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墨書 Inktalez
Beiyue, Mi Xiaonan, and Cui Ming had no interest in Eva and Regis. At least those two had their principles; as long as they weren't the targets of assassination or attack, it didn't matter much. The most dangerous was Joker Jack, whose motives for attacking Mi Xiaonan remained a mystery, especially since he seemed intent on eliminating her.
However, Joker Jack's weakness lay in the brief moments when he became visible while using his stealth. Once he escaped again, Cui Ming would have no Fate Card in hand and would be nearly unable to pursue him. Although Cui Ming was clever, he wasn't omniscient enough to predict Joker Jack's escape route. Sure enough, as they chased after him, they discovered that Joker Jack hadn't fled in a triangular formation with the other two; he was likely heading toward Eva. They could still pursue him, but it would be risky. Given their speed, only Mi Xiaonan and Beiyue could keep up. If Eva received word and counter-surrounded them, they could easily take out the isolated Mi Xiaonan, turning the tables.
Beiyue had a good grasp of the situation and immediately said, "Don't chase." The risks were too high.
Meanwhile, Prince Jayce sheathed his hammer and approached them, placing one hand on his chest and bowing slightly. "Thank you all; you scared me to death. I thought you three were assassins." He implied that if they were indeed assassins, they would demand money, life, or favors—whatever they wanted.
Cui Ming looked at Jayce and replied, "You're quite lucky; we were just passing by."
"Fate has its own designs," Jayce said. "I'll thank you properly later." He walked over to where the cars were parked. The bodyguards from the front and back cars gathered around as Jayce pulled the driver’s body from the flames and laid it on the roadside. Kneeling on one knee, he removed his suit jacket to cover the driver before pressing his hand against the driver's forehead and reciting words from the Cult of the Gods scripture. Standing up, Jayce addressed the head of his bodyguards: "You don't need to follow me anymore. Send out one car; we'll leave first while you handle the aftermath." As long as they didn't follow Jayce, they wouldn't be in danger.
...
Jayce drove toward Twilight City with the four of them in tow. He remained silent throughout the journey, and Beiyue's trio didn't ask any questions until after a while when Jayce finally spoke up: "This is the second assassination attempt; it's retaliation."
"Retaliation?" Cui Ming interjected impatiently. Could you just finish your thought?
"A month ago, a prince from Shack City—our neighboring country—was drinking in Twilight City and then racing with friends in the city. After modifications, his car reached speeds of up to one hundred twenty kilometers per hour (real electric cars can reach speeds of six hundred kilometers). I intercepted him, and then the driver died. That prince was extremely wealthy," Jayce explained. "I didn't expect cultivators to come after me; the first time it was a sniper—a regular person whom I let go. I never imagined this time three cultivators would come after me, two of whom are top assassins."
Cui Ming pondered for a moment before saying, "It should be the other way around; they needed money and discovered that a wealthy man's son had died. They must have realized you were a cultivator and approached him for a price. But why are Eva and Regis mixed up with Jack?" Even more puzzling was whether they truly needed money this badly; the Ye Family wasn't to be trifled with. Even if they were robbing the treasury, they wouldn't attack royalty in Twilight City.
Jayce was well aware of the situation. "Don't you know? Eva and Regis have formed an Evil Squad to participate in this year's assessment. Initially, they planned to kidnap a professor from Dawn City to obtain the information they needed to select their teammates. However, it seems they faced setbacks in Dawn City, and subsequently spread recruitment news in Twilight City and the Dawn Empire. It is said that only Joker Jack was willing to join them, but Regis and his group refused to team up with Jack... As for why they came to assassinate me, I'm not entirely sure. Regis and the Joker are not on the same side; while they might kill me for their own interests, they wouldn't collaborate."
Beiyue interjected, "There was a detail earlier—when Regis and Eva saw us, they intended to retreat. I think they might not have known that the Joker would take action, or even that Joker Jack was nearby."
Cui Ming slapped his thigh. "I get it now! They were actually two separate groups. If Joker Jack had been with them, when you jumped out of the car, it would have been the Joker waiting for you, not Regis. The Joker wanted to take advantage of the situation. When we were about to split up to pursue Eva and Regis, he moved closer to you. Once I figured him out, Eva and Regis saw that our attention was focused on Joker Jack—Beiyue went after him while Mi Xiaonan and I were mostly focused on the Joker. That was when they saw their opportunity and tried to counterattack. Eva trapped me but didn't intend to kill me; she wanted Mi Xiaonan to come back for support. Regis pushed Mi Xiaonan back, and by then Eva had already released me. The two of them aimed to enter the battlefield and surround you. But they underestimated you; just as they were about to engage, Eva got severely injured by you. At the same time, Beiyue saw me being captured and immediately rushed back for support, abandoning Joker Jack. Regis isn't an assassin; he can't quickly resolve a fight. Seeing Eva escape, he retreated as well. After using a smoke bomb, he lingered for a moment before noticing we were pursuing Joker Jack and then withdrew. If we had been chasing Eva instead, he might have tried to hold us back."
Cui Ming continued, "Analyzing the battle carefully, it should have unfolded like this, right? So from this perspective, they are indeed two separate groups and not allies. Could it be that Regis and Eva were unaware of Jayce's strength while Joker Jack was well-informed? If that's the case, it explains all possibilities. That's why Eva got injured by you; she thought you only had close-range attack methods." He still found it strange—what conditions did that wealthy fool offer them that made them willing to risk their lives? Money? While money is important, there are many ways for cultivators to acquire wealth.
Jayce glanced at Cui Ming in the rearview mirror. "You're quite boring; we've already fought, yet you're here talking a lot of nonsense afterward just to show off your cleverness."
"Hey, I just saved you."
"Fair is fair; I'm grateful that you saved me. But your post-fight analysis annoys me. I appreciate what you did but can't help my dislike for your analysis. Besides, listening to your entire explanation is already a form of respect towards my savior." Jayce waved his right hand dismissively. "Alright then, since we're talking about saving lives, how do we repay this? Unless you encounter danger again and I'm conveniently nearby—which is unlikely—you might as well consider converting this into monetary compensation."
Cui Ming had no retort against this truth; this guy really didn't hold back when it came to men. At that moment, Beiyue replied with a single word: "Scram."
Cui Ming and Mi Xiaonan clapped together. "Well said!"
"The truth is often unappreciated," Jayce sighed.
Beiyue responded, "The purpose of saving someone isn't for repayment but for one's own peace of mind. It's like returning lost money; if someone finds twenty thousand dollars and returns it to its owner but only receives two hundred as thanks—if it were about money, why not just keep the twenty thousand?"
"That makes sense." Jayce had zero debate skills against women.
Cui Ming said, "Beiyue, I disagree. I believe we should encourage honesty in returning lost items by providing a specific reward amount. Based on our understanding of human nature, I don't think we've reached a level of universal integrity in society. Here's an idea: ten thousand yuan, with the law mandating a 10% reward for the person who finds it. If the owner doesn't claim it within a few months, that ten thousand yuan should belong to the finder and not become government revenue."
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