‘The Throne of Gods sure has deep pockets! If only I could find Zero…’

The reward on Zero’s wanted poster was extremely alluring, but Frenzied Sword knew that as he was operating alone, it would be like trying to search for a needle in a haystack.

While it might have been a pity, it did not bother him too much. Frenzied Sword’s eyes filled up with fire as he took another look at Han Xiao.

‘As long as I latch onto this guy, I will level up faster than anyone!’

Initially, performing all the strange quests that Han Xiao gave him did give him a sense of aversion. However, he gradually discovered that they not were that bad after all—at the very least, they were interesting to do. Compared to hunting monsters, running around to carry out these ‘errands’ was much simpler. Of course, this came at the expense of his morality.

One day, he realized that his mind was becoming more open, and he had an epiphany: ‘shame is but an obstacle to human evolution!’

‘Me, a pervert? No no no, I have simply transcended! I have found the way!’

“Does that guy like you or something?” asked a bemused Lu Qian as she pointed at Frenzied Sword. He was staring at Han Xiao dreamily from the entrance of the workshop.

“…”

“He seems pretty sincere. Why don’t you give him a chance?” she teased, giggling.

It was the first time that she had spoken normally to Han Xiao since the misunderstanding.

Han Xiao rolled his eyes and reached out to tickle her, causing her to yell out and dodge, startled. Hugging her sides with crossed arms, Lu Qian watched Han Xiao closely with puppy eyes in anticipation of his next attack.

Her grandfather’s attempts at playing matchmaker had initially caused her much headache. However, she soon discovered that there was no cause for concern as Han Xiao was not particularly interested in her. To be more specific, he did not even seem to be interested in women at all! Although this eased her worries, it also raised other concerns.

A woman’s heart is unfathomable. Pay her attention and she might become wary of you, but neglecting her won’t do either.

Unfortunately, one’s looks also play an important factor. If you are good looking enough, you won’t have to worry about it.

Lu Qian’s casual attire was revealing a tantalizing view of her front, but it did nothing to stir Han Xiao’s heart. Having been working for up to 15 hours almost every day recently, crafting had become the only thing that he could think about.

Sometimes, he even found himself designing guns and weapons in his dreams! And the scary part was that once, when he woke up, he realized that the designs were all practical! This served as a wake-up call to Han Xiao, and he would think back to fond times with Mei Mei, Mei Mei, Mei Mei, and a dozen or so more ex-girlfriends to regain his senses. (These names all sound the same, but they are different characters in Chinese)

A man may die, but he must go down with his bird.

Han Xiao ignored Frenzied Sword. By his calculations, the beta test would end in a day. The only reason Han Xiao had chosen to make contact with a player was to test the NPC functions.

Suddenly, the interface lit up.

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You have triggered the sudden quest: [Assassination]!

Quest Hint: The assassin is closing in!

Completion Requirement: Survive the encounter.

Quest Reward: Unknown

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Han Xiao’s face stiffened.

The attack could happen at any moment!

“Damn it! Old Lu is not home now!”

For the quest to have triggered despite Feng Jun and his men keeping watch in the neighborhood meant that the enemy definitely had some kind of special ability to invade without getting detected! There was a high chance that it was a superhuman!

Han Xiao immediately dashed into his room to retrieve his equipment. It was vital to avoid dragging Old Lu and Lu Qian into the mix as it could jeopardize his plans to unlock the hidden scenario that he had come here for all along.

Facing his attacker head-on was also more of his style.

Frenzied Sword chased after Han Xiao.

As they ran, Han Xiao began to feel like someone was watching him.

The temperature of the air suddenly began to drop, causing Frenzied Sword to rub his arms in fear. Even he could feel the murderous intent in the air.

As they walked down an alley, Han Xiao’s sense of danger began to escalate from a tingle into an alarm.

