188: Chapter 188 I Don't Want to Work

There were many legends about her, most of them horrifying.

One of the most widely circulated was this:

On the first night of the island survival stage, she slaughtered everyone in her Tribe.

When the island stage ended, she was the only living person to walk off that island.

A genius born for slaughter—or rather, a monster.

"Heh..."

Seeing Lin Wei walk in, a very soft, ambiguous chuckle escaped from Baili Qing's mouth, which was hidden behind her long hair.

That low, raspy voice, tinged with a lazy sleepiness, rang out again:

"People from Calamity..."

"Even you have times when you need to beg me for help."

Her voice was very flat, yet it sent a shiver through Lin Wei's heart.

Lin Wei steadied herself and got straight to the point, her voice cold and hard:

"I'm here to hire you to kill someone."

"Name your price."

"Oh?"

Baili Qing seemed to chuckle softly again. She moved slightly, her messy long hair swaying, but her face remained obscured.

She paused, as if thinking, and then stated conditions that made even Lin Wei's pupils contract:

"I want..."

"One-third of the Calamity Tribe's resource reserves."

"And the right to enter your Calamity Treasury once to take any three items I like."

"Hiss—!"

Despite being mentally prepared, Lin Wei couldn't help but suck in a cold breath upon hearing these conditions that were practically robbery! Her heart pounded wildly!

One-third of Calamity's resources! What did that even mean? It was enough to arm several large Tribes or cultivate several top-tier experts!

Not to mention letting her enter the Calamity Treasury to pick three items at will!

This price was too high! So high that even she, who had come prepared, felt her heart skipping beats!

Hearing these terms, Rock became agitated. "Aren't you asking for way too much?"

Baili Qing didn't seem surprised by Rock's reaction at all. She tilted her head and added in that lazy tone:

"I never bargain."

Her tone was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable finality.

Agree and we talk; don't agree and get out.

Lin Wei's expression shifted back and forth, her chest heaving violently.

This price indeed exceeded the upper limit she had estimated before coming.

But then she thought of Li's strength...

After a few seconds of struggle, Lin Wei stared at the slumped figure on the bed and said clearly:

"Fine."

"I agree."

Rock growled in disbelief, "Lin Wei! You!"

Baili Qing's "gaze," hidden behind her long hair, seemed to fall on Lin Wei's face.

"Oh?" A hint of genuine interest entered her voice. "You can make that call?"

Lin Wei straightened her back, her voice regaining its calm and decisiveness. "I can make them agree."

"Interesting. According to the rules, half the payment is due upfront. You know which half I want."

Baili Qing laughed softly, the sound echoing in the empty room with a sort of morbid pleasure.

"I can do that." Lin Wei nodded without hesitation.

"Once they agree, we will deliver the promised half of the resources to the designated location as soon as possible. The treasury access will be granted after the job is done."

The deal seemed to be struck just like that. Simple, blunt, and at a staggering cost.

Lin Wei looked at Baili Qing, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Don't you want to learn about your target first?"

Hearing this, Baili Qing seemed to find the question laughable.

Slowly, extremely slowly, she raised a hand.

That hand was also excessively pale, with slender, long fingers and distinct knuckles. The nails were neatly trimmed, yet it gave off an inhumanly cold feeling.

With her fingertips, she gently brushed aside a few strands of long hair hanging by her cheek, revealing a small portion of her face.

Lin Wei's breath suddenly hitched!

It was an extremely young, one could even say juvenile, face.

Those eyes peeking from behind the hair were very pale in color, nearly silver-gray, and they were currently looking at Lin Wei.

Baili Qing said softly:

"Who..."

"...cares about a corpse?"

Lin Wei was stunned. She truly was the number one bounty assassin in the Land of Beginning.

Lin Wei steadied her mind and continued:

"Additionally, to ensure the mission is foolproof, we have simultaneously hired dozens of mercenary Tribes. They will operate on the outskirts of the target area and follow your commands. You can treat them as..."

