Chapter 244: Assassin, Purple Sand

I copied, really hit the mark!

Without Holy Light protecting the body, nor a divine ring guarding the master, they were just knocked down by the crowd like that?

Although in the planned scheme, this move they prepared so thoroughly is as good as certain.

But seeing the invincible God's Choice collapse with a boom, the assassins were still so excited they almost forgot to breathe.

Therefore, originally playing it safe, they should have at least added two more rounds of shooting, but they instead chose to pull out short weapons and close in, lest the credit be snatched by someone else.

But just as the lead assassin drew his scabbard, intending to flip the prone target over for inspection, Ji Ming suddenly moved.

His hands hidden under the black robe swiftly threw two iron beads, using the night's cover to precisely strike the assassins' heads.

Then, amidst the chaos, he picked up a long-handled shovel and, like whack-a-mole, struck each of their heads in turn.

Combining control and strikes, as long as my dodging speed is fast enough, even single-target becomes AoE damage!

So the assassins didn't even have time to utter an 'ah' before they were all knocked out on the ground.

If they knew Ji Ming well enough, they'd know that trying to assassinate him from behind is the stupidest thing.

Besides wearing a talisman armor, he deliberately placed a legion holy shield on his back.

With such a powerful combination, the light and quiet yet inevitably underpowered hand crossbow couldn't even break his defense, let alone poison him.

As for their meticulously designed assassination, which had perfect timing, location, and harmony, why did it leak flaws at the crucial stage, suddenly turning a great advantage into a total wipeout?

This is naturally because……

Speak, who sent you to kill me?

People with firm will naturally have resistance to suggestion techniques, but the assassins who were knocked dazed by the strikes obviously don't belong to that group.

So the assassin leader, awakened by the gas grenade and lifted by the collar, tilted his head and could only speak weakly.

"They didn't say who they were, but I noticed the Mountain Barbarian Hammer Mercenary Group's insignia under their cuffs, really!"

Mountain Barbarian Hammer…… that's An De Lu wanting to hire people to kill me?

Theoretically speaking, An De Lu indeed has the possibility of doing this.

After all, he previously hired assassins in the black-and-white grid, wanting to give Ji Ming a few blows, to strike him hard.

But back then both sides had left a last thread, faces torn, yet not completely split in two, still leaving a chance to temporarily shelve the dispute.

But……

Whether doing good or evil, even an antisocial madman needs a motive that suits his own desires.

If it's mad harassment, spouting nonsense in others' fields of expertise is Ji Ming; even he would think he deserves a stab.

But the one who's been doing this repeatedly lately is clearly An De Lu, so he basically has no chance of deepening his own hatred, let alone developing killing intent.

Moreover, the other party's intention is clearly to make up for their relationship, wanting to restore it to at least a point where they can discuss business and talk things over.

So……

Past grievances, from An De Lu's perspective, have been smoothed over; recent grudges, An De Lu doesn't even know if they were his doing.

Then An De Lu fundamentally lacks sufficient reason and motive to risk the Holy Light Church's grudge to assassinate himself.

Hmm……

Ji Ming pondered briefly and thought of another possibility.

Could it be that someone knows about my conflict with An De Lu, wants to use a knife to kill, using my hand to give the dean some trouble?

Then An De Lu's enemies…… well, one might say who isn't his enemy.

Bringing the dazed assassins to a more secluded spot, Ji Ming decided to still start with the human evidence, grabbing the assassin leader for a thorough interrogation.

One can only say top-notch assassins are top-notch; perhaps the questions were too sharp, and several times the target almost regained consciousness.

Fortunately, Ji Ming has no other skills, just being shovel-savvy; by repeatedly using the Great Memory Restoration Technique, he successfully completed the whole interrogation.

"Is there nothing else to explain?"

"None, really none! Uh……"

The assassin leader, head all bandaged, finally couldn't hold on and passed out completely.

The person who came to hire assassins was very cautious, like a shadowy figure from some insider organization, wrapped tightly in black cloth from head to toe, afraid others would see who he is.

Possibly being able to afford so many expensive assassins, his financial strength itself is a threshold.

Obtaining the Mountain Barbarian Hammer Mercenary Group's insignia is also not easy, after all the Sunshine City Black Market is controlled by their mercenary alliance; how could they let such an important item circulate out?

