“I was like you guys before.” Zhang Ke gazed at the many Blood Rain Guards around him. “Going with the flow and just muddling along, thinking that the aristocrats aren’t to be trifled with and that the various large factions in the capital are terrifying. Believing that the implicated Blood Rain Guards dying on the streets were just unlucky. It’s their misfortune; they only have themselves to blame for angering those large factions.”
“But I understand now. The Blood Rain Guard has long lost the zeal in their blood!” Zhang Ke sneered. “A Blood Rain Guard without that is a joke—a joke!”
“If they still had it in them… If they were the Blood Rain Guards of my father’s youth, who would dare wipe out a Blood Rain Guard team? To even implicate the families? The Blood Rain Guard would probably storm the entire capital. Unfortunately, that was the Blood Rain Guard of the past…” With that said, Zhang Ke walked out.
“Zhang Ke,” Xu Jingming called out.
Zhang Ke glanced at his captain and said, “Captain, everyone present, stay away from me. Otherwise, you will be implicated by a lunatic like me.”
With that said, he strode out.
The surrounding Blood Rain Guards began discussing with a buzz.
“The Blood Rain Guard from back then?” Some of the older Blood Rain Guards felt mixed emotions. “It’s different. That’s in the past.”
…
Outside the city, in front of a tomb.
Zhang Ke kneeled there.
Xu Jingming came over, brought some offerings, and burned some paper money.
“Captain, you should’ve kept your distance from me,” Zhang Ke said calmly as he looked at the tombstone. “From now on, I’m a living corpse—a corpse that only seeks revenge. I don’t want to implicate you. I can tell… Captain, you’re a good person, and you have the zealous blood in you. Don’t be implicated by me.”
“Zhang Ke.” Xu Jingming turned to look at Zhang Ke. “The people who died are my brothers. How can I not care?”
“Besides, I implicated them and their families,” Xu Jingming said softly.
Zhang Ke was stunned as he looked up at the other party. “Implicated by you?”
“Do you remember the assassination attempt on me the night before?” Xu Jingming said. “That night, an assassin also attempted to assassinate Luo Baichuan. Luo Baichuan lost an arm and a leg. If I had lost an arm and a leg that night, there might not have been any subsequent revenge.”
“As I fended off the assassins and infuriated the mastermind, he sent an even stronger team to wipe out my entire team,” Xu Jingming continued.
“Who is the murderer? Why did he target you and Luo Baichuan?” Zhang Ke asked.
“The Prince of Yan—Cheng Yanran,” Xu Jingming said. “It’s because Luo Baichuan and I are Miss Fei’s best friends of the opposite sex.”
Zhang Ke found it unbelievable. “Just because of this reason?”
“Yes, just because of that.” Xu Jingming nodded. “In the eyes of the Prince of Yan, ordinary Blood Rain Guards like us are akin to livestock. He can kill us at will.”
“Haha… Hahaha… How laughable. This world is truly laughable.” Zhang Ke laughed loudly as he staggered into the distance.
“Zhang Ke.” Xu Jingming looked at him.
Zhang Ke ignored Xu Jingming.
…
“I want to put a bounty on the Prince of Yan—Cheng Yanran,” said Zhang Ke—who wore a black robe and a mask—in a secret hall.
“There’s always a bounty on Cheng Yanran at Seven Kills Building. It’s been six years, but nobody has succeeded,” the Seven Kills Building receptionist said.
“2,600 taels of silver.” Zhang Ke threw the gold bars and silver ingots onto the table. “I want to increase the bounty.”
“Alright.” The reception staff didn’t mind.
In the entire Blood Rain World, there weren’t many people that Seven Kills Building didn’t dare put a bounty on! The Prince of Yan? Seven Kills Building didn’t care. The King of Yan only controlled 5,000 kilometers of his fief, so his influence on Seven Kills Building was limited.
“The bounty, including mine, has only reached 32,600 taels of silver?” Zhang Ke looked at the amount. “This prince has raped many female scions. None of the wealthy families have offered a large bounty?”
“The more wealthy a family is, the more afraid they are of the King of Yan. It’s already not bad that there’s a bounty of more than 30,000 taels on him.” The Seven Kills Building receptionist chuckled. “Sir, is there anything else?”
Zhang Ke turned and left.
…
In the evening.
Cheng Yanran’s team walked on the street with 12 guards on both sides and the driver driving the carriage.
