by <unknown>
"However, it is still practical to select a batch of central descendants in the four vast families who boast abundant resources and therefore will absolutely not be bought over by the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, like Li Wuji.
"An elite commando team made of a hundred or so strong core descendants will be able to infiltrate the Seven Seas Grand Market and wait for an opportunity to launch a critical strike. As long as Jin Yuyan is taken down, and preferably, great damage is caused to the Seven Seas Grand Market, the credit of the free coin and the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors will definitely hit the rock bottom. As long as the free coin is devalued by twenty to thirty percent, there will be crazy dumps and bank runs. Once the tide of panic is formed, both the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the reformists will be screwed!"
"It's a very comprehensive analysis."
Li Yao said, "The corrupt leaders of the four families, as high-level Immortal Cultivators, will never trust the people at the bottom level. In their eyes, the bottom-level people are as untrustworthy as the bottom-level Immortal Cultivators. Therefore, a commando team made of the central disciples who are few in number but have high combat abilities will be their best option.
"That boy Li Wuji vaguely received messages from the family too. It seems that a batch of descendants of the Li family was selected for a confidential mission. While he did not know the nature of the mission, he saw the list of the participants, whose specialty was stealth and assassination.
"He also learned that the core descendants of the other few families who had similar talents were also secretly selected and mobilized. Nobody knew where they were sent to. It's not like that they snuck into the capital to assassinate the queen, right? It would be too insane and unpromising!
"So, I dare say that quite a few squads of elite assassins from the four families are ambushing near the 'Commodity Market' right now. They have taken the most advantageous spots of assassination, like the ventilation tubes or sewers you mentioned. So, why do I have to join them? With my identity today, I will not crawl into a ventilation tube that other people have already crawled once!"
"That explains a lot, but it still doesn't make sense, Brother Yao—"
Thinking for a moment, Li Jialing asked, "If the assassins from the four families have long infiltrated the Seven Seas Grand Market or even snuck into the perfect spots of assassination like you said, why haven't they done anything so far? The Seven Seas Grand Market has been quiet these days. There's no news that Jin Yuyan suffered any assassination!"
"This is exactly the tranquility before a storm. The assassins of the four families are waiting for the best opportunity."
Li Yao explained, "While Jin Yuyan is the director of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, he is not an autocratic dictator. The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors worships absolute freedom. It's more like a super conglomerate made of countless corporations. Too many interest groups are entangled behind it. The architecture of the organization is very complicated.
"Rather than a leader, it's more appropriate to say that he is the chief executive officer as well as the largest shareholder of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. He might not even be the largest shareholder, but merely the spokesperson of many powerful shareholders.
"To some extent, killing Jin Yuyan will result in chaos, but the chaos will only be temporary. The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors boasts astonishing abilities in self-recovery. Other than Jin Yuyan as the director, there are five senior leaders including the chief operating officer, chief financial officer, etc. They can totally elect one of them to replace Jin Yuyan and restore people's faith in the free coin.
"If the brief window is not seized to launch an assault at the Seven Seas Space Zone, the assassination with such a great cost will be for nothing.
"Then, what exactly is the 'brief window'? The best scenario is that the moment the Seven Seas Grand Market is reduced to chaos because of Jin Yuyan's sudden death, and all the guards, mercenaries, and business teams are in a panic, the 'coalition fleet of the four families' will be teleported. Countless starships show up at the edge of the Seven Seas Space Zone, wreaking mayhem on the heart of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors!
"In such a case, none in the coalition will dare to slack off or procrastinate. Now that the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors is failing, the free coins in their hands will be as good as nothing. The only way they can make up for their losses is to loot the Seven Seas Grand Market. I imagine that it is exactly the purpose of the four families.
"Right now, the coalition fleet of the four families hasn't been fully gathered. They certainly wouldn't rush into the assassination.
"However, according to the secret intelligence that Boss Bai sent to us the last time, however slow and unwilling the local armed forces in the peripheral worlds were, they were mostly prepared for the space jump.
"The four families have also dispatched a few rather tough senior fleets to supervise the attack, with almost ten lords of the same level as Li Wuji as supervisors. It's obvious that they are doing it for real.
"According to Boss Bai's estimation, in a couple of days, the general attack at the Seven Seas Grand Market will begin. The defense system at the edge of the Seven Seas Space Zone may seem indestructible, but when thousands of starships appear at the same time and all their cannons glow, the whole space will be set on fire!
"It was two days ago when Boss Bai sent the message. In other words, the assassination may begin at any moment. Chances are that Jin Yuyan's life will be ended today, which is his inevitable doom that has nothing to do with my arrival at all!"
Li Jialing immediately grew anxious. "Then, should we stop the assassins of the four families?"
"We'll wait and see. The defense forces of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors are not dead people. According to rumors, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors has hired the four greatest assassin groups at the edge of the Imperium that have the highest success rate, namely 'Black Flag', 'Bloody Skull', 'Life Claimer', and 'Lamp of Death'. Those are the best brands in the circle of killers and assassins. If they have been hired as the security team of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, how would Jin Yuyan be killed so easily? There won't be any need for us to do anything!"
