Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

Although the operation had not anticipated the appearance of any extraordinary individuals, resulting in insufficient preparation, Lai Sheng Rui still carried some items with her that could serve as a trump card in a critical moment. It seems that the critical moment has arrived.

....................................

Wearing a dark blue bodysuit, "Cat's Eye" ran alone through the mountains and forests. The sight of a voluptuous beauty running had a unique beauty that could make one's blood boil, but in Li Xin's eyes, none of that mattered. All he cared about was "Cat's Eye's" huge bounty.

There were three people behind "Cat's Eye," which he hadn't expected beforehand. He also didn't know whether the bounty for "Cat's Eye" was 100 million yen for all three of them, or 100 million yen for each of them. If it was the latter, that would be incredibly lucrative.

Of course, Li Xin only thought about this good thing; he didn't really believe that each "cat's eye" was worth 100 million yen. However, as long as he caught one "cat's eye," there would be a chance to recover those artworks. Thinking about it this way, whether he caught three "cat's eyes" or one, it didn't make much difference... Just kidding! One cat's eye is worth more than 30 million yen, so of course he would catch them all!

However, after the three ran into the mountains, their tracks dispersed. Li Xin knew that they must have gone their separate ways, and he felt a great pang of regret—it would be difficult to catch them all now.

However, Li Xin understood the principle that "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," and he wouldn't be greedy just because he wanted to catch all the members of "Cat's Eye." So he chased after the one who was running the slowest.

"Cat's Eye" runs very fast, almost at an athlete's level, but it's still far from enough for Li Xin, who can outrun a car on foot. He can catch up with "Cat's Eye" very quickly.

Suddenly, "Cat's Eye," who was running at high speed, stopped abruptly. It turned out that one of its feet had sunk into a hole in the ground.

Li Xin grew up in the mountains, so he naturally knew that "cat's eye" meant he had most likely stepped into a rabbit hole. Rabbits are fond of being disturbed and often dig holes in the ground. Because there is a layer of soil on the ground, it is not easy to see from the outside. Mountain people often fall for this trick, so when mountain people see rabbits, they always try to kill them all.

Seeing that "Cat's Eye" had fallen into the rabbit hole, Li Xin felt much more relaxed. But just as he approached "Cat's Eye," the fallen leaves beneath his feet were whipped up, turning into a large net that tightened around him, and he was then hoisted high into the air.

"call……"

Lai Shengtong pulled her foot out of the soil. Her older sister's self-inflicted injury was really ruthless. Although she was mentally prepared, it was still a bit scary to step into a pit while running.

Fortunately, the ruse worked. The large net set up by the eldest sister was made of special materials. Although it was only a small net, it was several times stronger than steel wire. Once the pursuers were caught in the net, they would definitely not be able to escape.

"This person is so heavy!"

Ai Kisugi, who was helping Laisheng Rui lift the large net with the help of a pulley, wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Lai Sheng Lei felt incredibly lucky today. Fortunately, there was a suitable place to set up a trap. Otherwise, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, and the three sisters might have really been doomed here. Being sent to the Metropolitan Police Department would be the best outcome; the worst that would be if they weren't sent there would be the real end.

Li Xin struggled incessantly, trapped in the specially made net. However, the net was made of an unknown material, and the more he struggled, the tighter it became. Even with Li Xin's strength, he could not break free. So, Li Xin stopped struggling and silently closed his eyes.

Seeing that the pursuers had gradually stopped moving, Lai Shengai, who was now relaxed, couldn't help but move closer to Li Xin.

After being chased for so long, they still didn't seem to have seen what their pursuer looked like, as they were too busy running away.

Just as Ai Kisugi was about to approach the pursuers, Rui Kisugi suddenly felt uneasy and shouted, "Come back!"

Without saying a word, he threw a smoke bomb at Li Xin, who was trapped in the net.

"drink!"

A loud shout rang out as Li Xin unleashed the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill" without regard for the cost. The indestructible "Wedding Dress True Qi" was so powerful that it was unimaginable. The net on Li Xin's body was shattered into pieces, and the smoke from the smoke bomb thrown by Lai Sheng Lei was blown away without a trace.

Lai Sheng Lei felt a wave of despair. That smoke bomb wasn't a smoke bomb at all; it contained a powerful hallucinogenic drug, her last trump card. Now, even that trump card had failed, and they had no other means to deal with their pursuers.

After breaking free of the net, Li Xin threw a punch at Lai Sheng Ai, who was closest to him—a moment of carelessness had put him in danger, and in a reaction to the shock, Li Xin instinctively displayed a strong aggressiveness.

Just then, moonlight broke through the dark clouds and shone down from the night sky. Suddenly, Ai Kiyoshi saw the true face of her pursuer and exclaimed, "Mr. Ashin?!"

