You've Got a Great Future

"Shed your skin, shed your skin... Please, just hurry up and shed your skin." Even in his sleep, Han Qingyu's consciousness remained somewhat lucid. The pressure on their survival was actually much greater than it appeared. Those ranked in the top twenty of the assassin rankings were definitely top combat powers, and those ranked lower weren't necessarily any weaker. On top of that, led by Shu You, there were four overt super combat powers in the City of Iniquity. By rough estimate, at least two of them possessed strength superior to Qu Zongyan's. Recalling how grueling it had been to join forces and kill Qu Zongyan and the heavy price they had paid, and considering Han Qingyu's and Wu Xu's current conditions, as well as Plague Chicken's gun having only a single bullet left... They simply dared not reveal their sharp edges right now. They dared not go around robbing people recklessly, nor did they dare search for the Bones of Eternal Life... For this situation to change, it would most likely have to wait until Han Qingyu shed his skin. Yet nearly two months had passed, and there was still no movement on his body, leaving him with no idea when it would finally be done. By now, even Zhe Qiuhong had given up trying to predict his recovery time. She admitted she really did not understand creatures like Han Qingyu and Wu Xu. *Thump, thump...* A strange pulsating sensation like a heartbeat resonated across dozens of spots over his body. This had been happening every day when Han Qingyu slept lately. It felt as though something was growing and transforming. Even when he wasn't holding the Bone of Eternal Life, this sensation persisted. Still, he held it to sleep every day because doing so allowed him to feel a connection within the Bone of Eternal Life. Over the past few days, a pulsating sensation had even begun to stir inside the Bone of Eternal Life itself. Though faint and erratic, it was gradually moving toward synchronization. This was especially true in the horn bone. *** *Knock, knock...* Around lunchtime, urgent knocking sounded along the row of rooms as Ao Yong shouted loudly, "Wake up, wake up! Everyone up, Boss Dao is here!" Soon enough, all seven of them were standing in the ground-floor lobby. Qian Daofeng led the way, though he walked slightly to the side as he brought a man inside. The visitor was entirely alone, though whether that was because his men were almost all dead, as Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong had mentioned, remained anyone's guess. The man looked to be in his forties, tall and broadly built, with two thick, muscular arms bare from the shoulders down. At first glance, he did possess the air of a leader. *But why didn't he shave his head bald?* He Tangtang wondered. *Yeah, with only a thin ring left, why didn't he just shave it completely? Aren't bald heads supposed to look fiercer in the underworld?!* Wen Jifei stared at Boss Dao's bare crown encircled by that last fringe of hair, fighting desperately to stifle a laugh. He didn't understand that this was precisely Boss Dao's unique trademark and distinguishing feature. There were far too many bald heads in the City of Iniquity. While the others were holding back their amusement, Boss Dao stood at the doorway, staring right back at Han Qingyu in what felt like a mutual standoff. Boss Dao was called Boss Dao because he had a diagonal blade scar across his face, making him look exceptionally fierce. Han Qingyu had one as well. It was also diagonal, but it was larger and looked considerably more terrifying than his. "Ahem! Did you lot really come out of the Azure forces?" Boss Dao asked, shifting his gaze away. With a grim look, he appraised the others one by one, his eyes flashing with a brief glimmer of pleasant surprise when they landed on the iron armor. "Yes. Hello, Boss Dao," Wen Jifei said. "Hello, Boss Dao." "Hello, Boss Dao." "Good." Striding in with bold, powerful steps, Boss Dao walked past Han Qingyu. "Boss—" *Shhk!* He suddenly spun around, drawing his blade in the same motion to slash directly at Han Qingyu. The edge halted roughly twenty centimeters above Han Qingyu's head. However, Han Qingyu had already stepped back, settling into a position that had cleanly evaded the strike. *Seems decent enough, at least capable of fighting in a key position in the First Formation.* From that single strike, Han Qingyu formed a preliminary judgment of Boss Dao's combat strength. At the same time, Boss Dao's eyes lit up. "Not bad. I didn't expect you to dodge that." Han Qingyu offered a modest smile. Inwardly, he thought: *You're lucky it was me you swung at. If your ambush had targeted He Tangtang, Rusty Sister, or Wu Xu, you'd probably be lying on the floor spurting blood right now out of their sheer conditioned reflexes.* "What's your degree of fusion?" Boss Dao asked next. Han Qingyu replied, "Grade C." "Not bad! I'm Grade B." He emphasized "not bad," while tossing out "Grade B" with nonchalant ease. A subdued "Whoa!" rose from the surroundings right on cue. A flicker of satisfaction showed in his eyes, though he quickly masked it. Sheathing his blade, Boss Dao walked over and patted Han Qingyu's shoulder. "Fine. You'll work with me from now on." *Settled that quickly?