Chapter 178: Chapter 167: Decisive Action, No More Talk

"..." Gao Neng actually had no experience with this kind of thing.

Back in the Forgotten Land, he had heard plenty and even seen a few things. But this was his first time actually doing it himself. An expert he was not.

’What should I do now?’

He was at the very entrance to the tiger’s den.

’So, if this were a typical plot, and if Ye Ying really is that Dark Night Elf, shouldn’t she be making her move right now?’

After all, there were eight other people in the building.

’Why waste time taking a shower first...’

’What does this mean?’

Gao Neng had no desire to waste time with Ye Ying in this kind of situation. He was still just a kid, after all. There were certain lines he wasn’t willing to cross.

’Could I have really gotten the wrong person?’

’Is this all just a coincidence...?’

’No, I need to confirm one last time.’

"Let’s shower together, then!" Gao Neng said, and walked straight into the room.

Ye Ying seemed slightly taken aback by Gao Neng’s answer, but she just gave a subtle smile before gently closing the door.

The instant the door closed,

Gao Neng pounced.

"Oh, my, you’re in quite a hurry, aren’t you? Doesn’t your girlfriend usually take care of you?" Ye Ying seemed completely defenseless.

"Enough talk!" Gao Neng wasted no more words and reached out to grab her.

But just as he was about to succeed...

One of Ye Ying’s hands intercepted his.

"Don’t be in such a rush. We have all the time in the world. Why don’t we shower first? Afterward, you can do whatever you want with me..." Ye Ying purred coyly.

Gao Neng wasn’t falling for it.

’Rush? What rush!’

These were all just tired old tricks. With his goal so close, he had no time to play hard to get with Ye Ying. He would solve this problem with brute force.

He drove his knee forcefully upward.

"THUD!"

It slammed right into Ye Ying’s stomach.

Ye Ying’s expression changed slightly, and a pained whimper escaped her lips.

Gao Neng seized the opportunity and swiftly executed his plan.

"Ah..." Ye Ying cried out in pain again.

Gao Neng, however, was baffled. ’What’s happening?!’

’This shouldn’t be possible!’

’Based on my deductions, there’s a seventy percent chance Ye Ying is that Dark Night Elf.’

’What went wrong?’

"..." An ecstatic look was on Ye Ying’s face.

"???" went Gao Neng.

’Did I just start something?!’

’What the hell!’

Gao Neng’s brow furrowed.

’This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go. I figured if I willingly walked into the trap, my opponent would reveal herself right away.’

’Then, we could’ve just started fighting.’

’But now...’

’Has the plot gone completely off the rails?’

Gao Neng spread his Spiritual Power out again. He wanted to see if the other residents were making any suspicious moves. If they were, it would prove his theory was correct.

But to his surprise, the other eight people in the building showed no reaction whatsoever. They were all still minding their own business.

The old man on the first floor was wearing reading glasses and flipping through a book.

The others were similarly preoccupied.

A seed of doubt about his own judgment finally sprouted in Gao Neng’s mind. ’What’s going on? This is nothing like what I’ve seen on TV.’

Most importantly, not only were the others not making a move, but Ye Ying showed absolutely no intention of attacking him. On the contrary, she wore the expression of a flower waiting to be plucked.

’In a situation like this, how am I supposed to expose Ye Ying’s true identity?’

’Beat her up?’

In a sense, Gao Neng had already attacked her just now.

And Ye Ying had seemed completely incapable of resisting.

"You’re sweaty. Go take a shower first." Gao Neng abruptly stood up, forcibly pushing Ye Ying off of him before finding a chair and sitting down.

"Oh... you’re the boss. The customer is always right, after all." Ye Ying looked a little disappointed, but she still walked obediently into the bathroom, casually tossing a few items of clothing out from behind the door.

"!!!" Gao Neng’s brow furrowed even tighter.

His gaze swept across the room’s decor. It was a very ordinary room with no expensive items. The lamp and the desk all looked a bit old.

A typical civilian’s rented room.

’Did I really get the wrong person?’

’Is Ye Ying just an ordinary woman who happens to look like that Dark Night Elf?’

’But could the resemblance really be this strong? And what are the odds she’d bring me to her room? None of this seems like a coincidence.’

But the crucial issue was...

Ye Ying wasn’t attacking him at all. In fact, she seemed genuinely intent on having a "transaction" with him. In this situation, he had no way to be sure.

’I can’t just kill her, can I?’

