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

At 9:50 p.m., Li Ang appeared silently in the neighborhood near the abandoned cannery, like a ghost.

He changed into the raincoat Jerome had given him, the hood covering most of his face.

The daytime hustle and bustle had long since dissipated, leaving only the dim streetlights casting lonely patches of light on the damp, cold ground.

The surrounding area was filled with the smell of rust and decay.

Instead of rushing to the red trash can marked on the map, Li Ang first walked around the area.

His experience in the cultivation world over the past century taught him that he should never let his guard down, especially in a deal like this where he was dealing with a tiger for its skin.

He carefully observed his surroundings, the abandoned buildings, and the dark corners where spies might be hiding.

Everything seemed normal, so normal it was almost eerily normal.

Ten minutes later, after confirming that there were no signs of an ambush, Li Ang slowly walked toward the lone red trash can standing on the street corner.

He reached out to search.

There doesn't seem to be much inside.

He paused for a moment, listening intently to the sounds around him—the wind, the occasional distant siren.

Only after confirming it was safe did he slowly lift the lid of the trash can.

A pungent, sour smell wafted towards us.

In the trash can, a black canvas bag lay quietly on several greasy pizza boxes, next to a roll of brand-new black garbage bags and a shovel.

Li Ang took out the canvas bag and unzipped it.

Inside was a stack of US dollars tied with rubber bands, estimated to be about two or three hundred dollars. Next to it were several pairs of latex gloves and a gas mask.

Deposit, tools, everything is provided.

The Golden Rust Gang's style of doing things was more decisive and efficient than he had imagined.

Li Ang put on gloves and a mask, stuffed the money into the inside pocket of his raincoat, then, carrying his bag in one hand and a shovel in the other, walked into the shadows of the cannery.

The factory gate was rusted shut, so Li Ang went around to the side and found a broken window.

He threw the tools in first, then nimbly flipped himself inside.

The factory was empty and deathly silent, with moonlight filtering through the dusty glass windows and casting dappled shadows.

Once inside, the stench became even more overwhelming, and the smell of blood was even stronger.

Li Ang turned on his flashlight, illuminating the path ahead.

He immediately surveyed the entire factory, and after confirming that no one else was there, he began searching for the body.

Li Ang looked at the messy tire tracks on the ground.

The Golden Rust Gang has been here, and in more than one vehicle.

They left in such a hurry that they didn't even have time to clean up the traces on the ground.

This shows that they were eager to leave this place of trouble.

Li Ang walked to the center of the factory, and the beam of his flashlight slowly swept across it.

Several bodies were found behind a pile of abandoned machinery.

He stepped forward and used the tip of a shovel to pry open the canvas.

Instantly, countless mosquitoes and flies leaped out from it.

The bodies had long been covered by piles of white disco.

Their clothes were a motley crew, like street thugs, and they all had varying degrees of gunshot and knife wounds.

The bloodstains had congealed into a dark red color, mixing with the oil stains on the ground.

Li Ang's gaze swept over the corpses, his expression remaining unchanged.

The bloody scenes he had witnessed in the cultivation world were ten thousand times more horrific than this.

In my past cultivation, I witnessed gods and demons slaying, immortals and Buddhas perishing. The scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with white bones piled up everywhere, are incomparable to what I see before me.

[New Task Issued: Clean House]

[Mission Objective: Clean up the corpse and find the "key"]

[Task Reward: +2 freely allocable attribute points, +10 magic points]

"key?"

Li Ang frowned slightly, looking at the system's contents.

He carefully scanned each corpse with his flashlight again, trying to find the "key" the system had mentioned.

Seeing one of the tattooed black men, he reached into the disco.

They found the key the system had mentioned in his pocket—that key!

But what exactly can this key do? After thinking it over, Li Ang decided to accept it for now.

The fact that the Golden Rust Gang left these corpses shows that they didn't care about what was on them.

Or perhaps they weren't after the key at all.

He must first complete the overt task of "cleaning up the house".

Li Ang stood up, and the beam of his flashlight swept across the entire factory again.

It was no easy task for him to clean up more than a dozen corpses all by himself with just a shovel.

Especially in this fermenting stench, an ordinary person might collapse after ten minutes.

He glanced at the gas mask in the canvas bag and put it on.

In the cultivation world, to deal with such filth, cultivators would first cast a "purifying incantation" before burning it with true fire to ensure that nothing went wrong.

If an ordinary person tries to treat it with their bare hands, at best they will fall seriously ill, and at worst they will shorten their lifespan.

He picked up a shovel and began to work.

Without the slightest hesitation, nor the slightest discomfort.

With each shovel stroke, a stiff corpse was turned over precisely, and then covered with a black garbage bag that had been brought along.

Just as he was putting the third body into a garbage bag, deep in the shadows of the factory...

But Li Ang's movements stopped instantly.

He slowly straightened up, but the flashlight beam did not immediately shine on the source of the sound.

someone.

It's always been there.

From the moment he entered, they hid in the shadows and observed him.

They are members of the Golden Rust Gang.

Jerome said they wouldn't show up, so it seems Jerome was also fooled, or rather, he didn't know enough.

This is the real test.

The deposit and tools are the first layer; what is tested is the courage of the person taking the job.

Now, we're on the second level, which tests the professionalism and composure of the person taking on the job.

If I had shown any panic or hesitation just now, I would probably be a corpse by now.

Li Ang sneered inwardly, but his face remained calm and composed.

He continued to bend down, as if he hadn't heard anything, and his movements were even more swift than before.

One, two, three...

But he can't stop.

He had to do the job perfectly before the other person lost patience.

Time passed by, second by second.

After the last body was put into a garbage bag and the bag was tied tightly with a rope, Li Ang straightened up and let out a long breath.

After doing all this, he turned off the tap, picked up the canvas bag on the ground, shouldered the shovel, and walked slowly toward the broken window, like a cleaner who had just finished get off work.

Throughout the entire ordeal, he didn't glance at that dark corner even once.

"stop."

Li Ang stopped moving and slowly turned around.

A tall figure emerged from the darkness.

The man was wearing black overalls and a welding mask with dark lenses, obscuring his features.

He was holding a pistol in his hand, pointing it directly at Li Ang.