And the assassin leader happens to be from Radiant Light; back then, in the kingdom's western border, he saw the Deep Forest Army disguised as bandits coming to raid, and could smell the military aura mixed with a hint of bandit nature's stench.

So, someone who has a grudge against An De Lu, is wealthy, related to mercenaries, and whose members include Deep Forest soldiers……

With all these clues stacked together, the answer is already on the tip of the tongue.

I originally thought Fei En was just a big, burly martial artist as the outside world says, but I didn't expect he could also secretly use this sinister, vicious move.

If it weren't for my suggestion technique, I could help the assassin leader achieve something even he couldn't do—a crystal-clear full memory recall.

If an ordinary person were to conduct the interrogation, they'd likely fall for the opponent's scheme and mistakenly think it was An De Lu who did it.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Ji Ming looked at the assassins standing dazedly before him.

If he had captured them outside the city, he would definitely have locked them all in the mine cavern for labor reform, not wasting an ounce of manpower.

But now he's inside the city, and although the teleport coordinates linked to the underground city can be changed at any time, they require about a day's cooldown.

Doing this for a massive number of public test accounts would surely be worthwhile, but for 'recruiting' these few utterly unlovable Pals, it seems a bit……

So, as Ji Ming, the heaven-chosen embodiment of orderly good, how could he possibly directly choose the option 【Kill on the Spot】?

He decided, after all, to still give the assassins a chance to live.

"Now please everyone introduce yourselves, each stating your past misdeeds and name."

"Start with you!"

……

"Alright, you don't need to say more."

Having only heard half, Ji Ming really couldn't bear to listen further.

How could anyone need the Suggestion Technique to help calculate the sins they've committed!

He paced back and forth irritably for a few steps, then pointed.

"Those who have never killed an innocent, step forward!"

……

"Those who have never killed an innocent child, step forward!"

……

"Those who have never plundered an innocent elder, step forward!"

……

"Damn, same as me… forget it, this is a bit hard—those who have never been to a club, step forward!"

……

"Damn it, have you lot never done a single good thing in your lives!?"

Ji Ming shouted angrily, then sighed helplessly.

"Alright, those who think they don't deserve to die, step forward."

Smack!

Neatly, all the assassins took a step forward.

"Ha, very good."

He took out a brush for drawing talismans, hastily drew three strokes on the back of his hand, then smeared them all away.

"Assassin, commit suicide!"

Walking out of the pitch-black alley, Ji Ming gazed at the moon behind the layers of dark clouds.

Clearly, there had been a large crowd when they entered, but when they emerged only one person remained.

He walked to the nearby streetlamp, closed his eyes, and sensed his current mood.

He was angry, but not angry at the assassination itself, rather at the people carrying it out.

If even some petty lackeys can be this corrupt, what shred of light remains behind the impeccably dressed bigwigs of Sunshine City at the banquet?

They deserve to die!

…Well then, I'll just follow Fei En's plan and start by killing An De Lu!

Ji Ming could sense that the little boss seemed to want to say something, but the blue light merely flashed before his eyes and then vanished.

"..."

Returning to the Clinic, he began to devise a battle plan against An De Lu.

Actually, strategy and tactics, when spoken of broadly, are quite simple—there are only two kinds.

The first is to rush: directly open a portal in the Eastern District, then lead NPCs and players in a fierce charge on the manor, dragging everyone from the Hillfolk Hammer out to be killed.

Although it sounds simple and satisfying, Ji Ming's nature naturally dislikes this plan.

First, it's dangerous; we don't know if the thrown match will ignite the powder keg, but it will certainly burn itself out completely.

At the very least, we and the players would become targets of public criticism; even if we could achieve ultimate victory, it would hinder our plans for Sunshine City after the dust settles.

Moreover, the grudge between me and An De Lu is personal; even if players and NPCs could intervene, it would be hard to achieve full morale of united hatred, making this a suboptimal option.

The second is also a rush, but we must first trick An De Lu into coming out, then rush, to maximally fragment the enemy's forces and strive for a precise decapitation strike.

Coincidentally, this plan currently has an extremely suitable point of leverage.