Li Yao lowered his voice and said, "Although it's just a rumor, I believe that it is true after my observation. If the strongest groups of assassins in the Imperium were not hired by them, why would the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors be so imprudent in security checks when a great war is coming?
"I'm suspicious that they are intentionally easing the alertness of the outsiders. As a matter of fact, hundreds of ace assassins in the old days and best bodyguards today may be observing us in secret exactly this moment."
Li Jialing immediately grew anxious.
"Don't be so nervous. It's true that the situation today is rather complicated, but the more complicated it is, the more convenient it will be for us to take advantage of! If the enemy is a united team, how can the two of us expect to compete with them even though I am one of the top three experts of the Imperium in terms of the comprehensive capabilities?"
Li Yao said, "All in all, the key to the battle of Seven Seas that is about to break out lies not in the vast sea of stars but exactly around us. This will be a thrilling battle of assassins joined by four forces in total—the assassins sent by the four families, the assassins hired by the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and loyal to Jin Yuyan, the assassins who are hired by the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors on the surface but who are secretly loyal to Blackstar the Great, and lastly, us!
"The four players are in the game of assassins. Somebody wants to take down Jin Yuyan immediately, somebody wants to keep Jin Yuyan safe whatever it takes, and somebody does not want Jin Yuyan to die so soon but will not hesitate to kill him if Jin Yuyan discovers any anomaly… The key to the final victory
is not necessarily dependent on one's strength, but on who distinguishes friends from foes and trustworthy cooperators from malicious schemers sooner. Isn't it exciting?
"It's been a long time since I last played such an interesting game. Let's go. The game… is on!"
Chapter 2523: The Four Bands of Assassins! |
Li Yao and Li Jialing did not go straight to the "Commodity Market".
As a place where Jin Yuyan appeared every other day, the market certainly had the most thorough safety measures. It was not unusual that 50% of the crowd in the market were plain-clothes guards. Barging in recklessly and alarming the enemy was certainly not a good idea.
The two of them went to the entrance of the ventilation tube, the manhole, and the public toilet that Li Jialing found just now and secretly set up a few Cosmos Rings that could automatically retrieve magical equipment in the blind angles of the surveillance cameras.
Then, they found a few trash cans and inconspicuous corners and put down a few Cosmos Rings as fast as before.
Those Cosmos Rings had been modified by Li Yao, Xiaoming, and Wenwen with tiny, remote-control chips. When necessary, they could eject all the items stored inside at Li Yao's command.
Inside most of the Cosmos Rings, Li Yao had stored nonlethal crystal bombs, including the smoke grenades made of the ink sacs of the Black Gel Fish Dragon, the stun grenades that might cause intense dizziness and temporary loss of hearing and sight, and the shriek bombs that could unleash supersonic waves and disrupt the nervous system.
In case of an accident, those items would be the best help for them to escape or to sneak in.
It took them two hours before they found the perfect spots to plant the Cosmos Rings around the Commodity Market. After finishing the preparations, Li Yao brought Li Jialing to a lackluster, unattractive store three blocks away.
Looking at the top of the store where the patterns of muscular men were drawn by colorful lights that were now bright and now dim in cracking noises, Li Yao knew that he had come to the right place.
According to Zuo Tianying, it was the best store of strengthening drugs and high-energy nutrition drugs in the Seven Seas Grand Market, maybe even in all the peripheral worlds of the Imperium.
Such a store was naturally not a retailer but mainly focused on bulk sales on the Spiritual Nexus. They did not bother to look at the businesses whose amounts were below a million free coins.
However, when it came to the high-end strengthening drugs and nutrition drugs, such as those provided for the experts in the Core Formation Stage or the Nascent Soul Stage to advance into higher levels, it seemed inappropriate to trade such critical things on the Spiritual Nexus.
Therefore, the merchant still established a store in reality. It was some sort of "experience center for high-end clientele", where the VIPs could examine goods in person. If they found the food satisfactory, they could purchase in bulk and become stable, long-term clients.
Li Yao and Li Jialing pushed the door and walked in. The decoration inside was as shabby as the outside of the store, as if it were a restaurant with barely any business. The only person inside the store was an indifferent old man with extremely long eyebrows, who was sitting behind the counter. Although two customers had just entered, he was as casual as before and showed no intention of greeting them at all.
Naturally, Li Yao and Li Jialing did not have the VIP cards of this place, but they did carry the super VIP cards that were universally applicable. Li Yao moved forward and extended his index finger flamboyantly, playing with an extravagant-looking Cosmos Ring. Then, he retrieved more than ten translucent, colorful marrow crystals from his Cosmos Ring and listed them on the counter.
Those marrow crystals rolled on the counter, colliding with each other into a brilliance that was almost concrete. The air seemed to have become an ocean of colors. The light and shadow of the marrow crystals condensed into countless raging, splendid dragons.
