Therefore, in order to change this almost certain death, Yang Hongtao had to rack his brains and take the initiative to break the stalemate before the other party made up their mind.
Yang Hongtao first quickly went through all the skills that the ruthless bandits, assassins, and even thugs and thieves in his memory possessed, but almost none of them could be of any effective help to him. After all, with his physical strength failing, even the most sophisticated techniques would be greatly diminished. Perhaps only the "Niu-style Tai Chi" was somewhat usable, since Tai Chi emphasizes using skill to overcome force and using minimal strength to deflect a great weight, which doesn't require much physical strength and is most suitable for Yang Hongtao, who is currently exhausted, to save his life.
So Yang Hongtao quickly simulated the situation in his mind, imagining what moves he should use to most effectively counter the assassin as he climbed through the window. However, Yang Hongtao had never tried the Niu-style Tai Chi before, and had no idea whether it was truly powerful or just empty showmanship. Therefore, after devising this plan, Yang Hongtao began to ponder other countermeasures.
As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Yang Hongtao, his mind racing, decided to first use his soul power to observe the assassin before making any further moves. He immediately focused his mind, drawing a sliver of soul power from the vast depths of his consciousness, which pierced through his forehead and then passed through a thick wall…
It really was that assassin!
Under Yang Hongtao's agile soul power, the other party's appearance was clearly imprinted in his mind. He found that although the person's clothes and appearance had changed a lot, judging from his facial features, he was the assassin who disguised himself as a taxi driver and suffocated Zhou Ziwei to death this morning.
Among the remnant souls that Yang Hongtao merged with, one of them had been a professional assassin in his previous life, so he was quite familiar with some of the rules of the trade.
So he guessed that after killing Zhou Ziwei in the morning, the guy outside probably went back to hand in the mission immediately. But who knew that Yang Hongtao would possess Zhou Ziwei's body and then swagger off to the temporary gambling den to gamble big. It seemed that no matter who the employer behind the scenes was, as long as they weren't blind or deaf, they would definitely know that "Zhou Ziwei" was still alive.
In this way, the employer who hired the hitman would naturally have serious doubts about the hitman's words.
These days, integrity is paramount, especially for assassins. Without integrity, there's no room for survival. If you always take money and don't do the job, who will waste their money hiring you next time? So, once an assassin finds out that someone he clearly killed has come back to life, he has to immediately take steps to rectify the situation, lest the delay seriously damage his reputation and make it impossible for him to continue working as an assassin.
This is probably why the assassin didn't wait until dark to rush into the lower part of the villa and strike again.
Using his concentrated soul power as his eyes, Yang Hongtao observed the assassin from head to toe. He noticed that the assassin was wearing a beige tracksuit and was clinging to the wall outside the window like a gecko. Moreover, the color of his tracksuit was exactly the same as the paint on the exterior wall. No wonder this guy dared to climb the wall before it got completely dark. It turned out that this guy had the potential to be a chameleon.
After all, the sky was already getting dark after dusk, and with his camouflage, if he were a little more careful, even if security guards were passing by outside the compound, they probably wouldn't be able to see that there was a living person clinging to the wall.
To enhance the aesthetics, the villa's exterior walls featured a European-style relief design, creating an uneven surface. The assassin used this feature to his advantage, gripping the wall firmly with his feet and one hand. In his other hand, he held a finely crafted .38 micro pistol, pointing it intently at the edge of the interior window through the screen. It seemed Yang Hongtao's initial assessment was somewhat flawed. This guy, relying on his camouflage, wasn't too afraid of a standoff with Yang Hongtao. At least for now, he didn't want to act rashly; he just wanted to stay there and wait for Yang Hongtao to show his face, only to be killed instantly by his gun.
Damn, this guy's really going to wage a war of attrition!
