically disappear five seconds after being written.
Just as he finished, a car's tire blew out, and the vehicle spun out of control, crashing directly into the entrance of the alley.
The people inside were left dazed and disoriented. The driver was the killer he had encountered in the bar earlier.
The moment their eyes met, the killer recognized Yin Yang and realized the previous incident had been no coincidence.
He raised his hand and fired a shot at Yin Yang!
The mastery of weapons in the Killer pathway was beyond doubt.
The bullet flew straight toward the space between Yin Yang's eyebrows.
Clink.
The bullet was blocked by an air wall, stopping three meters away from Yin Yang.
At the same time, Yin Yang reached out with his right hand toward the man.
"I sacrifice all the air I breathe for the next five seconds in exchange for the target's legs cramping."
The killer, who was about to jump out of the car, stiffened. In the next moment, a zhanmadao swung down toward his head.
Slash!
The car was sliced open by the blade, but the killer, who should have died under the edge, turned into a puddle of shadow and flowed away.
This was the ability of a Sequence 7 Shadow of the Killer pathway!
In the first round of their exchange, Yin Yang held the upper hand.
...
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