Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 10: The Specialist in Robberies

Meanwhile, in the guild chat room, Xuan Kui Zhenren and the others were chatting animatedly. Doomsday Man spoke up: “Why don’t we guys chip in first and let Xiao Jia redeem a C-rank bloodline from ‘Life Services’? That way, by the time the next mission comes around, his Sin Level might just go up…” This suggestion was immediately rejected by the Alluring Little Demon. “No way… Unless we redeem an A-class bloodline, any bloodline below B-class will hit a bottleneck later on… Forcing growth isn’t a long-term solution… We have to think about Xiao Jia’s future… Besides, everyone knows that having a C-class bloodline doesn’t mean you have C-class strength… If Lu Renjia can’t adapt after the exchange, won’t those hundreds of thousands of Sin Coins just go down the drain?” The Dragon Warrior nodded in agreement and said haughtily, “A man who relies on external aids is never a true hero! Bio-Madman… not everyone is like you, yapping all day long… I think we should focus on improving Xiao Jia’s survivability first. I’ll give him a metric ton of Black Dragon blood—I guarantee it’ll make him invulnerable to blades and bullets… That way, at least we can ensure he’ll survive the upcoming missions…” The Mechanical Witch, half her face covered in metal, sneered, “A metric ton of dragon blood? You stingy little miser—you’re really willing to splurge, aren’t you… Even on the ‘Trading Platform,’ black dragon blood from your magical civilization has been driven up to two Sin Coins per ounce… This is no small favor you’re doing me… Are you planning to slaughter your mount just to curry favor?” With her old partner, the mechanical witch, calling her bluff, the once-proud Dragon Warrior broke into a shrewd grin. “Aren’t I just looking out for Xiao Jia’s safety? You could give him a stellar-class mech too…” “Damn it! You think I’m afraid to do that? …It’s just that I’m worried that on Earth—that technologically backward place—if he goes out in a stellar-class mech, people will treat him like a lab rat and tear him to pieces… I would’ve packed one up and sent it over ages ago…” the Mechanical Witch ranted. “As comrades-in-arms, all we can do is offer our help. As for which path he takes in the future, I think we should let Xiao Jia decide for himself… Don’t you agree, Lu Renjia?” Master Xuan Kui said softly. Lu Renjia gave an awkward smile. “I won’t say much, but thanks a lot, big brothers and sisters, for worrying about this little brother… Over the years, aside from my mom—whose face I can barely remember—I guess you’re the only ones who’ve really cared about me…” The Eighteen-Faced Demon’s massive head, with its sixteen distinct eyes, fixed its gaze on Lu Renjia’s projection in the chat room as it chuckled, “We’re all in this together… Calling us ‘big brothers and sisters’ is putting on airs. But judging by your state… it looks like you’ve already entered a streak of bad luck, hasn’t it?” Lu Renjia’s mouth twitched slightly. He decided to just lay out his string of misfortunes and his current predicament—where he was running out of supplies—only to be met with laughter from the seven alluring little demons. “That’s not so bad… Looks like Earth-born Qualifiers all have countless glitches. Back when I went through my streak of bad luck, I had it way worse than you… I remember after completing my first mission, I skipped out the door all excited to get some potions to boost my physical stats, but as soon as I stepped outside, I slipped on a banana peel…” the Doomsday Man chuckled. “A banana peel? At worst, you’d just take a tumble… That’s still better than me being chased down several blocks by a bunch of indignant single guys, right?” Lu Renjia retorted. “Pfft… You think that’s the end of it? When you’re about to fall, it’s just like drowning… Both hands start flailing around uncontrollably… By the time I hit the ground, I found myself clutching a skirt… And the owner of that skirt happened to be the mistress of one of the commanders here… Then they broke my arms and legs and severed the tendons in my hands and feet…” the Doomsday Man sighed. Lu Renjia swallowed hard. “No way? That’s so brutal…” “Sigh… If it weren’t for my uncle stepping in to plead my case at the last minute, I probably would’ve lost my life… Yao Nie and the others were in pretty much the same boat as me… You’ve actually gotten off easy…” the Doomsday Man chuckled. “Um… so