Seeing this situation, Yang Hongtao felt a headache coming on. He wasn't afraid of just the two of them having a battle of patience, but he was worried that if Wang Xuewei came back, she would have to park the car in the garage first. After coming out of the garage, she would have to pass by this window. At that time, regardless of whether Wang Xuewei noticed that there was someone on the wall, the assassin probably wouldn't risk being discovered and would most likely shoot Wang Xuewei first. How could Yang Hongtao bear to do that?
The best course of action now is to resolve this quickly!
In his anxiety, Yang Hongtao suddenly had a thought. He remembered that he had used his soul power to give the safe an independent soul that morning, so that the safe could open on its own without him having to do anything. He immediately had a plan.
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 23 The Rooster Crows
Upon seeing the exquisitely crafted pistol in the assassin's hand, Yang Hongtao felt a surge of excitement.
If I could control this guy's gun like I control a safe, then what would I be afraid of? Even if I couldn't control the gun to turn around and shoot him, I could at least make the bullet jam at a crucial moment. In that case, I would be practically invincible!
Although the amount of soul power required to create an independent soul from a non-living entity is enormous, no matter how precious that soul power is, it is not as precious as one's own life!
Thinking of this, Yang Hongtao no longer hesitated and immediately mobilized the wisp of soul power that had been projected out, beginning to condense it on the assassin's pistol.
Based on his previous experience of successfully creating an independent soul entity on the safe, Yang Hongtao knew that in order to condense his soul power into a new soul entity in an external object, he had to completely inject the continuously flowing soul power into the same point. Only in this way could the generation of an independent soul entity be triggered.
The assassin was probably afraid that Yang Hongtao might pop out from under the windowsill at any moment, so he had been shaking his miniature pistol for a long time, blocking the more than two-meter-long windowsill with the muzzle. This way, he could ensure that no matter where Yang Hongtao stood up, he could catch the exact position and pull the trigger immediately.
However, his slight movement caused the soul power that Yang Hongtao was sending from his sea of consciousness to be unable to effectively stay on a single point in the pistol. After trying for a long time, he failed to create an independent soul entity. Instead, Yang Hongtao's soul power was consumed a lot due to the continuous output.
What are you doing, all that shaking? Can't you just stay still for a while?
Yang Hongtao was so angry he almost cursed aloud, but then he realized that even if he shouted himself hoarse, the guy was unlikely to listen to him, so he had no choice but to make another plan.
Let's check what this guy has first! If we can find out his identity and trace it back to his employer, that would be ideal. At the very least, a little intimidation might have some unexpected effect!
Yang Hongtao then moved the soul power he had focused on the gun, keeping it in a straight line, and carefully scanned the assassin's body.
Although this soul power is all-pervasive and possesses a powerful penetrating force, this is only relative to non-living entities. If it directly touches a living entity that also possesses a soul, it will be immediately repelled far away, and its soul power will be slightly weakened as a result.
So this scan had to go through the other person's clothes without touching their skin, which was quite a difficult task. Although Yang Hongtao was very careful, his soul power was still deflected several times, but he finally managed to get a general look at what the assassin was carrying.
First, what made Yang Hongtao both happy and annoyed was that he discovered Zhou Ziwei's wallet was still on the guy's person.
The reason this guy took Zhou Ziwei's wallet was probably to create the illusion of a robbery and murder. Otherwise, given his abilities, he wouldn't have cared about the few hundred or thousand yuan on Zhou Ziwei.
Now that the wallet was in his hands, he couldn't just throw it away. He had to find a safe way to dispose of it without leaving any trace. It seems that before he could deal with the wallet, he received the news that Zhou Ziwei was still alive, so he kept it with him.
If Yang Hongtao can take down this guy, then he can get back all the lost items, including his ID card, driver's license, and bank cards.
While these items can be reported lost and replaced, going through all the steps is quite troublesome. Finding them directly would be ideal. Besides that, the assassin only had a cell phone; he had no identification documents or anything like that, which disappointed Yang Hongtao somewhat.
