Chapter 129: Murder and Robbery

Chapter 129: Killing for Treasure

"Kid, are you playing games with us?"

"Shit! Are you looking to die?"

"Boys, enough talk. Just finish him off, fuck!"

Barton and his two companions glared at Li Xin with fury, their eyes practically breathing fire. They had thought Li Xin was genuinely willing to cooperate, especially with pursuers closing in from behind. They never expected this brat to toy with them, offering nothing but silver-tier trash.

"Oh, come on..." Li Xin stuck out his tongue, helpless.

Was this really trash? Even if it glowed with a silver hue, the attributes were twice as strong as any standard item. Were these three foreigners clowns sent by the Monkey King? How could they be so ignorant of value?

"Awoo~~ Aha~~"

Behind them, the masked figures continued their shrill, bizarre howling, echoing through the night and chilling the bones. Li Xin had been trying to decipher the intentions of the five, just as Barton and his crew were doing the same. Neither side dared to name the threat aloud.

"Kid, stop playing games. If you're smart, hand over the military's reward. That’s what we’re here for." Barton spoke coldly, his face twisted with malice, no longer bothering to hide his intentions.

Li Xin furrowed his brow. "Are you sure?"

He wasn't surprised. The fact that the military had summoned and rewarded him was no secret. Barton’s group had been tailing him since he left; wasn't this exactly why?

"Nonsense, does that even need confirming? I heard the military award is a gold-tier item."

"That’s right, it is gold-tier." Li Xin smiled faintly.

"Then why aren't you handing it over?" Barton snapped, struggling to contain his excitement. He had already seen the high value of that pile of silver gear; his persistence was driven entirely by that single gold-tier prize.

Sossi and Dragic stepped outward simultaneously, then moved forward, forming a loose triangle with Barton. Li Xin was now the piece of fresh meat in the tiger's maw.

Behind them, the five masked men shrieked even more miserably, gesturing wildly as if about to surround them, but for some reason, they suddenly went quiet and stood rooted to the spot. In the pitch-black night, dressed in black from head to toe, their expressions were impossible to read, leaving the trio deeply unsettled.

"Barton, should we pull back? This place is too eerie, and those mutes are truly strange. My skin is crawling..." Sossi whispered into his radio, his shoulders hunched.

"Yeah, Barton, I have a bad feeling too. Maybe we should wait and make our move after we get out of here," Dragic added, his voice trembling with fear.

"This..."

Truth be told, Barton was hesitating. If the kid could remain so calm while in such danger, he might truly be powerful, or perhaps he had other cards to play. Inside Fengxi Park, Barton didn't think he had any other support—unless it was these five mutes.

But how could that be? They were monsters who killed without blinking.

Yet, the gold gear was right there. He couldn't bear to let it go. Thinking quickly, Barton offered a treacherous smile: "Kid, hand over the gold gear, and we’ll take you out of here right now."

"For real?"

"If I'm lying, I'm a dog!"

"Fine!" Li Xin smiled readily. He reached into his backpack and quickly pulled out a pair of gloves. They were pure, crystalline, and flawless, their cyan surface shimmering with a dazzling gold light.

Clearly, it was gold-tier.

"Ha... Hahaha..." Barton laughed heartily. He was finally going to own a piece of gold-tier equipment.

"Hand it over!"

"Here you go." Li Xin extended his right hand slowly, the gloves resting lightly on his fingertips. As the night wind brushed past, the lightweight gloves fluttered, looking as if they might be blown away at any second.

"Hey, be careful!"

The three men exclaimed in unison, watching the gloves with wide eyes, terrified they would be swept away. This was a treasure they had hunted for in the dangerous Fengxi Park; a gift from the military was certainly no simple object. If it were blown over to the black-clad masked figures, they would be cursed with the worst luck in eight lifetimes.

Li Xin quickly curled his fingers to press down on the gloves. The two parties were five meters apart, requiring them to walk toward each other to bridge the gap. As they moved, Barton signaled his partners behind his back, and Sossi and Dragic understood immediately.

Finally, the moment he held the ice-silk gloves, Barton let out a triumphant, greedy laugh. The cool, refreshing sensation radiating from the gloves was soothing and exquisite. It was truly worthy of being gold-tier; setting aside the attributes, the texture and feel were incomparable to silver-tier gear.

"Can you take me away now?" Li Xin asked with a smile, showing no sign of relief.

Barton’s suspicion deepened; the boy’s behavior was too strange. But it didn't matter. The item was in his hands, and it was time to bolt!

*Whew~~~*

He let out a sharp whistle. Sossi and Dragic took the cue instantly, drawing compact crossbows and firing at Li Xin. The pitch-black bolts moved with incredible speed, cutting through the dark like two faint black ribbons. In a heartbeat, the bolts were upon Li Xin, their tips spinning violently in a 360-degree blur, forming a shape like a tiny cross.

It was the signature "Cross Kill" attack of the Angel Legion!

Barton grinned. Soldiers couldn't use firearms in the city—partly due to the rules, and partly because gunshots drew too much attention. But crossbows were fair game, and their power was immense.

*Swish!*

The hand-launched bolts combined with the two from behind in a triangular formation, closing in on Li Xin with savage intent. The sharp glint of the arrowheads stung the eyes.

"Kid, you're a dead man! I really want to see what other goodies you've got on you!"

"The three of us have never let a target escape. You should be honored to be our twelfth."

"Heh heh, Sossi, I’ll handle the money, you grab the treasures."

The three sang in chorus, their coordination flawless. Although Li Xin was a Captain-rank combatant, their combined strength could rival a Captain, and the sequence of their three-bolt formation was a rare, refined technique that unleashed power far greater than the sum of its parts.

As the bolts closed in on Li Xin, the masked men behind him let out frantic, shrill screams, as if trying to warn him or urge him to dodge. Yet, he remained motionless, a faint smile still playing on his lips.

"What the hell?" Barton muttered to himself, a growing sense of foreboding filling his heart.

*Swish!*

Suddenly, a flash of pale red light streaked by, and Barton’s heart skipped a beat, bringing him to his senses.

"Wh-what light was that?"

"I didn't see anything," Sossi frowned.

Dragic shrieked, "The bolts! Look at our bolts!"

The two looked in horror. The bolts, which had been a mere inch from Li Xin’s chest, were cleanly sliced in half. The momentum that had carried them forward vanished instantly. Now, they were truly severed, clattering harmlessly to the ground.

"How is this possible?" The three men stared in disbelief; this was not something a human could do.

Right then, Li Xin smiled: "I can give you the treasure, but I'm afraid you can't handle it!"