Chapter 70 - 66: Found It

Chapter 70: Chapter 66: Found It

Yin Zhen sat waiting in the bank. In less than five minutes, the money arrived in her account.

Seeing the five million, Yin Zhen’s facial features scrunched together.

"Did I set the price too low?" Yin Zhen muttered.

For someone with only a hundred bucks left in her pocket, one million was already an astronomical sum. She even felt she had fleeced Bai Qiang too ruthlessly... Ultimately, poverty had limited her imagination.

Yin Zhen went to the counter and requested a cash withdrawal of fifty thousand.

The bank teller asked her, "What do you need so much cash for?"

"To withdraw it and deposit it in the bank next door."

"Is there something wrong with our bank?"

"The bank next door won’t ask me what I need the money for."

"...You don’t have an appointment..."

"Do you think it’s better if I withdraw fifty thousand now, or if I withdraw all of it and deposit it next door?"

"I apologize. Please wait a moment."

Cash in hand, Yin Zhen left the bank and immediately bought two different new smartphone models. She also purchased two sets of tracksuits. They were men’s clothes; it would be far too strange to try on women’s clothing while walking around with Ding Yi’s Identity.

Since she stood at 175 centimeters tall, wearing men’s sportswear wasn’t a problem at all.

Using Ding Yi’s Identity to register a SIM card, Yin Zhen stuffed the remaining cash into her newly bought backpack. She took a detour to avoid surveillance cameras, went to the KFC across from the bank, ordered a combo meal, and sat by the window.

She needed to see if anyone would show up at the bank looking for her, which would determine exactly how airtight Ding Yi’s disguise was.

Yin Zhen waited from morning until noon, even finishing a second combo meal, but didn’t spot a single pursuer.

Completely reassured, she shouldered her backpack and set off to find a fighting coach.

***

At the Information Center.

Nan Jiamu’s special assistant, Wang, reported to Nan Jiamu with a troubled expression. "We’ve exhausted every method, but we still can’t track down this Ding Yi. It’s incredibly strange. The identity information he used to register the card is real and passed smoothly through the system. However, when we searched the census records, we found hundreds of people named Ding Yi, yet he wasn’t among them.

"I pulled the surveillance footage from the bank but found nothing. I called the relevant bank staff, and at first, they said there seemed to be such a person. But when I asked again, they claimed they couldn’t remember. It’s as if this person exists somewhere between reality and nonexistence. Could this be some kind of Extraordinary Ability or Item Effect?"

Nan Jiamu rested his chin in his hand, deep in thought. "Have you found the Black Domain Walker?"

Wang shook his head. "We can’t filter him out."

"Could Ding Yi be a fake Identity created by the Black Domain Walker? Is his Extraordinary Ability hacker-related? What is Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence paying him to do?"

Nan Jiamu ordered Wang to continue the investigation, then sent a private message to Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence.

[Winter Night Fire]: The money has been transferred, reply! (Angry cursing)

[Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence]: Wait a moment (Smile)

Then, Bai Qiang sent another private message to Blossoming Prosperity.

[Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence]: The money has been transferred, reply! (Angry cursing)

[Blossoming Prosperity]: I have received your sincerity (Smile.

[Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence]: Good. Once I find the Blood Clan target, I hope you will show up on time.

[Blossoming Prosperity]: (OK)

Bai Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, typed out a long paragraph, and sent it to Nan Jiamu.

After reading the contents of Bai Qiang’s message, Nan Jiamu instantly tensed up.

"Wang, how many Blood Clan members are still unaccounted for?"

"Thirteen, but only two are under our surveillance!"

"Send out a notice for a city-wide search! Deploy everyone to screen those who haven’t checked in. Kill all those who can be eliminated before seven o’clock tonight, and apprehend and lock up anyone you can’t confirm for now!"

"Yes, sir!"

Nan Jiamu immediately posted a message in their team chat channel, ordering all members to go out and hunt down the Blood Clan members hiding in the city. At seven o’clock tonight, the system would issue a new hunting quest. Once more Blood Clan invaders slipped in, it would be difficult to find this specific target.

***

Yin Zhen went to the wet market, found two different butchers, and bought two narrow, long pig-killing knives. She then searched online and found a highly rated fighting club.

The club was located on the basement level of an office building. It was quite spacious and fully equipped. There were sandbags, a boxing ring, floor mats, and various training equipment. The walls were lined with photos of the coaches competing in tournaments alongside their award certificates.

A coach was currently teaching a class, so Yin Zhen sat on a bench, watching the people inside train. The wailing sirens of police cars echoed one after another outside, suggesting something major had happened, but it didn’t disrupt the lives of ordinary citizens in the slightest.

Half an hour later, a man in a black tank top walked over. He was in his early forties, sported a buzz cut, and possessed a robust build. He looked Yin Zhen up and down.