The word "Mr. Ashin" startled Li Xin, and he abruptly stopped his punch. However, the force of the punch still landed on Ai Laisheng's face, blowing off her eye mask.

"It's you?"

Li Xin said in disbelief.

Chapter Sixteen: Ten Million

Under the moonlight, Kiyosa Ai's adorable face, filled with panic, was on full display. So, even if her two accomplices covered their faces completely, their identities would be obvious without even asking. Moreover, Kiyosa Rui's signature beauty mark was also showing.

"You guys are 'Cat's Eye'?"

Li Xin looked at the three sisters of the Laisheng family and said.

"Cat's Eye" opened a coffee shop called "Cat's Eye" across from the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters, and the police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department kept coming to patronize his business every day, and even told "Cat's Eye" about the plan to arrest him. If I hadn't encountered this myself, who would believe it!

Knowing she could no longer hide her identity, Lai Shenglei stepped to the front and voluntarily removed her blindfold, revealing a pitiful look in her eyes: "That's right, we are 'Cat's Eye.' Mr. Ashin, are you planning to take us to the Metropolitan Police Department to collect the bounty?"

As she spoke, Rui Kisugi waved her hand behind her back at Hitomi Kisugi and Ai Kisugi, signaling them to escape later.

The three Kisugi sisters were "Cat's Eyes," something Li Xin had never expected beforehand. However, upon hearing Kisugi Rui's question, Li Xin quickly made a decision: "Yes!"

Lai Sheng Lei: "..."

I've already treated you to cookies, can't I even hesitate for a second?

Lai Sheng Lei felt a pang of sadness, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Can't Mr. Ashin let us go?"

"No."

Li Xin said firmly.

The kindness of a plate of cookies was not enough for Li Xin to give up so much bounty. Besides, if you're in this line of work, you should be prepared to get caught. Even if "Cat's Eye" doesn't fall into his hands today, it will eventually be caught by someone else. Since that's the case, it's better to let him have it. At least Li Xin won't do anything outrageous to the three Lai Sheng sisters.

"Mr. Ashin, you only arrested us because of the police reward. How about this, we're willing to pay double the reward. Would you please let us go?"

Beauty is useless, affection is useless, so the only option left is to use money.

"No need, I'm not greedy. The police reward is enough."

Li Xin said coldly.

Li Xin wasn't without greed, but he wasn't stupid. How could he believe Lai Sheng Lei's empty words? If she could come up with that much money, why would she be a master thief?

Li Xin asked Crocodile Man if those art thieves were all very rich. After all, those artworks, any one of them has a price tag with many zeros. Those art thieves stole so many precious artworks, wouldn't they be incredibly wealthy?

Crocodile Man chuckled and told Li Xin, "How could that be? Artworks are indeed very valuable, but stolen goods are not necessarily so. After stealing artworks, art thieves often only manage to sell them for a fraction of their original price, or even a tenth. This is why art thieves continue to commit crimes despite stealing such valuable artworks—because they don't actually make much money. The real money is made by art brokers, who sell the artworks they acquire from art thieves to secret collectors, earning huge sums of money from them."

Of course, some secret collectors might hire art thieves at exorbitant prices to steal specific artworks. But the problem is, even then, secret collectors can't possibly offer the artwork at its original price; otherwise, why wouldn't they just buy it directly? Moreover, the prices of art are inherently inflated. An artwork priced at 100 million might not even fetch 50 million when it comes time to sell. Those artworks sold at extremely high prices are actually used for money laundering; otherwise, why would so many fools spend so much money on things that can't be eaten or used?

After being enlightened by Crocodile Man, Li Xin was greatly shocked, but it also dampened his desire to eat and drink in the dark. He focused more on the Metropolitan Police Department's bounty, because that money was real.

Lai Sheng Lei wanted to try to reason with her again, but Lai Sheng Ai suddenly ran out and said, "Mr. Ashin, please let us go! We are not thieves. Those artworks are our father's collection. We are just taking them back. We are not thieves!"

Because Yuko Azuki always spoke well of Li Xin in Ai Kisugi's ear, Ai Kisugi thought that Li Xin must be a good person, or at least not a bad one. That's why she came out to say this at the critical moment, hoping that Li Xin could let them off the hook because they had a reason for what happened.

Upon hearing that Ai had revealed their secret, Rui's expression changed: "Ai!"

Even if they are sent to the Metropolitan Police Department, they can still get themselves out through the butler, Uncle Nagaishi. However, their "Cat's Eye" identity will be exposed, which will cause a lot of trouble in their future operations. But if they reveal that the three sisters are Michael Heinz's daughters, they may attract the pursuit of the masterminds who killed their father. Can't Ai tell which is more important?

