In the end, Li Wei decided to take on this assignment. The box of Light Marking Bullets couldn't be considered as payment, but extracting something meaningful from the stingy Eileen wasn't an easy task.
It was already quite generous of her to provide some Light Marking Bullets. Watching Li Wei leave the tavern, Eileen raised a glass and said, "You can come out now."
"Why did you make me hide when he arrived? He seems like an ordinary person." A lazy voice sounded, and a fair arm wrapped around Eileen's neck. Behind her red hair, another attractive woman with golden locks revealed her face.
Eileen playfully pinched the backside of the woman behind her and said, "I was afraid the infamous 'witch' Judith would charm the young man's soul away."
"Hmm..." Judith, the woman referred to as the 'witch,' responded, "Is this your lover? Keeping him hidden from me?"
"Heh," Eileen chuckled, "The young man is too green; he's not my type."
"You never know, perhaps our 'Fire Rose' has developed new tastes after running a tavern for two years?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm just planning to give him the training recommendation letter from headquarters."
Judith expressed surprise, "A training recommendation letter from headquarters? This guy seems not to have even unlocked his genetic lock. Is he qualified?"
"Strictly speaking, he hasn't even reached the level of extreme physical training," Eileen said, "But so what? The training recommendation only requires the independent completion of a C-rank mission."
"He has completed a C-rank mission?"
"No, but I just gave him one. In the recent cleanup operation by the Iron Cross Avenue branch, they missed a lower-level vampire. Now they want me to clean up their mess."
Judith was somewhat speechless, "Sending a guy who hasn't even completed extreme training to deal with a lower-level vampire, challenging a C-rank mission? Eileen, are you trying to get him killed?"
Eileen shrugged, "Whether I give him a mission or not, he's still going to pick a fight with that vampire. Might as well let him complete my assignment too. If he comes back alive, give him the training recommendation as a reward."
Judith remarked, "Your 'Fire Rose' is as spicy as ever. Let's wish this young man good luck. But I think there's a high probability he'll end up as the blood slave of that lower-level vampire."
Eileen said with a grin, "Heh, my little friend is not so easy to kill. Let's wait and see. Want to make a bet?"
"Bet on whether this guy can come back alive?"
"Yeah, five amethysts, do you bet or not?"
"I bet!" Judith's competitive spirit was ignited, "Hmph, let's see what you'll do when you lose!"
...
Unaware of the bet made on his life, Li Wei, armed with Light Marking Bullets and gathered intelligence, began planning his next move.
Two days later, Li Wei watched as a pale-faced Zhang Xi, accompanied by a group of henchmen, entered a factory on the outskirts of District Seventeen.
Although called a factory, "Chalk Gray," as the place was known, was just a small workshop using inefficient machines to process simple metal components. The number of workers was around forty to fifty.
The workshop's owner, Charlie, was unscrupulous. He frequently withheld and delayed workers' wages, and the working conditions in the makeshift factory were terrible, often resulting in accidents.
According to Li Wei's recent investigation, "Chalk Gray" had another incident a few days ago. An old machine malfunctioned, dragging in two workers operating nearby. The two workers died on the spot, but the owner, Charlie, claimed it was the workers' own operational mistakes that caused the accident. He refused compensation for the casualties and even instructed his underlings to injure the family members who came to claim.
This unjust treatment had fueled the long-suppressed anger of the "Chalk Gray" workers. They protested through strikes and blockading the workshop.
However, an unscrupulous owner like Charlie wouldn't easily yield. He hired the local gang, the Skull Gang, from District Seventeen to handle the situation.
Zhang Xi and his henchmen were here for that purpose.
Li Wei observed from the rooftop of a civilian house outside the workshop, monitoring the situation.
The Skull Gang brought about ten people, half the number of workers, but these gang members were seasoned streetwise individuals, each wielding a club with fierce aggression, clearly outmatching the opposing workers.
However, Li Wei noticed the Skull Gang members were somewhat cautious. After all, the number of workers was not small. Using firearms would create too much commotion, and they were well aware that although law and order were chaotic in the lower districts, excessively severe problems would not be ignored by the police. This was especially true for the Skull Gang, which must have records on file with the local police.
Moreover, they had no need to use firearms.
With around ten Skull Gang members carrying clubs, they ruthlessly charged forward without hesitation. Although outnumbered, their imposing momentum was clearly beyond the capability of the opposing workers.
In the midst of the chaos, Li Wei saw his opportunity to intervene.
He jumped down from the rooftop and approached the melee. Both sides were focused on each other, and no one noticed Li Wei's approach.
Wearing dusty jeans and an old black jacket, Li Wei, disregarding the chaos, fixed his crimson eyes on Zhang Xi, steadily advancing with purpose.
His hand reached into his pocket, and as the wind blew, the black jacket flapped, revealing the silver gun handle firmly gripped within.
Until he walked to a distance of only twenty to thirty meters from the brawl, Zhang Xi, who had not yet participated, finally sensed someone approaching.
But the distance was already enough.
Li Wei, now equipped with the Sharingan, had enhanced dynamic vision, a significant boost to his marksmanship. He pulled out the SN97 pistol from his pocket, its silver glow shimmering, and aimed it at Zhang Xi, who had just turned around. He consecutively pulled the trigger!
"Bang, bang, bang, bang..." Seven consecutive gunshots rang out. In the blink of an eye, he emptied the magazine, accurately delivering all seven Light Marking Bullets into Zhang Xi's body.
Forehead, neck, heart, right lung, spleen... seven bullets, seven fatal wounds!
Zhang Xi's eyes widened in astonishment, a face full of disbelief, as he fell backward.
The entire scene fell silent.