The colorful dragons crawled into the old man's face. Even the experienced manager was lost for a moment. Although he got control of himself very soon, his slightly shivering eyebrows still revealed the shock in his heart.
Li Yao smiled and extended his finger again, retrieving the marrow crystals into the Cosmos Ring one after another, but he snapped the last one into the old man's hands.
The old man grasped it subconsciously, with greed on his face. Realizing that he had lost control of himself again, he couldn't help but get upset. There was no telling he was mumbling to himself or showing friendliness to Li Yao. "What nice 'Nine-Colored Dragon Chasing Crystals'. It's been years since I last saw such pure, good items. How may I help you, honorable guests?"
"I need to kill someone in the near future."
Li Yao went to the topic straightforwardly without further ado. "My enemy is between the middle level and the high level of the Nascent Soul Stage, with two to three ultimate crystal suits. I do not intend to ask anybody to do the job but want to complete it on my own. I'm afraid that I would be heavily wounded in the process. My friend told me that you had all kinds of drugs. That's why I'm here to take a look. Is there any drug that can make my combat ability soar and keep the state for at least six hours?"
The old man observed the "Nine-Colored Dragon Chasing Crystal" again and again before he retreated it into his Cosmos Ring. Turning more amiable, he nodded his head and said, "Yes. There's a new drug named 'Tiger Demon Bone Exploding Pill', which can improve the explosive strength of the experts in the Nascent Soul Stage by more than 5% for eight to ten hours. There will be some sequela in three days after the medicine is taken, but there won't be any long-term side effects if it is taken with our other neutralization drugs."
"Good."
Li Yao continued, "After the man is down, I may be faced with the elites under his command, who may be dozens of experts above average. Naturally, it is unnecessary for me to take down all of them, but I have to be at least able to get away from their siege. Therefore, I need a drug that can quickly recover my spiritual energy and physical strength. I've tried most of the products on the market but find none of them satisfactory. It doesn't matter how great the side effects are as long as the drugs can help me through the hunting!"
The old man replied without batting an eye, "We have what you need. Regarding the experts in the Nascent Soul Stage, our store provides dozens of instantaneous recovery drugs of different natures for the VIPs to choose from. They are all the unique products of our store whose prescriptions and ingredients cannot be found on the market."
Li Yao nodded his head in satisfaction. "Alright. Give me those two drugs and the best high-energy nutrition drugs in your place. Is there any place where I can test the drugs?"
"Of course there is, please follow me, honorable guest."
The old man finally grew warm and guided Li Yao and Li Jialing to the back of the store. The store might look unattractive, but there was more in the back. It was a private, quiet area with luxurious decorations. The old man brought Li Yao and Li Jialing to a suite with training facilities and automatic test equipment before he presented a dozen of strengthening drugs and high-energy nutrition drugs for them to examine. Then, he turned around and left.
Li Yao told Li Jialing that since a great war was coming, the Seven Seas Grand Market must be heavily guarded and was not half as sloppy as it appeared to be. The hotels around the Commodity Market were particularly guarded. They would likely be discovered if they checked in at a hotel and regarded it as their base.
However, in this place, it was quite normal to spend days testing an ultimate strengthening drug. They could stay here with a perfect excuse without being suspected by anyone.
Being qualified to open the best drug center in the Seven Seas Grand Market, the owner of the store certainly had unquestionable capabilities. The privacy and safety of the customers must've been well protected. So, they could take operation without worrying about anything.
Although he was talking about that, Li Yao still scanned the insid
e and outside of the whole suite with a piece of detection magical equipment, confirming that there wasn't any crystal camera or bug. He then established his own soundproof and alarm systems. Finally reassured, he retrieved the items that he needed as well as a special helmet that could enhance brainwaves. The helmet was a duplication of the "super brainwave magnifier" that the Nepenthe believers below the capital of the Imperium used. It could expand the range of Li Yao's remote control, private talk, and other techniques multiple times.
Of course, Li Yao did not turn down the strengthening drugs that the old man offered either. Reading the instructions, he swallowed almost ten dosages to stimulate his brain cells to the maximum.
"Brother Yao—"
Li Jialing asked, "What am I going to do?"
"Read those files first. It will be best if you can memorize all the assassination cases."
Li Yao tossed over a jade chip. "They're all about the four greatest assassin groups at the edge of the Imperium, particularly the leaders of the groups. I hope that you can figure out their operation patterns and the styles of their assassinations so that you can find the four most dangerous persons from around."
For the selfish, dog-eat-dog Immortal Cultivators, each had plenty of enemies. Killing was anything but unusual. Once in a while, everybody would need to earn some money by working as an assassin or hire an assassin to kill someone for themselves. It was a basic, rigid demand.
However, the traditional assassination industry was faced with serious problems, such as obstacles in communication, risks of fraudulence, and the trust crisis between the employers and the assassins.
How to find the suitable assassins, how to be convinced by the assassin's strength and promise, how to ensure that they would not be killed by the assassin during payment, how to ensure that the assassin would not blackmail them afterward… The problems could barely be resolved and became the genetic deficiencies that blocked the development of the industry.