Darkness was already creeping upon the unknowing pair. Before they realized it, they were transported into a world devoid of sight and sound. Strangely, however, this pitch-black darkness made Han Xiao feel extremely safe and comfortable, as though he were back in his mother’s womb. All that remained was an overwhelming allure to fall into eternal slumber.

An illusion!

Han Xiao forced his eyes open.

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You are under the attack of an illusion. As your INT is higher than 50, you are able to resist its effects.

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The darkness around Han Xiao began to shatter as the effects of the illusion faded.

As Han Xiao regained his senses, he discovered that there was a man standing five meters away with a gun pointed directly at him. The assassin was wearing a victorious smirk.

Click.

He pulled the trigger.

Han Xiao’s eyes widened.

‘How am I supposed to dodge a shot at point blank range‽’

People often say that time slows down in the face of danger. What happened next was on a whole new level.

In the face of imminent death, the world around Han Xiao suddenly began to slow down. The expression of panic on Han Xiao’s face was replaced by a look of absolute coolness as his mind cast aside all unnecessary thoughts and emotions in order to process the situation.

‘It’s not over yet!’

The flow of time resumed.

In the very instant that the bullet left the barrel, Han Xiao activated [Strafe], causing his entire body to seemingly fade and reappear.

[Strafe]’s effect allowed the user to move anywhere within a three-meter radius, but it was not exactly ‘instant’. While any movement using [Strafe] would seem extremely fast, moving a shorter distance would be even faster. Han Xiao was able to dodge the fatal shot by moving just 2 inches.

The bullet grazed past the side of his face; all it caused was a searing sensation.

The assassin’s expression changed.

‘How could he have dodged my sure-kill shot‽’

With his illusory powers, Norsa had successfully carried out over a hundred assassinations for the Germinal Organization. So far, it had not mattered whether his targets also had superpowers. However, according to the intel given to him, Zero should at most be at the level of an elite agent! How could someone who relied on machinery to fight be able to break free of his illusion‽

The intel was completely off the mark!

As Han Xiao dodged, he whipped out both Berserk Eagles from his waist and activated [Overload] as he fired a volley of deafening shots. The recoil from the shots was so powerful that it caused his hands to shake.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

All of the shots found their mark on Norsa’s chest.

A perfect counterattack. Han Xiao’s skillful usage of the Strafe might not have seemed difficult, but it would not have been possible to pull off without the wealth of combat experience that he possessed.

Norsa began to stagger backwards. He had used energy to protect his body—otherwise he would have been shredded to bits. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he immediately summoned whatever energy he had left to back up and flee.

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and gave pursuit as he loaded a gun up with [Incendiary Ammo] to fire a shot in the direction of Norsa’s escape.

The ensuing sea of fire forced Norsa to stop in his tracks. Gritting his teeth, he turned around to face Han Xiao.

Norsa’s eyes began to glow with a mysterious seven-colored aura.

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You are under the attack of an illusion. As your INT is higher than 50, you are able to resist its effects.

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Bang!

Han Xiao unhesitatingly fired a single, precise shot that drilled a hole through the assassin’s throat.

Norsa clutched his neck in horror.

‘My illusory powers have never failed me! Why is he unaffected‽’

Han Xiao strode forward to smack Norsa onto the ground with both guns. He then pressed them against his chest, pinning him to the ground.

Bang!

The sound of the shot was dull.

As the incendiary bullet penetrated Norsa’s body, his internal organs were immediately set ablaze. He began to flail his limbs wildly—but only for a moment.

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You have killed the Germinal Organization Executor, Norsa (Lv. 25 Superhuman), earning 7,500 exp.

You have completed the sudden quest, [Assassination]. You have been rewarded with a Character Summoning Card.

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Han Xiao steadied his breath. Blood had stained his mask and was dripping down his face onto the floor.

It was silent, apart from the crackle of the flames.

Norsa’s death freed Frenzied Sword from the illusion. His jaw dropped upon noticing the aftermath of the battle.

‘What the hell just happened here‽’