Chapter 11: Taking a Cut in the Shadows

As soon as Li Mingxing spoke those words, the four men began shouting, “Kid, do you know who you’re talking to? We’re the heroes of the Mysterious Bar—we saved everyone here, so you should pay up as a sign of respect.”

“You?” Li Mingxing sneered, and the aura of a level one emperor surged from him, enveloping the four. He opened his Sinister Eye, scrutinizing each of them. The four were momentarily suppressed by his emperor’s aura, but one of them, as soon as Li Mingxing’s presence spread, revealed a trace of black energy. If not for the Sinister Eye, Li Mingxing might never have noticed it. That particular man, who had used his dark aura to counter Li Mingxing’s, didn’t reveal his strength. Instead, he mimicked his companions, acting as if overwhelmed and retreating under pressure.

Observing all this, Li Mingxing immediately understood: regardless of who spoke next, this man was the most dangerous among the four apprentice heroes. He snorted again, waved his hand, and withdrew his emperor’s aura. The three immediately collapsed to the ground, relieved of the pressure. The one who had resisted hesitated, but eventually sat down as well, though his feigned weakness was clear to Li Mingxing.

With a cold smile, Li Mingxing said, “If you can’t even stand in front of me, yet dare to demand money, you’re truly reckless. I’ll let this pass for now, but if any of you dare to lay a hand on my people, I’ll make you regret ever becoming apprentice heroes.”

With that, Li Mingxing swept a cold gaze across the Mysterious Bar. He knew his authority here had been established, but he’d also made four enemies. If he ever encountered them again in the Inner World—especially that deceitful one—he’d find a way to eliminate them all.

What Li Mingxing failed to notice was the glint of malice in the eyes of the one who had withstood his aura.

After arranging matters with Midalin, Li Mingxing returned to the real world, mulling over everything she’d told him.

In the days he spent on his own affairs, Midalin had been busy investigating. She discovered that what the northern gang—nicknamed the Polar Bears—was shipping wasn’t drugs or weapons, but a group of Russian girls.

Some of these girls, he heard, came from former aristocratic families and were entirely untouched. What would become of them depended on the plans of whichever criminal group bought them, but either way, their value was enough to spark a bidding war. Midalin, coming from the Inner World where slavery was commonplace and always profitable, had planned to take a share of this trade.

She had underestimated the strength of the local gangs, almost getting herself caught in the process. Even so, she had done enough groundwork for Li Mingxing to determine that, with her plan, he could probably secure at least four of the girls for himself.

Of course, Li Mingxing’s intentions weren’t like those of the criminal underworld; he had his own plans. At that moment, he was still thinking about his dark, unpopular city.

Upon returning from the Mysterious Bar, he instructed Yin Haitao to gather information on the shipment of Russian “goods.” Yin Haitao soon brought word: the ship would arrive that very night.

The Russians, aware that their contacts had run into trouble, would likely keep the ship offshore and send envoys to negotiate with the local gangs. Everything now hinged on the gangsters’ response; if negotiations failed, the Russians might simply take the girls back.

To avoid missing this opportunity, Midalin estimated that the gangs would likely reach a compromise and split the girls after taking delivery. Her original plan was to use a gang’s power to gain access, then buy the girls herself. But since Li Mingxing had wiped out one of the gangs, that option was off the table. He needed a new strategy.

Li Mingxing decided on a bolder approach: he would sneak onto the ship and try to take all the girls at once. If successful, he’d win everything; if not, at worst he’d be seen as a hero rescuing captive girls, and was confident he could escape.

However, Yin Haitao was concerned. Boarding a ship at sea was risky—once on board, there’d be no escape route. Persuaded, Li Mingxing changed his plan. Instead, he would wait at the handover site, and when the girls were brought ashore, he’d release knockout gas and snatch them.

To do this, he couldn’t use soda bottles for the gas anymore. He built several automatic sprayers, arrived at the meeting place ahead of time, and carefully buried them. He kept the remote control close and waited for the deal to begin.

Night fell. Keeping his distance, Li Mingxing watched through binoculars. Though it was dark, his Sinister Eye allowed him to read the auras of everyone present and assess the situation.

Around three in the morning, he finally saw the Russians arrive. This group was much like the last—exuding an aura of wildness and coldness. Escorted by Russian fighters, about forty girls were brought ashore. They weren’t bound, but were held at gunpoint and too frightened to speak.

Had Li Mingxing been closer, he would have seen that they looked relatively healthy and well-kept—they hadn’t suffered much during the voyage.

Just as Li Mingxing was about to activate the gas, he noticed another boat approaching from afar, carrying a presence he recognized.

Yin Haitao whispered in his ear, “Master, that’s the scent of Aisha—the one you saved in the Inner World.”

Li Mingxing nodded heavily and tightened his grip on the remote, but did not press it.

Soon after, the second boat delivered ten more Russian girls. Li Mingxing could tell these ten were far stronger in spirit than the previous forty. One, in particular, had an aura shaped like a butterfly—it was clearly Aisha, the girl he had rescued before who had then escaped on her own.

Once everyone was ashore, Li Mingxing realized he had miscalculated. The Russians only brought the girls onto land; they themselves didn’t disembark. They feared the local gangs might turn on them after receiving the goods, so they hovered offshore, ready to open fire with heavy machine guns if anything went wrong.

Li Mingxing hesitated. If he acted now, he would surely be noticed by those on the ship, and even he couldn’t withstand a barrage from a heavy machine gun. But if he did nothing, the girls would be divided among the gangs, and he’d have no way of finding Aisha and the others later.

As he hesitated, Yin Haitao made a throwing gesture. “Master, should I go?”

“No need. Even if we take care of this small boat, there’s still the big Russian ship out there. Let’s wait. Maybe after the money changes hands, the Polar Bears will simply leave.”

Yin Haitao heard the reassurance in Li Mingxing’s words, but knew it was just to comfort himself. There was nothing else he could do but keep his eyes on the scene below.

Soon, the gangsters completed their transaction with the Russians, handing over the money and herding the girls toward their vehicles. The Russians, having received payment, wasted no time—they leapt back onto their boat and left. The moment their ship began to pull away, Li Mingxing pressed the button on his remote.

In an instant, more than a dozen concealed sprayers erupted, and every gangster, underling, and girl froze in place, completely immobilized.

After waiting five minutes, Li Mingxing and Yin Haitao rushed to the scene. Yin Haitao immediately climbed into one of the trucks and dragged the driver out, while Li Mingxing quickly tossed the girls onto the vehicle, not caring if they were piled atop each other.

Finally, Li Mingxing carried the fragrant Aisha into the truck’s cab and nodded to Yin Haitao.

Without a word, Yin Haitao started the engine and drove off. Then Li Mingxing tossed the gang leaders beside a few of the trucks, poured out the gasoline, and said, “Sorry, but you blocked my path to wealth.”

With those words, he lit a match and threw it onto the gasoline. Explosions echoed along the coast, engulfing it in a sea of fire.