She didn't get to finish her sentence.

An extreme aura of death descended without warning, booming down and enveloping Lin Wei completely!

Lin Wei's body suddenly stiffened!

I'm going to die!

I'll be dead in the next instant!

There was no room for resistance!

And the source of this terrifying killing intent was that slumped, curled-up figure on the bed who looked harmless and decadent.

Baili Qing's low, raspy, lazily sleepy voice rang out slowly:

"Hmm—?"

"You don't trust... my strength?"

Lin Wei felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar!

She instantly understood what she had offended—for a top assassin, questioning their ability, especially by providing "hired help" to "assist," was in itself the greatest insult and sign of distrust!

"No! No! Absolutely not!"

Lin Wei explained at high speed, her forehead instantly covered in cold sweat.

"I only wanted to provide some convenience for you! Those people are just peripheral cleanup tools; they will never interfere with any of your actions! Everything is centered around you!"

She didn't dare to pause for a second, fearing that if the explanation came even half a moment late, that invisible death would descend.

"Oh..." Baili Qing drew out the syllable, and the terrifying killing intent locking onto Lin Wei vanished as suddenly as a receding tide.

Lin Wei's body swayed, nearly collapsing to the floor. She forced herself to stay steady, her back already soaked with cold sweat.

"Tools?" Baili Qing seemed to think for a moment, then said in that lazy voice, "If I need them, I'll let you know."

She added a sentence, her tone carrying a hint of faint impatience:

"Don't make me wait too long for the deposit."

"I don't much like waiting for people."

This was... a reluctant acceptance of the "additional service," but the control had to be entirely in her hands.

Lin Wei felt as if she had been granted a grand pardon and nodded quickly. "Alright! I will arrange it as soon as possible and have the deposit sent over!"

Baili Qing didn't respond further, her head hidden by long hair just gave a slight nod before she returned to her decadent posture.

Lin Wei knew the conversation was over.

She didn't dare stay for another second and walked quickly out of the suffocating little wooden hut.

When the sound of Lin Wei's footsteps had completely faded, silence returned to the area outside the hut.

Inside, on the bed.

Baili Qing, who had been maintaining that curled-up, profound posture, suddenly relaxed completely after confirming there was no more movement outside.

"Whew—!!!"

She let out an extremely exaggerated gasp, like someone who had just finished an eight-hundred-meter dash.

Then, with zero dignity, she flopped backward and fell straight onto the bed.

A painful groan escaped her lips. "Sigh—work again..."

She lay there, staring at the ceiling, her eyes wide with a look of despair behind her messy hair as she began to mutter to herself:

"I asked for so much... and you actually agreed..."

"Is your 'Calamity' so rich that you have money to burn, or are you guys just hopelessly stupid?"

"One-third of the resources! And three items from the treasury! You're really giving them?"

"Aaaaah—! I don't want to work!"

"I just want to lie in my little hut and sleep! Eat! Look at the stars! Zone out!"

"Why did you have to come looking for me?"

Like a child who didn't want to go to school, she rolled around irritably on the bed a couple of times.

"After this job is done... I'm definitely taking a six-month break! No! A year!"

"I won't take any requests, no matter who calls! Not even if the King of Heaven himself shows up!"

"I'm going to weld the door shut! And sleep until the end of time!"

After venting her frustrations, she lay limp for a while, then raised that excessively pale hand to touch her cheek and sighed:

"Acting all deep and brooding is so exhausting..."

"My face is about to go stiff..."

"And I have to keep my voice all raspy when I talk, it's so uncomfortable..."

After grumbling for a good while, Baili Qing's voice gradually grew quieter, and her eyelids began to droop.

"Whatever... sleep first..."

"Get enough rest... then think about how to 'work'..."

The incoherent mumbling grew smaller and smaller, finally fading into silence.

Inside the wooden hut, the sound of light and even breathing could be heard.