Thief

Chapter 21

In a dilapidated alley within a suburban market area, a slender youth anxiously glanced left and right, his breath unsteady. Just moments ago, he had witnessed a young man of his age selling meat at an outrageously high price. The thought of his brother not having eaten properly for the past few weeks stirred an unbearable feeling within his heart. Filled with hesitation, the slender youth reluctantly decided to tail the man who possessed money.

Although he had resorted to stealing on numerous occasions, a sense of guilt always accompanied his actions. He would typically pilfer small amounts, but today he couldn't resist and took all the money from his target, without understanding why. Flustered, the slender youth contemplated returning it, but when the man caught wind of his intentions, he could only sprint away with all his might. Upon reaching a safe distance, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Huff, it seems I need to put an end to this," the slender youth muttered to himself, even with money in his hands. Worry still lingered within him. He understood that no matter how skillfully a squirrel could leap, eventually, it would stumble. If he continued down this path, he would only be awaiting an unlucky day when he would be caught, leaving his little brother to starve.

After a short walk, the slender youth finally arrived at his home. However, instead of feeling joyous at the prospect of reuniting with his brother, fear overcame him. The one person he least wanted to encounter was blocking his doorway.

"S-sorry, who are you looking for?" the slender youth stuttered, pretending not to recognize the person standing before him.

Ray, who had been awaiting the youth, couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. After all, the Tesseract within his sea of consciousness was not just for show. With a single glance, he could accurately copy the person's appearance and store the data in his memory. Additionally, Ray's artistic skills were not lacking, making it a trivial matter to draw the individual's features. Simply present this drawing at the relevant city or village office, and he would easily locate his target.

"Give me back my money!" Ray firmly declared, wasting no time on small talk.

The slender youth gasped upon hearing this, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"T-this... what does—" he began to stammer, attempting to offer a feeble defense.

Before he could utter another word, Ray cut him off.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Ray's voice turned cold and stern.

Just as the slender youth was about to defend himself further, the sound of a creaking door interrupted their exchange.

"Brother, are you home yet?" a young man's voice rang out.

"Ahhh yes, I just got home..." the slender youth responded helplessly.

"Then is this your friend? He was accompanied by the village head and had been waiting at our house for a while. I didn't open the door because I didn't recognize him," the ten-year-old inquired, suspecting his brother had made a mistake.

Upon hearing this, the slender youth turned his gaze toward Ray and let out a sigh of resignation.

"It's alright, come inside first. I'll talk to my friend for a bit," he said.

Ray, who had already seen the siblings, stepped forward and raised his hand in greeting. The slender youth hesitated for a moment, then reached into his trouser pocket and handed the stolen money to Ray.

Observing this, Ray casually accepted the money offered to him. However, to his surprise, it did not leave the slender youth's hand. Ray effortlessly retrieved the money, but the other person appeared indifferent as if nothing had happened. They even whistled, gripping the money tightly, with no intention of letting it go. Sneering at the situation, Ray's body emitted a cloud of white smoke.

Sensing the change, the slender youth's heart grew cold. He realized that the other person was a practitioner. In a panic, he quickly discarded the money and put on a warm smile for Ray.

Ray, noticing the gesture, snorted before turning to leave. After walking a short distance, he suddenly halted. Turning back around, he delivered a forceful punch to the slender youth, sending them crashing into the wall of their dilapidated house.

"Tch, do you think I'm stupid?" Ray sneered.

At that moment, Ray sensed something peculiar in his pocket. It was evident that the money had been stolen again. With a firm grip on the slender youth's head, Ray activated his talent without hesitation.

After a while, an unusual light emanated from Ray's cold expression. Releasing his hold on the other person's head, he revealed a fierce countenance.

"Where's my money?" Ray demanded.

The slender youth could only smile bitterly at the sight.

Why was he acting so foolishly today? He knew such consequences would arise, so why did he persist in stealing from someone who posed a threat? This was not his usual behavior.

Seeing that Ray was waiting, the slender man reluctantly spat out a handful of crumpled bills towards him. No tricks this time; he just wanted to distance himself from Ray after reaching this point. After all, the punch had left him in pain.

Observing the crumpled money, Ray's face lit up with pleasure.

"Brother, are you okay?" a small voice interrupted Ray's wandering thoughts.

Anxious at the sight of his younger brother, the slender youth didn't want his brother to get involved in any trouble.

"No-no, come in quickly. I'm really busy right now!" the slender youth impatiently urged.

Hesitant, the younger brother entered and closed the door with a hint of disappointment.

With his brother inside, the slender youth finally felt relieved but continued to gaze at Ray with concern.

The slender youth had prepared himself to face the other person's angry stare, but what he never expected was quite the opposite. Not only was Ray not angry, but there was also even a peculiar excitement in his eyes.

Caught off guard, the slender youth panicked and finally found his voice.

"W-what do you want from me?" the slender youth trembled in fear.

He never anticipated that the seemingly ordinary and innocent-looking person before him would harbor such twisted thoughts.

Ray, snapped out of his thoughts by the slender youth's hysterical screams, felt an uncomfortable sensation. He hadn't anticipated such a reaction from the other person.

Ignoring the screams, Ray directly posed his question.

"Do you want to make a deal with me?"

Hearing this, the slender youth squinted his eyes.

"I-I'm not... I'm not that kind of person!" the young man stammered before erupting in anger.

He couldn't tolerate it any longer; it was clear that the other person had crossed a line.

Perplexed by the slender youth's anxious expression, Ray grew increasingly confused.

Not knowing how to proceed, Ray decided to be direct.

"What do you mean? There seems to be a misunderstanding here. I want to collaborate with you on my research. I'm at a critical stage, and I need strands of your hair every week. Don't worry, I'll compensate you fairly for each strand!"

Ray explained at length, hoping to clear any misconceptions.

Hearing Ray's explanation, the slender youth couldn't help but curse inwardly.

"Indeed, the person in front of me is despicable. How can he speak so shamelessly and without hesitation? Furthermore, he tarnished the idea of research for the sake of his perverse desires. What kind of bizarre fetish is a hair collection, anyway?"

The slender youth continued cursing inwardly, regretting ever having gotten involved with this monstrous being.

If Ray had known that his explanation was in vain and only fueled more repugnant lies, he might have been left speechless.