Wei Nan nodded. "Yes, it'll be here soon!"
Lin Yi glanced around.
The street was empty.
Aside from the dim streetlights, there wasn't a soul in sight.
'What kind of bus service would be crazy enough...'
'...to run a route this late? It's already past ten at night.'
'And in the Old Town District, of all places?'
Lin Yi didn't press the issue.
Since he had chosen to trust Wei Nan, he wouldn't doubt him now.
Sure enough, after about ten minutes of waiting...
A minibus emerged from the darkness at the end of the street.
When the minibus stopped, Wei Nan was the first to get on.
Lin Yi followed close behind him.
Once aboard, Lin Yi saw the other passengers.
They were just like the people from the courtyard earlier.
They were all wearing either masks or face coverings.
No one seemed curious; in fact, no one even gave them a second glance.
Lin Yi followed Wei Nan to the back and sat down.
Clearly, this minibus wasn't for ordinary people.
It was a transport for those leaving the courtyard...
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent (Purple): Effort leads to reward; requires gradual accumulation...]
[Iron Fist (Blue): Possesses a certain degree of attainment in fist techniques; fists are like steel.]
[Berserk (Blue): Unstable personality, prone to manic episodes; explosive power is amplified.]
[Agile (Blue): A master athlete. Body's flexibility and nimbleness make them more suited to being an assassin.]
[...]
Lin Yi sat near the back of the bus.
Wherever he looked, he could see the talent traits of the people in front of him.
Most of their talent traits were blue.
Occasionally, a few green ones would appear.
But he hadn't spotted any traits of a lower tier yet.
Just from these talent traits, it was easy to determine...
...that everyone on the bus practiced Martial Arts.
Only those who practiced Martial Arts would have traits like these.
Lin Yi sat on the bus without making a single sound.
The minibus rumbled on until it reached the city proper, where it gradually came to a stop.
The doors opened, and everyone on the bus began to file out.
Wei Nan led Lin Yi off the bus, following the others.
Only when the minibus was empty did the driver slowly pull away.
Wei Nan didn't speak the entire time, leading Lin Yi to a deserted area.
He cast a few wary glances around.
Then he lowered his voice and said, "What I'm about to tell you is extremely important, so listen carefully!"
"Keep this file folder safe. Don't tell anyone about it if you can help it, and don't let anyone find it!"
"When you get home, open it in secret and see what the mission is!"
"There are detailed instructions inside the folder. You'll understand once you read them!"
"Also, if you have any questions, we can talk about them at school tomorrow!"
After Wei Nan finished speaking, Lin Yi nodded, already used to his mysterious ways.
"Alright, I'll head home then!"
"Go on. Remember what I said. That folder is critical. You can't lose what's inside, and you can't let anyone else see it, or your life will be on the line!"
"Complete the mission, and you'll earn money. Got it?"
Wei Nan added a few more warnings.
After Lin Yi nodded again, they parted ways and went home.
It was now past eleven at night.
The city was still somewhat lively.
Some young people and drunks were still wandering the streets.
Occasionally, a private car could be seen speeding by.
Lin Yi waited on the roadside for a long time before he managed to hail a taxi.
Driving a taxi at night was tantamount to risking your life for money.
Drivers faced the constant threat of demon attacks or being targeted by criminals.
But anyone who worked the night shift was someone already being crushed by the weight of life.
If they didn't have a thousand-pound burden on their shoulders, who would willingly risk their life just to make a living?
"Thanks."
About ten minutes later, the taxi stopped at his apartment complex.
Lin Yi paid the fare and got out.
The complex was dark; nearly every household had turned off their lights and gone to bed.
Only a few homes still had their lights on.
When he reached his building, he saw the lights in his own apartment were already out.
'They probably didn't even know I left.'
Lin Yi chuckled softly and shook his head.
His desire to leave this home grew a little stronger.
He made his way upstairs, took out his key, and carefully opened the door.
Lin Dazhi and the others were all asleep.
The apartment was pitch black.
Lin Yi tiptoed carefully, trying not to make any noise as he returned to his room.
The moment he closed the door, he let out a long sigh of relief.
He then turned on the light and changed out of his clothes.
Only then did he eagerly check to see what was inside the file folder.
A mission briefing sheet.
Two photos of the mission target.
Several pages of information on the target...
Lin Yi read through everything carefully.
[Mission Target: Dog Demon]
[Target Realm: One-Star]
[Sin Index: 3-Star]
[Crimes Committed: 18 human lives]
[Mission Requirement: Hunt or capture within 3 days]
[Mission Reward: 15,000 yuan, 1 bottle of Low-Grade Qi and Blood Powder]
Besides all this, there was also a map showing the areas the Dog Demon frequented.
He could use its frequent haunts to plan the hunt...
It was only at this moment...
...that Lin Yi understood what this method of earning money was.
'So I'm supposed to go hunt demons?'
'And completing the mission gets me 15,000?'
For Lin Yi, who was broke and desperately needed money for the Martial Arts exam registration...
...this was an enormous sum of money.
Although it wasn't the full amount needed for the registration fee.
'But if I just complete two missions, won't that be enough?'
A look of joy gradually spread across Lin Yi's face.
But after the initial excitement wore off, he calmed down again.
A Dog Demon at the One-Star Realm was a higher level than Lin Yi.
He was currently only at the 4th Rank.
Fortunately, the gap wasn't too large, so there was still hope of victory.
The only difficulty was finding the Dog Demon.
'These demons are elusive; they rarely stay in one fixed location for too long!'
'Even with this map of the Dog Demon's activity, it might not still be hunting for prey there!'
'It's possible that by now, it has already...'
Lin Yi silently calculated where the Dog Demon might appear next.
Just at that moment...
...there was a knock on his door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
"Why is the light still on? What a waste of electricity! Turn it off and go to sleep!"
It was Lin Dazhi's voice from outside the door.
Lin Yi's expression darkened.
He quickly stuffed all the documents back into the file folder.
Then he tucked the folder into a hidden compartment in his schoolbag.
With a CLICK, he turned off the room light.
He wasn't planning on looking for the Dog Demon tonight anyway.
It wouldn't be too late to ask Wei Nan for some pointers on Demon Hunting at school tomorrow.
Lin Yi lay down on his bed.
The pale moonlight streamed through the window.
It was like a layer of silver sand, casting a deathly white pallor over the room.