by your standards, I guess I’m still lucky?” “Random Guy… You’ve heard us talk about all this. Which path have you decided to pursue? After all, team battles in the War Chronicles are all about coordination… The Madman and the Fighter serve as frontline tanks in the team… The Eight-Faced Demon can carry a massive number of insectoid soldiers, so it handles reconnaissance and support tasks, while the Mechanical Witch provides heavy firepower…The Guild Master and I are more well-rounded; we mainly handle healing and ranged attacks…” the alluring little vixen asked. After reading the jade slip sent by Master Xuan Kui, Lu Renjia knew that the Battle Chronicles team battles, which occur once every thousand years, were the ultimate mission—because the enemies faced in these battles were all Qualified Ones imbued with the “Evil God System.” Life is precious. Having completed one mission, Lu Renjia knew that the “Evil God System” wasn’t like a video game where you could restart after dying; the group battles were a matter of life and death for his comrades. After giving it some thought, Lu Renjia spoke up: “After completing my first mission, I’ve now crossed the threshold to become a second-tier martial artist. Although the ‘Evil God System’ rates my strength as only an F-level martial artist, I’ve acquired quite a few E-level martial arts techniques, so I plan to pursue the path of martial cultivation… I guess I’ll serve as a frontline tank, just like the Fighters and Berserkers…” As the guild master, Master Xuan Kui spoke up: “Martial cultivation, huh? That’s fine… In my world, while martial artists are relatively weak in the early stages… their potential in the later stages is considerable… Especially those who use martial arts to attain enlightenment—they are powerful figures renowned throughout the land. Those who have mastered the Way of the Sword to its utmost are even called ‘Sword Immortals.’ Although ‘Sword Immortals’ are aloof and few in number, when it comes to offensive power, even long-established sects dare not underestimate them. However, attaining the Way through martial arts requires a long period of cultivation. You can choose the martial cultivation path and exchange for those ancient bloodlines… This will allow you to maximize your potential while reducing the cultivation time… But I must warn you: even if you complete the cultivation of an E-rank martial art, your strength may not necessarily reach the E-rank level. “The path of martial arts requires the accumulation of a vast array of martial arts techniques across all levels to truly enhance your strength…” “A man should always lead the way… Xiao Jia! As a Dragon Knight, I support you!” the Demon Dragon Fighter laughed. The Mechanical Witch rolled her eyes. “Usually, the one at the very front of the group is called the vanguard… and they’re also the first to fall… It’d be more practical to first figure out a way to solve his living situation…” The alluring little vixen nodded. “The place where Xiao Jia lives is too crowded… Plus, I heard that the Earthling-type candidate from the ‘Money to Home’ guild last time entered the Micro-Thousand World in soul form to complete missions until he reached a three-star Sin Level… If anyone breaks into the house during this time… even a small knife could take Xiao Jia’s life…So the top priority right now is to make some money and find a safe, secluded place to live…” “Uh… with my credentials, I’m not even as good as a construction worker in Shendu… It’s so hard to find a job…” Lu Renjia complained. “Everyone has a purpose in life… I’m sure there’s a job out there that you’ll be perfectly suited for with your skills…” Master Xuan Kui said with a smile. “Oh? What kind of job?” “Making a profit out of nothing… a no-capital business… two words: ‘robbery’…” “Robbery? That’s a surefire way to become famous… Wait, that’s not right… Didn’t you all tell me to keep a low profile while making big money? Robbery might bring in cash fast… but isn’t that way too flashy?” Lu Renjia asked, puzzled. “Robbery depends on who you target. You could specialize in robbing other robbers…” “That’s exactly how we all used to do it…” “That’s a mouthful? Specializing in robbing robbers… but it actually sounds pretty technical… I’ll take the job!” The next day, Lu Renjia headed out at seven o’clock. In Shendu—a city where life moves so fast that even taking a dump is timed—seven o’clock was undoubtedly the rush hour