Alex was discovered

Alex was truly panicked this time.

He was even more flustered than when he had consumed deity remnants in the trash bin or killed someone in a dark alley.

His body felt stiff, and his blood seemed to have solidified.

Not even when he had first rebirth and seen countless glowing black moths crawling on the glass window had he felt this kind of fear.

He sat numbly in front of the computer, not knowing what to do. His thoughts had come to a halt.

Suddenly, the information on the computer screen changed.

[Cafe Reminder]

[You can continue reading. When you're done, don't leave. Wait for me in the alley behind the café.]

Alex stared at the message on the screen, no longer having any desire to browse the "Camp of God-Slayers."

Barry's words were like a bomb, shattering his previously relaxed and joyful mood into pieces.

This net manager had been watching him the whole time!

The thought of his every move being watched by Barry sent shivers down Alex's spine.

He felt like there was a pair of eyes behind him.

Perhaps the experience of killing someone yesterday had made Alex's mindset stronger.

He calmed down and once again opened the "Camp of God-Slayers."

The smell of smoke here disturbed his thoughts. The lighting made him dizzy.

This internet café would likely be his last visit.

No, it should be his last visit to any internet café.

Not just this one, but all others too. He wouldn't enter them again.

Because there was always the risk of being watched.

He had to find a sequence that could serve as a disguise during this browsing session.

Alex continued browsing the posts summarizing sequences and searched for a suitable sequence for his disguise.

Finally, his gaze fell on one sequence.

[Phantom Assassin]

[Sequence Level 1, Assassin Apprentice]

[Skill: Death's Gambit. Can double one's agility for five minutes, but afterward, the user will be paralyzed with fatigue for half an hour, unable to move.]

[Sequence Level 2, Swift Assassin]

[Skill: Death's Gambit (Enhanced). Can double one's agility and strength for five minutes, but afterward, the user will be paralyzed with fatigue for twenty minutes, unable to move.]

As Alex read about the [Phantom Assassin] sequence, he realized that his skills encompassed both the Level 1 and Level 2 skills of the assassin sequence, allowing him to blend in for a while.

So, he carefully reviewed the skill descriptions of this sequence and memorized them.

To learn more about this sequence, he searched for it within the forum and immediately found thousands of posts.

Apparently, this was also a relatively common sequence.

[What is the most essential equipment for a Phantom Assassin?]

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

[My teammate, the Phantom Assassin, is useless. All he does is activate his skill and run away during battles. What should I do?]

[Phantom Assassin seeking a Hunting God Squad. Warriors preferred.]

...

Alex clicked on a [Phantom Assassin Introduction Post] and began reading.

It described how Phantom Assassins should train, how to reasonably use resources provided by the Authority, and how to purchase the most suitable equipment.

In this post, Alex found out many things, including that the Level 3 sequence for [Phantom Assassin] was [Ghostly Assassin].

[Skill: Death's Gambit. Can triple one's agility and double one's strength for ten minutes, but afterward, the user will be paralyzed with fatigue for ten minutes, unable to move.]

From this post, Alex also learned that unlike most sequences, which gain new skills with each level-up, the known [Phantom Assassin] only had one skill, with [Death's Gambit] being enhanced upon leveling up.

This single-line progression path was something Alex couldn't really judge as good or bad; it had its pros and cons.

If they couldn't defeat their enemies after activating their skill, their chances of survival were slim.

Without a doubt, the [Phantom Assassin] heavily relied on teammates.

This skill was perfect for Alex to hide his true identity.

The [Brute Force] skill fully encompassed the abilities of the first two levels of the [Phantom Assassin] sequence.

Therefore, to portray the [Phantom Assassin] sequence well, he needed to feign weakness appropriately.

Comparing the [Gods-Eater] with the [Phantom Assassin] sequence in detail also made Alex realize the power of his own sequence.

Clearly, [Brute Force] was a skill awakened at level two, yet it was more powerful than the continually enhanced [Death's Gambit] of the single-skill-focused [Phantom Assassin].

Moreover, according to the forum, the [Phantom Assassin] sequence seemed to be a popular and highly sought-after sequence, with many god-slaying teams hoping to recruit them into their ranks.

This was not Alex's only advantage.

After carefully researching the forum, he discovered that his base attributes were already comparable to a [Phantom Assassin] using the [Death's Gambit] skill, or even stronger.

Even without activating any skills, he could be invincible among low-level sequence ability holders!

So, how should he portray the fake identity of a [Phantom Assassin]?

The most crucial trick was to hold back.

After finding his "substitute" sequence, Alex received a notification that his computer time was up.

After exchanging glances with Barry at the reception, he chose to log off and left the internet café under Barry's gaze.

Avoiding the cameras at the entrance of the internet café, Alex followed Barry's message and went to the alley behind the café.

The alley behind the internet café was beyond the management scope of the café owner, so there were no cameras.

The alley was more like an unwatched area, somewhat dirty and chaotic, piled high with debris and disposable lunch boxes, with an overwhelming smell of food waste lingering in the air, somewhat reminiscent of the cafeteria.

In this narrow alley, Alex could hardly find a place to stand. Eventually, he wiped clean a stone slab, placed it on the oily steps, and sat down.

