Chapter 26: King of Assassins

“Cough, cough——”

Under the ruins, the old man and Lin Ming moved the stones away with great effort and finally returned to the surface.

“Damn it! Which shameless bastard did this?!”

“First poison, then explosives, making me waste a precious talisman!”

The old man cursed someone at full blast.

This time, he not only wasted a precious talisman, but his old bones were also in severe pain, coughing up blood.

As the King of Assassins for so many years, although he had suffered more serious injuries and faced more dangerous situations, he had never been so aggrieved!

He swore that once his disciple was healed, he would personally take revenge!

Just as he was about to drag Lin Ming away, a man and a woman walked over from a nearby forest.

The old man stopped in his tracks, his hair standing on end!

His intuition told him that these newcomers were not friendly.

As Wang Haoran walked over with Luoluo, he used his Appraisal skill.

Lin Ming: Protagonist of “So Strong, So Romantic”

Protagonist Halo: 50 (Bound Golden Finger: King of Assassins Legacy, cannot be reduced)

Martial Strength: 40 (Ming Jin initial stage, severely injured and in danger)

Physique: 109

Mental Strength: 28

Trust: -56

Charm: 50 (doubles for female leads, halves for various villains)

Golden Finger: Low-Level X-ray Vision (ineffective), King of Assassins Legacy (Progress: 41%)

“System, what does it mean that this Protagonist Halo cannot be reduced?”

[Host, Lin Ming’s final 50 points of Protagonist Halo come from his King of Assassins Legacy. To gain these Fate Points, he must be prevented from ever obtaining the legacy.]

“So, I have to steal his techniques and also deal with his master?”

[Correct. Alternatively, making the protagonist’s master completely give up on him will have the same effect.]

[The host can also try to forcibly kill the protagonist, but there is a small chance of failure.]

“Alright, show me that old man!”

Yang Dongfang: King of Assassins, Protagonist’s Master

Martial Strength: 248 (Peak of Dark Jin, slightly injured)

Physique: 192

Mental Strength: 184

Trust: -22

From this, it seems that if this old man weren’t injured, his Martial Strength at the peak of Dark Jin would be slightly over 300.

Wang Haoran definitely couldn’t beat him, but he had Luoluo!

Luoluo’s Martial Strength had already recovered to 395, so it should be a sure win!

“Luoluo, go, use your ultimate skill!”

Wang Haoran waved his hand, then took two steps back.

He needed to guard from behind, preventing Lin Ming’s final Protagonist Halo from causing trouble.

As for Yang Dongfang, seeing Wang Haoran holding a gun and sneakily watching him, he felt somewhat speechless.

But then, his eyes widened.

“Hua Jin?!” (tln : upgrade level of Ming Jin)

A figure rose into the air, unquestionably a Hua Jin expert!

The old man felt an unprecedented sense of crisis, hastily retreating, but a sharp sword left a deep gash on his chest, and he fell onto the ruins.

Today, two generations of Kings of Assassins might meet their end here—the old man knew he had no chance against a Hua Jin expert, not even to escape.

Moreover, there was another person with a gun aiming at him.

At this thought, the old man made a quick decision, feeling ruthless, and picked up the only grenade on him, pulling the pin.

Instead of throwing it at the enemy, he tossed it at the ruins in front of him.

He wanted to survive in this desperate situation!

“Boom!”

The grenade exploded.

“Luoluo, come back!”

Rather than pursuing the enemy, Wang Haoran feared Luoluo might get hurt.

Wang Haoran wasn’t afraid the two would escape; the area around the building had open spaces, with good visibility, and seven or eight teams with guns lying in wait.

After all, it wasn’t like in the movies where explosions produce smoke with teleportation function.

As Wang Haoran kept his eyes on the explosion site, he suddenly sniffed the air, then showed a frightened expression.

“Luoluo, run! Hurry!”

Wang Haoran immediately shouted, then grabbed Luoluo’s hand and ran towards the distant forest like mad.

Halfway through his run.

“Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom—boom—”

Continuous gas explosion sounds rang out.

The power wasn’t great, but the range was vast.

After the explosion ended, Wang Haoran was still in shock, his face pale, and he couldn’t help but curse.

“…methane explosion…”

“Damn it, this is ridiculous, the explosion created a septic tank!”

“Is this reasonable?!”

Beside him, Luoluo’s face was also pale.

Thanks to Wang Haoran, otherwise, she would have been in real trouble!

Getting splashed with that stuff wouldn’t cause physical harm, but the psychological damage would be far worse!

She wouldn’t dare face Wang Haoran, let alone be intimate with him, for at least a week…no, a month!

Surviving the disaster, the two held their breath and looked towards the positions of Lin Ming and the old man.

They had already disappeared.

“So this is the escape method worth 50 Protagonist Halo points…truly enlightening…”

Wang Haoran murmured to himself, then got a bit angry.

The first floor was above the septic tank; which unscrupulous developer built this building?!

Just as he was about to curse, he suddenly remembered—

Oh, it was his family’s; never mind then. (tln : GG plot armor for saving Lin ming with septic tank lmao)

Wang Haoran had chosen this location for the operation precisely because, under the pretext of “inspecting and demolishing the Wang Family Group’s unfinished building,” he could bribe the officials to avoid their intervention.

He could also justifiably surround the area.

But Wang Haoran never expected this kind of situation to occur!

Now that he thought about it, this unfinished building was probably built years ago by the Wang Family Group to occupy land and obtain policy subsidies, without any intention of making it habitable.

And this location was, coincidentally, near a neighborhood septic tank!

Lin Ming and his master had already escaped, and Wang Haoran was helpless.

Out of sight, out of mind, Wang Haoran quickly called Luoluo back to the car.

He still had to send Xia Xinyan and Liu Yunshuang back.

As for how to explain, Wang Haoran had already thought it through—Lin Ming, despised by them, took desperate measures and, with his master, planned this kidnapping to win them over, and Wang Haoran was merely caught in the crossfire.

Coincidentally, the kidnappers chose the Wang Family Group’s unfinished building as their hideout, and the Wang Family Group happened to be inspecting and demolishing the building.

Upon seeing their boss kidnapped, the Wang Family Group personnel immediately took action, rescuing the three, while the kidnappers died in the melee; the main culprits, Lin Ming and his master Yang Dongfang, escaped after detonating a bomb.

Although this explanation had many holes, as long as Wang Haoran played another card—reporting to the higher-ups that Yang Dongfang was the legendary King of Assassins—all problems could be resolved.

The King of Assassins, anyone with this title appearing on the scene, was guilty, and a major crime at that.

The authorities would certainly send a higher-level special team to lead the investigation.

Once the investigators confirmed Yang Dongfang and Lin Ming’s identities and that they were indeed present, they would focus all their energy on capturing the King of Assassins and his heir.

Compared to a mere kidnapping, tracking those two assassins was far more crucial.

For special law enforcement operating in gray areas, maintaining stability was more critical than absolute justice, and the title “King of Assassins” was the biggest threat to stability.

Conversely, businessmen like Wang Haoran, who operated within the rules, represented stability, even if suspicious; investigators would overlook his faults in favor of his contribution in exposing two dangerous individuals.

After all, only a few kidnappers died, and Xia Xinyan and Liu Yunshuang were unharmed.

As for Lin Ming and Yang Dongfang? Investigators would hope for their downfall and would not seek justice for them.

Moreover, seeing their daughters safe, the Liu and Xia families wouldn’t risk offending anyone by pressuring the investigators.

Ultimately, under various pressures, Xia Xinyan and Liu Yunshuang would believe Wang Haoran’s account, whether they wanted to or not.