Chapter 171: Impossible to Defend Against

Xiao Yu mentally said, ‘Sign in!’

【Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully signing in.】

【System Reward: Skill – Mimicry Expert.】

【System Mission Issued: Solve the Assassin Syndicate Case.】

【Time Limit: 25 Days.】

【If the host completes the mission within the time limit, an additional system skill will be awarded: Squid’s Touch.】

【If the host fails to complete the mission within the time limit, the system abilities granted to the host will be revoked.】

【The countdown begins…】

Xiao Yu was momentarily stunned.

Unlike before, the system didn’t forcibly inject knowledge or abilities into his mind and body. However, he could feel something strange happening within him. His body, his eyes, even his cells seemed to be undergoing a peculiar transformation.

What kind of transformation?

His memory and thoughts told him that he could now perfectly and precisely replicate the movements of any target. No matter how complex the actions, he could reproduce them with exact precision. He could even mimic other people’s voices and now possessed a photographic memory.

Xiao Yu was shocked.

Just having a photographic memory alone was already frightening. But being able to perfectly imitate others? That was something else entirely.

But, the fact that he only had 25 days to solve this case?

This was the first time since acquiring the system that he was given such a long deadline for a mission. 

How dangerous, terrifying, and difficult would this case be to solve?

Xiao Yu felt a headache coming on. A sense of dread and the looming threat of death.

‘System, weren’t we supposed to be each other’s guardian angels? What are you trying to pull here? If I bite the dust, you’re going down with me, right?’

And that system skill, Squid’s Touch. He didn’t even want to think about it right now.

Xiao Yu turned his attention back to the phone.

Before worrying about solving the case, he needed to prioritize staying alive.

The phone was a sleek, all-black smartphone without a SIM card. The home screen only had a single app and a document.

No SIM card, no internet?

Xiao Yu opened the document.

It was similar to a computer document, containing a single line of text:

[Please connect to the internet and open the software!]

Frowning, Xiao Yu pulled out his own phone and activated the hotspot.

After connecting the black phone to the hotspot network, he tapped on the strange app. Instantly, the phone screen went black. It wasn’t a crash, just a completely black screen.

Just as Xiao Yu started to feel puzzled, half a minute later, a text appeared on the screen.

[Please provide the name, age, profession, address, etc., of the target you want to kill. You don’t need to include everything—just enough to confirm the identity. Wait for the quote.]

Then, a text input box popped up.

‘Quote…’ 

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes and entered a name and some basic details into the text box.

This “target” was someone arranged by Wang Dong—a safety officer operating under a false identity.

Suddenly, the black screen on the phone flashed back to the regular home screen.

‘What???’

Did the other party forcefully terminate the connection and close the app?

Was that even possible?

Yes, it was. The phone’s system was open-source, and some apps could be installed without going through security platforms. This was particularly true for Android systems—Apple systems would require jailbreaking.

‘Information verification?’ 

Xiao Yu set the phone down. 

‘After confirming the details, they’ll provide a quote? A fee for the assassination?’

So, his earlier assumption was correct. The car’s brake failure was just a test. They wanted to see how he handled the situation and how he reacted after the accident.

‘Are they worried about the client getting injured or killed?’

First, remember who you’re dealing with—hitmen. Do they care if the client gets hurt or dies? If they lose one client, they’ll just move on to the next…

‘It took them three days to contact me. I guess they’ve been investigating my identity too, right?’ Xiao Yu thought to himself. ’Did you get my permission to check my background?’

How exactly were they digging up people’s information? Could an average person even look into someone else’s identity like that?

Countless questions swirled in Xiao Yu’s mind.

He hailed a taxi and returned home—his fake identity’s home.

***

It was midnight.

In a three-bedroom apartment, Xiao Yu suddenly opened his eyes, his ears twitching slightly. He activated his Moth’s Ear. In the next moment, he triggered his Python’s Sense.

The world shifted.

A python can detect the infrared heat emitted by animals in the dark, similar to a thermal sensor.

After a few seconds, Xiao Yu’s gaze fixed on the bedroom door as he sensed a heat source. A smirk formed on his lips.

It couldn’t be one of Wang Dong’s people. They had agreed—even if he faced a life-or-death situation, they wouldn’t intervene unless he called for help.

So, who could it be?

A hitman?

Or someone else?

What was their motive?

The bedroom door quietly creaked open, and Xiao Yu closed his eyes, feigning sleep.

A figure slowly entered the room, stealthily approaching the bed.

The intruder raised a hand, revealing a knife.

Suddenly, he brought the knife down toward Xiao Yu on the bed.

The strike wasn’t particularly fast. If a normal person were aware, they could definitely dodge it.

But Xiao Yu, having activated Leopard’s Speed, Civit Cat’s Agility, and even Bear’s Strength, stood still. He didn’t even flinch as if he were truly deep in sleep.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to move. He was confident he could dodge when the knife was just a centimeter from his body.

But…

The knife halted just two centimeters above Xiao Yu’s neck.

A test.

Feigning sleep, Xiao Yu smirked inwardly.

The first test was the brake failure.

Now, this was the second test?

This guy probably wasn’t a real hitman—just a small fry?

If caught, they wouldn’t lead back to the mastermind. Was that the idea?

As expected.

The intruder withdrew the knife, glanced at Xiao Yu with some suspicion, and quietly left the room.

Xiao Yu still didn’t move. He slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the bedroom window, specifically the curtains.

‘Is there a thermal sensor outside?’

A sneer tugged at Xiao Yu’s lips as he muttered to himself, “If I had made any move just as he left, you would have detected it too, wouldn’t you?”

In all his life, Xiao Yu had never encountered opponents like these. Their cunning and the unheard-of methods they employed… One small misstep, and they would pick up on it immediately. No wonder even top-tier security personnel couldn’t handle them or track them down. The hitmen’s tactics were truly impossible to defend against.