88: Chapter 88 Shadow Assassin? You stepped on my slippers!

The black mass entered without a sound.

It had no physical form, like a puddle of ink spilled on the floor, seeping through the cracks in the tiles.

It bypassed the garbage bags piled at the door. It bypassed Xiao Fan's sneakers, which could kill a person with their smell. Even Wangcai, the mutt snoring on the carpet, wasn't startled in the slightest.

Top-tier stealth.

The black shadow wriggled, forming a human-like silhouette at the foot of Gu Fan's bed.

This person's codename was 'Shadow'.

A ruthless individual ranked among the top ten on Tianqiong City's underground assassin list, an Eliminator specially nurtured by the Chain Abyss organization.

His body had undergone S-rank genetic modification, allowing him to briefly become two-dimensional in this three-dimensional world, transforming into a true shadow.

No one could guard against a shadow.

Shadow looked at Gu Fan, who was sleeping like a log on the bed, and the corner of his mouth under the mask curled upwards in a cold sneer.

Is this the legendary 'Thunderous Sleeping Demon'?

He doesn't have three heads and six arms, does he?

He doesn't even have a Martial Artist's alertness. Someone's already at his bedside, and he's still smacking his lips.

"It's over."

Shadow thought to himself.

He raised his right hand, and his entire hand had transformed into a pure black blade. In this state, alloy steel plates were no different from tofu.

No need to make a big commotion.

Just a light slash across Gu Fan's neck, and it would be done.

Without anyone knowing.

Shadow took a step forward.

He calculated this step very precisely.

It avoided the clutter by the bed, and with his arm extended, he could just reach Gu Fan's neck.

But the second his foot—or rather, the foot formed by the shadow—landed.

Gu Fan, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, suddenly rolled over without warning.

This wasn't a big deal, but one of his legs suddenly kicked out from under the covers.

It had no lethality.

Purely restless sleep.

Coincidentally, this kick hit a slipper by the bed.

A pink plastic slipper with Hello Kitty printed on it.

The [Causality Principle · Powerful Anti-slip Slipper] exchanged at a special price in the System Mall.

Smack.

The slipper flew out.

It drew a highly unscientific parabola in mid-air.

Then, without deviation, it landed precisely where Shadow was about to step.

And it landed with the heel upright.

The hard, angular sole pointed straight up.

At this point, Shadow's foot couldn't be stopped.

He was an S-rank master; his movements were like lightning.

And precisely because he was too fast, with too much inertia, there was no chance to brake.

Squish.

A muffled sound, like flesh hitting hard plastic.

Shadow's foot, which would have been fine even if he stepped on a knife edge, at this moment, firmly stepped on the iron-hard plastic ridge of the slipper.

Location: the outer side of his left pinky toe.

One of the most densely packed areas of human pain nerves.

[Ding! Detected 'Shadow's' lethal killing intent.]

[Malice Judgment: Sneak attack while someone is sleeping, no Martial Virtue.]

[Reversal activated: Forced physical manifestation + Pain amplified one hundredfold.]

In that one second.

Shadow was stunned; his proud 'virtualization' ability was gone.

His foot was forcibly reverted to a physical form, a Mortal flesh-and-blood foot with nerves that could feel pain.

Then, the excruciating pain, enough to make one's Soul Emergence on the spot, felt like a fully loaded high-speed train had struck his toe head-on.

This pain wasn't just simple pain.

It was sour, swollen, numb, explosive, a grand fireworks display of all sensations mixed together.

From his toe, it rushed up his thigh in a second, drilled into his spine, and finally exploded in a mushroom cloud in his skull.

"Aow----!!"

Shadow opened his mouth wide, preparing to let out the most agonizing scream of his life.

His eyes bulged as if they would split, and tears immediately streamed out.

At this moment, all assassin's dignity, all mission objectives, could go to hell.

He just wanted to roll on the ground, clutching his foot.

However.

The word "Aow" had just reached his throat.

Gu Fan on the bed seemed to be disturbed by his intense emotional fluctuation.

Frowning, he buried his face deeper into the pillow and mumbled a dream-talk impatiently:

"Shut up... so noisy..."

Words become law.

Causality Principle, again.

Shadow's mouth, stretched to its limit, was as if glued shut.

His upper and lower lips were tightly sealed together.

The scream that was about to burst from his throat was forcefully pushed back.

"Mmm!! Mmm mmm mmm!!!"

Shadow couldn't make a sound.

He could only stare with bloodshot eyes, clutching his foot tightly with both hands, hopping madly on one leg.

He looked just like a black gorilla whose tail had been stepped on and then rendered mute.

He convulsed from the pain, and cold sweat soaked his expensive night suit.

He silently hopped in place for a full two minutes.

Every time he landed, the aftershock from his toe made him wish he were dead.

It wasn't until the piercing pain subsided slightly that Shadow collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, only able to gasp for air through his nose.

At this moment, there was movement from the bed.

Gu Fan woke up.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes, unable to sleep due to the strange noises in the middle of the night.

By the dim light of the nightlight, he saw a black shadow sitting on the floor.

The person was wearing a tight suit, a killer mask, clutching one foot and trembling silently, with something shiny seemingly dripping from beneath the mask.

It was tears.

Gu Fan froze for a second.

Then, as if he had thought of something, there was no surprise or fear on his face at all.

Instead, it held a hint of sympathy, an expression of someone who had been through it before.

He slowly pulled a tissue from under his pillow and handed it over.

"Stubbed your toe, didn't you?"

Gu Fan's voice was still raspy from sleep, "I understand, all ten fingers (and toes) are connected to the heart, especially the pinky toe. Just cry it out, don't hold it in."

“...”

Shadow's eyes were practically popping out.

What kind of reaction is this?!

I came here to kill you!

Aren't you going to comfort me?!

No, that's not right!

Shouldn't you be scared witless?!

"Woohoo... (I'm an assassin!)"

Shadow wanted to roar, but his mouth was still sealed, so he could only make whimpering sounds like a wronged puppy.

Gu Fan sighed, as if seeing right through him.

"Alright, no need to explain. In the middle of the night, dressed so lightly, running around someone else's dorm without even wearing slippers, you must have some difficulties, right?"

Gu Fan sat up and even kindly poured him a glass of water, though Shadow couldn't drink it.

"Come on, tell me. Who sent you? Do I owe you money?"

"It's alright, as long as you don't disturb my sleep, we can chat slowly."

At that moment.

Shadow looked at the man in pajamas before him, with an innocent expression.

He suddenly felt that he was the weak, pathetic, and helpless victim.

Had the world gone mad?

Why was I defeated by a slipper?

Why is this mission target calmer than I am?

He trembled, wanting to struggle, wanting to fight back.

But the excruciating pain in his foot, and the unreasonable rule suppression, made him unable to lift even a finger.

"Woo..."

Shadow finally broke down, tears and snot smearing his face.

Gu Fan shook his head and stuffed the tissue into his hand.

"Don't cry, really. I always stub my toes too. You just get used to it."

"But... you wanted to kill me just now, right?"

Gu Fan's tone suddenly turned cold.

At that moment, Shadow felt a chill, a hundred times more terrifying than his toe exploding earlier, emanating from the lazy man.

"Since you've come, don't be in a hurry to leave."

"I still have some scores to settle."

Gu Fan pointed to Xiao Fan and Wangcai, who were sleeping soundly beside him.

"Look, you woke everyone up (not really). How should we calculate this mental distress fee?"