for busy urban professionals heading to work, and it was also when pickpockets began their day. All Lu Renjia had to do was squeeze onto a crowded bus and wait quietly. As a low-level martial artist, nothing inside the crowded bus escaped Lu Renjia’s notice. But what troubled him was this: among all the people on the bus, who was the pickpocket? His gaze swept over the faces of the hurried commuters—from corporate executives in crisp suits to office ladies with light makeup and ponytails. “Hey… Old Chen? I’m on the bus… Oh, don’t even get me started—last night, some drunk crashed into my Audi…I’m fine, and he’s fully at fault… My car’s being repaired at the dealership—don’t worry. I’ll wrap up that project in a bit. Has the four million down payment been transferred yet? Okay… I’m almost at the office…” This stylish young man, dressed in a black Armani casual suit, was talking on the phone without a care in the world, which certainly drew quite a few glances. Especially words like “Audi” and “four million”—they made the few attractive office ladies standing next to him deliberately pull down their collars, revealing their carefully sculpted cleavage. Casually tucking his iPhone 6 into his jacket pocket, the young man in Armani politely flashed a handsome smile at the office ladies pressed close to him. What followed was a natural exchange of small talk. As the scene before him caught Lu Renjia’s eye, his attention was drawn instead to the three men standing behind the office ladies. “Damn… they look so put-together… so it’s the ‘handsome guy’ ploy…” Lu Renjia muttered under his breath. It was clear that the man in the Armani suit, dressed like a successful professional, was in cahoots with the three guys who were currently carrying out the heist. Sure enough, once the three men had made their move, they exchanged a glance with the man in the Armani suit and hurriedly got off the bus as it pulled into the station. As he stepped off, the man in the Armani suit didn’t forget to hand each of the office ladies a business card. The entire charade left Lu Renjia utterly impressed. Lu Renjia followed closely behind. When he saw the four of them board another bus, he got on as well. The same routine played out again: as the man in the Armani suit pulled out an expensive iPhone 6, another prearranged exchange of dialogue unfolded smoothly. But this time, the bus wasn’t filled with materialistic office ladies—only elderly men and women who had gotten up early to drop off their grandchildren at school and were now on their way home after picking up groceries. “Hello? Sister Zhao? I’m on the bus right now… Oh, don’t even get me started—last night, a drunk driver crashed into my car… I’m fine, and he’s fully at fault… My car’s being repaired at the dealership, so don’t worry… I’ve been keeping an eye on those stocks of yours… They’ve gone up by more than five yuan these past few days… Why do you still want to buy more? Okay…” Different lines of dialogue appeal to different groups of people. For materialistic women, a wealthy, handsome, high-flying career man is undoubtedly infinitely attractive, but for the elderly men and women who drop off their grandchildren at school and pick up groceries on the way home, a stockbroker who can help them make money is undoubtedly immensely appealing. “Damn… is that even possible?” Lu Renjia said with disdain. As noon approached, the Armani-clad man—who had already acted out five different scenarios—and his three accomplices finally came to a stop in a secluded alley. “You guys did a great job today…” “Big Brother’s acting was top-notch—he drew all those suckers’ attention away. Otherwise, the three of us wouldn’t have pulled this off so easily…” More than thirty wallets of various colors were, of course, the spoils of their morning’s work. Just as the four were enthusiastically dividing the spoils, a sudden voice rang out, “Robbery… robbery… IC and IQ cards… tell me all the PINs…” Before the four could even react, they felt a tingling sensation at the back of their necks, and as darkness engulfed their vision, they passed out. “Murder and arson bring a golden belt; building bridges and repairing roads leave no corpses… The ancients truly didn’t deceive me… This risk-free business sure makes money fast…” Lu Renjia mused. Among the thirty-odd wallets, Lu Renjia naturally had no use for credit cards or ID cards, but a quick glance at the cash alone revealed at least nine thousand.