Chapter 49 Joining the Dark Web

Xu Yi turned his head toward the sound and saw a man in a well-tailored suit walking toward him at a leisurely pace.

"It's you!!"

A shockwave rippled through Xu Yi's heart, far surpassing any astonishment he had ever experienced before.

Because the person approaching was someone he had met just yesterday.

It was the man with the gold-rimmed glasses he had encountered at the Tianlan Club! Yet when he ran into this fellow yesterday, the man had merely seemed like someone skilled in calculation.

Xu Yi dared not act rashly, for the aura emanating from the newcomer was vastly more powerful than the one Lu Huaibin had exuded!

If he were facing Lu Huaibin, Xu Yi could have struck without a moment's hesitation.

Right now, however, the urge to turn and run crossed Xu Yi's mind.

"Who are you?" Xu Yi gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down as he coiled his muscles, preparing for every possible contingency.

Yet the man with the glasses appeared much calmer than Xu Yi. Stopping about five meters away from him, the man looked at Xu Yi with an air of amused interest.

"Set your mind at ease. I am not here to kill you. On the contrary, I am here to resolve your doubts," the man in glasses said calmly.

Xu Yi sneered, "If you want to clear up my doubts, you had better start by telling me who on earth you are."

The man in glasses shrugged and replied, "Very well! My name is Liu Zhiwen, a stock analyst..."

Before the man could finish, Xu Yi directly interrupted, "You must know I am not asking about that identity. Don't tell me you just happened to walk past this place? You're with the Dark Web, aren't you?"

The man in glasses smiled faintly and said, "As expected of Mr. Xu. The moment I laid eyes on Mr. Xu yesterday for the first time, I judged that you were extraordinary and marked you as my target."

At the word "target," a fierce killing intent suddenly erupted in Xu Yi's eyes.

Seeing Xu Yi's reaction, Liu Zhiwen momentarily froze before saying, "Apologies. You've misunderstood. The target I mentioned is not what you think..."

Before Liu Zhiwen's words faded, his gaze suddenly sharpened and narrowed!

Xu Yi actually chose that exact moment to strike.

"Hah!"

Xu Yi unleashed the greatest physical power he had ever mustered. Closing the five-meter gap in a fraction of a second, he lunged forward.

With a blank expression, he delivered a direct Hong fist aimed squarely at Liu Zhiwen's face!

This single punch embodied nearly a month of bitter labor; every single morning, he had forced himself to practice the most fundamental basics.

He had lost count of how many times he had thrown this exact same punch.

Yet this time, it was the most perfect punch he had ever thrown!

Liu Zhiwen felt the terrifying momentum behind Xu Yi's fist, and the casual expression vanished from his face, for this blow left him nowhere to hide.

In the flash of lightning and flint...

Liu Zhiwen could only raise both hands in a desperate block!

A tremendous force surged through his arms! Liu Zhiwen's expression shifted even more dramatically!

Such raw power!

With his double palms dispersing the kinetic force, Liu Zhiwen took a step back, his feet tapping rapidly against the ground to widen the distance between them once again!

Astonishment shook Liu Zhiwen to his core.

He knew Xu Yi possessed decent martial arts prowess—being able to kill Zhao Jian under the protection of eight Dark Web thugs and defeat a Dark Web assassin meant he was no weakling!

Yet to actually drive back a practitioner of inner force like himself using pure physical strength alone was a feat perhaps unattainable even by those aristocratic scions who fancied themselves geniuses.

On the other side, seeing Liu Zhiwen effortlessly open up the distance again in the blink of an eye, Xu Yi let out a sigh!

Were these the methods of a true inner-force practitioner? This movement speed was more than double his own. Clearly, his [Slow Motion] ability allowed him to track the man's form, but his physical body simply could not keep up.

As expected, when he encountered Lu Huaibin earlier, that man had only displayed a minuscule fraction of what inner force could truly achieve!

However, defeating the opponent was not Xu Yi's ultimate objective.

His goal was to pull the man within the effective range of his [Mind Reading] ability!

Although their exchange had been brief, the duration was sufficient. Xu Yi instantly captured Liu Zhiwen's inner thoughts.

Liu Zhiwen's mind was indeed as calculating as ever, except this time, the probability he was computing was not related to a card game, but rather the odds of persuading Xu Yi to join the Dark Web.

Xu Yi was dumbfounded.

This guy came here to recruit him into the Dark Web? What on earth?

Seeing that Xu Yi had stopped his attack, Liu Zhiwen finally let out a breath of relief and said with a helpless smile, "Xu Yi! Can't you ever let someone finish speaking?"

"My name really is Liu Zhiwen, and I am indeed a stock analyst. I am not an accomplice of that Dark Web assassin. As for my true identity... Hehe... I am actually a Dark Web recruiter."

