Chapter 11 Threats

Was he exposed? Even though he had been reborn, he had never experienced the fear of being brought to justice. Qin Siyang's heart began to panic. He was more flustered than when he ate the remains of the gods in the trash bin or killed people in the dark alley. Even on the night he was reborn, when he saw countless black moths with glowing eyes crawling on the glass, he wasn't this scared. He sat呆呆地 (dumbly) in front of the computer, not knowing what to do.

At this moment, the information on the computer screen changed again.

[Net - bar Manager's Warm Reminder]

[Keep looking at what you're doing. Don't leave when you're done. Wait for me in the alley behind the net - bar.]

Qin Siyang looked at the message on the screen, but he no longer had the desire to browse [God - Slaying Camp]. This net - bar manager had been monitoring him. Qin Siyang couldn't help but wonder in his heart. Was the net - bar manager this idle? Didn't he have his own things to do? Why was he staring at every customer surfing the Internet every day? But since he had already paid, sitting around doing nothing would be a waste of time. He calmed down his emotions and opened [God - Slaying Camp] again. This net - bar was likely the last time he would come. No, it was likely the last time he would enter any net - bar. Not only this one, but all other net - bars as well. He had to find a sequence to disguise himself during this visit to [God - Slaying Camp].

Qin Siyang continued to browse the post summarizing sequences and looked for a sequence suitable for his disguise. Finally, his eyes locked on one sequence.

[Phantom Assassin]

[Sequence Level 1, Assassin Apprentice]

[Skill: Life - and - Death Line. Can double one's own agility within five minutes, but after five minutes, one will be weak all over and have difficulty moving for half an hour.]

[Sequence Level 2, Swift Assassin]

[Skill: Life - and - Death Line (Enhanced). Can double one's own agility and strength within five minutes, but after five minutes, one will be weak all over and have difficulty moving for twenty minutes.]

Qin Siyang looked at the [Phantom Assassin] sequence and found that his [Violence] skill completely covered the skills of both sequence level 1 and sequence level 2, allowing him to blend in for a while. So, he repeatedly read the skill description of this sequence and memorized it firmly in his mind. To further understand this sequence, he searched for it in the forum, and thousands of posts immediately popped up. It seemed this was also a relatively common sequence.

[What is the most needed equipment for the Phantom Assassin sequence?]

[Who is the best teammate for the Phantom Assassin?]

[My teammate, the Phantom Assassin, is a waste. What should I do if he only uses his skills to run away during battles?]

[Phantom Assassin looking for a god - hunting team. Teams with warriors are preferred.]

...

Qin Siyang clicked on a [Phantom Assassin Introduction Post (Essence)] to view it. Inside, it described how a Phantom Assassin should train themselves, how to rationally use the resources provided by the administration bureau, and how to purchase the most suitable equipment. In this post, Qin Siyang saw a lot of content and also found that the sequence level 3 of [Swift Assassin] was [Afterimage Assassin].

[Skill: Life - and - Death Line (Enhanced 2). Can triple one's own agility and double one's own strength within ten minutes, but after ten minutes, one will be weak all over and have difficulty moving for ten minutes.]

From this post, Qin Siyang also learned that, unlike most sequences where a new skill is obtained with each level - up, the currently known [Phantom Assassin] only has one skill, and [Life - and - Death Line] is continuously enhanced during upgrades. This single - line promotion method, Qin Siyang couldn't say whether it was good or bad. It had its pros and cons. If they couldn't defeat the enemy after activating the skill, it would be very difficult for them to survive. Undoubtedly, [Phantom Assassin] was highly dependent on teammates. This skill was suitable for Qin Siyang to hide his true self. The [Violence] skill comprehensively covered the skills of the first three levels of the [Swift Assassin] sequence. Therefore, to play the role of the [Swift Assassin] sequence well, he needed to pretend to be weak appropriately.

Comparing the [God - eater] and [Swift Assassin] sequences carefully also made Qin Siyang realize the power of his own sequence. Clearly, [Violence] was a skill awakened at level 2, yet it was still more powerful than the continuously - enhanced single - skill [Swift Assassin]. Moreover, from his search in the forum, the [Swift Assassin] sequence seemed to be a rather popular and sought - after sequence, and many god - hunting teams hoped to recruit them into their teams. This wasn't the only advantage Qin Siyang had. According to his careful research in the forum, his basic attributes were already comparable to those of a [Phantom Assassin] when using the [Life - and - Death Line] skill, or even stronger. Even if he didn't release any skills, he could be invincible among low - level sequential ability users! So, how should he play the fake identity of [Phantom Assassin] well? The most important trick was to hold back as much as possible.

After finding his "substitute" sequence, Qin Siyang received a reminder that the computer time was up. After exchanging a glance with the net - bar manager at the counter, he chose to log off and left the net - bar under the manager's gaze. After detouring to avoid the surveillance cameras at the net - bar entrance, Qin Siyang followed the message from the net - bar manager and came to the alley behind the net - bar.

The alley behind the net - bar was outside the management scope of the net - bar owner, so there were no surveillance cameras. The alley at the back was more like an unguarded area. It was a bit dirty and messy,堆满了杂物以及一次性饭盒 (filled with sundries and disposable lunch boxes), and there was a smell of swill lingering here, which seemed somewhat similar to the smell in the cafeteria. In this small alley, Qin Siyang could hardly find a place to step. Eventually, he wiped a stone slab clean, placed it on the greasy steps, and then sat down.