"You want to learn free fighting?"

"Yes."

"Have you learned it before?"

"You could say that."

The coach nodded, took down a set of protective gear from the wall, and tossed it to her. "Put this on. Let’s spar a bit so I can gauge your level."

Yin Zhen strapped on the gear. The two stepped into the ring. The coach stood opposite her, raising his hands in a loose stance.

"Come on."

Yin Zhen made the first move. S717’s combat memories were still intact, but her actual body’s muscles hadn’t undergone the same training. She lacked the Strength, the speed, and the reflexes.

The coach easily blocked her first punch and followed up with a sweeping kick. She stumbled two steps back, nearly falling.

The coach frowned. "Your form is okay, but your body is too stiff. How long has it been since you last trained?"

"A long time."

"Then let’s get your feel for it back first."

This coach, who charged the highest rates, was very professional. He didn’t pull his punches, but he didn’t strike ruthlessly either. He fed her punches one by one and dismantled her moves step by step.

Yin Zhen was beaten back continuously, but she remained calm and composed throughout. By recalling and adapting, she allowed the combat instincts carved into S717’s bones to gradually transfer to her own body.

Slowly, she began to successfully block several of the coach’s punches, and soon after, she started to counterattack.

The coach’s eyes lit up. "Not bad, kid. You’ve definitely trained before, but you’re definitely rusty. I’m going to start getting serious now."

The coach’s speed increased, his Strength surged, and his angles became trickier.

Yin Zhen was forced on the defensive. Her arms went numb from the impacts, and she took an elbow to the ribs that made her bare her teeth in pain. Yet, with every block, she adjusted her center of gravity, and with every counterattack, she corrected her angles. During this process, the coach’s attitude toward Yin Zhen shifted from merely doing his job to genuine appreciation. The more they fought, the more fired up he became.

They took one break in the middle before the coach called Yin Zhen back into the ring, stripping off the protective gear to continue sparring bare-handed.

It wasn’t until Yin Zhen’s arms were too sore to lift, and sweat dripped from her chin, soaking through her sports tank top and pants, that the system finally popped up a notification.

[You have mastered a new Skill — Basic Fighting]

Yin Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The coach stopped as well, looking at her while panting heavily.

"You have a lot of Talent. You have fast reflexes, you can take a beating, and you’re willing to use your head. Many students panic after taking a few hits, but you only got calmer the more we fought. Have you ever considered becoming a professional athlete?"

The coach appreciated her Talent, but Yin Zhen shook her head.

"I have no such plans. It’s getting late; I should head home. If I have time tomorrow, I’ll come back."

The coach didn’t push the matter and handed her a bottle of water. "Alright. Come over whenever you want to train. Sparring with you is much more interesting than teaching the other students."

Yin Zhen took the water and took a gulp. "Thanks."

Leaving the club, Yin Zhen saw she still had plenty of time. Since her pockets were currently lined with cash, she found a professional massage parlor. Enduring the pain, she had her tensed muscles worked out to prevent soreness from affecting her movements the next day.

At a quarter past six, she returned to the bookstore, changed back into her original attire, stowed Ding Yi’s ID card away, and wheeled her wheelchair out through the bookstore’s less-frequented back door. These routes had been planned out in her head long in advance, so there wouldn’t be any major slip-ups.

A new private message appeared on the forum. Yin Zhen parked her wheelchair under a tree by the side of the road.

[Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence]: Found a suspected target. Are you coming?

[Blossoming Prosperity]: Location.

Bai Qiang sent over a location tag. It was an old industrial zone—a patch of abandoned factory buildings that wasn’t particularly far from her home.

Yin Zhen pushed her wheelchair, speeding up her journey home. At her doorstep sat a large box of instant noodles and a carton of eggs. Yin Zhen smiled bitterly. She used her wheelchair to push the items into the house. The surveillance cameras in the corridor had already been repaired, so she had to put on a full act.

After locking the doors and windows, Yin Zhen changed into the other loose-fitting black tracksuit and zipped Ding Yi’s ID card into her pocket.

Yin Zhen tied up her long hair. A black AR mask covered her entire face. Red lights lit up automatically upon sensor activation, drawing two messy, large crosses over where her eyes were. The mouth was styled like messy stitches, stretching all the way to the roots of her ears. It possessed both the grotesqueness of a clown and the ferocity of a killer.

At Yin Zhen’s feet, the Shadow Servant used its hands to stretch its own head into the shape of a terrifying clown, letting out a silent, sinister laugh.

Yin Zhen tilted her head and glanced down. "Are you excited?"

The Shadow Servant bobbed its head. It wanted to be a killer, not a maid!

Yin Zhen stored the pig-killing knives and her gun in her game inventory. She then hooked a specially prepared fanny pack to the side of her waistband, transformed into a cat, vaulted out of her window, and headed toward the old industrial zone.