What the hell is the "kill line" when you're in America?

Victor kept staring at the strange man in front of him.

That technique is so professional.

He's infinitely better than those idiots in the gang who just grab a mop and smear things haphazardly.

"alright."

Li Ang dusted off his hands and turned around.

"Is there anything else you need, boss?"

That "boss" was perfectly timed.

This both indicated his subordinate position and subtly reminded the other party.

I work for you, not your enemy.

Victor paused for a moment, then let out a few dry laughs.

"very good."

"Smart people usually live longer."

Victor raised his mask slightly.

He took a lighter out of his pocket, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

"Take the money and get lost."

"If I ever see you in this neighborhood again..."

"clear."

Li Ang picked up his canvas bag, turned around, and left.

Without any hesitation or delay.

He didn't look back even once as he walked out of the factory gate and into the deep night.

Victor stood there, watching Li Ang's disappearing figure.

He abruptly flung his hand, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and stomped it out.

"Damn it, what the hell?" he muttered under his breath.

For some reason, when he was facing that homeless man just now, he felt a sense of oppression as if he were facing a gang leader.

That look in his eyes...

It's like looking at a corpse.

Victor shivered and turned to look at the black garbage bags on the ground.

It was cleaned very well.

The ground was also cleaned up perfectly.

"He's a good one..." he muttered to himself.

But he quickly shook his head.

Regardless of skill level, knowing too much is ultimately a hidden danger.

I just really don't have time tonight.

The boss is already urging us.

Victor took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, it's all taken care of."

"Yes, it's cleaned up."

"Don't worry, no one saw it."

After hanging up the phone, Victor glanced in the direction where Li Ang had disappeared, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"You're lucky."

……

Two blocks away.

Li Ang stopped and kept looking back to make sure the masked man hadn't followed them.

Only then did I lower my guard.

His century-long cultivation of Daoist principles allowed him to remain calm and composed even after escaping death.

If he had panicked even slightly or tried to escape just now, he would be a corpse by now.

He touched the deposit in his pocket.

Two hundred and sixty dollars.

Including the final payment, it totaled a little over six hundred.

This amount of money is enough to live on for a while, and it shouldn't be a problem to buy some food.

But he didn't go to collect the remaining payment immediately.

He knew Viktor's last look all too well.

That was the look in his eyes, a look of ruthless determination to eliminate any threat.

Although we've let him off the hook for now, it doesn't mean we'll let him off the hook in the future.

There are internal problems within the Golden Rust Gang.

Victor is cleaning house, and he's doing it behind the boss's back.

Such people are the most suspicious.

Li Ang pulled the key he had taken from the corpse out of his raincoat pocket.

An ordinary brass key with the number 42 engraved on it.

This is what he found on the body of the tattooed Black man.

The system indicated that this was a "key".

[Item: Bloodstained Key]

[Note: This is not merely a tool for picking locks, but a key that opens the path to destruction.]

Li Ang looked at the key in his hand, lost in thought.

Evidence of a crime? Wealth?

It seems that what Victor is desperately trying to conceal is what lies behind this key.

The dead black man had clearly hidden the item and never handed it over until his death.

Now, this thing has fallen into his hands.

This is cause and effect.

Li Ang did not rush to study the key.

The most urgent thing right now is to fill my stomach and then find a safe place to sleep.

He took off his raincoat, along with his gloves and mask, and threw it into a trash can.

He kept only the crowbar, hiding it in the sleeve of his oversized coat.

This is his only weapon for self-defense in this world.

At 2 a.m. in Seattle, only convertibles remained, and many people were sleeping on the streets.

[Task: Clean house (Completed)]

[Judgment: This matter was handled very well. I never expected you to even find the key. It's clear you're incredibly lucky; you truly have great fortune.]

[Gain +2 freely distributable attribute points and +10 magic points]

The task of cleaning up the house is complete.

Li Ang walked into a 24-hour convenience store.

The shop assistant was a sleepy Indian guy with a "kill line: medium" floating above his head.

Li Ang took two bottles of water, several sandwiches, and a pack of beef jerky.

When paying the bill, he deliberately used the twenty-dollar bill that was slightly stained with oil.

That was one of the deposits Victor gave us.

If there's something wrong with this money, or it's been flagged, it's safest to spend it now.

The clerk didn't react at all and mechanically gave change.

Li Ang breathed a sigh of relief.

He found an underground parking lot.

Although it's cold and damp here, it's secluded.

Li Ang found a spot near the ventilation vent and sat down, taking big bites of his sandwich.

After the food entered my stomach, my body finally felt a little warm.

He opened the system panel.

[Host: Li Ang]

[Attributes: Spirit 15, Constitution 14, Strength 12, Agility 13]

[Skills: None]

[Freely Allocable Attribute Points: 2]

[Magic Points: 15]

Two attribute points and ten magic points.

Adding the previous five points, he now has fifteen magic points.

I've just enough time to redeem the [Photographic Memory (Beginner)] item.

But Li Ang was not in a hurry to exchange it.

He allocated two attribute points, one to Strength and the other to Agility.

[Increased successfully. Current Strength: 13, Agility: 14]

A faint warmth flowed through my entire body.

Li Ang could feel that his muscles seemed to have become firmer and his joints were more flexible.

Although it's a far cry from his physical body in the cultivation world, this body is gradually becoming stronger.

This is enough.

Li Ang leaned against the wall, closing his eyes to rest.

My mind was racing.

The Rust Gang, Victor, the Key, and that so-called "internal purge."

All of this is like a net, slowly tightening.

The fact that the dead black man dared to keep this key means that what's inside is priceless.

It might even be enough to make him betray the gang.

42.

What does this number mean?

Date? House number? Or... some kind of code?

Li Ang took out the key and examined it carefully in the dim light.

The key's teeth marks are very complex; it's not a typical pin tumbler lock.

This should be a high-security safe key.

"42......"

Li Ang silently recited the string of numbers in his mind.

[Key causal relationship detected]

[New Mission Released: The Price of Greed]

[Mission Details: This bloody storm stemmed from the insatiable greed during the division of opportunities.]

The key to this array points to either the forbidden spiritual object they secretly kept from that earth-shattering secret, or its complete destruction to sever the karmic ties.

[Task Rewards: +5 freely distributable attribute points, +30 mana points, and one random skill book]

10 Magic Points!

There are also skill books!

Li Ang paused slightly.

This reward is incredibly generous.

This also means that the mission is extremely risky.

He hadn't resolved the matter with the priest yet, so he checked the system.

[Quest: The Feast of the Demonic Path (Incomplete)]

The task posted by the system has no time limit.

In other words, as long as he keeps triggering and searching, he can continuously trigger new tasks to complete.

In the world of cultivation, wealth and honor are sought amidst danger.

He is penniless now, and he can't make a living in this world by just picking up trash and working as a cleaner.

This key might be his chance.