To Yang Hongtao's surprise, the assassin was wearing a greasy white T-shirt under his tracksuit, with the words "Golden Lion Beer" printed on it. Seeing this T-shirt, Yang Hongtao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately began to guess the assassin's identity. Generally, these branded T-shirts are given away by the manufacturer to its customers, and breweries' customers are mainly shopping malls, supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels.
Since this assassin is wearing this kind of T-shirt, his identity as a cover in society is most likely found in one of these types of places. Furthermore, the fact that his T-shirt is covered in oil stains strongly suggests that he is probably a chef or kitchen helper in a small restaurant.
Because if someone were a staff member in a shopping mall or supermarket, they wouldn't have so much grease on their clothes, and large restaurants usually have more formal uniforms and stricter hygiene requirements. Judging from the killer's dirty T-shirt, Yang Hongtao figured he was most likely a handyman at a roadside stall or similar place.
He had likely rushed here after receiving the message to try and rectify his mistake, so much so that he hadn't even had time to take off his usual clothes, only putting on an outer garment. However, this couldn't be considered a serious oversight on the assassin's part, since unless Yang Hongtao possessed extraordinary X-ray vision, how could he have seen what the assassin was wearing underneath?
After roughly confirming the man's identity, Yang Hongtao immediately had a new idea. He no longer wanted to fight this man to the death immediately. As long as he could scare him away, he would naturally have a way to find his whereabouts in the future. Moreover, he might even be able to follow this clue to find the mastermind behind the scenes who had been trying to kill Zhou Ziwei! Scare away the assassin was relatively easy.
Yang Hongtao's eyes lit up, and he set his sights on the cell phone in the guy's pocket.
This guy is so unprofessional, bringing a cell phone with him when he goes out to kill someone, even though the phone is switched off. But that's no problem for Yang Hongtao.
The gun in the guy's hand was shaking incessantly, making it impossible for Yang Hongtao to concentrate his soul power on a single point on the gun. However, since he was pressed against the wall, he dared not move around too much, so the cell phone in his pocket remained relatively stable, which made it much easier for Yang Hongtao to complete his next plan.
It was the same familiar process: as Yang Hongtao's soul power rapidly accumulated to a certain level in a point within the phone, the density of the soul power within that point increased, eventually forming a strange vortex. This vortex then generated a powerful suction force, continuously drawing in the soul power from Yang Hongtao's sea of consciousness.
Everything went smoothly until Yang Hongtao sensed a growing disconnect between the soul power being drawn into the vortex and the original soul within his sea of consciousness. He immediately cut off the continued output of soul power. This time, however, he lost nearly twice as much soul power as the safe had absorbed before. It was roughly equivalent to consuming the soul energy of thirty remnant souls before he finally succeeded.
No way! This phone is so much smaller than that safe, how come creating an independent soul inside it would consume twice as much soul power as creating a safe?
This result left Yang Hongtao extremely frustrated. He had tried to create an independent soul twice in one day, and while he found the ability quite useful, the price was far too high. These two attempts had consumed about half of his soul's energy, leaving him feeling quite listless.
If he does this a couple more times, he might end up in a vegetative state!
It seems we still need to find a way to replenish the lost soul power. I just don't know if the Six-Syllable Mantra will still have the same effect in his current state as it did when he was a soul.
However, this thought only flashed through Yang Hongtao's mind for the moment. He couldn't worry about that for now. After all, although the independent soul body had been created, it was a consumable item that would disappear without a trace in a while. He couldn't afford to waste any time.
With a thought racing through his mind, a new wisp of soul power shot out from his forehead and quickly connected with the newly generated independent soul entity in the phone.
Although it was an independent soul entity, it had only recently been separated from Yang Hongtao's soul origin. The relationship between the two was like that of a mother and child bound by blood, allowing Yang Hongtao to issue a series of requests to the soul entity of the phone without much effort.
Immediately, the phone in the assassin's pocket silently turned on and lit up. The screen flashed continuously, quickly switching to MP3 player mode, filtering through tracks one by one, and finally selecting a super cool ringtone, "The Rooster Crows March." The player's speaker volume automatically adjusted and turned up to maximum...