* Beside them, Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong grew excited first, chiming in together, "Thank you, Boss Dao! Thank you, Boss Dao!" One had to know that even though most of Boss Dao's men were dead, he still carried quite a reputation among freelance team circles. His combat power was formidable, so there was never any shortage of people eager to join his team. Every time he formed a squad, he handpicked his recruits. Judging by his tone, A-Jing and the others might well become permanent core members down the line. Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong felt both happy and worried for them. Han Qingyu said, "Thank you, Boss Dao." "Mm, no need to be so polite among our own people. By the way, how is the combat ability of the rest of your group? Do you all understand the Three Formations?" Boss Dao turned back to ask. "We do. Everyone's decent." "All seven of you?" "No, just the five of us. The two of them won't be participating." Han Qingyu gestured toward Zhe Qiuhong and the iron armor standing off to the side. "Oh." Boss Dao glanced over and nodded slowly, looking solemn. After pondering for several seconds, he said, "Lend me the full armor." Han Qingyu blinked. "Huh?" "Lend me that set of full armor. Isn't he sitting out? Lend it to me to wear." Boss Dao's eyes burned with eager excitement as he dashed toward Rusty Sister, reaching out his hand to touch the iron armor. Who would have thought! There was actually a full set of armor here—a full armor suit! "Hey, hey, hey... What are you doing?" Boss Dao struggled, twisting his neck around. Han Qingyu stood behind him, clutching the back of his collar... which was already on the verge of tearing open. "Uh..." Meeting his eyes, Han Qingyu hesitated. He had just saved Boss Dao's life. The idiot had actually tried to reach out and touch Rusty Sister. Rusty Sister had seemed momentarily stunned and hadn't backed away in time. If he had actually laid a hand on her, he would have died the very next second. One kick would have killed him; one punch would have killed him. Or a single chop of her hand, and he would have been split in two. *How am I supposed to explain this? How do I tell him no?* Han Qingyu pondered. "It's fake. That thing is fake, Boss Dao." Qian Daofeng wasn't flustered at all, chuckling as he spoke up. "Ao Yong and I thought it was real at first too, but... Boss Dao, see for yourself. Isn't the luster all wrong? You can't even see the grain texture, right? We specifically compared it. Plus, look how new it is—not a single dent or scratch." The outer plating on Rusty Sister now came from the fragments of Iris, fused with metal blocks and source energy blocks. And Iris's dead iron originated from the Great Spike mothership on Xilang Peak. Beneath the column swords, it was likely the strongest dead iron in existence right now. In other words, if Azure were willing, the entire source energy world's weapon tier rankings would probably have to be reorganized. No one in the City of Iniquity had ever seen it; at the very least, people like Boss Dao and Qian Daofeng could never have encountered or understood it. "Is that so?" Boss Dao squinted and inspected it closely. "It really is. Look at what you people have done—what utter nonsense! Why make a fake set?" With the full armor out of reach, he felt somewhat deflated and annoyed. Qian Daofeng said, "It's a toy for a little girl." Ao Yong added, "There's a little lass inside." In fact, the two of them had developed a theory over the past couple of days: the little girl inside the armor, the one called Iron Chick, was probably extraordinarily gorgeous. That had to be why they kept her hidden like this, to avoid stirring up trouble in a place like the City of Iniquity. Doctor Zhe was already quite beautiful, with such a voluptuous, curvaceous figure, yet they didn't hide her. One could only imagine how stunning Iron Chick must be. "Iron Chick, say something. Anything will do," Qian Daofeng deliberately prompted in a serious tone. Rusty Sister hesitated for a moment, then uttered, "Mm." It truly was a young girl's voice. Boss Dao let out a silent sigh in his heart, then completely disregarded what had just transpired as if he had never asked to borrow it, taking a seat. "You all know the dangers of taking the field, right? Every moment is a matter of life and death..." Boss Dao began. He had no idea that this very room was far more dangerous; in just a short span of time, he had nearly died twice. Wen Jifei replied, "We know." "I figure you should, seeing as you've seen combat before. But since you're with me now, some things are done differently. Remember to do things my way, understand?" As the conversation got underway, Ao Yong hurried to grab a cup, and Qian Daofeng brought out the liquor they had saved up, pouring him a drink. *Gulp... Ahh!* Draining it in one breath, Boss Dao set down the cup and waved his hand to stop Qian Daofeng from pouring more. "No more, no more. I still have to go pick people this afternoon." "Just our luck, there's a job tonight," he said, turning back to them. "Can all five of you make it?" Wen Jifei answered, "We can." "All right then. Remember to come over early after dinner so everyone can get acquainted." Boss Dao turned and walked toward the door. At the threshold, he stopped and looked back at Han Qingyu. "Work hard under me, understand? I think very highly of you. You've got a great future ahead of you!" With that, he turned and swaggered out.