Alex waited bored for three or four hours until the lights of the internet café finally went out.

He felt like he was about to be soaked in the smell of food waste.

After a while, the greasy middle-aged net manager, wearing a white shirt and shaking his flabby body, with a coat draped over his shoulder, appeared in the narrow alley.

Barry paid no attention to the trash all around; he walked while carelessly kicking it aside, causing his shoes to become stained with oil.

Alex looked at the yellowed collar and cuffs soaked in sweat, filled with disgust.

Barry, however, greedily stared at Alex.

"Kid, the cops were looking for you because you killed someone, right?"

This opening remark hit the mark of Alex's concerns.

Alex didn't respond.

He believed that the murder near the fire exit yesterday shouldn't have spread to such a remote place overnight. Needless to say, Barry must have guessed it.

So, there was no need for him to admit it.

Barry chuckled, "Even if you don't say anything, I know. You came here last time to check the forum for sequence ability holders, and you did it again this time."

Barry volunteered the answer to Alex's puzzle, so he took the opportunity to ask, "Can you remember everyone?"

"Of course not, I'm not a sequence ability holder with a memory skill."

"Just remember me?" Alex wondered why he was so unlucky to be targeted by this fat, greasy net manager.

"Because with your poor appearance, you look like a pauper from the edge of the Safe Zone. And yet, you actually spend money to come to the internet café. Of course, I'd be curious and take a closer look. Besides, you wore the same jacket both times, so I remembered you. And out of curiosity about you, I'd always check what you were doing after you logged in."

"After you checked the forum and lingered for a long time in front of the [Scent Tracker] sequence, I became even more curious. Most sequence ability holders with this sequence are investigative officers from the police station. I thought you might have awakened a similar sequence and were looking for information."

"But then, the cops suddenly arrived. You quickly deleted your browsing history and opened a text document on your desktop, pretending to read an ebook. I immediately guessed that you must have killed someone and were checking if you could be discovered by the sequence ability holders from the police station."

Barry's fat face trembled with excitement, celebrating his great discovery through keen observation.

However, Alex remained noncommittal.

Alex wouldn't respond to any conjectures about himself, even if Barry guessed them all correctly.

Never let your enemy see through your thoughts.

Alex couldn't remember which movie he had watched in his past life where he heard that line, but it was perfectly in line with his current strategy.

He would never provide this net manager with any more pieces of information about himself.

Alex silently gazed at Barry, waiting for him to continue.

Barry seemed slightly surprised by Alex's lack of reaction. This seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy seemed to possess a demeanor unsuitable for his age.

However, he wasn't panicked either, as the initiative was still firmly in his hands.

"I'm keeping this simple. I won't tell anyone about your affairs, but you have to give me a silver coin as hush money."

Alex chuckled, his piercing gaze digging into Barry, "A silver coin? Are you crazy?"

Frightened by Alex's gaze filled with killing intent, Barry stepped back. The momentum in that smile, filled with killing intent, couldn't be faked.

This young boy of seventeen or eighteen must have really killed someone!

Swallowing his saliva, Barry stiffened his neck and said, "I'm not crazy. A silver coin is your life insurance. It's worth it. Anyway, you're a murderer. There's nothing you wouldn't dare to do."

Barry seemed to have found some confidence and spoke more enthusiastically, "I don't care how you get it, whether by stealing, robbing, or killing, just give me a silver coin."

Alex only looked at Barry rambling on, as if watching a joke about someone unrelated to him.

Barry felt like being stared at by a tiger, making his hair stand on end.

But then he smiled again, "You can't scare me. We're all just ordinary people spending our lives in this crummy place. Who has more arms or legs than the other?"

Huh?

It seemed that Barry hadn't realized Alex was a Sequence Ability Holder.

This was a small piece of good news amidst the troubles.

Alex wasn't led astray by Barry's questions. He keenly perceived that Barry's breathing was getting heavier, indicating that he was very nervous.

Therefore, Alex continued to apply pressure and threw out his question, "Since you know I killed someone, why aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Barry wiped the sweat off his face and said, "I've already written an email reporting you and attached a close-up photo of you from the surveillance footage. This email will be sent to the police station's mailbox at 3 AM tomorrow morning. I reset the time every day to delay it by a day. If I die, you'll be exposed too."

As if to convince Alex, Barry added, "You can try if you don't believe me! Kill me now!"

The scheduled email was like a time bomb, forcing Alex to treat it seriously.

Barry's method tied his hands and feet tightly, preventing him from taking any rash actions against him.

"Before next week, you have to give me a thousand copper coins! Otherwise, I'll tell the police about you!"

Barry smiled triumphantly, revealing two rows of somewhat decayed yellow teeth.

After hearing this, Alex didn't respond and turned to leave the alley.

Barry watched Alex's departing figure with a sneer of disdain on his face.

"What if you're a murderer? You still have to give me money!"

Kid, this secret, I'll milk you for a lifetime! Work hard. My money for buying a house and a car depends on you!

Suddenly, Barry remembered that he didn't even know Alex's name.

"Oh yeah, my name is barry! What's your name?"

Alex continued walking silently, still without answering.

"A dying man doesn't need to know my name!"