Chapter 57

Amidst the exaggerated laughter that had everyone leaning forward and backward, no one noticed that Xu Dong's face had slightly drooped, and his eyes, due to intense concentration, had contracted to a pinpoint. No one heard his mutter, "It turns out the key to the mission lies in the Insight skill. I'm such a fool; I should have used this skill on him long ago..."

A scene flashed through his mind: a hand with fine, pale skin, its fingers like a knife.

How could an ordinary subordinate possibly have such a well-maintained, delicate hand?!

In the next second, the Insight skill was activated. The subordinate was just about to get up when he seemed to sense Xu Dong's gaze. As he turned his head, the two of them met face-to-face, their eyes locking perfectly. A sinister charm bloomed in the other's eyes like a flower bud.

Xu Dong's heart skipped a beat, "He's going to run!"

Sure enough, as he had predicted, the man's hands pushed hard against the ground, and with the strong reaction force, his body shot into the air. At the same time, his feet kicked the wall with perfect coordination, causing debris to fall and cracks to spread with a loud boom.

With this powerful force, the man leaped like a hanging antelope, leaving no trace. No one knew what cultivation method he practiced, but even in the crowded entrance, he moved like a fish in water, quickly weaving through the gaps. In the blink of an eye, he had already reached the main entrance. If he escaped, he would be free to fly high like a bird.

Many people finally reacted, and the situation took another dramatic turn! This man, capable and daring enough to impersonate Ma Er's subordinate, was most likely the true culprit who had embezzled the client's funds. However, everyone couldn't help but admire, "Damn, this guy runs faster than a rabbit. Who can stop him?"

"Stop him? He's already at the door. Ah, it's a pity to let the real culprit escape after all the trouble we went through to catch him..."

The noise around him didn't affect Xu Dong at all. At this moment, he couldn't hear any sounds, nor see anything else. Xu Dong stared at the figure about to flee, calm and composed. It was as if the entire world had disappeared, and the light and darkness before him had lost their effect.

Only that person, with his agile movements and strange steps, seemed to be slowed down by a factor of 16. His every action became a movie clip on a screen, which was then forcefully brought to Xu Dong's eyes. As a result, every movement of his clothes and muscles was magnified and clearly visible to Xu Dong.

A money bag peeked out from the bottom of his clothing, tightly bound by a belt, making no sound even during his mad dash.

How amazing! This visual effect was truly amazing! Xu Dong was speechless with amazement.

He didn't know that this was a state occasionally triggered by the Insight skill under special circumstances.

A triangular bayonet suddenly appeared in Xu Dong's hand. At this moment, his arm tensed, and he threw it with all his might, even attaching a powerful skill that had just finished its cooldown. The bayonet, as it flew, exploded with a deafening roar, and in that instant, everyone could clearly see the air behind it form a strange vortex. This was the mark of supersonic speed.

Like a rainbow piercing the sky, the oppressive hum caused all glass-like objects around to shatter. Amid the flying debris and dust, the triangular bayonet moved incredibly fast, its shadow on everyone's eyes not yet fading when it had already crossed twenty meters. The momentum of this strike made people think of a flash of lightning in the sky! More incredibly, this bayonet seemed to be aimed at the subordinate, but it looked as if the man was deliberately running into it.

Sharp, precise, and never missing!

Everyone was stunned and moved by this scene, and couldn't help but wonder, "If this bayonet were aimed at me, how would I dodge? Could I dodge?"

The man's face changed drastically, "Impossible! How could a mere one-star Awakened see through my steps?!"

Despite his strength, the man's clothes suddenly shredded into pieces, revealing a set of exquisite and expensive outer gear. At the same time, a puffing sound came from his body, and white gas spewed from his joints like a steam locomotive at full throttle.

In an instant, he twisted his body like a spinning top.

A sharp wound suddenly appeared, and he failed to completely dodge. The triangular bayonet viciously cut into his waist, and blood spurted out, splattering the clean floor with red spots.

The triangular bayonet embedded itself in the hard wall with a thud, leaving only a small hole.

