Chapter 39: A Real-World Transaction with Su Xiao

Early the next morning, after waking up, Lin Yi pulled a satellite phone from his suitcase.

He flipped through his contacts and dialed an eight-digit number.

A male voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, came from the other end: "Hello? You're not dead yet? Didn't you say you kicked the bucket two days ago?"

Lin Yi wasn't entirely clear on this person's identity; he only knew that his intelligence was exceptionally accurate and that he could provide the necessary information.

Ignoring the man's teasing, Lin Yi asked directly, "Cut the nonsense. Do you have any news regarding the woman who attacked me?"

The man on the other end chuckled and replied, "Of course I do. Same old rules: 1 million Chinese Yuan, via an anonymous account."

Lin Yi was long accustomed to this method of transaction. After hanging up, he immediately called a dedicated customer service representative at a Swiss bank abroad. Soon, an anonymous account number was sent to his phone.

Redialing the number, Lin Yi provided the anonymous account and password.

Half a minute later, once the transfer was confirmed, the man's tone became noticeably more cheerful.

"You don't need to look for that woman anymore; she's dead. She took a high-explosive grenade at point-blank range. Not even a god could have saved her. They say the scene was gruesome—she was left looking like a shredded rag doll. A truly miserable way to die."

Lin Yi wasn't particularly surprised to hear that the woman was dead.

However, high-explosive grenades were not supplies an ordinary person could easily obtain; there had to be a much larger power supporting her.

"Who exactly is behind her?" Lin Yi asked bluntly.

"The Vice President of the China Martial Arts Association, Zhang Tianliang," the male voice replied, giving an answer that caught Lin Yi slightly off guard.

He searched his memory carefully and found that he had never had any direct conflict with Zhang Tianliang.

"Why is he targeting me?" Lin Yi asked, puzzled.

"It's simple. Half of the martial arts gyms you've kicked are paying protection money to Zhang Tianliang. Because of your emergence, his income has taken a massive hit. Naturally, he wants to find a way to eliminate you. That woman was just a pawn he sent out," the man explained.

"Tell me his location."

"That's going to cost extra," the man said, intentionally playing hard to get.

"How much?" Lin Yi asked without hesitation.

"Three million," the man quoted.

After repeating the same process, Lin Yi received a detailed file on his phone. It recorded the addresses of Zhang Tianliang's seven villas and five mistresses, and even included detailed logs of every time he visited those locations.

As Lin Yi stared at the information on his screen, a flash of coldness crossed his eyes.

After browsing through his contacts for a while, Lin Yi finally found the number he needed.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Yi dialed the number.

"Hello? Is this Bai Ye?" Lin Yi asked tentatively.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if the person were confirming Lin Yi's identity.

Then, a crisp voice replied, "It's me. What is it?"

Lin Yi stated his purpose directly: "I have a task and need your help. I wonder if you'll take it?"

Su Xiao hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'll take it."

Lin Yi nodded and continued, "The target is the Vice President of the China Martial Arts Association, Zhang Tianliang. Name your price."

Su Xiao fell silent for a moment, then stated a figure: "Twenty million."

Lin Yi was somewhat surprised. "That expensive?" Bai Ye's price hadn't been this high before.

Su Xiao explained, "I was originally planning to retire, but since you're an acquaintance, I'll help you out one last time. This price is already a discount."

Lin Yi thought about it. Although Bai Ye's price was high, it was worth it. Tasks handled by him never left any lingering consequences, which provided great peace of mind.

"I've sent the data to you. I'll be counting on you."

Su Xiao gave a brief "Mm," and then they both hung up.

Putting his phone away, Su Xiao bought a ticket to Kyoto, preparing to take out that Zhang Tianliang.

At this moment, Zhang Tianliang was still in his villa, lost in passion with two mistresses, completely unaware that Death was already on its way.

After resolving this matter, Lin Yi felt a sense of relief.

He was not a person who liked to procrastinate. If he had a grudge, he settled it on the spot; if he couldn't, he noted it down and waited for the opportunity to strike.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a week had gone by.

[Ding! A new derivative world is about to open. The Hunter will return to the Reincarnation Paradise. Please ensure there are no witnesses around you.]

[Teleporting... Teleportation complete.]

Lin Yi felt his consciousness waver and his ears ring. Once everything stabilized, he found himself inside his private room.

"Paradise, which derivative world will I be entering?"

[Hunter Level: Lv.2. You can receive notification ten minutes before entering a derivative world. The Hunter will enter the derivative world in one hour. Please wait patiently.]

Lin Yi understood. It turned out he could learn about the upcoming derivative world in advance, but this required a certain level.

The higher the level, the earlier the notification, giving him more time to prepare.

Currently, he could only be notified ten minutes in advance. This time was neither short nor long; it was indeed a bit tight if he wanted to make thorough preparations.

Lin Yi left his private space and headed toward a trading market.

It was a circular plaza, teeming with people and incredibly lively.

Although items were sold all over the Reincarnation Paradise, this place had the highest foot traffic and was not lacking in high-quality goods.

The sounds of shouting vendors and haggling customers rose and fell, weaving into a unique symphony.

Lin Yi wove through the crowd. He still had about ten thousand Paradise Coins on him and intended to purchase some supplies.

From what he knew, the dangers of a derivative world did not only come from plot characters; many times, harsh natural environments were also a major threat.

For example, in Skypiea from *One Piece*, dark clouds blanketed the entire island, and lightning struck the land every moment.

Once caught in such an environment, one could easily be killed by the surroundings without sufficient preparation.

Lin Yi stopped in front of a stall selling recovery items and observed several Contractors gathered there, looking somewhat hesitant.

He had specifically looked into this stall before. Most Contractors gave it a good review. The owner was an Employee, who frequently operated a stall here.

Compared to Contractor stalls, Employee stalls were usually more secure and reliable.

Many Contractors, after obtaining rare items in a derivative world, often treated them as treasures and marked them with exorbitant prices—sometimes so ridiculous they drove people away.

However, Employees were different.

They had spent years navigating the trading market and knew the prices in the Reincarnation Paradise like the back of their hands. They knew exactly which items were most popular at what time and how to price them appropriately.

Furthermore, they did not dare to inflate prices recklessly. They also needed to enter derivative worlds to adventure, and if they went too far, they might face retaliation from other Contractors.

At this moment, the prices of recovery-type items in the market had generally risen by about 10%.

This was due to market demand; even under the Paradise's control, prices would rise of their own accord.

After all, in the danger-filled derivative worlds, the importance of recovery items was self-evident; they were indispensable life-saving tools for every Contractor.

(End of Chapter)