'You're done with the preliminary mission' Old Yi continued as a new screen bar popped up in front of Ren Ye's face, 'You can continue onto the new one…'
[New Mission: First Kill]
[Details: Achieve your first kill in this new world.]
[Location: Ren Ye's House]
[Reward: unknown]
'It's fairly straightforward,' Ren Ye frowned, 'They didn't divulge the information of the reward…'
'I'm sure it is something beneficial to you,' Old Yi said, 'I may have an idea of what it is but I won't disclose it.'
'It's better for things to be mysterious. It makes things more exciting,' Old Yi chuckled and continued with a complex tone, 'It's the ideal time for you to take out the reward you have received from your inventory.'
'Old Yi, I have a question,' Ren Ye raised his eyebrows with unrestrained doubt, 'Is Jia'er able to see and hear what we are doing?'
It's a strange thing for a little girl like her to not be frightened by Old Yi and his soul integration into her Papa's body…Even I was a bit caught off guard…
'To be completely honest with you, I cannot see through her mind,' Old Yi said hoarsely, his tone laced with uncertainty, 'The reason why I dared go in and out of your body in front of her is mainly due to her knowing about my job before we met.'
'On the day we first met, she came forward and pulled my sleeves. She had called me an 'Extraterrestrial Uncle'. I was pretty dumbfounded because it was how a system such as me was addressed,' Old Yi hummed, in thoughts, 'I have a feeling that she is an extremely bizarre kid. Even if you don't acknowledge her as your daughter and decided to abandon her, I would have convinced you otherwise…'
Ren Ye didn't speak as though he was engrossed in his own thoughts. Although he didn't say it out loud, he kept her beside him due to his strange attachment and muddled sentiments toward her.
Observing the little girl in his arms, snoring softly and drooling on his shirt, and her tiny lips pouted. He couldn't help but pinch her pointy lips gently with his fingers, she sulked endearingly in her nap. He wanted to know more about this mysterious daughter of his.
He glanced toward the screen in front of him.
[Soundproof Gun]
In front of him, an image of a small gun appeared with some of its details listed down below. It resembled a handgun very much, if one were to place it in a pile of handguns, they wouldn't be able to distinguish which one is the Soundproof Gun.
[Use]
'We should do this quickly. I don't want Jia'er to wake up during the operation,' Ren Ye lowered his eyes as his eyes became increasingly cold, 'I can't escape or flee if I decide not to take the mission?'
'Isn't it very obvious?' Old Yi laughed amusingly, 'Do you think you could sleep in peace and let your child sleep in peace with a bunch of mobsters and blood-thirsty demons in front of your house?'
'I'm sure your mother is waiting patiently for you at home,' Old Yi frowned, 'I wonder why didn't you move out and run away in the first place…'
'It would have been easier to escape and find better lives!'
Ren Ye sighed with gloom and unhappiness, 'My mother refused to do so, determinedly waiting for my father at the same place for years. I would sleep outside on the streets at times because I knew if I went home, I would get in trouble with those mobsters.'
Ren Ye resented his mother in the past, resented her determination to continue living in that shabby house, and her endurance of the insults and mockery from his father's moneylenders. He often got into fights and ended up with gruesome bruises. He had tried to convince her to move out more than once but she refused to do so and reprimanded him each time.
He wanted to run away once but due to his realization his mother would be all alone if he left, he decided to endure and stayed with her.
The gang caused a lot of trouble in the neighborhood, beating women and children. Ren Ye despised them with all of his heart, he had absolutely no mercy for them.
'Now that I'm in control of this body, I can ensure they wouldn't have to endure any hardships again.'
'I will guarantee their traces will be erased completely!'
His eyes gleamed with frostiness and a raging fire, deep within those stormy gray pupils. His fingers twitched unnoticeably.
'Their suffering and agonizing cries would echo all across the city,' Ren Ye grinned inhumanly, his eyes became unreadable, 'How I recall the pleas of those wicked and power-corrupted nobles.'
He couldn't help but evoke a long-lost feeling of the past, the satiating feeling he had felt as he watches spoiled and arrogant noblemen lowering themselves in front of him. They, who believed themselves to be loftier than everyone they laid their eyes on, kneeled before the Night Killer.
'You have a child,' Old Yi sighed and muttered calmly, 'Try to be mindful about what you think at times.'
'It's not a good thing to think about murdering all the time,' Old Yi paused for a moment before continuing with a blank tone, 'I get how you are feeling but don't let your bloodthirstiness overpower your reasoning.'
Ren Ye dropped his head, his face unreadable, 'I have my reasons…'
'I don't need to hear about them, I completely understand your reasons,' Old Yi spoke with a slightly disappointed voice, 'You can continue spreading your glorious legacy of being the Night Killer but don't go around being reckless. It doesn't make you any different from the evil ascenders…'
'You have a family and a goal in your life, something the past you never had before. I won't stop you from being who you are and what you do but do try to be different from the evil ascenders…'
'You do not want to repeat the same fate as the past, do you?'
