Chapter 44: Unexpected Experience Points

A torrential rain of arrows descended, sealing off every direction.

Die!

Shen Ye remained perfectly calm. At that moment, he triggered a mechanism on his gauntlet.

When he had previously faced the "Thunder Dharma King" Yang Feikuang, he had mentioned that his gauntlets possessed three distinct functions. The first could insulate against electricity, cold, heat, and flames. The second could temporarily boost his output power by 1.2 times. He hadn't revealed the third at the time, but now was the moment to use it.

*Swish!*

The gauntlet on his left hand instantly transformed into an umbrella, shielding his front and sides. The poisoned arrows struck the umbrella with a rhythmic *patter-patter-patter*. However, this umbrella was crafted from a specialized material from the year 3000; it was impervious to such crude poisons.

Indeed, the third function allowed the gauntlets on either hand to expand into shields, blocking various projectiles and hidden weapons. If both hands were activated simultaneously, they would merge into a sphere, completely encasing the user. Even submerged in sulfuric acid, the wearer would remain unscathed. This pair of gauntlets was a masterpiece of the year 3000.

Once the arrow storm ceased, Shen Ye pressed a button, and the super-alloy umbrella instantly retracted back into a gauntlet on his left hand.

Someone skilled in mechanisms had set a trap for him. Although he was in a rush to reach the thirty-third floor to kill Qin Zhengtian, a sudden intuition struck him. He pulled out his binoculars and activated his "Eye of Justice," scanning the surroundings and peering through the walls.

The building was mostly empty, but through the walls, he saw: "Lu Daqi, a descendant of the Lu Ban Sect. His skill with mechanisms is at the bottom of his sect. Due to his abnormally small stature, he suffered endless ridicule from his peers, which twisted his personality. He is obsessed with tormenting women and has literally tortured many to death. Sin Value: 42."

The Lu Ban Sect? Was this a martial arts faction?

Regardless, they dealt in mechanisms. Given that he had just been ambushed by a trap and a mechanism expert was nearby, it was too much of a coincidence. Nine times out of ten, this trap was set by Lu Daqi. Plus, the man’s sin value was quite high.

No need for further thought. Kill him!

These reflections flashed through his mind in an instant.

Instead of continuing his upward charge, he abruptly pivoted on the staircase, turning toward the west side of the twenty-first floor. Without hesitation, he kicked open a heavy door.

*Bang!*

The door swung wide. Inside, sitting in an executive chair, was a man about thirty years old, barely 1.3 meters tall. His hands and feet were disproportionately short, and he possessed a common, somewhat lecherous appearance.

Seeing "Chopstick Hero" burst in, the man panicked.

Shen Ye sneered, his right hand forming a fist, and he lunged toward the dwarf.

The dwarf scrambled, rolling to the side to avoid the first strike. "Who are you? Why are you attacking me? I work here! I’m always being bullied, and I was supposed to get off at noon, but I’ve been locked in here against my will!"

"Keep acting. Keep it up," Shen Ye sneered. "A dignitary of the Lu Ban Sect pretending to be a bullied office worker? That’s a pathetic act. You dared to use a mechanism to ambush me; now, honestly accept your death."

"You... you know who I am?" Hearing this, the dwarf straightened up slightly. "When did I use a mechanism to ambush you?"

"The trap on the stairs was set by you. Don't bother arguing; excuses are useless. I’m going to kill you today," Shen Ye retorted.

The dwarf sneered, "You, the 'Chopstick Hero,' claim to be a great hero, yet you’d kill me without evidence? Aren't you afraid of killing an innocent man?"

"I'm truly not afraid of killing the wrong person," Shen Ye replied coldly. With the Eye of Justice, he could never be wrong. To him, the path of a hero was both a constraint and a shield.

"My master is from the Lu Ban Sect, a group notorious for shielding their own. If you kill me, you offend the entire sect. Do you dare to provoke the Lu Ban Sect?" Seeing that his pleas were falling on deaf ears, the dwarf resorted to invoking his faction. In the past, he had offended others in the underworld, but the mere mention of his sect usually compelled them to back down. First, the Lu Ban Sect would fight to the death to avenge their own, and it wasn't worth it for a dwarf. Second, the sect created intricate mechanisms that others in the underworld occasionally needed, making them useful to keep on good terms with.

The dwarf expected the Chopstick Hero to show some restraint.

Instead, he was met with a massive, bowl-sized fist.

It was powerful and impossibly fast, striking him square in the head. The sheer force of the first blow left him dazed and confused. Then came the second punch.

The third punch! The fourth!

*Boom!*

The dwarf's skull was shattered by the ferocious, brutal, and tyrannical barrage of four strikes! A spray of blood erupted, and the dwarf's corpse slumped backward.

After killing him, Shen Ye paused, feeling a bit stunned.

This dwarf... he was so weak. If he had to compare, he was roughly on par with Li Jinguo, whom he had fought early in his career—about the strength of a one-bag elder of the Beggar Sect. Perhaps people from the Lu Ban Sect were so focused on mechanisms that their martial arts were mediocre.

What a weakling!

However, the experience points he provided were quite substantial—nearly double what he had gained from killing Lu Youwei. Though not as much as the "Lu Beggar," it wasn't far off. Above all, it had been too easy.

Shen Ye suddenly realized that the more experts Qin Zhengtian hired, the more experience he would be gifted. With the double experience bonus, he was going to have a field day. So far, his physical exertion had been minimal.

He continued his ascent.

By the time he reached the twenty-seventh floor, he suddenly sensed a murderous intent locked onto him. No, not one, but two. They were so similar that he had initially mistaken them for one.

Shen Ye stopped his sprint as if inertia didn't apply to him. He planted one foot on the upper step and the other on the lower, assuming a ready stance. Like a tiger preparing to pounce, his presence was overwhelming. "It seems Qin Zhengtian has spent his money to buy a lot of cannon fodder. Very well. No matter how many come, I will kill them all. They are nothing but low-level experience mobs anyway."