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Standing in the dark alley surrounded by the sounds of sirens, Ye Qi poked his head out carefully to check his surroundings. After confirming they were not in immediate danger, he turned to face Marley beside him who was still panting, "My dear Marley, don't you owe me an explanation for certain things? Like… I don't know, who were the two gunners or who set them on you?"

From how Marley cursed them out and the words he had sent when the Black Market Dealer first landed on the grass field, Ye Qi could tell Marley knew the two gunners. Since he had completely roped himself into this conflict by killing two gunners, Marley felt he deserve to know who he had pissed off this time for the sake of his own safety. Yes, Ye Qi was certain even though those two gunners were hiding behind walls, facing the destructive power of a Revolver 500, they were as dead as they could be.

"Ye, it's 'Mad Dog' Noctis, the bastard has lost his mind! He came to me this morning saying he had a few antique Suleiman gold coins he wished to sell. I know 'Mad Dog' has an at best shaking reputation within the community but those coins looked really promising and I have a friend that in the market for them. Therefore, I made a deal with him. Who would have thought he come to assault me in the middle of the night, attempting to swallow my part of the business? I've seen those two gunners by his side before so I'm definitely not mistaken! Damn that 'Mad Dog' Noctis, just wait til you hear the plan I have for him…"

In the shadows of the alley, Marley looked extra menacing. Then again, he definitely did not depend on good will alone to become one of the influential figures in the dark market. If Ye Qi was not mistaken, there would be street war happening soon. The Black Market Dealer chuckled darkly before raising his head to thank Ye Qi, "Ye, in any case, thank you for tonight. If not for you, I would be that 'Mad Dog's dinner! Currently, I don't have much to show my appreciation so have this for now!"

The Black Market Dealer removed a copper bangle from his wrist and passed it to Ye Qi. The bangle did not look that impressive to Ye Qi but the young Demon Hunter knew it had to be of a certain value for Marley to keep it at his side. Ye Qi did not deny Marley's kindness. He accepted the bangle and immediately wore it on his wrist—After all, he did save Marley's arse back there.

Ye Qi rubbed his pinkie finger over the bangle's surface but he got no information from it due to his low Lore skill.

However, the bangle's weight did confirm Ye Qi's suspicion that it was more than meets the eye. Furthermore, he did get more information about his quest target, 'Mad Dog' Noctis from Marley. The many unexpected rewards did smooth over Ye Qi's ruined mood from being unreasonably shot at that night. The tone he used with the Black Market Dealer had also gotten friendlier.

"Marley, what do you plan to do next?"

"I'm going back to the old lair to gather some men to deal with 'Mad Dog'!" The Black Market Dealer almost spat out the name 'Mad Dog', that was how much he hated the gang leader who came after him. Studying the darkened face of the Black Market Dealer, Ye Qi asked cavalierly, "Do you need any help?"

"Ye, thanks for offering! But I have to take care of this myself!" The Black Market Dealer was curiously adamant. Ye Qi intended to tease out more information on 'Mad Dog' but he decided against it after noticing the Black Market Dealer's insistence. After all, if he pushed his luck, it might pique Marley's unnecessary interest. Furthermore, they were going to have meet again the next morning, posing more questions then might be better since by then, Marley would already have the chance to calm down. Therefore, Ye Qi shrugged and smiled at Marley, saying, "Then, this is where we shall part! Marley, don't forget about our deal tomorrow morning! Also, best of luck!"

"See you tomorrow morning, Ye!"

The two exited the alleyway on different end. The Black Market Dealer, as he said, returned to his old lair to gather his men to take revenge against 'Mad Dog'. Ye Qi on the other hand returned to his temporary home on Fraser Street—a hotel just by the end of the street. For a demon hunter, it was hard to find a permanent residence. It was the nature of their occupation to move from places to places, Ye Qi had gotten used to his lifestyle since he was seven, or in other words, since he started training under John.

Ye Qi ignored the hotel owner that was asleep at the counter and strode upstairs to his room. The distance from the lobby to his room that was on the second floor was short but Ye Qi was rewarded with plenty of suppressed or uninhibited moans and cries along the way. Instead of shame, Ye Qi felt envious—being a demon hunter meant being in a tense state all the time, if given the chance to relax and lay down for the day, Ye Qi would gladly snatch it up. However, ever since he heard from Old Walter of how the story of a prolific demon hunter who had hunted a real Noble Vampire ended with one of his searches for partner in bed when it turned out the partner he sought the company of that fateful day was a low level Blood Doll. After hearing that cautionary tale, Ye Qi practiced sexual abstinence.

Ye Qi pushed the door to his room open to a sliver but he did not rush to get in. Instead, he leaned down and peered through the gap. When he saw the broken hairs that curled around the inside door knob, Ye Qi's heart started to beat. His hand went instinctually to the Revolver 500 at his waist. The hotel the young Demon Hunter only offered one kind of "service" and there was nothing like room cleaning or room service. Therefore, there was only one explanation left. Someone had entered his room either to rob him or to set a trap for him. Neither of the scenario comforted the young Demon Hunter.

He pushed open the door but the room was empty. All the furniture was in place, the only difference was there was a note on his bedside table. It was written in code. The person who left the note was his saviour and mentor—John. The message on the note was simple, it described in broad strokes how John had successfully completed the Drowner quest at St. Linda Lake. While he waited at his room for him to return, John received an emergency call from a friend asking for help. John had no choice but to leave. At the end of the note was a blessing to him by John.

Ye Qi could not help but smile. "What a troublesome old man! If he wanted to see me, he could have sought out Old Walter!"

The four years of interaction had created a bond between Ye Qi and John that was greater than family. Thinking to how two months ago when John dragged him to Old Timer's Bar with a drawn face and handed him to Old Walter without saying a word throughout the entire process, Ye Qi still felt a part of his heart wrench—Even though John thought he had covered his emotions well, Ye Qi still managed to spot the mist in his eyes through the reflection on the window.

During the first few quests Ye Qi received from Old Walter, Ye Qi realized John had been surreptitiously tailing him, protecting him. However, every time Ye Qi turned to look, John would not be found. After a few times of this happening, Ye Qi gave up the idea of searching for John.

For the past two months, even though Ye Qi had John's number, every time he wanted to make the call, Ye Qi felt weirdly embarrassed. Therefore, in total, the number of time he was able to make the call was a flat zero.

However, after reading the note left behind by John, Ye Qi whipped out his phone without much thought and phoned the old man. For some reasons, the young Demon Hunter felt the need to talk to his mentor.

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