"Asking about our relationship? Back at that citywide meeting, I spoke up for you so much, doesn't that make it obvious?"
"I also think our relationship is pretty clear. But Olov doesn't seem to know. I guess it's because he has no friends in the government sector?"
Qin Siyang stroked his chin, thinking, "That old man. Is he just a loner?"
"I'm not familiar with him. But in Area 14121, it seems like hardly anyone is close to him. Maybe all his friends are in high-end places like the Sigma District, and he doesn't even bother interacting with people like us."
"Xiao Qin, I'm telling you this just to give you a heads-up. I doubt Olov has any real suspicions."
"Got it. Thanks."
After chatting for a bit more, Qin Siyang took his leave.
Throughout the entire conversation, Qian Wenzhao never once asked whether Qin Siyang was involved in the theft of the divine remains.
Maybe because, regardless of whether Qin Siyang had anything to do with it, it wouldn't change their relationship.
———
On the bus back to school, Qin Siyang mulled over things again.
'Olov has no evidence proving I am the one who stole the divine remains.'
Trying to stir things up, he was probably just trying to keep Qin Siyang in check.
As for why? Qin Siyang had no clue.
If it was just pure curiosity, that might fool someone like Shen Shisong.
'All this fuss over a few scraps of trash? That guy's been biting onto me like a rabid dog. Olov really is a pain in the ass.'
'Should I just take him out?'
'...Forget it. I don't even know his real Sequence rank. And the forces backing him seem deep. Best not to provoke this trouble for now. A few months later, when I enter university, I'll be out of sight, out of mind.'
———
By the time Qin Siyang arrived at school, classes had already ended.
He went to check the library. The doors were locked, 'Looks like Wen Shu has gone home.'
Then he returned to the principal's office, 'Empty as well.'
Ever since Li Tianming was confronted by Chen Fenghe, he hadn't been organizing activities in the office anymore and had been keeping regular hours.
Qin Siyang, bored, booted up Li Tianming's computer, planning to browse his hard drive. Only to find it had been completely wiped.
"Heh! Decisive."
With nothing else to do, Qin Siyang opened Sequence Education and continued reading posts about the special recruitment.
After checking out this year's school rankings for special recruitment, he shut down the computer and went to bed early.
.
.
.
[Blue Star Calendar: February 4, 2010]
[Western Calendar: Thursday]
[Lunar Calendar: Year of the Earth Ox, Twelfth Month, Twenty-First Day – Auspicious for Burials]
When he woke up and saw the lunar calendar's note, he immediately realized, 'Today won't be simple.'
Sure enough, Li Tianming arrived at the office early in the morning.
After closing the door, he spoke briefly: "Today, we kill Zhou Xing."
"What's the plan?"
"Zhou Xing had a meeting in another district yesterday. Today, he'll be arriving late at the Education Bureau. There's a small road between the bus stop and the bureau. We'll ambush him there and kill him."
"Why today?"
"Because today, he'll be late for work, missing the rush hour. That road will be empty, reducing complications. Plus, the only [Fragrance Seeker] in the local police station was Roylena. Since her death, no new Fragrance Seekers have been assigned. This is the perfect time to act."
"How do we kill him?"
"I'll use Earth Bind to hold him down. You finish him off as fast as possible."
"What about the weapon? I can't use my own God-Hunting Dagger, it carries my aura. And using the Blind Judge would make it too easy to identify me."
"Use this," Li Tianming pulled a God-Hunting Dagger from his waist and tossed it to Qin Siyang.
Qin Siyang examined it, "Whose dagger is this?"
"A dead man's relic."
"And after he's dead?"
"We split up. I'll take his head and flee. You handle his body. Then we rendezvous here."
"That's what you call splitting up, huh? How do we erase our scent?"
"Use this potion. As long as it's not a high-level Fragrance Seeker, there won't be any issues."
Li Tianming pulled out a small red glass bottle.
Qin Siyang didn't ask further.
Li Tianming had given enough answers regarding Zhou Xing's assassination.
Excessive curiosity was the beginning of broken trust.
"Alright."
"Wear Cold-Resistant Suit when we head out, prevents exposure."
"If we're wearing Cold-Resistant Suit, then after the job, we should exit through Safe Zone 38324, not return here. Otherwise, it'd be too suspicious."
Li Tianming narrowed his eyes, "You planning to scam me again? Trying to lure me out to hunt gods with you?"
"How could this be a scam. I'm just thinking about our safety."
Li Tianming sighed, "Fine. In that case, we'll have to bring backpacks."
"Yeah."
To avoid suspicion, they got off the bus two stops before their target location, at Safe Zone 38324's exit.
Their ambush point was two stops away from here.
"Let's hurry," With that, Li Tianming turned into a dark alley, then shot off like an arrow.
'That speed. Definitely not something a Sequence Level 3 should be capable of.'
Seeing this, Qin Siyang instantly understood, 'Li Tianming isn't holding back. He is rushing to the ambush site to kill Zhou Xing as fast as possible.'
So, he immediately sped up to follow.
The two of them sprinted at full speed through the dark alleys. Even if a Sequence Ability user saw them, they'd find it terrifying.
Qin Siyang and Li Tianming ran side by side, exchanging a knowing glance and a smirk.
Sequence Level 3? That's a lie.
Two stops—less than ten minutes.
Once they arrived, they sprayed themselves with the red potion and hid in the shadows by the roadside, waiting for Zhou Xing.
About an hour later, Zhou Xing finally appeared.
Holding their breath, the two men prepared for a fatal strike as he got closer.
Zhou Xing had felt uneasy since waking up. His eyelids had been twitching nonstop. But he had no idea why.
No matter how cautious he was, no matter how deep his background, he never could have guessed—two incredibly powerful Sequence users were lying in wait by the roadside, ready to kill him.
He didn't even consider that, as an education bureau officer, he could be marked for death.
So, when he suddenly lost the ability to move, his first reaction wasn't fear, but confusion.
He thought he was hallucinating.
But that confusion didn't last long.
Because in the next moment, his vision rotated, 360 degrees.
He saw the road ahead. The trees. The starry sky. Then the trees again. The road behind. And his own back.
Zhou Xing's mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say something.
But no sound came out.
THUD!
His body collapsed onto the ground.
As his consciousness faded…
As he plunged into eternal darkness…
A hand grabbed his severed head, stuffing it into a dark space—bringing his eternal night even sooner.
[T/N: It was a good chapter]
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