Chapter 29: Second Life Profession

Chen Zongrui made up his mind. When his opponent paused for another 0.1 seconds, he roared, "I'll fight you to the death!"

He gathered strength in his right fist, unleashing a burst of destructive internal energy aimed at the opponent's abdomen.

"Frenzied Fist!" The other party seemed to sense the danger and shouted back, unleashing another storm of wild punches. But this time, Chen Zongrui was a fraction faster. Just before the opponent's fists could land on him, he struck first.

Puh—

The opponent froze, spewing blood onto Chen Zongrui's face.

With a savage grin that, paired with the blood on his face, made him look like a terrifying demon, Chen Zongrui's smile vanished the next moment, replaced by sheer terror.

For some reason, a machete suddenly materialized in the opponent's hand, its silver blade gleaming eerily in the dark.

"Damn it!" Chen Zongrui yelled, attempting to retreat, but it was too late.

The opponent swung the machete with earth-shattering force, slicing diagonally downward. The blade cut through Chen Zongrui's left shoulder and exited through his right waist, splitting him in two. Blood gushed out, painting a gruesome scene.

"No… possible…" Chen Zongrui's eyes widened in disbelief as his bisected body hit the ground. Until his last breath, he could not accept that he would die here, killed by a young man in his twenties.

If only he knew… he shouldn't have acted tonight…

Filled with remorse, Chen Zongrui's wicked life came to an end.

"Experience +2000, Money +10000. Due to the extreme heinousness of this individual, blackened by sin, quadruple experience is awarded. Experience +8000. Level Up. Level Up."

Two successive golden glows flickered around Li Nianlong's body as the damage from the寸punch instantly vanished. The massive amount of experience points propelled him straight to Level 8.

Li Nianlong couldn't hide his delight and immediately checked his status bar. After contemplating the allocation of his 20 additional points, he was immensely satisfied with his new attributes.

Li Nianlong: Level 8 (3820/7200)

Strength: 65

Speed: 50

True Qi: 91

Intelligence: 65

Remaining Points: 0

Talent: Auspicious Avoidance: Innately possesses the power to foresee fortune and misfortune, easily avoiding danger.

Skill: Frenzied Fist (Beginner 32%): Unpredictable strikes that can overwhelm even masters. Increases strength by 10%, speed by 10%, lasts 30 seconds, no cooldown, consumes 5 True Qi per use.

Money: 19925

Equipment: Omitted...

Secondary Occupation: Architect (Advanced 10%): Proficient in constructing any building up to six stories.

...

Today was a good day for Li Nianlong. First, his tireless work yesterday afternoon had raised his secondary occupation proficiency to Advanced 10%. Then, receiving Moon Chang's ability for three days and gaining 5000 experience points had pushed him to Level 6. Despite the minor mishaps and awkwardness, he couldn't suppress his joy.

However, he had no choice but to allocate all his upgrade points to intelligence previously, as having less intelligence than strength meant he couldn't control a force exceeding his maximum intelligence value. This wasn't a problem in everyday life but could prove fatal in a life-or-death struggle.

Now, by defeating a super-black-named 'mini-boss', he not only gained the standard 2000 experience points but also received an extra four times the 8000 experience points due to the black name, resulting in two consecutive level-ups to Level 8.

This time, his point distribution finally balanced his intelligence and strength, and the continuous use of Frenzied Fist had improved its proficiency to 32%. At this rate, he believed he would level up again in a few days.

"I didn't expect this monster to give me an extra 10,000 yuan. Indeed, looting bosses is the shortcut to riches." Looking at his money column approaching 20,000, Li Nianlong was elated, tempted to shout to the heavens, "Who says I'm broke? I'll bury them in cash!"

After venting his excitement, Li Nianlong frowned at the severed corpse and the blood-stained ground. This was a difficult situation to handle!

Chen Zongrui had left obvious traces of his crime—first, assaulting the girl and throwing her bicycle into the cornfield, and then trampling many cornstalks, marking a clear crime scene. Chen Zongrui's death would now bring immense trouble to the girl.

Covering up the scene and absolving the girl of any suspicion became urgent issues that needed immediate resolution.

Now, it was 2:30 a.m., with more than two hours until dawn. Li Nianlong had to figure out how to clean up in the limited time.

While pondering, he didn't forget to check on the girl and found her merely unconscious, much to his relief. The scene was too gruesome; he didn't want the girl to witness it.

After some thought, he decided to lift the girl onto his back and exit the cornfield.

Outside the cornfield, he found the girl's somewhat old bicycle, which showed no signs of damage despite being crushed under the cornstalks, relieving him further. As long as the girl left safely, even if police dogs were deployed, they would never suspect her.

Li Nianlong didn't know where she lived, but since she was cycling towards this village, her residence should be nearby.

After a moment's contemplation, he pushed the bicycle with one hand and held the girl's leg pit with the other, lifting her up. Walking about 50-60 meters into the second cornfield, which looked identical to the previous one, he stopped.

Here, he laid the bicycle down and gently placed the girl on the ground, feeling guilty for staging a fake accident. But he wanted to ensure there were no inconsistencies.

Satisfied with his cover-up, Li Nianlong was about to leave when he suddenly wondered when the girl would wake up. If she didn't regain consciousness soon and a troublemaker happened by, she might be in danger.

After a moment's hesitation, he remembered the method of pinching the philtrum, a common first aid measure to awaken someone unconscious. Although he'd never done it himself, he knew how it was done. It was simple enough that even a monkey could manage.

In the dim night, Li Nianlong's eyes, enhanced by the system, had night vision capabilities. While not as clear as in daylight, he could still see his surroundings within a 50-meter radius.

Clearing his surroundings, he squatted down, supported the girl's neck with his left hand, and placed his right hand on her philtrum, gently pinching.

His intelligence, equal to his strength, allowed him precise control over his finger's force. The girl let out a soft moan, the pressure just right.

"Triggered Secondary Occupation – Acupoint Master. Host is currently a Beginner Acupoint Master. Intelligence +5."

What the heck is going on?

Li Nianlong was stunned.

"Mm…" The girl suddenly groaned, snapping Li Nianlong out of his stupor. Seeing her eyelashes flutter, he hastily withdrew his hand and jumped into the cornfield, flattening a row of stalks.

Before long, the girl's eyes fluttered open to reveal a dimly lit night sky above her. Her sudden utterance startled Li Nianlong out of his reverie. Glancing down, he noticed her eyelashes trembling lightly. Swiftly withdrawing his hand, he sprang up and leaped, landing prone amidst a patch of cornstalks.

Moments later, the girl's eyes opened to the same dark expanse of sky. "Where am I?" she asked anxiously as she hurried to stand, only to let out a low groan, clutching her neck with her right hand and gently massaging it. Gradually, she pulled herself upright, her delicate brows furrowing as she surveyed her surroundings. "Did I fall?"

Rubbing her neck, she gradually got to her feet, brushing off the dirt from her clothes. The faint light of night prevented her from seeing clearly beyond five meters, thus she failed to notice Li Nianlong hiding behind the cornstalks.

Perhaps the blow from Chen Zongrui had temporarily erased her memory; she couldn't recall recent events. Alone in the wilderness at night, fear naturally crept in. She picked up her bicycle, filled with uncertainty, and left.

Once the girl was at a safe distance, Li Nianlong crawled out of the cornfield, dusted himself off, and watched her from afar, a faint smile on his lips. "Surviving a great calamity surely leads to good fortune. May happiness find you, little girl."

With the girl safely gone, Li Nianlong returned to the scene, his thoughts turning to the pressing matter of handling the aftermath.