Chapter 250: I Took Him Out

The young man asked this, naturally to probe the strength of Jiang Cheng and the other person.

On the surface, however, he pretended to be admiring, letting people lower their guard.

Little did they know, his little scheming had long been seen through.

When a few prey were set on the ground, Jiang Cheng sensed it.

If the people at the village gate only gave him an uncomfortable feeling.

Then the malice on that young man's body was as obvious as fireflies in the night.

Yet the other party remained unaware.

"Do you really want to know our strength?"

Jiang Cheng asked in a calm tone.

The young man was startled.

"Oh dear, gentlemen, he's young; you shouldn't try to measure up with him."

The middle-aged man sensed the atmosphere was off, tried to smooth things over while giving the young man a look.

"Yes, yes, gentlemen, sorry, I'm just curious, no other meaning, no other meaning." The young man showed a fearful expression and quickly apologized.

"If that's the case, it's naturally the best."

Jiang Cheng gave him a deep look, then got into the vehicle.

The throttle engaged, and the pickup truck drove toward the front exit.

Just as it was about to leave, the young man's body jolted; for an instant he felt a slight pain, but the sensation came and went quickly.

"Xiao Sun, how many times have I told you?"

After watching the pickup disappear from sight, the middle-aged man finally turned, speaking in a reproachful tone: "Don't pry into things you shouldn't; those who hunt Exotic Beasts in the wild are each ruthless, they kill without blinking; if you provoke them, you won't have a good ending."

"Uncle Tian, I know, isn't this just curiosity?"

The young man said with a cheerful smile.

"Usually it takes several people to have that many prey; the two of them have that many, so I just blurted out a question."

"What about two people? The more like them, the scarier; think about it, what takes several others to accomplish, they do with just two—could they be simple characters?"

"I understand, Uncle Tian, I won't do it next time."

The young man said so, but inwardly thought it was a pity.

If he could also gauge those two's strength, the share after would be a bit larger.

"You kid, you aren't harboring some crooked idea, are you?"

The middle-aged man keenly sensed something, his expression grew serious, "You've been off lately; honestly, have you gotten in touch with those people at the gate?"

"Impossible!"

The young man immediately denied outright.

"Uncle Tian, those people at the gate aren't good; how could I possibly be linked with them?"

"As long as you're not linked, that's good; if you deal with them, you might die without even knowing how you died."

The middle-aged man kept speaking while shaking his head repeatedly.

He's been staying here long enough.

He's seen everything.

Some people, unable to resist the lure of money, collude with the outside robbers, secretly passing the information of those who bring in hunted prey to the other side.

If such deeds go unnoticed it's fine; once discovered, it's a death.

Moreover, are those people at the gate really saints? Too naive.

Initially they offer many perks—meals, club access, generous cash—to lure you into cooperation; after a few months they produce all kinds of excuses—bad luck, a snagged idea—essentially cutting your share or making you work for free, since only they know whether they actually acted.

The smarter ones have already seen the catch and quit. Sorry, at this point you can't do anything, because they already have leverage over you; as soon as you report them, you'll be dismissed.

Is that the end? No, it's just beginning; they'll find you, point a gun at your head, take back everything you gave them, profit included, then pull the trigger and look for the next target.

Actually these things aren't profound; many understand when told, but once found, few can resist the temptation.

It's like ancient scholars taking the imperial exams; they wouldn't claim 100% were truly serving the people and the court, but perhaps 70–80% were sincere for the populace and state—so what was the result?

In thousands of years, how many like Kong Ming and Hai Rui have emerged?

The young man, after listening, not only was indifferent but internally mocked the middle-aged man's pedantry.

He's been working here for several months, exhausted daily; after a month he hasn't had a single day off, earning only five or six thousand yuan.

Hoping to buy a house in the village or Outer City District with that money would take until the Year of the Monkey and the Month of the Horse.

But cooperating with those people, just a phone call and reporting some info, you can sit and wait for money; for example last month he received several tens of thousands, though in the past one or two months the payouts have dwindled, he still saved over two hundred thousand.

Later, if he leaks the situation of that couple just now, maybe another tens of thousands will hit his account; his earning speed even surpasses those Force Warriors.

At that moment, he felt a slight pain in his heart, and his breathing was a bit difficult.

"Xiao Sun, why is blood coming from your mouth!"

The middle-aged man widened his eyes sharply, his gaze showing horror.

"Ah?"

The young man instinctively wiped his mouth with his hand; indeed it was sticky, and when he looked, his hand was covered in blood!

"Xiao Sun, the blood—why is it getting more and more!"

The middle-aged man panicked.

If he kept his mouth closed it would be fine, but once he opened it, blood poured out as if it didn't need money.

"I... I don't know."

The young man's face turned pale with fear; as he kept speaking, his heart hurt more and his breathing grew increasingly difficult.

At first he could still hear what the middle-aged man in front of him was saying, but then everything before his eyes blurred, and even the sound vanished.

"I—what on earth is happening to me?"

His eyes went black, he fell to the ground, and lost consciousness.

"Xiao Sun! Xiao Sun!"

The middle‑aged man scooped him up in one arm and placed his finger beneath the latter's nose.

Then he shivered in fright.

Dead? Out of breath? …

On the road.

Jiang Cheng recalled the recent scene and, a little worried, said: "Ye Ying, I think the man in his twenties we just encountered might betray us. Since we leave the village this afternoon, there could be danger; we need to be mentally prepared."

"You also sensed his malice, didn't you?"

Ye Ying stared straight ahead.

"Hmm, you sensed it too, right?"

Jiang Cheng was not surprised.

After all, the latter is a Sixth-level Spirit Mind Master.

"Hmm, so I took him out."

Ye Ying turned his head and gave Jiang Cheng a glance.

(End of chapter)