163: Chapter 163 What's the rush? I didn't say I wouldn't help you.

"Come out."

Gu Changming looked toward him and spoke.

Hearing this, Li Yangze slowly walked out of the alley.

Their eyes met.

He had been longing to see him again, but now that the moment had arrived, Li Yangze found himself speechless, simply staring at the other man.

"You are?" Gu Changming suddenly asked.

Li Yangze was taken aback, suddenly at a loss for words.

Right... the other man had saved so many people; he likely wouldn't remember a minor character like him.

"I am from a few days ago..." he began, trying to explain.

Before he could finish, Gu Changming chuckled.

The smile was faint, but his expression was clearly playful.

Only a few days had passed; his memory wasn't so poor that he would forget him.

Seeing Gu Changming smile, Li Yangze subconsciously curled his lips as well, and the tense awkwardness eased slightly.

"Looking for me?" Gu Changming continued to ask.

"Yes," Li Yangze replied, taking two more steps forward.

"What is it?"

Being asked this, Li Yangze became even more tongue-tied.

He himself wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up to express his gratitude.

"Um... thank you for saving me back then."

"Mm... I see." Gu Changming nodded.

He actually felt it was nothing special; saving him had just been a matter of convenience, no different from saving anyone else.

"Yes." Li Yangze nodded in return, unsure of what else to say.

Seeing his restrained manner, Gu Changming's eyes flickered.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Changming beckoned him over.

"Come here."

Li Yangze was startled but stepped forward quickly, stopping about two meters away from Gu Changming.

Gu Changming reached out and said to him, "Do you have points?"

"I do," Li Yangze answered immediately.

"How many?"

"One thousand and twenty-seven."

The extra thousand points were the reward he had received after the Assessment ended.

"Transfer them to me," Gu Changming said.

"Okay." Li Yangze operated the interface immediately without any hesitation.

Seeing the transfer confirmation window pop up, even Gu Changming was a bit surprised.

He had originally wanted to tease him a bit more, but he hadn't expected the other to transfer the points without asking a single question.

Seeing this, Gu Changming put away his playful intent and opened his exclusive A-rank Esper Mall purchase page, then asked:

"What is your ability?"

"Mechanical Resonance on the Mechanical side, I can make some small items..." Li Yangze said, then added, "But I plan to switch to an Apothecary later."

"No need." Gu Changming shook his head. "This ability is also quite good."

He wasn't fooling him; once Mechanical side abilities developed, they were no worse than other powerful classes, and in some aspects, they even far surpassed them.

After hearing Li Yangze's description, Gu Changming quickly selected a suitable inheritance:

"[Mechanical Networker: 3,500 points]"

Without thinking twice, Gu Changming clicked purchase and then selected "gift."

In the next instant.

A ball of light emitting a faint metallic luster appeared before Li Yangze.

Seeing the content in the prompt box, Li Yangze was completely stunned, his eyes widening as he looked at Gu Changming in disbelief.

Although he wasn't strong, he knew how precious inheritances were; the value of this inheritance definitely far exceeded the thousand-plus points he had just transferred.

Seeing his stunned appearance, Gu Changming chuckled.

"Take it. If you really feel bad about it, then just like I helped you, go help more people like yourself."

"Mm..." Li Yangze responded, then said again, "Thank you."

"You've said that already."

"Uh..." Li Yangze suddenly looked up. "Then can you tell me your name?"

"Gu Changming."

"..."

The Skinny Monkey Man clutched his tight chest and stumbled all the way into another area of the South District.

The streets here were much more orderly than his side, and there were even several guards in uniform gray coats wandering the street corners.

The Skinny Monkey Man ignored them and rushed straight toward an unremarkable two-story building in the center of the area.

Upon reaching the second floor, someone immediately stepped forward to stop him.

"The Boss is resting and won't see anyone!"

"Get lost!" The Skinny Monkey Man shoved him aside. The guard stumbled, and while another wanted to step forward, he was glared into submission.

He was a C-rank after all; these underlings couldn't stop him.

Finding the largest room door, the Skinny Monkey Man pushed it open and rushed in.

The room was dimly lit, filled with a faint, cloying scent of incense.

Passing through a small hall, he pushed open the bedroom door inside.

The bedroom was large, with an exceptionally wide soft bed in the center.

A woman in a silk robe was leaning against the headboard; her features were striking, with slightly upturned eyes that made her look languid yet shrewd.

On either side of her nestled a young woman with pretty features and a graceful figure.

The three seemed to be whispering and laughing, the atmosphere ambiguous.

The commotion of the intrusion startled the two women on the bed, but the woman herself didn't even frown.

Lifting her eyes to scan the Skinny Monkey Man, seeing his bruised face and messy, dirty clothes, the corners of her lips curled into a playful arc.

"Skinny Monkey, what's this? Did someone beat you up?"

She spoke in a tone full of undisguised mockery.

The relationships between these bosses were neither good nor bad; since he had broken etiquette by barging in, she naturally wouldn't speak kindly to him.

"Bai Xiao, help me!" the Skinny Monkey Man said as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Hmm?" Bai Xiao hummed.

"Remember that kid Su Wan brought to the meeting today? He f*cking came to my door!" the Skinny Monkey Man immediately began to explain. "He took advantage of the fact that most of my men were out and ambushed me... he played dirty!"

In his own version of the story, he naturally had to embellish things; he couldn't very well say he couldn't even block two moves.

"That kid was incredibly arrogant, telling me to find someone... Help me! I'll call my people back, you bring yours, and we'll fight our way back!"

The Skinny Monkey Man spoke urgently, while Bai Xiao seemed indifferent.

She slowly rose from the bed, her silk robe sliding over her skin, and walked to a low table nearby.

She picked up a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and held it between her lips. With a casual flick of her fingers, a small flame ignited at her fingertip, lighting the cigarette.

The entire movement was elegant and natural.

Seeing her like this, the Skinny Monkey Man grew even more anxious.

He took a step forward, his voice suppressed with anger and urgency:

"You won't help me? Think about it. Su Wan's momentum is strong right now. If you let her people keep being this arrogant and my territory actually gets swallowed up, you might be next!"

Bai Xiao slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, glancing at the Skinny Monkey Man through the thin haze.

Only after the cigarette had burned down a bit did she speak unhurriedly, her voice carrying a hint of a languid smile:

"What's the rush? I didn't say I wouldn't help. Just wait until I finish this cigarette."

She naturally knew she couldn't just let Su Wan and the others take down Skinny Monkey, or things wouldn't go well for her either.

But his attitude truly annoyed her.

She decided to let him stew for a bit.