With his clothes shredded, the several tightly bound money bags on his body were also destroyed. Everyone heard a rustling sound as hundreds of gold coins rained down like a fairy scattering flowers. The scene immediately fell into chaos. The man who had impersonated Ma Er's subordinate coldly glanced at Xu Dong, his lips curling into a strange smile, and then took advantage of the chaos to escape.

The guards of the Broken Hand were not to be underestimated. Although they couldn't catch the man, they were very effective in intimidating those who were looting the gold coins. Soon, they had gathered most of the gold coins and piled them in front of Ma Er.

Ma Er, after his action, remained silent, deep in thought. It wasn't until the gold coins were piled before him that he finally came to his senses. He glanced at the gold coins on the ground, then at the young man and woman beside him, and finally fixed his gaze on Xu Dong, whose face was slightly pale: "Young friend, it seems the matter is clear. Since the Broken Hand itself was at fault and was deceived, the matter with the Prayer girl will be settled with the gold coins before us."

How much gold is this? At least three hundred gold coins! Everyone present was envious, and if not for the guards' watchful eyes, they would have rushed forward to grab the gold.

However, unexpectedly, Xu Dong bowed slightly and said, "This money belongs to the Broken Hand and the victim. We cannot take it."

How could Xu Dong not be tempted by three hundred gold coins? But compared to these material possessions, he believed the most valuable thing at the moment was Ma Er's attitude. The Broken Hand harboring thieves and allowing someone to impersonate Ma Er's subordinate was a public embarrassment. As the saying goes, one trades face for wealth in youth and wealth for face in old age. Ma Er was not young and was wealthy, so the gold coins were secondary; the key was his face!

By returning the gold coins, Xu Dong gave the other party a face, making it easier for both sides to step down.

Why not?

Prayer, being a straightforward person, said bluntly, "That's right. Since the matter is resolved, can we, I mean, we, leave now? Will we no longer be stopped?"

Ma Er pondered for a moment and then looked at Xu Dong, asking, "Young friend, do you have any interest in joining the Broken Hand? I can assure you of excellent treatment."

What? A series of dramatic turns had already confused the onlookers, and now this? The crowd was once again in an uproar. Ma Er was publicly extending an olive branch?

Some were surprised, some were jealous, some looked thoughtful, and some couldn't help but congratulate him. Ma Er's public recruitment—was it to hire Xu Dong as a bodyguard or enforcer? With the Ma family's power in Blood Helmet City, with ample resources, even a waste could be cultivated into a full-stage Awakened, let alone Xu Dong, who had already shown his strength.

Most importantly, Xu Dong's age indicated that he was a valuable investment!

Those who were well-informed even thought of Ma Er's second granddaughter, who was looking for a husband!

Xu Dong politely clasped his hands, "I appreciate your offer, Sir Ma. If not for my desire to see the world, I would have accepted it without hesitation."

No way, to refuse such an opportunity? Some people were already feeling sorry for Xu Dong.

Xu Dong didn't know that his performance today had made his name spread like wildfire in Blood Helmet City. This intelligent and capable new Awakened was beginning to catch the attention of certain people.

To express his gratitude, the Broken Hand presented Xu Dong with a token. With this token, Xu Dong could freely enter the second and third floors and enjoy a 20% discount on purchases.

The two of them sneaked away, but the handsome guy who defied reason also followed. This guy, who had been condescending at first, now calmly extended his hand to Xu Dong, truly a straightforward and likable person: "I'm Yang Guang. Let's be friends."

Yang Guang?! Someone even changed their name to this. Xu Dong suddenly remembered a Weibo joke from his previous life:

The wife woke up from her sleep, and her husband also opened his eyes at the right time. Perhaps because of his good performance the night before, the wife felt incredibly gentle and said, "Seeing you and the sunlight every day is the happiness I want."

The husband looked puzzled, "Who is Yang Guang?"

Xu Dong couldn't help but grin.

Yang Guang and Prayer found this increasingly inexplicable and asked in unison, "What's so funny about that?"

Xu Dong shrugged, "You wouldn't understand. The gain from this isn't just Ma Er's token; for me..."

He stopped, but inside, he was almost bursting with laughter.

Because, because a message had appeared in his mind, the key part of which was: Mission Complete!

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