“Cheng Yanran, you sent people to slaughter the Blood Rain Guard team and even wiped out their entire family! I, Zhang Ke… A wandering ghost is here to collect a debt!” Accompanied by a shout that resounded through the bustling street, a man dressed in the Blood Rain Guard’s uniform walked over with large strides. He wore mourning clothes and held two sabers.
This surprised countless people on the street as they dodged.
“Slaughtered the Blood Rain Guard and wiped out their entire families?”
“Who’s Cheng Yanran?”
“His surname is Cheng! He should be a member of the imperial family.”
The pedestrians discussed.
Zhang Ke feared no death as he charged toward the carriage convoy.
Cheng Yanran’s expression changed. Some things could be done secretly, but it would be troublesome if it was exposed.
“Kill him,” Cheng Yanran ordered from the carriage.
“How dare you slander His Highness? You deserve death.” Immediately, three guards rushed out.
Zhang Ke held his two sabers and charged forward. Even though Zhang Ke was a first-rate expert, he only managed to exchange a few strikes before his throat was sliced open by the three guards.
…
B South Principales Office.
Dong!
Zhang Ke’s corpse was thrown in front of the B South Principales Office.
“Blood Rain Guard Zhang Ke attempted to assassinate His Highness on the streets.” Two guards on horseback stood in front of B South Principales Office. One of them berated, “His Highness demands an explanation from the B South Principales Office.”
“An attempted assassination of a prince is a crime that will implicate the entire family. His Majesty will soon find out about this.”
After the two guards finished speaking, they turned around and left, leaving only Zhang Ke’s corpse lying in front of the B South Principales Office.
The Blood Rain Guard and auxiliary guards quickly came out. They looked at Zhang Ke’s corpse and exchanged looks.
“Attempted assassination of a prince on the streets?” Zhao Defang rushed over when he received the news. When he saw Zhang Ke’s corpse, he cursed angrily, “You might be sick of living, but why bring us harm? This is trouble—trouble!”
There was no way to deny an assassination attempt on the streets. As the team’s centurion, Zhao Defang, couldn’t escape the blame. Of course, Xu Jingming also had to bear the responsibility.
******
In the virtual world.
Xu Jingming was in the spaceship’s lobby, looking at the materials in his hand. I’ve planned out my attack on Cheng Yanran for two days, but I still don’t feel confident. I keep panicking.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from the void—it was Pang Ze.
“It’s been a long time since you sought me out.” Pang Ze smiled at Xu Jingming. “I really don’t deserve being a manager.”
“That’s why I’m seeking your advice today, Mr. Pang,” Xu Jingming said.
“What is it?” Pang Ze asked.
Xu Jingming handed the materials in his hand to the other man. “I encountered an enemy in Blood Rain World. I want to eliminate him! This is the information I gathered and the plan I came up with. Mr. Pang, please give me your advice.”
Pang Ze took the materials and flipped through them.
Xu Jingming waited silently.
Pang Ze finished reading and said, “You’re too petty. You only prepared 50 million cosmic dollars, and you want to deal with such a tough nut?”
Xu Jingming was stunned.
“From this information, I can tell at a glance that the King of Yan doesn’t care about the prince’s life,” said Pang Ze. “The one who truly cares about his life is the emperor. The greatest obstacle for you in killing the prince is actually the emperor!”
“You don’t even know who your opponent is, so how can you hope for a successful plan?” Pang Ze teased. “However, your plan has its merits. You have to target the Prince of Yan’s source of wealth and plunder it! At the very least, you can recoup your losses.”
“I wasn’t confident either, so I thought of recouping any losses first,” Xu Jingming immediately said. “I’ll deliver a desperate strike later. I believe that there’s a chance of success by sending cosmic citizen players to assassinate him without regard for their lives.”
“It’s too crude.” Pang Ze said, “How about this, count me in for this operation. I’ll invest 300 million cosmic dollars! The subsequent income will be split 6:1.”
“300 million?” Xu Jingming was stunned. Was he that rich?
“Strong triumphing over the weak is the way to go,” Pang Ze said. “Do you need me to join? It’s fine if you don’t. I’ll help you perfect your plan, but the chances of success are still less than 30%.”
“I can’t ask for more for your involvement,” Xu Jingming said.
“An investment totaling 350 million cosmic dollars. I’ll come up with the plan.” Pang Ze nodded.
Xu Jingming immediately felt relieved.
It was settled!
