Chapter 5: Reward Secured

A razor-thin blade of steel flashed through the air like an invisible streak of lightning.

In an instant, it tore through space.

A scream rang out.

The third man let out a ghastly cry as a lethal card slit a bloody line across his neck.

His eyes flew wide open. Blood mist sprayed from his throat, and he died with his eyes still open.

He had never dreamed that he would die like this.

To think he would be killed by a playing card.

"Third Brother!"

Even Chen was shaken to the core.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

Could a playing card really kill someone?

Come on.

This was not some movie set.

"Could it be that I've run into one of the world's most elite professional assassins?"

A chill suddenly crept through Chen's heart, and his legs began to weaken of their own accord.

Anyone capable of killing with thrown blades was absolutely among the very best assassins in the world.

He, Li Chen, was nothing more than a minor underling beneath Fatty Liu.

What capital did he have to fight someone of that caliber?

Li Chen's mind raced.

He immediately wanted to drop to his knees and beg for mercy.

"Better to preserve the green hills than fear no firewood to burn."

Having survived this long, Li Chen had his own philosophy for living.

But at that very moment—

Another speeding card shot toward him in a flash.

Straight for his throat.

"No!"

Chen was completely stunned.

He had never imagined that the young man before him, who looked so harmless, could be this ruthless.

He would not even give him time to beg?

With a soft ripping sound, the card swept across his neck.

A sharp, searing pain erupted.

Chen collapsed to the ground on the spot.

He, too, died with his eyes wide open.

In the blink of an eye, while everyone was still reeling, yet another card flew out.

Just as accurate.

It sliced cleanly across the blond man's throat.

"You..."

The blond man's throat burst open in a spray of blood. He clutched his neck in terror, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was all in vain.

After struggling for a moment, he finally ran out of strength.

His legs kicked once, and then he was dead.

It all sounds slow.

In truth, from start to finish, it took only two or three seconds.

The moment An Ran was shot, Chu Yuan acted at once.

What had seemed to everyone like a harmless young man had turned his hand and slain three vicious criminals.

This scene left even An Ran utterly stunned.

She was nearly shocked senseless.

She had thought Chu Yuan was a little lamb.

She never imagined...

She never imagined Chu Yuan was the real powerhouse here.

Natasha beside him was equally incredulous.

She covered her mouth in astonishment.

With a rustle, the bathrobe on her body slipped down.

"OMG! Little brother, you're incredible! So powerful! You're the strongest handsome man I've ever met in China. No, the strongest man!"

Natasha could not help exclaiming as she gave Chu Yuan a thumbs-up.

Praised by such a beauty, Chu Yuan smiled with obvious satisfaction.

"Natasha, you're too kind. Our country is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with experts everywhere. If you stay in China long enough, you'll meet even more powerful men in the future."

"No, no, maybe they'll be stronger than you, but they'll definitely not be as handsome!" Natasha said excitedly, shaking her head, then calmly wrapped the bathrobe back around herself.

Chu Yuan could not help but laugh.

This girl's taste was actually quite normal, he thought.

She had decided at a glance that he was the handsomest.

"Little brother, thank you. You saved our lives."

An Ran's face was deathly pale. She stood up, checked to make sure all three were dead, then came before Chu Yuan with her injured arm held against her body, her expression full of apology.

If she had not been foolishly kind enough to invite Chu Yuan in for a glass of ice water, perhaps the five of them might have still been able to coexist in "peace."

But fortunately...

Chu Yuan had erupted at the critical moment.

He had dealt with the three beasts.

Otherwise, with Natasha controlled and herself wounded, the two of them would likely have met a truly miserable fate.

"It's nothing. Saving you also means saving myself."

Chu Yuan smiled faintly, not the least bit bothered.

After all, in a situation like this, if he still did not act, he would be the one in danger.

"Hee-hee, little brother, you're so polite~"

Natasha giggled. "These three idiots deserved to die! It's just a pity for my violet sister—she's been hurt."

"My injury is nothing."

An Ran's face grew even paler, but she still smiled as she spoke, alluring and graceful. "By the way, little brother, great kindness needs no thanks. My real name is An Ran. May I ask your honored name?"

"Chu Yuan. Chu, as in Chu the Hegemon; Yuan, as in Li Yuan."

Chu Yuan smiled in reply. He had not expected An Ran to tell him her real name.

"Wow, Chu the Hegemon and Li Yuan are both emperors! Little brother, your name is so imposing!" Natasha exclaimed at once, apparently very knowledgeable about Chinese history.

A trace of surprise also flashed through An Ran's beautiful eyes.

It had to be said, the little brother's name had a real charm to it.

At that moment, time seemed to come to a standstill.

Drip.

Blood fell from An Ran's arm and struck the floor with a crisp sound.

"An Ran, your wound needs immediate treatment. I'll take you to the hospital," Chu Yuan said, looking at her.

Most importantly, the horrible mess in this room still had to be dealt with.

It seemed inevitable that an ambulance and the police would need to be called.

At this, An Ran's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

She was thinking quickly.

The five of them had come out together on a mission, but Li Chen and the others three were dead.

If, upon returning to Fatty Liu's side, she and Natasha could not give him a reasonable explanation, it would certainly arouse Fatty Liu's suspicion. In that case, her undercover plan would be ruined.

An Ran did not answer Chu Yuan. Instead, her gaze turned sharp as she looked at Natasha.

"Natasha, today it was Li Chen and the others whose whereabouts were exposed. They died in a firefight with the Chinese military, and I was injured because of it. Is that right?"

"Ah, yes, yes, that's right, Sister An Ran!" Natasha immediately understood.

"Good. Then we leave at once." An Ran bit back the pain and prepared to go.

"But An Ran, your arm—aren't you going to treat it now?" Chu Yuan could not help worrying.

To him, leaving a bullet in one's arm was simply unimaginable.

Of course, he did not know what kind of brutal trials and training one had to endure to become a special forces soldier.

"It's only a bullet. I'll take care of it."

An Ran gave a bright smile, though her deathly pale face revealed just how weak she truly was.

"All right." Chu Yuan did not want to waste any more time.

Soon after, An Ran and Natasha left the room.

An hour later, according to the plan they had discussed, Chu Yuan called the police.

After all, he had killed so many people.

He could not simply walk away.

With An Ran entangled in this matter, the military would certainly learn the truth.

So Chu Yuan sat leisurely on the sofa, waiting for the military to arrive, utterly unruffled.

Ding-dong.

Just then, a clear system notification suddenly rang out.

Chu Yuan jolted, his eyes lighting up.

"Has the system reward finally arrived?"

"Ding-dong. Congratulations, Host, on completing the task of killing criminals. Two new slots have been unlocked."

Immediately after, the system inventory interface appeared automatically. The little locks on the fourth and fifth slots opened on their own, and with a flash of light, the two black slots turned milky white.