"What do you mean?" Xu Yi still glared at Liu Zhiwen with suspicion.

Although [Mind Reading] indicated that Liu Zhiwen harbored no genuine malice toward him, Xu Yi dared not lower his guard.

Liu Zhiwen said calmly, "It is very simple. The football and basketball industries have scouts, the entertainment industry has talent scouts, and a so-called Dark Web recruiter is no different from them. My job is to scout for talent on behalf of the Dark Web."

"As for that Dark Web assassin, it was merely a coincidence. He received a contract to kill you, while my sole purpose was to recruit you."

Without completely letting down his guard, Xu Yi sneered, "Recruit me into the Dark Web? I was just hunted down by your Dark Web assassins, and you expect me to join? Do you honestly think I would agree?"

Liu Zhiwen smiled with absolute confidence, "Why ever not? These are two entirely separate matters. The reason you qualified for my recruitment is your exquisite gambling technique, an extremely scarce ability even within the Dark Web."

"Yet your assassination attempt occurred purely because a Dark Web hitman accepted a contract. The two do not conflict."

Liu Zhiwen paused briefly before continuing, "In fact, joining the Dark Web right now is actually to your benefit. The advantages you gain from joining are beyond your imagination. You must realize how many people in this world desperately want to join the Dark Web yet have no means to do so."

Xu Yi asked coldly, "And what are these so-called benefits of yours?"

Liu Zhiwen smiled faintly and said, "First! Upon joining the Dark Web, you automatically become a member. Depending on your membership tier, you can purchase any service available on the Dark Web."

"Second, your abilities will become one of the services offered by the Dark Web. The rates charged by the Dark Web are exceptionally high, which will undoubtedly allow you to rake in a fortune."

"As for the third benefit, it is likely the one you need most at this moment."

Xu Yi narrowed his eyes, waiting for Liu Zhiwen to continue.

Noticing that Xu Yi did not ask, Liu Zhiwen gave a somewhat awkward cough before proceeding. "This third benefit is that the Dark Web provides a certain level of protection based on your membership tier, granting you immunity from having assassination contracts placed against you on the platform."

"For instance, given your gambling skills, if you join the Dark Web now, you can become an F-tier member. According to the Dark Web's protection rules, D-tier hitmen—who are one rank higher—will be strictly prohibited from accepting contracts targeting you."

Xu Yi scoffed with utter disdain, "That's completely useless. It's just tiered protection. What's to stop someone from hiring a C-tier hitman or higher?"

Liu Zhiwen froze, then looked at Xu Yi with a strange expression in his eyes. "Do you understand the Dark Web at all? Do you think Dark Web assassins grow on trees?"

"Do you have any idea that the starting price for a C-tier Dark Web hitman's services is at least one billion? Furthermore, C-tier assassins can pick and choose their contracts at will. Honestly, even if someone offered the money, no C-tier Dark Web assassin would ever accept a contract to kill an ordinary person."

"Ultimately, it's beneath their dignity, understand? Not to mention hitmen above C-tier; those are entities you cannot hire no matter how much money you possess."

Meeting Liu Zhiwen's look of mild contempt, Xu Yi felt a warm flush creep up his weathered face.

"Ahem!" Xu Yi coughed once more to mask his embarrassment, pondered for a moment, and asked, "So, if I join the Dark Web, what must I give in return?"

Xu Yi had never believed that free pie would fall from the sky; every gain came with a corresponding loss.

If the Dark Web truly offered so many benefits, the price demanded in return must be equally substantial.

Liu Zhiwen said calmly, "Naturally, the Dark Web has requirements for its members. However, you will undoubtedly agree to these terms."

"First, you must never reveal your identity as a Dark Web member to anyone."

"Second, you must never betray the identities of other Dark Web members."

"Third, the Dark Web will take a 15 percent commission on all services sold and contracts fulfilled through the platform."

"Fourth, the Dark Web will occasionally assign specific tasks. Within a span of five years, you are only permitted to refuse tasks assigned by the Dark Web three times."

After listening to the four conditions, Xu Yi fell into deep thought for quite a while.

Eventually, Xu Yi asked in a grave tone, "I will only ask one question: what kind of tasks does the Dark Web assign? And what happens if I refuse tasks more than three times?"

Liu Zhiwen let out a breath of relief, realizing that Xu Yi had essentially agreed to join the Dark Web.

With a faint smile, he said, "Rest assured. First of all, any task assigned to you by the Dark Web will strictly match your personal capabilities. As for refusals..."

Liu Zhiwen收起笑容道：收起笑容道：His smile faded as he stated, "You will become the target of a Dark Web manhunt, and you may even be posted on the assassination bounty board. At the very least, C-tier Dark Web assassins will be dispatched after you."

Xu Yi took a deep breath and said, "Since that is the case, I agree to join the Dark Web."