The Heir to the Seven Killers in the City

Chapter 22: The Suicide Squad

Upon hearing this, Lin Hao merely smiled coldly. What did thirty years of service amount to? He’d never lacked for dogs wagging their tails and begging for mercy. Because of her mistake, Lin Xiaorui had already begun to suspect her true origins. If she discovered the truth, all the arrangements he’d made over the years would be for nothing—and by then, even sixty years of service wouldn’t make up for his losses! No, since Lin Xiaorui had already begun to doubt her own origins, she would inevitably start to harbor doubts. Placing Qin Yu by her side at this point would only lead to disaster sooner or later. He had originally hoped to use Qin Yu to keep that person in check, but he never expected that his plan would backfire—he’d not only failed to achieve his goal but had also lost his once-loyal goddaughter in the process. Fine, fine, fine! It just wasn’t meant to be! “Get the car ready. We’re going to the Tomorrow Hotel.” Qin Yu hadn’t expected Lin Hao to bring up terminating the contract so quickly. He downed the tea in his cup in surprise, but by the time he set it down, his expression was completely impassive. Looking at Lin Hao, who seemed as calm as a summer breeze, Qin Yu was seething inside. He’d been lured into this situation against his will, and now he was being forcefully pushed out just when he didn’t want to leave—this old fox was way too self-indulgent. “Alright, that suits me just fine.” Qin Yu mimicked Lin Hao’s demeanor, smiling calmly like an old fox. “Thank you for your hospitality during my stay. Even if the deal falls through, we’ll remain on good terms. I hope we can collaborate again in the future.” The fat man and the skinny man clasped hands—just as it had begun, so it ended. Lin Xiaorui wasn’t at the hotel at that moment, and Qin Yu didn’t have time to explain the situation to her, so he left the place with a flourish. After he left, Lin Hao sat on the sofa, the smile on his lips gradually freezing. He dialed a number he rarely used: “It’s no use. Take him out. Make sure to clean up the mess thoroughly.” And just like that, Qin Yu was a free man again. Aside from a fleeting sense of disappointment at first, he quickly regained his high spirits. He had finally escaped Lin Hao’s clutches, and there was one thing that thrilled him immensely—the money he’d won at the casino was still sitting untouched in his account! With this enormous sum of money—more than he’d ever imagined—Qin Yu couldn’t help but wonder: Where should he go to buy a house? Qin Yu spent the next few days constantly house-hunting, wandering through dark alleys along the way, hoping to run into a villain or two to boost his cultivation in the Seven Kills Sutra. Unexpectedly, his wish came true very quickly. Under the dim glow of a streetlight, a group of hooded figures silently surrounded Qin Yu. Holy shit, no way! Could this be the Fire Scorpion Gang? As he saw them draw their gleaming, cold steel weapons the moment they approached, he acted without hesitation, pulling out his throwing knives and launching an attack on the two closest to him. In the blink of an eye, those two towering figures fell silent into the darkness. Two of his companions were dead, but the gang showed no sign of backing down. Qin Yu couldn’t give them a chance to strike; trapped in this deep, dark alley, he had nowhere to flee and could only resort to passive defense. The situation was growing increasingly dire for him; his footwork was already becoming erratic, and even with the power of the Seven Slayings Sutra, he couldn’t take out so many people at once. Just as he was at a loss, a stunning woman in a red leather outfit appeared before Qin Yu as if stepping out of a rainbow-colored cloud. Wielding her twin pistols with masterful skill, she swiftly took down several hooded figures nearby before turning to shout at Qin Yu, “What are you standing there for? Run! Can’t you see they’re suicidal assassins?” It was Lin Xiaorui. A strange wave of emotion suddenly welled up in Qin Yu’s heart. Qin Yu had only witnessed Lin Xiaorui’s skills that night on the sandbar, and even then he’d been blown away by her extraordinary talent. Now, seeing her in actual combat with real weapons, he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: Lin Xiaorui was truly born to be an assassin. Never mind her cold, piercing gaze laced with ferocity—even her skilled, unflinching killing technique was far beyond what Qin Yu, a complete novice, could ever hope to match, even though his combat prowess far surpassed that of these men. It was a pity. Qin Yu had originally been holding back his true strength, intending to expose a weakness to force these men into letting their guard down and revealing their true intentions. But now, with Lin Xiaorui’s arrival, he was determined to end this quickly—otherwise, it wouldn’t do to put the young woman in danger. Qin Yu channeled the Seven Slaying Flames within him and, under Lin Xiaorui’s cover, cleanly and decisively dispatched everyone with his throwing knives. The evening breeze carried the scent of blood from the scene to Qin Yu’s nostrils. He took a deep, satisfied breath, feeling the surging vital energy within him, and for the first time, he felt that slaughter was such a wonderful thing. There were as many as twenty or thirty of them. Qin Yu kicked their hoods aside and discovered that each one had a blue tattoo beneath their left eye—sharp as a dagger capable of severing a single hair. “These are the suicide squads Lin Hao keeps,” Lin Xiaorui said as she stowed her gun in a hidden compartment in her boot and raised a hand to smooth her disheveled hair. “Lin Hao?” Qin Yu frowned at the mention of the name. “Why would he want to kill me? Besides, these death squads didn’t hold back against you either. Could you have mistaken him for someone else?” “I’m not mistaken. I’ve dealt with these death squads before. Lin Hao usually treasures these men; he generally doesn’t send them out unless it’s to assassinate high-ranking figures.” Qin Yu actually felt a twisted sense of satisfaction and vanity at that moment, and joked, “Doesn’t that make me a ‘big shot’ in Lin Hao’s eyes? I’ll give that old guy credit for having good judgment.” After saying this, he raised an eyebrow at Lin Xiaorui smugly. Lin Xiaorui, however, wasn’t in the mood for jokes at all. She looked at Qin Yu with deep concern, her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly. “You’re about to die, and you still have the nerve to joke around! Lin Hao never gives up until he achieves his goal. There’ll be an endless stream of suicide squads coming after you—you’d better be very careful.” Qin Yu’s heart warmed. He turned away and waved his hand, looking as if he feared nothing under heaven. Besides, these suicide squads were all thoroughly depraved; if one came, he’d kill one; if two came, he’d kill them both. But with Lin Xiaorui helping him like this, wouldn’t Lin Hao try to harm her? “Why don’t you stick with me instead of going back to Lin Hao? I may not be as rich as he is, but at least I won’t lie to you or keep secrets from you.” Qin Yu looked deep into Lin Xiaorui’s eyes and spoke with utter sincerity. Lin Xiaorui waved her hand. Qin Yu was oversimplifying things. From the very beginning, she had been Lin Hao’s possession; he was the only person in this world she had any connection to. If she left Lin Hao, she wouldn’t even know who she was. “Thank you, but I won’t leave the Lin family until I find my biological parents. After all, they raised me for eighteen years.” Qin Yu suddenly remembered something. He quickly pulled out his phone, fiddled with it for a moment, and finally pressed the send button with satisfaction. Lin Xiaorui took out her phone and saw an email from Qin Yu. It contained a list of missing persons from the past decade or so that he’d compiled from the internet; the girls in the photos all bore a slight resemblance to Lin Xiaorui.