Qin Siyang waited idly for three or four hours, and finally, the lights of the net - bar were turned off.

He felt that if he waited any longer, he would be completely permeated by the smell of swill. After a while, the middle - aged net - bar manager with a greasy face, wearing a white shirt, his body fat jiggling, and a coat slung over his shoulder, appeared in the narrow alley. The net - bar manager didn't care at all about the garbage all over the ground. He kicked it aside casually as he walked, getting some oil stains on his shoes. Qin Siyang looked at his collar and cuffs, yellowed by sweat stains, filled with disgust. And the net - bar manager looked at Qin Siyang with a greedy expression.

"Kid, the police are looking for you because you killed someone, right?" This opening statement hit the nail on the head regarding Qin Siyang's concerns. Qin Siyang didn't answer. He thought that the murder case near the exit of Safety Zone No. 89757 yesterday shouldn't have spread to such a remote place in just one night. Needless to say, the net - bar manager must have guessed it. So, there was no need for him to admit it.

The net - bar manager chuckled. "Even if you don't say anything, I know. You came here last time to check the forum of sequential ability users, and you're doing the same this time." The net - bar manager took the initiative to answer the question in Qin Siyang's mind, so he asked, "You can remember everyone?"

"Of course not. I'm not a sequential ability user with a memory - related skill."

"Just remember me?" Qin Siyang didn't know why he was so unlucky to be targeted by this greasy net - bar manager.

"Because you look like a poor wretch from the edge of the safety zone. It's quite curious that you would spend money to come to the net - bar. So, I took a few extra glances. Coincidentally, you wore the same coat both times, so I remembered you." "After you browsed the forum, you stayed on the [Undying] and [Scent - Sniffer] sequences for a long time, and most of the sequential ability users of these two sequences are investigators from the police station."

"Then, the police came suddenly. You quickly deleted the browsing history and opened a text document on the desktop, pretending to read an e - book. I immediately guessed that you must have killed someone and were checking here to see if you would be discovered by the sequential ability users of the police station." The net - bar manager's plump face was trembling with excitement, as if celebrating his great discovery through his sharp observation.

Qin Siyang still didn't give any response. He wouldn't respond to any speculations about himself, even if the net - bar manager's guesses were correct. Don't let your enemy see through your thoughts. Qin Siyang couldn't remember which movie from his previous life he had heard this line in, but it was exactly his current strategy. He would definitely not provide this net - bar manager with any more information fragments about himself. Qin Siyang stared at the net - bar manager in silence, waiting for him to say what came next.

The net - bar manager seemed a bit surprised that Qin Siyang didn't react. But he wasn't flustered either, because the initiative was still firmly in his hands. "I called you out for a simple reason. I won't tell anyone about your matter, but you have to give me a silver coin as hush money."

Qin Siyang sneered and gave the net - bar manager a fierce glare. "A silver coin? Are you crazy?" The net - bar manager was frightened by Qin Siyang's gaze. The murderous aura in that smile couldn't be faked. This seventeen - or eighteen - year - old youth must have really killed someone! He swallowed hard and said stubbornly, "I'm not crazy. A silver coin is the money to save your life. It's worth it. Anyway, you're a murderer, and there's nothing you don't dare to do."

The net - bar manager seemed to have found some confidence and became more and more excited as he spoke. "I don't care what methods you use, steal, rob, or kill. As long as you can get a silver coin for me, that's enough." Qin Siyang just looked indifferently at the net - bar manager talking to himself, as if watching the joke of someone irrelevant to him. The net - bar manager felt as if he was being stared at by a tiger, his whole body bristling.

But then he laughed again. "You can't scare me. We're both ordinary people living in this shabby place for a lifetime. Who has an extra arm or leg compared to the other?" Hmm? It seemed that this net - bar manager didn't realize that Qin Siyang was a sequential ability user. This was a small bit of good news in the midst of misfortune.

Qin Siyang didn't let the net - bar manager lead him by the nose with his questions. He keenly noticed that the net - bar manager's breathing was getting heavier, indicating that he was very nervous now. So, Qin Siyang continued to apply pressure and threw out the question in his mind. "Since you know I killed someone, why aren't you afraid that I'll kill you?"

The net - bar manager wiped the cold sweat from his face with his hand and then said, "I've written an email about reporting you, and attached a close - up photo of you from the surveillance. This email will be sent to the police station's mailbox at 3 am tomorrow. I reset the time every day, pushing it back by one day. If I die, you'll be exposed too." As if to make Qin Siyang believe him, the net - bar manager added, "If you don't believe me, you can give it a try! Kill me right now!"

The timed - sending email was like a time - bomb, forcing Qin Siyang to take it seriously. The net - bar manager's method had firmly tied his hands and feet, preventing him from acting rashly against the net - bar manager.

"Before next week, you have to give me a thousand copper coins! Otherwise, I'll tell the police station about you!" The net - bar manager smiled triumphantly, revealing two rows of somewhat残缺的黄牙 (missing and yellowed teeth).

Qin Siyang didn't respond after hearing this. He turned around and left the alley. The net - bar manager watched Qin Siyang's departing back, snorted, and showed a disdainful smile. So what if you've killed someone? You'll still obediently bring me money! Kid, I'll rely on this secret to extort you for the rest of your life! Work hard. The money for my house and car depends on you! Suddenly, the net - bar manager remembered that he didn't seem to know Qin Siyang's name.

"By the way, my name is Liu Dazhi! What's your name?" Qin Siyang continued to walk back in silence, still not answering. A dead person doesn't need to know his name.