Chapter 79: Realization X Awakening
If an ordinary person encountered such a situation, they would definitely take conventional measures to seek justice. But Hai Dong was different—he was an assassin. He knew that given the other party's wealth and social status, normal means couldn't get justice for his son. He didn't care about compensation or sending the man to prison.
Hai Dong's revenge began. It took him only one day to fully investigate the matter, but his opponent reacted even faster. Strangely enough, the police didn't take this murder case very seriously—that was already abnormal.
Zhang Xutian's father was a real estate tycoon in the city, named Zhang Da. In the real estate business, one comes into contact with all kinds of people from all walks of life. Precisely because of this, after learning Hai Dong's identity through special channels, he immediately understood that this matter couldn't be resolved through money or legal means.
As the saying goes, "kill once and be done with it." Since the son was dead, killing the father too would make things clean. Since the other party was an assassin, that was even better—there was a high chance no one would investigate his death. Through a friend's introduction, Zhang Da contacted some "assassins."
After meeting them, Zhang Da discovered that these "assassins" were just a bunch of amateurs. Some had never even held a gun, relying only on brute courage to kill.
Realizing this, Zhang Da didn't give up. The other party was indeed a professional assassin, but he had money. Money could make the devil turn the millstone. If he couldn't find professional assassins, hiring plenty of amateurs was no problem. Besides, they were on the defensive side—they just had to wait for the other party to come for revenge.
Zhang Da was ruthless enough to hire over eighty amateur assassins. Although these people lacked skill, they had guts. Moreover, Zhang Da acquired some crudely made pistols. Once these amateur assassins had guns, their combat effectiveness noticeably improved.
The two sides clashed four days later. The result was that Hai Dong killed nearly forty amateur assassins while taking three stray bullets.
Overall, this matter could no longer be judged by right or wrong. Neither side was good people. Since neither was good, they used the most primitive method to settle it. The result was Hai Dong's defeat.
...
A villa estate on the outskirts of the city was Zhang Da's home, luxurious beyond belief.
A party was currently underway inside the villa. The protagonist was a short, stocky middle-aged man.
The man was dressed meticulously, but his words and actions revealed a faint air of thuggery. This was Zhang Da, who had started with forced demolition and later entered the real estate industry.
"Everyone, great kindness need not be spoken."
Zhang Da raised a glass of wine. He didn't let these amateur assassins leave immediately—he was afraid Hai Dong wasn't dead yet.
The others at the table reluctantly raised their glasses. They were all distracted, having just narrowly escaped death. Today, they had witnessed the difference between amateur and professional assassins. If not for a few lucky hits in the chaos, they would all be dead. The other party moved like a ghost, killing them as easily as slaughtering chickens and dogs.
Zhang Da himself was uncertain. This time, over forty people had died. Although these people were either fugitives or loners, and the bodies had been disposed of, the earlier gunfire was hard to explain away. Fortunately, this wasn't in the city, or there wouldn't even be room to make excuses.
In truth, Zhang Da was overthinking things. The police had no time to deal with them now. There were more troublesome matters in the city, and all the officers were overwhelmed.
"Boss Zhang, you're too kind. About the subsequent payment..."
These amateur assassins had no interest in drinking. They just wanted to take the money and leave.
Creak~
The screech of brakes came from outside the estate. Zhang Da's heart turned cold, instinctively thinking the police had arrived.
A man in a black suit pushed open the villa's front door. Seeing the man's attire, Zhang Da breathed a sigh of relief.
"And this is?"
Zhang Da stood up and walked toward the suited man. As the two approached, Zhang Da suddenly felt a burning sensation on his face.
Slap! After a resounding slap, the room fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard.
Zhang Da had never suffered such humiliation. Veins bulged on his face, and his whole body trembled. Despite his anger, he instinctively sensed something was wrong.
"Who do you think you can provoke? You, a real estate developer—where do you get the nerve? I'm already swamped with work, and now an even more terrifying guy shows up."
"You..."
Zhang Da swallowed his words. He saw soldiers in black combat uniforms rushing into the room. Their weapons were so advanced they could only be seen in movies.
"Captain, all relevant personnel are under control. Please give orders."
A military officer with the rank of second lieutenant gave the suited man a standard salute.
"Good."
The suited man sighed. The people in this villa were bargaining chips—they would provide room for negotiation when negotiating with someone later.
"Sir, I and..."
Just as Zhang Da was about to name-drop, the suited man raised his hand and gave him another slap.
"Don't tell me who you know. Just wait here obediently."
At that moment, Zhang Da's phone rang in his pocket. The suited man took out the phone, answered it, and hung up after a few words.
