Chapter 92: The Debate Over Thieves

Kapo’s left ear was gone.

A bloody mess.

That shot He Tian had fired just now had not blown Kapo’s head apart after all.

At the crucial instant, Kapo had dodged aside; the bullet had only torn away his ear.

By the time He Tian rushed after him, Kapo had already struggled to his feet and fled at speed.

That was precisely why He Tian was frowning.

That his shot had failed to kill Kapo outright with a headshot struck him as a little unbelievable.

At the same time, it told him clearly that Kapo’s strength was considerable.

At the very least, he should possess the power of the third layer of inner force.

But even so, what of it?

He Tian saw Kapo still running.

In the midst of the pursuit, he fired another shot.

Kapo crashed to the ground again.

This time the bullet struck his leg.

He Tian might miss once, but never twice.

Kapo might evade one shot, but not a second.

Kapo had not even managed to rise again before He Tian was already at his side.

Without the slightest hesitation, He Tian fired once more into Kapo’s other leg.

A blood-soaked bullet hole burst open in Kapo’s thigh.

Then He Tian strode forward swiftly and planted a foot on Kapo’s body.

Kapo saw his face clearly.

“A Chinese man...” Kapo said in stiff, awkward Mandarin.

“Correct. A pity you’re about to die. Don’t worry—I won’t give you any chance to talk.”

He Tian leveled the muzzle at Kapo and squeezed the trigger lightly.

There was truly nothing for him to say to Kapo.

His purpose was only to kill him.

Everything else lay outside the scope of his concern. He had no interest in hearing whatever Kapo wanted to say.

And Kapo really had wanted to say something.

But when the gunshot rang out, no sound could come from him ever again.

His eyes bulged wide; death had come in an instant.

He Tian put away the gun, quickly left the spot, retrieved the sniper rifle, glanced at the communicator on his wrist linked to Divine Wind, confirmed the direction, and hastened to rendezvous with Divine Wind and Ugly.

The laws of survival showed one thing clearly: if the other party possessed nothing that could draw you in—no useful object, no intelligence—then you killed at once.

That was the key reason He Tian had dispatched Kapo so decisively.

A cave.

Divine Wind lay on the ground while Ugly busied himself without pause.

“Hiss... brother, take it easy!”

“What are you, a woman?”

Ugly tossed back the reply, his hands never stopping.

The poison in Divine Wind’s leg had already been brought under control by Ugly’s medicine.

Now Ugly was helping him dig the bullet out of his shoulder.

There was no anesthetic here.

In Ugly’s view, none was needed.

He simply went at it with a dagger.

The pain made Divine Wind bare his teeth and grimace; sweat drenched his face.

But he also knew that the bullet had to be removed as quickly as possible.

Otherwise it really might leave lasting damage.

So no matter how excruciating it was now, he had to endure it.

“Not bad. You only turned delicate for a moment.”

Ugly sprinkled medicinal powder over the wound, then took gauze from his pack and bandaged Divine Wind up.

“If I didn’t act delicate for a moment, how could your superb skill stand out?” Divine Wind looked at Ugly and said, “You truly live up to your name. One look at you and no one could ever forget you.”

“I may take that as praise?” Ugly dropped down to sit and let out a soft laugh.

“That was exactly what I meant.” Divine Wind grinned. “Come on, open that pack. Let me show you what a true treasure is. You’ve no idea—for this prize alone, I spent a full year and three months before I finally stole it.”

“Not interested. Your methods are too crude.” Ugly curled his lip, full of disdain.

“What?”

Divine Wind got agitated, tugged at his wound, and immediately bared his teeth from the savage pain.

Still, he forced himself to adjust his position.

What Divine Wind hated most was anyone doubting his professional level.

To steal that emerald treasure from General Balang was, in his own eyes, the most masterful operation he had ever carried out.

Though it had led to a manhunt and nearly cost him his life, he was still immensely proud of it.

But now...

Someone had actually scorned it!

How could Divine Wind not be stirred?

“What do you know? Do you know how tightly that hateful Balang hid the emerald? Do you know what extraordinary skill I had to use to steal it? Let me tell you—although you saved me...” Divine Wind’s face turned solemn, incomparably grave. “You may not question my profession. This is contempt and disrespect toward the greatest thief!”

“That serious?” Ugly looked at Divine Wind with amusement.

“Wipe that smile off your face. I’m being completely serious! You can look down on me, but you cannot look down on my profession!” Divine Wind loved his “profession” dearly and guarded his authority in it even more fiercely.

“Are you truly that professional?” Ugly asked, still amused.

“Say that clearly. You have to make yourself clear!” Divine Wind shouted in pain. “You dare question my professional ability? This... this isn’t over!”

