After the darkness!

Chapter 024 Trading

A deep voice came from the shadows of the stairs.

Lin Yijue looked up and saw a man in a black trench coat standing there. His brow bone was cut into a cold, hard line by shadows, and there was a faint scar under his left eye, like a period carved by a knife.

"You should be more saddened by its death—" He toyed with a silver lighter in his hand, the flame flickering on his face. "After all... in a way, you two are the same kind."

As he spoke, click.

The lighter was switched off, and the flame went out.

Lin Yijue's pupils contracted in the darkness. He couldn't quite understand what the other person was saying.

And to appear at this time dressed like this...

"Who are you?" His back tensed instinctively, and his right hand pressed lightly against his side—there was a broken pipe that he had just broken off from the fire hydrant, its surface still stained with the monster's black blood.

The man's gaze swept over his movements, a faint smile playing on his lips: "In some ways, just like you."

He glanced at the black monster on the ground. "It just didn't survive that ordeal and turned into a monster. The police will be here in ten minutes at most. Do you want your secret to be exposed, or do you want to leave with me?"

Lin Yijue's heart skipped a beat. At first, he thought the other person was referring to the talent tree on his body, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that it wasn't.

So the only explanation is... a strange illness he has?

"I don't understand what you're saying," his voice was deep. "But advising someone to go with a stranger on the first meeting... you should be worried about being seen as an accomplice of a monster. I have people in the armed forces."

He paused for a moment before responding.

It was their first meeting, and he wasn't stupid; he naturally wouldn't believe everything the other person said.

The man opposite him immediately changed his expression, completely taken aback.

The two fell silent for a moment.

Noise began to rise from the surrounding private rooms, and the faint sound of police sirens could be heard downstairs.

It seems the police will arrive soon.

"You should have noticed that the hunger in your body is getting worse and worse. It's not an illness, but a curse. With your current physical condition, once you awaken your first form, you'll be just like her."

Two minutes later, the man suddenly spoke, quickly saying, "Let's make a deal? It'll be good for both of us."

"Okay," Lin Yijue immediately replied. "I need a method to suppress the strange illness in my body, and to know its origin."

The man was stunned. He looked at Lin Yijue and vaguely felt like he had been tricked by a merchant when he was bargaining for something and thought he had gotten a great deal.

"...Okay, but I need you to do me a favor." The man's displeasure vanished in an instant.

"Okay," Lin Yijue replied quickly.

"Why aren't you as cautious as you were before?" The man asked, somewhat surprised. It seemed that now the other party believed whatever he said.

"How do you know I believe everything you say?" Lin Yijue retorted. "If you don't make a decision soon, the police will be here in six minutes at most. Do you want your secret to be exposed, or do you want to make a deal with me?"

"..." The man's expression changed slightly; he felt that the other person was deliberately mimicking his speech.

"Come with me. I'm not lying to you. It's no good for people like us to be discovered by the authorities." He took a deep breath and whispered.

"If we leave like this, we won't be discovered?" Lin Yijue asked rhetorically.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" the man retorted again. "This karaoke bar is my property, and everyone here is mine. All traces will be covered up, otherwise we wouldn't be talking here for so long," he explained.

The moment the words fell, it seemed to be proving something.

Six or seven strong men in suits suddenly appeared in the corridor.

Each of them is about two meters tall.

Lin Yijue fell silent.

He listened carefully; the sirens were getting louder, but it would still be at least several more minutes before the police arrived.

In this situation, it seems there's nothing he can do except listen to the other party.

"I hope you're not lying to me," he replied, feigning sincerity.

"Don't worry, I'm not that bored," the man said dismissively. "Come on, follow me. By the way, I'm Wang Mingde from the Old Capital District."

The other party introduced himself using only the region as a prefix, as if his reputation meant that only one condition was needed to find him.

"My name is Lin Yijue, Lin Yijue from the Old Capital District." Lin Yijue answered directly without showing any fear.

To be honest, although he may have a great reputation, he really didn't know who the other person was.

"Remember, I don't like it when people mimic me. Don't do it again next time," Wang Mingde said earnestly.

"Okay, I don't like others mimicking my speech either," Lin Yijue replied.

"..." Wang Mingde was speechless.

"I'm too lazy to talk to you. Just come with me. If you don't leave now, you'll be in for a lot more trouble."

As he spoke, he turned and walked in another direction, snapping his fingers along the way.

A group of men in black came out from behind and began cleaning up the scene.

Lin Yijue let out a breath, struggled to get up, and staggered to catch up.

After two consecutive fights, given his current physical condition, if it weren't for Xiao Cheng's boxing skills and his innate ability to control distance and enhance his basic attacks, he would probably have died like the homeless people long ago.

No, that's not right. What's more important is that he wasn't afraid.

Whether it's talent or skill, compared to these, if you're not facing a life-or-death situation, and you're not ruthless and decisive in your attacks, even if you've mastered boxing, you'll most likely still die.

However, this unexpected incident, though thrilling, was also quite rewarding.

As Lin Yijue followed Wang Mingde, he finally looked at his own talent tree information.

There have been significant changes compared to before.

[Yun Sheng Boxing Technique: Minor Achievement (76%)]

"Talent Tree: Novice Boxer (Young Tree Stage)"

"Energy collection rate 28.4%, number of evolution attempts: 1, evolutionary path: insufficient information, unknown."

[Tree - Talented Boxer (White): A boxing prodigy. Possesses superhuman sense of distance and rhythm; his fighting instincts allow him to predict his opponent's movements within 0.3 seconds.]

[Leaf - Double Strike (White): After 5 consecutive normal attacks, the 6th attack will automatically trigger an additional strike, increasing its power by 30%.]

[Leaf - Superior Endurance (White): Increases base endurance by 50% and delays muscle fatigue threshold.]

Power: 7.8

Agility: 6.1

Physical condition: 5.5

Willpower: 6.9

The attributes are greatly improved.

First, there's Yun Sheng's boxing experience. In two life-or-death battles, his boxing experience bar increased by more than half.

In terms of attributes, Strength increased by 0.3 again, and Consciousness also quietly climbed by 0.1.

Just as the martial arts novels I read in my previous life said: between life and death, there is great terror, but also great opportunity.

Fortunately, in this battle, I was the one who won.

He was still somewhat unsure why his strength had increased.

Could it really be related to the strange illness he has?