With everything ready, as a group of security guards patrolling the neighborhood began to pass by, Yang Hongtao gave the phone's independent spirit the final play request—instantly, a series of high-pitched and exciting disco tunes, accompanied by the loud crowing of a rooster, began to play in the assassin's pocket...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 24: My Kidneys...
This New Century Garden is no ordinary residential community. It consists entirely of villas of various types. Although the community covers a considerable area, there are not many people living here. Moreover, most residents drive their cars to and from the community, so it is usually very quiet.
Now, the loud disco music suddenly emanating from the assassin's pocket sounded quite jarring.
Yang Hongtao was prepared and didn't react at all. The security guards patrolling nearby heard the music, but assumed it was just a resident taking a call in their yard. They glanced back but didn't pay much attention. The unfortunate assassin, however, was nearly scared to death by his own phone. His hand trembled, and he accidentally fired a shot that hit the marble windowsill inside the window, sending a spray of stone chips that nearly blew out his eye.
Fortunately, his gun was equipped with a high-performance silencer, and the loud disco music playing from his cell phone masked the sound. Although the security guards were only twenty or thirty meters away from him, they did not notice the gunshot.
One of the security guards glanced back a few times with some suspicion, but by then it had gotten much darker, and the assassin's clothes were exactly the same color as the walls, so the guard couldn't see anything wrong. He just shook his head and smiled, then turned and whispered a few words to a colleague next to him.
Although the assassin's mental fortitude didn't seem particularly strong, his skills were truly impressive. Despite all that struggle, with blood streaming down his face and him in excruciating pain, he didn't fall off the wall. Instead, he braced himself against the raised carvings on the wall with his knees and elbows, freeing one hand to quickly reach into his pocket, find the power button, and press it down forcefully.
The jarring music stopped abruptly, but the assassin was already drenched in a cold sweat.
Honestly, even if the security guards below discovered him, he wouldn't be too worried. After all, apart from being taller and stronger, the security guards in this community were just ordinary people. Even if ten or eight of them surrounded him, the assassin wouldn't even blink.
If the other party had a gun, the assassin would be more afraid. However, given the strict gun control in China, how could a security guard in a small community possibly be armed?
What terrified the assassin was that his phone had been switched off before the operation, so why did it suddenly turn on and start playing music on its own? This was incredibly strange. The "Rooster Crowing March" wasn't his set ringtone, so even if his phone malfunctioned, failed to turn off completely, and someone happened to call, it shouldn't have played that ringtone!
However, there was no time to ponder such a question now. The assassin glanced at the security guards in the distance out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that they hadn't noticed them, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. After hesitating for a moment, he didn't retreat immediately but continued to block the window with the muzzle of his gun. At the same time, he began to think about whether he should just break in through the window.
Clearly, the moment the music suddenly started and he was startled into firing his weapon was the moment when he was most vulnerable. If the target hiding under the window was armed, or if he was indeed an experienced fighter as he suspected, he should have seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack.
The fact that the other party missed such an opportunity proves that the target was not as terrible as he imagined and was not qualified to be his opponent.
After this analysis, the assassin felt there was no need to be so cautious; it was better to rush in and complete the mission as soon as possible. However, the security guards hadn't gone too far yet, so he could only remain hidden in place, waiting quietly. Once the security guards turned the corner ahead, he would act decisively.
Meanwhile, Yang Hongtao, who was hiding indoors, knew perfectly well that the moment just now was his best chance to counterattack. However, he had no confidence in his own fighting skills and had no idea whether his two moves were enough to warrant a slap from someone.
Furthermore, having guessed the other party's usual method of concealing their identity, he already had other plans and was naturally even less likely to take the risk, only intending to scare them away first. But who knew that after the assassin turned off his phone, he remained calm and unhurried, lying motionless against the wall, seemingly prepared for a protracted battle!