Li Xin was unaware of this hidden story. He had previously only thought of "Cat's Eye" as a group of thieves, and couldn't help but ask Lai Sheng'ai, "Just because they say it's yours doesn't mean it's yours. What proof do you have?"

"This is the evidence!"

Lai Sheng Ai took down the painting she had hidden from a nearby tree, and holding up "Roman Girl" between Lai Sheng Lei and Lai Sheng Tong, she showed it to Li Xin: "Look, this painting was painted by our father. It's a painting of our mother. Doesn't the woman in this painting look a lot like my eldest sister and second sister?"

Li Xin looked at "The Roman Girl" by the moonlight, his eyes constantly shifting between Lai Sheng Rui and Lai Sheng Tong. He found that the two women were indeed extremely similar to the women depicted in "The Roman Girl." Not exactly identical, but Li Xin could find many features of Lai Sheng Rui and Lai Sheng Tong on the faces of the women in the painting. While this did not prove that Lai Sheng Ai's words were true, it increased the credibility of Lai Sheng Ai's words.

For a moment, Li Xin was caught in a dilemma.

Although Li Xin had already decided to do anything for money in order to rebuild Shibali Village, he was not actually capable of doing anything. He killed people twice beforehand because he knew they were scumbags and he would not feel any guilt. Otherwise, with Li Xin's abilities, he could have made money quickly by kidnapping rich people or robbing banks.

The same applies now. If "Cat's Eye" is just a thief who steals artworks for money, then Li Xin will arrest her without hesitation. He won't let her go just because Lai Sheng Lei showed him kindness. But if those artworks originally belonged to Lai Sheng's family and they are just retrieving their own things, then Li Xin is in a real dilemma.

Of course, strictly speaking, the actions of the three sisters in the afterlife are undoubtedly illegal. Although the artworks did belong to their father, they are now in the hands of their current owner. As long as there are no legal issues, the artworks belong to their current owner, and the actions of the three sisters in the afterlife constitute theft. There is nothing more to say about that.

But the problem is, Li Xin is from the countryside. In the simple minds of rural people, if something is stolen from their home and then someone else buys it, does that mean the thing belongs to the buyer? That's impossible! No matter how high you climb, it's still our property! If you want compensation, go find the person who sold it to you; I don't care!

Because of this logic, Li Xin cannot classify "Cat's Eye" as the "bad guy," and by sending "Cat's Eye" to the Metropolitan Police Department, he would become an accomplice to evil. Li Xin cannot do such a thing.

Hey……

With a sigh, Li Xin said to Lai Sheng Lei, "I can let you go, but I can't leave empty-handed. How about this, give me ten million, and I'll let you go and keep your secret."

Overall, the plate of cookies from Lai Sheng Lei was somewhat useful, so Li Xin decided against handing them over to the Metropolitan Police Department for the reward. Of course, it was only somewhat useful; Li Xin still wanted to make money.

Ten million yen. Cat's Eye is such a famous phantom thief, he can surely come up with ten million yen, right?

Li Xin thought to himself.

"Okay, ten million it is. Come to Cat's Eye Cafe tomorrow, and I will pay you."

Lai Sheng Lei nodded without hesitation.

Ten million US dollars is roughly the same as the "Cat's Eye" bounty plus one-tenth of the value of the artwork they retrieved. Although it's not a small amount, it's a worthwhile trade for the safety of the three sisters for Lai Sheng Rui—because internationally, assassins and bounty hunters use US dollars as their currency, so Lai Sheng Rui thought that the ten million Li Xin mentioned was ten million US dollars.

After reaching an agreement with Laisheng Rui, Li Xin didn't linger and turned to leave. He knew the true identities of the three Laisheng sisters. They could run away, but they couldn't hide. If they really moved away overnight because of ten million yen, then Li Xin... would just consider himself to have trusted the wrong person and use ten million yen to return the plate of cookies and milk!

Thinking about what would happen if the three of them, including Lai Sheng Rui, refused to pay, Li Xin couldn't help but worry. After all, that was ten million yen, a sum of money he had never seen in his life. If he missed out on it, Li Xin would be heartbroken.

Or should we go back and ask Miss Xiaolei for proof? But wouldn't that seem like we don't trust her enough?

Li Xin is usually quite thin-skinned, but for ten million yen, he can be thick-skinned, so he decided to turn around and ask Raiyoshi for a receipt.

Just as he was about to turn around, Li Xin suddenly felt his heart clench violently, followed by excruciating pain in his internal organs. Li Xin's strong body trembled, and he coughed up blood before collapsing straight to the ground.

The three Lai Sheng sisters were just celebrating their narrow escape when they were shocked to see Li Xin lying on the ground.

What's going on here? Are they trying to trick them?

It's no wonder the three Lai Sheng sisters thought that way. When Li Xin was chasing them, he was as fierce as a monster. Now that he has suddenly collapsed and can't get up, they naturally suspect that Li Xin is up to something.