Since ancient times, a dragon's hoard has been one of the hottest topics of conversation.

Even though the fame of dragons as legendary creatures is immensely awe-inspiring, the greater the waves the more valuable the fish, and such vast wealth still lures adventurers like moths to a flame.

Sheldon knows that at the center of the underground plains lies an inverted castle, in which resides a juvenile rock dragon.

He naturally also covets that legendary dragon hoard, but having just arrived he still needs to make many arrangements, so he has never dealt with this matter.

But recently, various rumors about the rock dragon have been spreading within the plains.

Some say the rock dragon provoked an entity in the underworld and was suppressed by a powerful deity associated with life.

Others say the rock dragon, while researching ancestral memories, went berserk and turned its entire body into stone.

Still others claim there is actually no rock dragon at all—it's merely a greedy land lizard deluding itself into pretending to be a dragon, previously too arrogant and beaten half to death, now hiding in the castle to heal its wounds.

But all the rumors, in the end, point to the treasure within the castle.

——It is ownerless, it is undefended, it can be easily obtained!

Moreover, not long after, the Pioneers' market saw an appearance of someone claiming to have infiltrated the castle, but unfortunately, being too weak, they only wandered around the outer peripheral rooms.

Nevertheless, he did obtain a certain amount of wealth from it, and produced glittering gold coins to prove his words were true.

In an instant, the inverted castle became a mountain of gold and silver in the eyes of everyone on the plains, with people from various tribes daily attempting to approach.

Then an exciting event occurred: although the castle's isolation array was triggered due to a theft, that rock dragon truly never appeared again.

——Regardless, the big boss has disappeared!

The castle has changed from a deathly place guarded by a dragon into a safe with a sturdy iron lock attached.

Whoever manages to pry it open first will obtain vast wealth and the entire castle!

By this point, to say Sheldon isn't jealous would be false.

Especially this array—although, like these rustic plainsfolk, the mercenaries don't know how to break formations, they can hire people from outside to help.

Moreover, the camp's supplies have been lost twice already, and recently, though there's no evidence, the caravans have been looted several times by the Pioneers.

The massive shortage of supplies needs someone to help fill it, and the regiment commander also needs a suitable explanation.

If we can seize this treasure, all problems will be readily resolved.

But relying solely on Sheldon obviously cannot solve this problem; he needs others' help.

After thinking it over, he decided to still tell the team leader directly about this matter.

Upon receiving Xie Er Dun's report, An De Lu, who was already harried from another theft at the underground warehouse, almost jumped up on the spot.

"Yue Han Xun, quickly go find an expert skilled at breaking formations!"

While ordering his cousin to quickly find people, he also began to take stock of the mercenary group's current manpower.

Breaking the lock is only the first step; once opened, that bunch of dirty country bumpkins will surely try to seize it, so we must guard against it.

Hmm, then send Ba Er De...

No!

To be safe and also to win over the troops' hearts, this time I have to go myself!

By the way, I'll also discuss cooperation again with that smart-alecky big oaf Ba Di Si Te, and the new ally Xie Er Dun recently contacted!

Having made up his mind, An De Lu began writing a letter to the subordinate he once trusted most.

Many things may not go as one wishes, but there is still room to maneuver and turn things around.

Give those disobedient subordinates a few knocks, tame a few more promising newcomers, and everything can improve.

Thinking of this, the face of Ji Ming, God's Choice, involuntarily appeared in his mind.

"Ah, if only everyone could be as simple and kind as Ji Ming..."

But whether it's finding a qualified locksmith or moving troops around without disrupting the layout of Sunlight City, it takes time.

Thus, under An De Lu's direction, Xie Er Dun began executing another plan.

Friends who have been thieves all know that if you want to steal with satisfaction, you must certainly cover people's eyes and ears during the operation.

But if the thing to be stolen is glaringly obvious, what can be done right under everyone's noses?

Just like every magician has their own 'stooge', and most of the time it's a cool, attractive assistant.

The answer is to cause a bigger disturbance elsewhere to draw people's attention away, then talk about it.

And the 'wind-burned bunny girl' that this third-rate magician An De Lu found for himself is none other than the usually cool-dressed hunk Ba Di Si Te.

"What the heck? Cyclopes and minotaurs are really fighting!"