Chapter 9: Failure at the Final Hurdle

“Bang bang bang...”

Twin pistols fired rapidly, bullets streaking through the air. By the time Cassius landed on his feet, Assassin B’s health bar had already been reduced to zero. Three holes gaped in his chest, blood spurting outward.

“Achievement: Quickdraw completed. You have dispatched three battle-hardened enemies with your pistol in under one second.”

[Achievement: Quickdraw]
[Reward: Quickdraw Title]
………………
[Name: Quickdraw]
[Type: Title]
[Rank: Ordinary (Upper)]
[Description: Half man, half ghost, the number one marksman!]
[Feature 1. Speed Bonus: When Assassin Cassius equips the Quickdraw title, firearm speed increases by 20%]
[Feature 2. Gun-blowing Gesture: As a true cowboy, blowing the barrel when smoke rises is essential for soul]
[Note: The floating micro-particles left by burning gunpowder are what form the white smoke. Unfortunately, the Purple Rose and Spiral Line pistols cannot produce smoke at the muzzle. But you can pretend—just act as if they do!]

A smile appeared on Shu Nan’s face. He enjoyed these random little surprises. Youth without a touch of braggadocio is wasted.

In real life, age and circumstances kept him from indulging his adolescent tendencies. But in the game, he could show off all he liked.

When a man is alone, he often conjures up all sorts of childish notions, such as getting excited and shrieking at the screen after pulling off a flashy move in a game, or dancing naked to music while showering.

He might feel embarrassed afterward... but he’d still do it again next time!

At his screen, Shu Nan tapped mouse and keyboard.

His character Cassius equipped the new title: Quickdraw.

Inside the villa, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Assassin B collapsed with furious, wide-open eyes, his shoulders trembling while blood blossomed slowly in the air.

Cassius shifted from a half-crouch to standing upright.

His meditation session was abruptly halted.

He raised his pistol and gently blew across the barrel.

“Young man, your gun is not as fast as mine...”

Assassin B toppled, staring at that cold, indifferent profile, his body convulsing reflexively.

“Ha ha ha!” Shu Nan scratched his head in embarrassment.

Honestly, such ostentatious behavior was a bit humiliating, but also oddly satisfying—a strange duality, not fully enjoyable, not fully embarrassing.

A familiar itch crept into his heart.

It was a lot like that peculiar mix of delight and awkwardness when, during morning exercises in high school, you accidentally yanked down the skirt of a girl in the front row.

Yes, that genius was Shu Nan himself. He still remembered those sneakers with perpetually loose laces, the girl’s shrill cry, and the boys’ lewd laughter from the heart.

Damn! No need to recall those shameful, absurd memories.

Shu Nan wasn’t thinking about girls now; all he wanted was to play his game!

He tapped the keyboard, scavenging loot from the ground.

Three heavy Purple Rose pistols, and a complete set of Blue Relic 1.0 auxiliary combat gear.

“Huff, huff, huff...”

Cassius was gasping for breath.

[Fatigue: Physical functions have been over-exerted; all attributes temporarily reduced by 25% for the next minute]

The aftereffects of using Meditation Time had arrived, but the attribute deduction was now halved.

Meditation Time was forcibly halted, as though all its use had been expended. Bronze-tier abilities couldn’t yet be wielded at will.

The negative effects soon faded. Shu Nan guided Cassius to his own room to begin searching.

He was curious what the three assassins from Delta Organization were trying to find in Cassius’s house. One thing was certain—it was important to them.

Likely very valuable.

As he searched, Shu Nan suddenly slapped his forehead.

He remembered that in his previous life, Assassin B had sat on the first-floor sofa, fiddling with a pile of stones.

Stones?

Shu Nan realized there was something off; the three assassins only carried Purple Rose pistols. The pile of rubble in front of Assassin B was surely gathered from within the house.

Something’s fishy!

So he began rummaging through drawers, searching for stones.

Moments later, in Robin’s pink bedroom.

Assassin Cassius crouched beside the bed, which was covered with a dozen stones of various shapes. These were Robin’s collection—children often have strange hobbies.

Some like to bring back leaves from trees, some like to catch little animals, some like to collect rocks...

Shu Nan clicked through each one, eliminating them one by one.

It was simple: After Cassius held a stone for a while, an identification would trigger, revealing its name and composition.

[Pyrophyllite] [Muscovite] [Feldspar]

All ordinary stones, until...

[???]

Unable to identify? This must be it!

In the sunlight, Assassin Cassius stood up.

Outside the window, a flash of silver glinted in the distance.

Boom!

The glass shattered instantly—a sniper bullet, spinning at high speed, slammed into Cassius’s head, detonating with a violent explosion.

Blood splattered across the entire room.

A headless corpse fell heavily, the stone in its hand stained with blood, beginning to emit an eerie tri-colored glow.

[Mission: Failed]
[Suggestion: Restart]
[Reminder: Nine Lives Cat (3/9)]

All for naught!

A sniper! They had positioned a sniper as well!

Shu Nan felt a surge of frustration, but after drinking a Five Nukes, he relaxed and regained his composure.

After all, he still had three lives left to squander.

He had nearly succeeded this time.

Carefully analyzing, Shu Nan drew some conclusions.

His detection system could spot enemies within a 500-meter radius, which meant the sniper was further than 500 meters away, likely in a high-rise building.

The location could be deduced—it was in the vast area behind the house.

He recalled that his earlier life had avoided the sniper mostly by chance; Assassin Cassius, upon being discovered and fleeing, kept Meditation Time active.

He dashed out of the house, vaulted the wall, and ran into an alley, exhausting Meditation Time along the way. Then Cassius ran along the wall, never giving the sniper a chance.

Thunk! Shu Nan set down his three nukes.

So, my primary target isn’t the three assassins in Cassius’s house, but the unknown number of snipers in the distance. Otherwise, even if I kill the three, I can’t escape.

First, eliminate the snipers! Shu Nan’s goal was clear.

Based on his reasoning, the sniper had arrived with the three assassins. The assassins reached Cassius’s house at 15:55, so the sniper’s timing wouldn’t be much different.

Shu Nan could completely ambush the sniper, just as he had ambushed the three assassins—strike first, take out the sniper.

Then he could return to Cassius’s house and proceed with the next steps. With the previous experience, his chances of success seemed reasonably high—not hopeless.

Good, that’s the plan.

He tapped the mouse, restarting the game.

Still the same blue sky, spotless clouds.

The purple park lush with trees, birds chirping crisply.

The wind stirred, rustling through the leaves.

On an open patch of ground, a pale hand poked out.

This was Assassin Shu Nan’s seventh return to the surface.

“Charge! Let’s reach there before 15:30!”