Qi Xu hesitated for a moment before scanning the code and paying 4,000 Survival Coins.
"I want to hire four A-rank assassins!" Zhu Fu was right—since they were already enemies, it was best to crush them early and leave no chance for retaliation.
At present, Qi Xu believed that in a direct confrontation, he stood no chance against those two B-rank assassins.
As for Happyending, they’d be even less of a match for four A-rank assassins. They might die in the first encounter. Spending a few extra Survival Coins didn’t matter; the important thing was to swiftly eliminate this petty, vindictive nuisance.
[The favorability of Black Frost Python, leader of the Assassin Hall, toward you has increased by 10 points. Current favorability: 50.]
The giant black snake grinned from ear to ear, its little heart fluttering with excitement. "No problem, no problem! Don’t worry, I’ll pick the four most handsome assassins to take care of him!"
"Handsome or not doesn’t matter—I want them to be strong!"
"Got it."
Qi Xu couldn’t handle the black snake’s coquettish demeanor. Its usual sinister, venomous personality suited it much better...
"After counter-killing ten of your assassins, can I become a VIP at your shop? What are the benefits of being a VIP?"
The black snake nodded briskly. "As a VIP, not only do you get a 20% discount, but you can also use the VIP card as a location marker for the Assassin Hall. You can even modify an order once—though there’s a service fee."
Qi Xu’s eyes lit up. "Does this counter-kill rule apply to all ranks? And can the VIP card be transferred to someone else?"
"All ranks, as long as our mission fails. As for transferring it... the manual doesn’t say."
The black snake looked puzzled and began flipping through the Hall Leader’s inherited manual.
Qi Xu frowned. Zhu Fu had clearly said that counter-killing ten S-rank assassins was required to become a VIP...
"You’re losing out big time. There’s a bug here—I’m placing another order."
"Huh?"
Before the black snake could react, Qi Xu pulled out another 10 Survival Coins.
On the screen, he typed: [Zone 88, District 666—Watch Me Slap You Silly.]
Worried the snake might get angry, Qi Xu quickly added a 10-coin tip.
"Listen, you need to fix your rules ASAP. I’m an honest person, but if I weren’t, I could’ve made a huge profit. Imagine this: I hire an F-rank assassin to target a powerful human. The F-rank would obviously fail, and that human would get your VIP card. Then I’d come back and place that 4,000-coin order with a 20% discount—only 3,200 coins. You’d lose 800 Survival Coins! Doesn’t that sting?
"Especially since your VIP card is transferable! That opens up even more loopholes to exploit."
The black snake’s brain short-circuited from Qi Xu’s explanation. Clutching the 10-coin tip, it felt its tiny brain struggling to keep up—a clear downside of having limited intellect.
"Fine, how do I fix it?"
"First, make sure the order I just placed can’t be changed—the one targeting ‘Watch Me Slap You Silly.’"
The black snake bared its fangs and nodded vigorously. "Deal!"
Only then did Qi Xu grin. "Make it so counter-killing ten B-rank assassins is required for VIP status. Also, VIP cards can’t be transferred—they must be registered under real names."
Qi Xu figured this change wouldn’t affect him since the assassins after him were B-rank anyway. It’d just raise the bar slightly—not a bad deal.
The black snake kept nodding, but something still felt off, as if it had been tricked. Its thoughts were written all over its face.
Qi Xu hurriedly added, "Don’t think you’re losing out. If I hadn’t told you today, some scheming human players might’ve discovered this bug and spread the word. Imagine everyone coming to milk you dry—wouldn’t that piss you off?"
The Black Frost Python nodded furiously. Of course it would! The thought of losing so much money was infuriating!
But then it realized—this "Invincible Black Whirlwind" was a good person. No wonder his nickname had "black" in it; he was downright honorable!
"You’ve got a good heart!"
Qi Xu smiled. "No worries, we’re friends now. Here, let’s add each other as friends. Do you like candy? I’ll hurry back and scavenge more supply crates. If I find any, I’ll give it to you!"
[The favorability of Black Frost Python, leader of the Assassin Hall, toward you has increased by 5 points. Current favorability: 55.]
"Yes! Add me! I’ll save any good stuff for you too."
The black snake even shyly shook its head after saying this.
Qi Xu felt a twinge of guilt, as if he’d tricked an innocent child—but the thought vanished quickly. This wasn’t deception; it was honest communication and mutual understanding between humans and monsters!
After adding the snake as a friend, Qi Xu asked something that had been bothering him.
"Why did I sense you already had high favorability toward me when I first arrived?"
The black snake answered truthfully, "Heh, business has been slow lately. I thought I’d be stuck at the bottom of the performance rankings till year-end. But you’re so easy to hate—plus you brought me a huge order! Of course I like you!"
Qi Xu understood now. This snake was really something.
"I’d better get going, Ah-Snake. I need to hurry and scavenge supply crates to find candy for you."
"Ah, you’re that busy? I was planning to send assassins after you the moment you left."
Qi Xu's corner of his mouth twitched. "Ahem, well, daytime's packed. No time for that. Have them come at 6 PM instead."
"...Is that really okay?" The snake hesitated.
"Of course! Aren’t we friends? Friends trust and help each other, right? That’s just how it works."
Qi Xu patiently explained with a smile.
The snake nodded. "You’re right. Fine, 6 PM it is."
"Great! I won’t bother you anymore. Get some rest—look at those dark circles! Tsk tsk, staying up late is terrible for you. Don’t take youth for granted. No need to see me out. Bye, Ah-Snake!"
Before the snake could say more, Qi Xu had already vanished outside the Assassin Hall.
Stationary monster NPCs weren’t allowed to leave their posts without special circumstances...
Having someone to chat with felt nice. Ah-Snake was quite happy. But money had been paid, so work had to be done. It crafted four A-rank assassins, secretly boosting their vitality a little.
Black Whirlwind was an honest guy—he’d already taken such a big loss. As a friend, it was only right to do him this small favor!
Once the assassins were ready, the snake flicked its tail, sending them off to work.
Meanwhile, Xie Shaoning was also busy. After the server merge, he had to recruit members, consolidate resources, and brainwash the idiots. He hadn’t slept all night.
Only the Hunger Disaster was comfortable. At noon, when the weather was nice, he suddenly felt like getting out of the car to cook a hotpot.
But just as the stall was set up, four shadowy figures flashed past. Xie Shaoning's protective props shattered to pieces, leaving him utterly stunned. Unbelievable! Damn it! What the hell were those shadows?
..........