Zhang Da's eyes showed anticipation—this was his backup plan.
"Your death is enough. Don't drag others down with you."
The phone slipped from the suited man's hand, and he crushed it under his foot, slightly denting the floor. The officer beside him glanced sideways. He didn't know much, only that the department the suited man belonged to had immense authority.
That's right, the suited man was a contractor, a member of the Scavengers. The Scavengers' main duty was to suppress or appease contractors in the real world.
Most unruly contractors were below Third Rank. Above Third Rank, except in special circumstances, most contractors wouldn't cause trouble in the real world.
If it was a contractor above Third Rank, the Scavengers actually had no way to deal with them. High-rank contractors didn't care about the Scavengers' benefits and weren't willing to be bound by others.
That said, the national machine wasn't just for show. A very small number of high-rank contractors served in the national machine. They were very cautious and wouldn't act lightly in the real world. They were the last resort. If they acted, the real world would descend into chaos. To Reincarnation Paradise, the real world was very special.
Around the villa, suited men stood ready. Su Xiao had helped them deal with a Second Rank contractor before. But today, Su Xiao wasn't on their side.
In the agonizing wait, night fell. Streetlights around the villa lit up. A man and a dog stood under a streetlamp.
"Is this the place?"
Su Xiao dropped the documents in his hand. They contained information and photos of Zhang Da and Zhang Xutian. Over the past ten-plus hours, he had learned the whole story.
Right and wrong were things children cared about. Moreover, this matter had no right or wrong. In the end, it was just about who had the harder fist.
Hai Dong's fist wasn't hard enough, but his friend Su Xiao had a pair of "titanium alloy fists."
On a dark, windy night perfect for murder, Zhang Da and his son Zhang Xutian would both die tonight. Either they died, or Su Xiao died. There was no choice.
Approaching the villa, Su Xiao noticed the Scavengers' people. Their black suits were too iconic.
"Friend over there, we've been waiting for you."
A suited man stepped forward. He was the one who had slapped Zhang Da twice. Su Xiao hadn't concealed his aura, so it was normal to be detected.
"The Scavengers showing up—can I take that as you siding with Zhang Da?"
"Of course not. We're on your side. We've been through life and death together in the same place. We know about Hai Dong's situation. I don't want to say useless comforting words. I can only say, maybe that was fate."
The suited man handed over two photos.
"Your friend has been buried properly. It's in the east of the city. The scenery there is nice."
Su Xiao took the photos. The Scavengers' attitude surprised him. In truth, the Scavengers had no choice. The situation in the neighboring city was even harder to handle.
The suited man tentatively asked, "Do Zhang and his son have to die?"
"Yes. Either they die, or I die."
Hearing this answer, the suited man smiled bitterly.
"An assassin friend—is it worth it? These people won't live long. They'll get the punishment they deserve."
"A friend is a friend. There's no 'worth it' or not."
Hai Dong had once helped Su Xiao kill someone. Today, Su Xiao was helping him eliminate his enemies.
"Fine. Zhang and his son aren't good people anyway—they've caused a lot of trouble. As for those amateur assassins, forget it. Do whatever you want. Just one thing: don't make a big commotion. No automatic weapons or explosives. Otherwise, neither of us will be able to clean up."
Su Xiao walked past the suited man and headed straight for the villa. By now, all the Scavengers' personnel had withdrawn from inside.
Su Xiao pushed open the door and entered the villa. A group of amateur assassins in various outfits stood ready with table legs and clotheslines. Their weapons had been confiscated. Now, they perfectly embodied the phrase "shrimp soldiers and crab generals."
Zhang and his son looked ashen. But seeing that Su Xiao was alone, both father and son breathed a sigh of relief. They had already guessed the general situation.
"Kill him! I'll pay you ten times the reward!"
The amateur assassins didn't move. They didn't understand what was going on.
"What are you waiting for? Today, either he dies, or we die."
Zhang Da grabbed a baseball bat. He had been a thug in his youth and had some fighting ability.
Su Xiao walked straight toward the people in the room. Casually, he picked up a dinner knife from the table. Seeing this, the amateur assassins began to show murderous intent.
Ten seconds later, there was no one alive in the living room except Su Xiao.
...
Ten days later, east of the city. The blazing sun hung high, and a gentle breeze blew.
In front of a large and a small grave sat a man.
"Dongzi, I'm here to see you again. I brought roast chicken."
Su Xiao lit a cigarette and placed it in front of Hai Dong's tombstone.
"Maybe you were right. An assassin's life isn't really a life—it's just survival. Luckily, I found an interesting place. There, I can find enjoyment. If I once fought for revenge, I later realized my interest is in fighting. Fighting with people is endlessly entertaining. If I can stand at the highest point, maybe I'll see a different view, no longer driven by some existence."
