Assassinated in three days? I stared at the blaring red system warning floating in my vision. The Heavenly Dao was really working overtime to protect its precious protagonist. Lin Tian messes up in the restaurant, and five seconds later, he literally stumbles over the most powerful underworld boss in the city who just happens to be dying in an alleyway?
Plot armor was a joke.
I turned to Su Qingran, my expression instantly morphing into one of calm authority. "Qingran, wait here in the lobby. My driver is pulling up out front. Get in the car and lock the doors."
She frowned, clearly taken aback by my sudden shift in tone. "Why? Where are you going?"
"I left something in the VIP room," I lied smoothly. "Don't wait for me. I'll call you later."
Without giving her a chance to argue, I turned on my heel and sprinted back down the hallway, bypassing the VIP room entirely and heading straight for the restaurant's rear staff exit.
As I moved, I opened my mental interface. System! Open the store. What can I buy with 250 Villain Points that will heal a dying man?
A holographic menu instantly unrolled in my mind.
[Searching...] [Item Found: 'Basic Origin Restoration Pill' - Cost: 200 Villain Points.] [Effect: Instantly stabilizes internal bleeding, seals wounds, and restores vitality to a mortal body within seconds.]
Buy it, I commanded.
[Ding! 200 Points deducted. Basic Origin Restoration Pill transferred to Host's pocket.]
I felt a small, smooth wooden box materialize in my suit jacket just as I shoved open the heavy metal doors to the back alley.
The damp smell of rain and garbage hit me immediately. I quickly scanned the dimly lit alleyway. About twenty yards down, next to a row of dumpsters, lay an elderly man in a bespoke gray suit. His chest was soaked in dark blood, a clear knife wound right above his liver.
And kneeling right over him was Lin Tian.
The protagonist was still covered in the cheap red wine from earlier, looking like a deranged, homeless drunk. He had a set of silver acupuncture needles in his hand—probably something he carried around to show off his 'ancient medical arts.'
"Hold on, old man," Lin Tian was muttering, his eyes gleaming with greedy excitement. "You're lucky you met me. With my Nine Palaces Needling Technique, you'll owe me your life!"
Lin Tian raised a needle, ready to pierce the old man's chest and secure his first major backer in the city. If he landed that needle, the Underworld Boss would wake up, swear loyalty to Lin Tian, and have me dumped in the river by Friday.
Not happening.
"Hey!" I roared, my voice echoing off the brick walls like a gunshot. "What the hell are you doing to him?!"
Lin Tian jumped, his head snapping toward me. When he saw it was me, his face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated hatred. "Chu Feng?! You followed me? Get lost! This is none of your business!"
I didn't slow down. I ran straight at him. At the same time, I yelled back toward the restaurant door. "Security! The crazy waiter is out here! He just stabbed an old man!"
Lin Tian's eyes widened in panic. "What?! I didn't stab him, I'm saving him, you rich trash!"
It was too late. The heavy metal door banged open again, and the four massive bouncers who had thrown Lin Tian out earlier came rushing into the alley. When they saw the wine-soaked, deranged-looking Lin Tian holding sharp metal needles over a profusely bleeding old man, they didn't hesitate.
"Get off him, you psycho!" the lead bouncer shouted.
Before Lin Tian could even form an argument, two bouncers tackled him.
"Get off me!" Lin Tian thrashed wildly, his internal martial arts flaring up. He actually managed to throw one of the 200-pound bouncers into the brick wall with a harsh crack. "I am a divine doctor! If I don't treat him right now, he will die!"
"Restrain him!" I ordered the remaining bouncers, playing the part of the horrified citizen perfectly.
While Lin Tian was busy fighting off the security guards, I dropped to my knees next to the old man. His breathing was incredibly shallow, his lips turning blue. He was seconds away from slipping into a coma.
"Don't touch him, Chu Feng! You'll kill him!" Lin Tian screamed from the ground, pinned by two bouncers. "Only my needles can seal his heart meridian!"
I ignored him, pulling the wooden box from my pocket. I popped it open, revealing a perfectly round, crimson pill that smelled faintly of ginseng and mint. I casually pinched the old man's jaw open and slipped the pill down his throat, massaging his neck to make him swallow.
"What did you just feed him?!" Lin Tian yelled, his eyes bloodshot. "You just murdered him! You fed him poison!"
Five... four... three... I counted down in my head.
Suddenly, the old man took a massive, shuddering gasp of air.
The color flooded back into his pale face in an instant. The terrifying puddle of blood expanding from his chest completely stopped. To the naked eye, it looked like a medical miracle. The old man's eyelids fluttered open, his sharp, hawkish eyes immediately locking onto me.
"You..." the old man rasped, his voice weak but completely steady. "You saved me."
I offered him a polite, perfectly practiced smile. "Just doing what anyone would do, sir. I saw this lunatic hovering over you with needles and had my security pull him off. I gave you emergency trauma medicine."
The old man slowly turned his head to look at Lin Tian, who was currently pinned to the dirty asphalt, covered in cheap wine, and holding a handful of needles. The boss's eyes turned as cold as a graveyard.
"A lunatic indeed," the old man sneered.
"No! Old Master, you misunderstand!" Lin Tian screamed, spitting gravel. "I am the one who was going to save you! That pill is a trick! He's just a spoiled rich kid! Let me take your pulse!"
The old man ignored him, looking back at me. He reached out with a trembling, blood-stained hand and grabbed my forearm. "I am Ye Tianxing. Head of the Black Dragon Syndicate. Young man, you have given me a second life today. Name your price, and I will fulfill it."
[Ding!] [Major Plot Alteration Detected!] [The Protagonist's greatest early-stage backer, Underworld Boss Ye Tianxing, has sworn loyalty to the Host!] [Assassination Threat: Neutralized.] [Protagonist's Heavenly Fortune severely damaged! Destiny Points -1000!] [Host gains 1000 Villain Points!] [Reward: Master-Level Martial Arts Mastery (Internal Breathing Technique) has been unlocked!]
A surge of raw, terrifying power suddenly flooded my veins. My muscles tightened, my senses sharpened to a razor's edge, and I could hear the heartbeat of every single person in the alleyway.
I stood up, brushing the dirt off my tailored suit pants. I looked down at Lin Tian, who was staring at me with a look of absolute, soul-crushing despair. He knew he had just lost the biggest opportunity of his life, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.
"My price?" I said to Ye Tianxing, my voice smooth and indifferent as I looked down at the protagonist. "Just do society a favor. Keep the trash off the streets."