At this moment, Li Changan felt that the saying was right.
The pinker the hair, the more vicious the attack.
There was no time to hear what the girl was saying before she started attacking. Three burly men, two enhanced abilities, one should be Element Series, just that the flames wrapping around his fists didn't seem to have much deterrence.
By the time the three men were lying on the ground, the pink-haired woman hadn't used her own abilities, relying solely on a staff.
"Well fought!" The pink-haired woman casually put away her staff at her waist, and helped up the ashen-faced woman on the ground.
As they walked out of the alley, she took another look at Li Changan, who was squatting on the roadside smoking.
"Such keen Perception." With a wry smile, Li Changan put out his cigarette and walked into the alley.
Although the pink-haired woman was vicious in her attacks, the two enhanced men only suffered superficial wounds, one with Power Enhancement, the other with skin hardening. The Element Series flame abilities guy seemed to have a broken leg bone, hugging his shin and wailing.
"Hey brothers, I'm out and about without any money on me, things are a bit tight. Lend me a hand?" Li Changan stood in front of the three men. His not particularly burly figure seemed to block out the sunlight shining into the alley.
The one with pitch-black hardened skin immediately launched into curses the moment he saw it wasn't the pink-haired woman. "Go f*** yourself, trying to extort money from me..."
He didn't get to finish speaking before spurting out blood, knocked sideways from a kick that shattered half his teeth.
"You're with that b***h just now?" The Power Enhancement abilities guy carefully took two steps back. He was certain the other party was a similar type of abilities user, just much stronger.
Unfortunately Power Enhancement didn't have much potential, so it wasn't that intimidating. He was the most clear on the current plight of Power Enhancement abilities users like himself.
"Don't get the wrong idea, she just beat me to it. Good thing she only wanted the person, I want money. Otherwise I'd have to fight her, that'd give me a headache." As he spoke, Li Changan stretched out his hand, the smile already gone from his face.
Seeing the outstretched hand clearly, yet somehow unable to dodge at all, the poor man could only watch as his elbow got grabbed and crushed into pulp.
"Ah..." A shriek of pain emerged from his throat, but was cut off by his shattered jaw.
The smile vanished from Li Changan's face, replaced by a hideous and vicious expression. "I've left you one hand to transfer the money. You understand?"
The man used his remaining hand to take out his ID card, trembling as he held it out to Li Changan.
Face-to-face transfers only required placing the two ID cards together, with the recipient's on top. In a matter of seconds, even astronomical sums could be transferred.
"Good boy. Now on to the next." The smile returned to Li Changan's face, making one feel his fists seemed gentler too.
In less than a minute, all the money in the three men's accounts was in Li Changan's hands. But as expected of lowlifes, the total between the three men was still less than 100k yuan, disappointing Li Changan.
The three burly men cowered pathetically together, watching this demon and hoping he'd leave sooner.
"Alright, money obtained." Li Changan put away his ID card, smiling lightly. "Now that I've taken your money, I can't very well take your lives..."
The three men simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief.
"As long as you can ensure no retaliation from you all, I don't like trouble."
The same thought rose in the three men's minds, even if just begging for their lives now, they couldn't acknowledge possible retaliation in the future.
However, as he said this, Li Changan was already taking action.
Not one had the time to utter a miserable shriek before fainting from the agony.
Exiting the alley, Li Changan used a white tank top stripped from one of the men to tediously wipe off the thick blood on his hands. But no matter how much the white top was dyed red, some crimson remained stuck in the lines of his palms and fingers.
"If only awakened Element Series abilities were water, that'd be so convenient for washing hands." Tossing the bloody tank top into a nearby trash can, Li Changan turned and walked into the restaurant next door, like a harmless uncle.
"Boss, five servings of fried noodles, two bowls of pork offal soup, and add a pork elbow. Dine-in please."
The boss chopping meat poked his head out, frowning slightly. "Fat burning or absorption?"
"Neither." Li Changan laughed and shook his head. "Power Enhancement."
"Oh, I'll give you a larger portion, charge you the small serving price. Eat more to have energy for work." Though he had a ferocious face, the boss was unexpectedly gentle.
Li Changan was somewhat unaccustomed, taking a good while before mumbling thanks.
If the boss had said something like "Get out, I don't serve your lowly kind here," Li Changan would have felt more natural actually.
Other than Producers, the lowest were Power Enhancement abilities users. Good for manual labor before, now a few Element Series abilities users at a construction site were sufficient. Higher end projects would invite Mystery Series abilities users to reinforce, similar to consecrations before the apocalypse.
The boss soon brought out a bowl of pork offal soup, the size of a basketball, not the best tasting but generous in portion.
"Interesting." Li Changan gave a small laugh as he picked up the bowl.
After downing the bowl of soup, melodious bells rang from outside, stopping after three chimes.
The boss placed a huge plate of fried noodles in front of Li Changan, looking out the door with a frown. "The Trial bells...like a death knell, who knows how many will die this time."
"Well, just the third chime for now. It really spells death at the twelfth." Li Changan picked up his chopsticks and started noisily slurping up the noodles.
"Eat slower, the taste here isn't great but portions are filling." The boss shook his head with a laugh and headed back into the kitchen. It was just him alone in the small shop, without even a server.
The taste was ordinary, whether the noodles or offal soup, Li Changan could tell it was military mess hall style. Military provisions now were surely better than running an eatery. This boss likely had stories to tell.
Soon, plates were stacked half a man's height. Li Changan contentedly set down his chopsticks. Nothing made him happier than a full stomach, it gave him unparalleled comfort and security.
There was a sensor at the table corner, tapping his ID card on it allowed payment. But Li Changan still nodded in the kitchen's direction with a "Thanks."
"You're here for the Trial right." The boss emerged from the kitchen with a cigarette in his mouth, seeing Li Changan stop in his tracks. He slowly said, "If you don't mind, sit for a bit. I'll tell you about the opponents you'll encounter."
"Oh?" Li Changan turned back with a faint smile. "Why?"
The brawny boss patted the table beside him. "You went to teach those villainous men a lesson right? I only hope someone like you can survive."
Li Changan showed no expression, merely nodding before sitting at the table. But his mind was racing.
He saw? Should I silence him?