He nodded his head in affirmation after some time, his expression returned back to normal and retained an indifferent exterior.
He didn't speak for a very long time before opening his mouth and whispered,
"Shall we start?"
'Indeed, it's getting late,' Old Yi replied inwardly.
He diverted his attention onto the sleeping little girl in his arms, he flicked her poking hair off her forehead and listened to her slow breathing. After some thought, he had come up with a plan.
He didn't want to involve Jia'er in this operation due to her being a child and also for her safety, it wasn't a good thing for a child to be exposed to a gory scene at three-year-old.
'Old Yi, I need you to do something for me,' Ren Ye mumbled inwardly.
'Hmm?' Old Yi hummed with curiosity, wanting to know what plan this past killer has come up with.
**
"Where is that bastard? We have been barricading his mother for days! He hasn't appeared yet!" A short and average-built, tan-skinned man with a very vicious feel about him, cried out in anger.
Behind him were several men about the same height, they emitted an intimidating and chilling aura with their presence. They made trouble and noises around the neighborhood, the people weren't able to defy their others and often get beaten up on the streets.
"Hai! We should be patient! I heard from someone that he apparently got into an accident a couple of days ago due to his employer's troubles. I'm sure his employer will reward him for taking the bait," They let out a peal of laughter.
"He isn't any different from his father, always getting caught up in traps and ending up in unfortunate situations," One of them remarked, with a mocking smile.
"What should we do about his mother, Boss Hui?" One of the men asked a dauntingly tattooed man with an average build, who was smoking a cigarette and holding a bat.
The only way to escape their taunts and avoid getting in trouble with this gang was to pay them with money, people who lived here had to do so to live peacefully. They went around collecting money in exchange for peace and 'protection'.
Ren Ye, being a hot-tempered and stubborn youth, refused a couple of times in the past and had his legs broken by them once. His mother had to take out her painstakingly saved money and pay homage to them in his stead, and also had to pay for the medical fee.
"We wait for him. If he doesn't come home tonight, we'll use his mother as bait to lure him and give him a long-lasting and unforgettable beating that he'll remember to never pay us late ever again,' Boss Hui spit out his saliva and threw the worn cigarette on the ground, "I'm thirsty! A'Meng, go buy me a bottle of water!"
He cast his glance onto a frail and skinny figure standing beside the short and tanned-skinned man. The frail figure trembled immensely as his boss placed his attention on him, his appearance was completely different from his mates.
In a team of bulky and average-built men, he was the most noticeable one due to the skinniness of his build. He seemed rather timid and easily scared, compared to the others, appearing almost like a scapegoat.
A'Meng nodded his head repeatedly like a woodpecker. His eyes were filled with fear and fright of Boss Hui, he accepted the order without any hesitation.
"Alright, Boss!" He saluted and stepped out of the ward.
"Boss Hui, why did we even keep a guy like him on our team?" One of his men laughed and the others joined in as well, "He would be easily blown away by the wind without having time to put up a fight…"
Boss Hui didn't speak and tapped his feet on the ground, taking out another cigarette and lit it up.
A'Meng's mother paid him a considerable amount of money to keep her son on his team and out of trouble, Boss Hui couldn't refuse after seeing the amount of money. He even protected him at times from being bullied by his men.
"…"
**
A'Meng had to walk past dark alleys to get to the other side of town, the busier part. He was quite happy and scared at the same time after his boss has acknowledged him for the first time in weeks.
Being the scapegoat on the team, it wasn't easy for him. He was often ignored and dismissed; he wasn't even considered to be a true member of the gang.
He didn't care, he was happy as long as he had people and friends around him after his mother has passed away. The house his mother had left behind was taken over by the gang and they lived shabbily.
A'Meng bought five bottles of water and carried them in a plastic bag. He had to walk through the same dark alley as before but it turned rather dreary.
It was almost midnight now; some stores haven't closed yet and the other parts that were closed remained desolate and creepy at times.
A'Meng walked straight into the dark alley to get back to Ren Ye's house which was quite far away from downtown, the reason he had to use the dark alley as a shortcut.
As he strolled along the alley, he was lost in his thoughts with his eyes focused forward.
A'Meng didn't notice a shadow hanging nearby him as the shadow observed him watchfully for a close second and quickly dissipated as though it had never appeared.
He immediately felt a chill going down his spine and he suddenly shuddered intensely, overhearing the sounds of echoing waterdrops. A'Meng was alerted and wanted to make a run for the house, not thinking of turning his head to look behind.
'Sh*t! Whoever it is, stop scaring me!'
But before he could think rationally and act, a slender and pale hand emerged from the obscurity and crept onto his mouth, and a pair of bloodshot eyes appeared behind his back.