139: [Reduced Presence Aura] (Bonus Chapter)

Zhang Wenhai stared intently at the three of them. Seeing Jiang Ye's hand move toward his pocket, he immediately raised his dagger and snarled:

"Phone! Take out your phone! Throw it on the coffee table! Don't fucking make me do it!"

Jiang Ye glanced at the cloth strips wrapped around the other's knife handle and frowned.

If it were still him from half a year ago, with nothing to lose, he would have charged into the kitchen without a second thought, grabbed a kitchen knife, and fought this bastard.

Those with nothing to lose fear nothing, especially since he'd probably win.

But now... Jiang Ye not only had something to lose, but it was fucking designer shoes!

If he fought this irrational desperado head-on and got hurt, or if the two Girls he considered "precious assets" beside him got hurt, it would be a total loss.

After quickly weighing the options, Jiang Ye slowly pulled his phone from his pocket, obediently tossed it onto the coffee table in front of him, and patted Su Ning, who was hiding behind him:

"Miss Su, take out your phone too and put it on the table."

Seeing Jiang Ye and Su Ning both obediently hand over their phones, a hint of smugness flashed across Zhang Wenhai's face. He then pointed the tip of his knife at Lin Wanxing:

"And you! Lin Wanxing! Where's your phone?! Take it out! Don't make me do it!"

Lin Wanxing suppressed the fear in her heart and said coldly, "Zhang Wenhai! What exactly do you want?!"

"What do I want?"

Zhang Wenhai sneered, "You! Damn it! Acting all high and mighty with me! You got me fired and humiliated. Isn't it fair for me to collect some interest today?"

"You harassed me with various numbers, endlessly calling and sending disgusting messages. How many times did I warn you? You brought this on yourself. Why shouldn't I call the police?"

Lin Wanxing's face turned pale with anger as she pointed at the sofa. "Zhang Wenhai, do you think holding a knife can scare the three of us..."

She paused subtly here, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. She instinctively glanced back at Su Ning, who was trying hard to reduce her presence by the coffee table, then continued addressing Zhang Wenhai:

"...threatening two Girls with a lousy knife, are you even a man? Zhang Wenhai! You disgust me!"

The shift in her words and the change in the number of people were abrupt, but neither Su Ning, huddled on the sofa, nor Zhang Wenhai, agitated at the door, seemed to notice anything unusual.

Jiang Ye, meanwhile, silently glanced at the "Presence Reduction Halo" that had just activated in his mind. The remaining time displayed was 0:59:52.

Hmm... this shouldn't be a loss.

Zhang Wenhai breaking in with a knife and attempted assault, plus the previous harassment and stalking—with multiple charges combined, he probably wouldn't get out for several years.

Once this is over, that damn task, ["Ex" Shadow Purifier], should be completed.

Trading a one-time item for a permanent passive skill, [Deterrence Aura], seems like a win no matter how you look at it.

Jiang Ye tentatively shifted slightly on the sofa and reached out to retrieve the phone he'd just thrown on the coffee table.

Zhang Wenhai and Lin Wanxing, locked in their standoff, were both drawn to this movement. They glanced at him but quickly turned their attention back to each other, as if he were some unimportant passerby.

Su Ning, sitting right next to Jiang Ye, followed his movement and shifted a small distance on the sofa, still clinging tightly to him.

Jiang Ye: "???"

Huh? What's going on? Is this Girl unaffected by the halo?

He tentatively pulled his arm, which Su Ning was holding, out gently.

Su Ning pouted, seeming a bit displeased that her "human shield" had slipped away, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she grabbed a nearby cushion and hugged it.

Jiang Ye waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Su Ning blinked, looking at him a bit puzzled, then nervously turned her gaze back to Zhang Wenhai, as if she didn't find Jiang Ye unusual.

Jiang Ye scratched his head, roughly understanding the mechanism of the "Presence Reduction Halo."

To verify further, he slowly stood up, walked into the kitchen, and pulled a kitchen knife from the knife rack.

This time, Zhang Wenhai, who had been ignoring him, instantly became alert. He sharply turned the tip of his knife toward Jiang Ye and shouted, "What are you doing?! Put the knife down!"

Jiang Ye shrugged, walked into the kitchen, tucked the knife into his jacket, and came out empty-handed.

Sure enough, Zhang Wenhai's gaze immediately shifted away from him, locking back onto Lin Wanxing as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Ye clicked his tongue, fully understanding now.

The "Presence Reduction Halo" doesn't make you completely invisible. Instead, it drastically lowers your "priority" and "relevance" in others' eyes, turning you into a "harmless background element."

But if your actions involve direct interaction, especially invasive or threatening ones, or if your presence becomes too strong to ignore, you'll still be noticed immediately.

Looking at it this way... tsk, those ultimate fantasy plans like swaggering into the women's bathhouse with the halo active probably won't work.

So, using this thing to deal with the Zhang Wenhai problem in exchange for a permanent passive skill really isn't a waste.

Jiang Ye stroked his chin and pulled the knife out from his jacket right in front of Zhang Wenhai... "Damn it! What are you doing?!"

Put the knife away... "Lin Wanxing! I'm telling you..."

Pull the knife out from the side... "Put the knife down! Don't make me do it!"

Put the knife away... "Lin Wanxing! Those months I spent on you..."

Pull the knife out from behind... Jiang Ye held the knife and mimicked stabbing Zhang Wenhai in the back a few times. Seeing no reaction, he nodded to himself.

It seems as long as you move "non-threateningly" into the other's blind spot, even pulling out the knife again won't attract attention.

If this bastard really tries anything, don't blame me for playing dirty.

Hmm... crisis averted. Just need to get someone to haul this guy away.

Jiang Ye glanced again at Zhang Wenhai, who was still cursing and venting his anger at Lin Wanxing, and felt speechless.

And with this, Lin Wanxing previously described him as "too cowardly to do anything extreme"?

Breaking in with a knife and using violent coercion—isn't that extreme enough?

This woman's judgment of people really needs improvement.