Yang Hongtao was furious. He thought to himself: "Isn't he supposed to be a coward? How come he can't be scared off even by this? Fine... then I'll give you some more spice!" With his anger rising, Yang Hongtao once again extended his soul power and, after faintly connecting with the cell phone in the assassin's pocket, immediately sent a new request to the independent soul entity of the phone.
"Swish—" The phone, which the assassin had just turned off, silently lit up again, then automatically searched for a network. After the mobile signal icon on the screen lit up, several numbers automatically appeared on the handwriting input screen, and then dialing began, with the hands-free function activated...
The assassin, while keeping an eye on the situation inside the window, also kept an eye on the movements of the security guards. Once they disappeared around the corner, a slight, silent smirk appeared on his lips. Just as he was about to leap through the window in one fell swoop, suddenly—
"Hello, this is the 110 emergency call center. How can I help you?"
A serious yet pleasant female voice seemed to ring in the assassin's ear, instantly plunging him into extreme panic. His finger trembled, and he fired another shot unintentionally. Just like before, the off-target bullet struck the hard marble windowsill, scattering countless tiny stone fragments.
This time, however, his luck was even worse than before. Two large pieces of stone happened to fly into his nostrils, and instantly tears and blood streamed down his face. Sparks and stars danced before his eyes. The poor assassin was filled with fear and pain, his mind went blank, and he could no longer maintain his balance. He fell backward and plummeted straight down the building...
Seriously?! He got scared half to death by that? Wow... this guy's mental fortitude is terrible! With this level of skill, he dares to be an assassin?
Yang Hongtao captured the other party's phone, intending only to scare him and make him worry about being exposed so he would have to retreat. However, the assassin's reaction was truly speechless! He actually scared the gun so much that it went off twice in a row, which made Yang Hongtao seriously doubt the guy's professional level.
He looks like a complete novice, right? Heh heh... With that kind of mentality, no matter how skilled he is, he'll only ever be a third or fourth-rate assassin at best! Seeing the assassin fall down the stairs, Yang Hongtao took a breath and immediately jumped up, grabbing the Glock pistol from under his pillow on the bedside table.
With a gun in hand, Yang Hongtao felt his confidence increase by six or seven points. If the assassin dared to attack again, he would have the courage to fight him.
Although Yang Hongtao hadn't actually fired a shot yet, he felt that in terms of marksmanship alone, the assassin shouldn't be his match. At least the few shots the assassin fired from outside the window earlier weren't very good. At such close range, several shots fired in quick succession didn't even scratch Yang Hongtao, which showed that the guy's predictive ability wasn't very strong.
He fired almost every shot right behind Yang Hongtao, instead of guessing Yang Hongtao's next location based on Yang Hongtao's speed and reaction, and setting a lead time when shooting. So naturally, every shot missed.
Of course, Yang Hongtao estimated that if that guy were shooting at a fixed target, he would most likely be a "sharpshooter" who hit the bullseye every time, but he would definitely lack real combat experience.
Such skill would be more than enough to deal with ordinary people, but Yang Hongtao's reaction speed was far beyond that of ordinary people! Holding the gun, Yang Hongtao felt a surge of excitement. He raised his eyebrows, twisted his body, and lunged towards the window. And then…
With a "thump," he fell to the ground!
Wow! That movement was too big, and I actually strained my back!
Yang Hongtao felt an excruciating pain in his lower back, as if it were about to break, and couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of dissatisfaction with the body's former owner. Without even needing a hospital checkup, Yang Hongtao knew that his body was severely deficient in kidneys! Otherwise, why would he be behaving so poorly now?
In fact, some of the information gleaned from Zhou Ziwei's remnant soul memories reveals that this guy is not only lecherous and lustful, but most importantly, he enjoys group sex, specifically one man with multiple women, and has even challenged the physiological limits of seven times a night. With his reckless behavior, even if he were born with Schwarzenegger's physique, he'd eventually ruin his frail, chicken-like body!
My kidneys!
Yang Hongtao couldn't help but grit his teeth and roar silently at the void...
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 025 The Exquisite Heart Bar!