Su Xiao seemed powerful now, but in reality, he was driven by Reincarnation Paradise. As for thoughts of destroying Reincarnation Paradise, he hadn't had them yet. Being driven or coerced—Reincarnation Paradise was helping him grow stronger, just through extreme means.
To achieve true freedom, one had to stand at that highest point. As strength grew, the scenery one saw became broader, and the things one could do increased. Rather than living a mediocre life, Su Xiao preferred to enjoy the scenery along the path of growth. As for spiritual sustenance, those with strong enough minds didn't need such things.
A powerful body nurtured a stronger heart—a heart that remained calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before one's eyes. Su Xiao had both, which was why he had survived in the cruel Reincarnation Paradise until now.
Realizing this, Su Xiao found the whole world different. The gloom in his heart gradually dissipated. His deathly aura changed, becoming purer, sharper, fiercer, and more aggressive. This was actually what a blade practitioner needed most. He hadn't noticed it before, but now he did.
"Hai Dong, thank you. You made me understand something."
[Tip: A new derivative world is about to open. The Hunter will return to Reincarnation Paradise. Please ensure there are no witnesses nearby.]
[Tip: The new derivative world is an ultra-large world. Ten or more adventure groups will enter. It involves confrontation with external forces, large-scale battlefields, etc.]
[Tip: The Paradise Merit System will soon be activated.]
[Tip: The World War is about to begin.]
[Tip: Teleporting... Teleportation Location: Reincarnation Paradise.]
First Stop: Internal Struggle
[Teleportation Complete. The Hunter has been teleported to the Exclusive Room.]
After seeing Reincarnation Paradise's prompt, Su Xiao felt something was missing.
"That's it? When exactly do I enter the derivative world?"
Su Xiao's question received a reply, but the content wasn't very clear.
[Long-distance space teleportation in preparation... The Hunter only needs to wait.]
One word: wait.
Su Xiao and Bubu Wang left the Exclusive Room. As soon as he stepped out, Su Xiao noticed something was wrong with the scene before him. The sky above Reincarnation Paradise was pitch black, with faint blood-red patterns flickering in the gray.
The air had a faint, sweet, bloody smell. The entire Reincarnation Paradise felt oppressive, bloody, as if a storm was coming.
Contractors passing by hurried along. One contractor sat by the roadside, holding a bottle of strong liquor, gulping it down.
"Mmm~"
Moans came from an alley nearby. Su Xiao glanced over to see a man and woman engaged in "alley combat," completely ignoring others' gazes, as if this was their last frenzy.
Su Xiao noticed something: low-rank contractors with weak auras were very calm, while those drinking and indulging were high-rank contractors. This might be because the more one knew, the clearer one understood what horrors lay ahead.
"Everyone, gather at the guild base! You few, don't just stand there!"
A roar came from a distance. Several contractors with extremely strong auras and steady steps ran toward the source of the sound.
Judging by their auras, these contractors were at least Third Rank, possibly even Fifth or Sixth Rank.
Why were high-rank contractors reacting like this? It could only mean one thing: the World War was terrifying—so terrifying that even these battle-hardened high-rank contractors couldn't face it calmly.
Su Xiao walked toward the Trade Market. As soon as he arrived, he was stunned by the scene before him.
At various stalls, blue and purple equipment was everywhere. Occasionally, dark purple or light gold equipment could be seen. If one looked carefully, gold equipment wasn't absent, just rare.
This situation likely meant that large adventure groups or merchants were offloading equipment they didn't need temporarily, converting it into Paradise Coins to boost their strength.
Su Xiao wandered around the Trade Market a few times. He was surprised to find that equipment prices were at least 20% lower than usual. More shockingly, the entire Trade Market had almost no recovery potions or food.
He passed a stall displaying a blue-quality recovery item priced at 17,000 Paradise Coins. In the past, this price would be absurd.
But within ten seconds of being displayed, a passing high-rank contractor bought it without even haggling.
The Skill Upgrade Hall and Equipment Enhancement Hall were packed to capacity, while the Arena was eerily quiet.
Seeing this, Su Xiao found a quiet café and began crafting [No. 1 Potion]. This was when the advantage of being able to make recovery items became apparent.
The cost of No. 1 Potion was 5,000 Paradise Coins + 300 Mana Points. Su Xiao had 23,860 Paradise Coins left, so he decisively chose to craft four bottles.
He had some leftover No. 1 Potions from before. Adding these four, he now had eight bottles.