“Oh dear, I’m so frightened.” Ugly looked at him and said, “As I see it, instead of stealing that emerald, you’d have done better to steal money directly. That’s what I do.”

Divine Wind froze, staring at Ugly in astonishment. Then, with some hesitation, he asked, “You’re in the same trade?”

“More or less. But what I steal is money. Actual money. To me, that’s the root of it all. I could get five hundred million dollars with far less trouble than you. But you, for an emerald worth five hundred million, nearly got yourself killed. Not worth it. Absolutely not worth it.” Ugly spoke earnestly. “From a professional point of view, you abandoned the essential for the trivial.”

“Bullshit!” Divine Wind turned to him with scorn, his face brimming with contempt. “And you dare talk to me about professionalism? Give me a break. Vulgar! Hopelessly vulgar! What skill is there in stealing money? That doesn’t even count as theft! I, Divine Wind, never steal money. I steal only rarities. Rarities, understand? You could never understand the feeling of taking one treasure after another into your own hands. That feeling cannot be measured by money!”

“What? I’m vulgar? Nonsense! Every penny I steal goes to helping those in need! I’m a man of great compassion! And you? You hoard treasures just to admire them yourself? Bah! In the end, don’t you still sell them off? And what do you get from selling them? Money, isn’t it? After going around in circles, haven’t you still ended up with money?” Ugly said. “By your own logic, how does that make you any less vulgar?”

“This is elegance! Elegance, understand? It isn’t abandoning the root for the branch, nor seeking what is distant over what is near, and certainly not vulgarity!” Divine Wind said heatedly. “You don’t even count as being in the same profession as me!”

“Twisting words.” Ugly remained deeply contemptuous.

“How am I twisting words? I’m telling you, today we are going to settle this properly...” Divine Wind was thoroughly displeased.

And so the two thieves, divided by the objects they stole and the philosophies behind their thefts, argued without end.

The range of their argument kept expanding.

Before long, it had widened into a contest over professional skill and technique.

“You two really do have a refined sense of leisure.”

When He Tian appeared in the cave and saw the scene, a trace of helpless amusement crossed his face.

Two thieves together, and they could produce such a purely theoretical debate? He Tian truly felt he had broadened his horizons.

“Boss!”

The moment Divine Wind saw He Tian, his eyes almost brimmed with tears. He hurriedly said, “Boss, you have to judge this for me! Can money be a thief’s direct target? Tell me, isn’t that vulgar? It’s simply a disgrace to all thieves!”

“You’re back? How did it go?” Ugly looked at He Tian and asked.

“It’s settled. But we can’t stay here. Move at once,” He Tian said in a low voice.

“You carry him.” Ugly cast Divine Wind a sidelong glance, then walked out of the cave first.

“You little madman... this time you played a bit too big.”

He Tian adjusted his pack and hoisted Divine Wind onto his back.

“Boss, I didn’t expect it to turn out like this either! I was careless—just a tiny slip, a tiny trace left behind.” Divine Wind gave an embarrassed laugh.

“A tiny trace? If I hadn’t arrived in time, you’d be a corpse by now,” He Tian said irritably.

“Not necessarily...” Divine Wind kept up his awkward grin.

“Oh? So whether I came or not made no difference?” He Tian narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled.

“No, no, Boss, I’d never think that!” Divine Wind hurriedly replied with a placating smile. “If you hadn’t come, I’d absolutely be a dead man right now, no question about it! Boss, your valor shakes the heavens, your bearing is unmatched; my admiration for you is like a surging river—”

“Stop!”

He Tian quickly cut off his flattery and said crossly, “From now on, you stay by my side. You are not going anywhere else. Any objections?”

“Well... Boss, my strength is meager. I’m afraid that by staying with you, not only would I be no help, I might even become a burden,” Divine Wind said at once.

“Enough nonsense. Do you think I don’t know what you’re capable of? Don’t change the subject. One answer: are you willing to stay by my side or not?” He Tian said, laying it down like an ultimatum.

“If Boss doesn’t disdain me, how could I possibly refuse?” Divine Wind said at once. “Following you has been my wish all along. Boss, you don’t know—I’ve dreamed of this very moment. Now it’s finally happened. I’m overwhelmed!”

“That’s enough. Stop ladling on the sweet talk. You know I don’t buy it. If you stay by my side, then behave yourself. Don’t cause me trouble. Understood?” He Tian said sternly.

“That’s impossible, Boss. How could I possibly cause you trouble? Impossible!” Divine Wind declared at once, full of solemn assurance.

A smile lingered at the corners of He Tian’s mouth...

At the corners of Divine Wind’s, there remained only a bitter smile.