But the problem is, given the strength Li Xin has shown, if he really wanted to get rid of them, he could have manipulated them into eighteen different positions without resorting to these tricks, so why go through all this trouble?

Of course, there are plenty of perverted people in the world, and there are people who specialize in doing such pointless things. However, none of the three sisters thought that Li Xin would do something so pointless. So the three of them looked at each other and slowly walked towards Li Xin, who was lying on the ground.

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Li Xin opened his eyes and was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling. He subconsciously took a deep breath and smelled an intoxicating fragrance.

He quickly got up and found himself lying on an incredibly soft bed, which was very comfortable and incomparable to the wooden bed that Crocodile had taken from the second-hand market.

Hearing the noise inside the room, Lai Shenglei came in carrying a washbasin: "Mr. Ashin, you're awake!"

Li Xin looked at Lai Sheng Lei, who was wearing a black silk nightgown, blushed slightly, but still pretended to be indifferent and asked, "Where is this?"

"My home, my room, the second floor of Cat's Eye Cafe."

Lai Sheng Lei placed the basin on the bedside table and wrung out the towel inside, intending to wipe Li Xin's sweat. Only then did Li Xin realize that he was completely soaked with sweat.

Hurriedly getting out of bed, Li Xin said to Lai Shenglei, "I can do it myself. I'm sorry for making your bed dirty."

When Li Xin got out of bed, he found that Lai Shenglei's bed was also wet with his sweat, and there was a dark human-shaped mark on the sheet.

Lai Sheng Lei handed the towel to Li Xin and then said, "You seemed to be in a lot of pain just now?"

She still remembers how, when the three sisters struggled to drag Li Xin into the car, Li Xin's brows were furrowed, his teeth were chattering, and his body was convulsing—all signs of extreme pain.

Li Xin took the towel and covered his face, saying, "It's an old problem, don't worry about it."

Previously, in order to capture "Cat's Eye," Li Xin continuously activated the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill" and even used his internal energy to break free from the large net binding him. This high-intensity use of the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill" caused the already unruly "Wedding Dress True Qi" to rampage wildly within Li Xin's body. However, the most fatal thing was that when he withdrew the punch he had thrown at Lai Sheng'ai, the true qi surged back, which was the biggest reason why Li Xin later vomited blood and fell into a coma.

After wiping his face with a towel, Li Xin asked softly, "Why did you save me?"

In that situation, the most advantageous option for the Lai Sheng sisters was to kill the unconscious Li Xin and leave his body to rot in the wilderness. This way, they wouldn't have to pay ten million dollars, and they could also ensure that no one knew their "Cat's Eye" identities.

But the three sisters disguised themselves as "Cat's Eye" only to retrieve their father's collection and find clues to his disappearance. They were not vicious people, so how could they bear to kill Li Xin, who had just let them go?

So the three sisters joined forces and brought Li Xin back to Cat's Eye Cafe.

"Because Xiao Ai said you are a good person."

"Later Life Tears" said with a smile.

Is he a good person?

Li Xin smiled bitterly. Could he still be considered a good person? If the village secretary found out what he had been doing these past few days, he would surely be given a lecture.

The village chief would also reprimand him, scolding him: "You little brat, don't you know how to earn more money!"

Li Xin checked himself and found nothing missing (there was nothing he could lose). He said to Lai Sheng Lei, "Let's pretend tonight's events never happened!"

The three Kiyosaki sisters didn't take advantage of him, and he was too embarrassed to mention the ten million yen again. He could just consider tonight's events his bad luck!

Lai Sheng Lei stroked her chin, a half-smile on her face, and said, "That sounds so much like what a scumbag would say after pulling up his pants."

Li Xin, who was pulling up his pants because they felt a little loose (after being tugged during the transport), thought: "..."

"Okay, just kidding. I know what you mean, but you really don't want this ten million? I can tell you really need the money."

In the next life, I will ask Li Xin about his faith with tears in my eyes.

Li Xin said that nothing happened tonight, which meant that everything was wiped clean, meaning they didn't have to pay the ten million dollars.

Ten million dollars is a lot, but it's nothing to Lai Sheng Lei. However, she still wants to test Li Xin to see if he will be tempted by the ten million dollars and go back on his word.

Li Xin hesitated for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and said, "No, I don't take money for everything!"

It's just a "mere" ten million yen. I can earn that by doing a few more jobs.

Lai Shenglei smiled and nodded. It seemed that Li Xin was a trustworthy person, as he could refuse such a huge sum of money.

Today she has witnessed the power of extraordinary people like Li Xin. In the future, they will have to recover more of their father's collection. Sooner or later, they will have to face other extraordinary people. Originally, Lai Sheng Lei could never think of a way to fight against extraordinary people, but now she has one!