[No. 1 Potion (Improved Version)]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Quality: Purple
Type: Recovery Item
Effect: After drinking, rapidly restores 87% of Health Points, then continuously restores Health Points over the next 30 seconds at 3 points per second. Recovers some internal organ damage.
Rating: 140
Introduction: A product of Alchemy, improved multiple times, with significantly reduced side effects.
...
Su Xiao's recovery items were very abundant. Even if the upcoming World War was brutal, they would be sufficient. His recovery items included:
[No. 1 Potion (Purple)] ×8
[Holy Water · Medium Bottle (99% Concentration) (Light Gold)] ×1, Effect: Restores 80% Health Points and 80% Mana Points, and quickly heals injuries.
[Yida Chewing Gum] ×15 pieces, Effect: Place in mouth and chew, restores 15 Mana Points per minute. Becomes ineffective after 5 minutes of chewing.
[Delicious Roast Turkey] ×1, Effect: After eating, restores 90% Health Points within one hour, 30% Mana Points, and removes abnormal status.
...
These were all high-grade items. Su Xiao hadn't used them before. Perhaps in the next world, they could save his life more than once.
Boom!
A loud noise came from above. Su Xiao looked up to find a blood-red light film appearing over Reincarnation Paradise.
[Announcement: Long-distance space teleportation preparation complete. Contractors of all ranks, please prepare.]
[Announcement: The opponent in this World War is 'Apocalypse Paradise.']
[Announcement: Void Tree is notarizing...]
[Announcement: Notarization complete. During the World War, neither Reincarnation Paradise nor Apocalypse Paradise may provide any form of assistance to their governed travelers.]
[Announcement: According to Initial Law Article 1,548,762, Void Tree is absolutely neutral.]
...
Many of Su Xiao's doubts were partially resolved after these prompts appeared. He had been wondering about Reincarnation Paradise's purpose and meaning. A game of gods and demons? It didn't seem so. Beings at the level of gods and demons might not even have the power of Reincarnation Paradise.
Now it seemed that although Reincarnation Paradise was omnipotent to Su Xiao, it wasn't without rivals. There were other entities similar to Reincarnation Paradise. But from the name "Apocalypse Paradise," Su Xiao felt it might originate from the same source. The fact that their war had other entities as notaries, without the feeling of mutual mudslinging, suggested this was an internal struggle for "resources." It was just that the resources they fought over were astonishing—a world.
From the ultimate goal of the World War, it could be seen that the more worlds Reincarnation Paradise possessed, the more opportunities its contractors had to grow stronger. The stronger the contractors, the more worlds they could capture, forming a virtuous cycle, making Reincarnation Paradise even more vast.
As the saying goes, "train an army for a thousand days to use it for an hour." The mystery of why Reincarnation Paradise trained contractors to grow stronger was partially solved.
However, Su Xiao still had many questions. For example, what was the Void? What kind of entity was Void Tree? But with his current power, he couldn't yet access these things.
Still, Su Xiao vaguely felt that the Void must be an extremely vast place. Perhaps the Shadow of Law Destruction originated from there.
With his current strength, forget about entering the Void to fight—he didn't even seem qualified to enter it.
[Tip: The Hunter will participate in the Second Rank World War.]
[Tip: You have received a temporary skill (Common Language). It will be forgotten after the World War ends. This is a skill granted by both sides' certification.]
[Tip: Long-distance space teleportation preparation complete. First stop: Starry Sky Transit Station.]
Su Xiao took a deep breath. From the literal meaning, he was ready to be hit by a train on the back of the head. Beside him, Bubu Wang whimpered a few times.
Space energy enveloped Su Xiao. Just as his muscles tensed, he was surprised to find that this space energy was unusually gentle.
Su Xiao's vision went dark. For the first time, the back of his head wasn't tortured during long-distance teleportation.
His consciousness was hazy. Su Xiao felt himself rapidly traveling through some kind of tunnel.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiao's consciousness returned. He looked around and was surprised to find himself floating in a sea of stars.
Su Xiao stood up, feeling solid ground beneath his feet. It seemed he wasn't floating—he was standing on an invisible barrier.
As he stood, Su Xiao saw at least a thousand contractors around him. They all looked confused, apparently experiencing this for the first time. Despite their confusion, these Second Rank contractors weren't stupid. They knew their opponent this time wasn't each other, but those contractors from something called Apocalypse Paradise.
These contractors weren't all the participants in the World War. They were just a small portion of the Second Rank contractors. The total number of contractors participating in this war was larger than imagined, just not in the same world. The contractors sharing a world with Su Xiao were these thousand-plus same-rank contractors.
[Tip: Long-distance space teleportation in preparation. Estimated time: 30 minutes. Second stop location: Vis Planet. This is the final destination.]