’Is it because I’m so handsome that this Ye Ying has fallen for me? Figures. I’m really not cut out for this "bad boy" act,’ Gao Neng thought with a sense of helplessness.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

Gao Neng was struggling internally. ’Should I give up? Or should I test her again? But how? What if Ye Ying really does pounce on me?’

Time ticked by, second by second.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes...

Gao Neng once again extended his Spiritual Power.

He peered through the open bathroom door. Ye Ying was still inside, showering. There were no suspicious movements; she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely.

’The clothes?’ Gao Neng’s gaze was drawn to the clothes by the door. After a moment’s hesitation, he walked over and rummaged through the pockets.

Aside from a few cosmetics,

there was nothing else in the clothes.

No intel, no secret letters, absolutely no clues.

Gao Neng finally let out a sigh. He took 200 Alliance Coins out of his pocket, tossed them on the bed, and then opened the door to leave.

As for why he didn’t leave 5,000?

He wasn’t an idiot.

All he did was cop a feel.

He stepped out of the room.

Ye Ying didn’t seem to notice.

Gao Neng took a deep breath. ’I’m out, just like that? No one tried to stop me? No ambush?’ His ambitious reconnaissance mission felt like punching a sponge.

Utterly anticlimactic.

He started down the stairs, moving slowly.

At the same time, he extended his Spiritual Power to observe one more time. Ye Ying was still showering. The others were still acting normally. No one was stopping him from leaving.

And just like that, he reached the ground floor.

At that moment, the old man in the small room looked up at Gao Neng, his gaze a mixture of confusion and surprise. A faint mumble followed.

"Young people these days... so fast..."

"Sir, are you the security for this building?" Gao Neng heard the old man’s voice and, after a moment’s thought, walked over.

"Hm? That’s right. You look like a student... Which school are you from?" the old man asked, nodding slightly.

"Eastern Capital Military Academy. My name is Gao Neng, and I’m a freshman this year. Oh, and I’m this year’s Freshman King. Do you know what a Freshman King is, sir?"

"Freshman King?"

"That’s right. The Freshman King who’s undefeated at the Eastern Capital Military Academy. At the freshman orientation, I took on over a thousand people by myself. Pretty amazing, right? Plus, I’ve broken the Fourth Human Limit. Oh, and I have five talents over 80%. You get what that means, don’t you?"

"Of course I do. A super genius." Hearing this, a faint, unconscious smile touched the old man’s lips, and a distinct gleam appeared in his eyes as he looked at Gao Neng.

"You’re pretty sharp, sir. But I’m more than just a super genius. I’ve earned military honors, too. Back in the Forgotten Land, I once killed a Dark Night Elf. Oh, right... I also defeated a Battle Angel. That Battle Angel was super strong, had a pair of chicken wings... the really big kind. She wore blue battle armor, so you could tell she was powerful at a glance. But I still beat her. One move was all it took to have her crying for her mommy and daddy. She even said she’d get revenge. Let me think... what was her name again? Right, I think it was something like... Mu Jiji?"

"Mu Jiji?! Is there really a name like that?" The old man’s face gradually darkened.

"Of course! ’Cause her name is Jiji... get it? Hahaha! A man of your worldly experience has to understand, sir. That Battle Angel was a woman, you see. Oh, wait, I should say a *female*!"

"A female?"

"That’s right. And there’s something else you might be interested in, sir. It’s about the Celestial King Group. How about I let you in on a big secret?"

"What big secret?"

"You know the Celestial King Group has a total of twenty manufacturing plants in the City of Hope, right?" Gao Neng asked this very casually.

"Right." The old man nodded subconsciously.

"Right, the manufacturing plant that’s responsible for supplying the Eastern Capital Military District. That building has eight small manufacturing wings, so it kind of looks like an octopus. You definitely know the one, right?" Gao Neng confirmed again. Seeing the old man nod, he continued, "Well, a few days ago, that very factory developed a new type of weapon. I happened to be at the Celestial King Group these past few days, so I saw it... The name of this weapon is..."

"SWOOSH!"

A flash of electric light shot forward in a swift stab.

It was a dagger, hidden up his sleeve.

Arcs of electricity danced across its blade.

It was the very same Electric Saber that Gao Neng had crafted in the Celestial King Group’s No. 3 Manufacturing Plant. And that Electric Saber, now his, was plunging toward the old man’s chest.

The old man’s attention was completely captivated by Gao Neng’s words.

He hadn’t noticed the Electric Saber at all.

"SHLICK!"

The Electric Saber plunged into the old man’s chest.