I Have Infinite Skill Points

"Captain Xu, come, have a smoke!" Ma Weidong offered, pushing a cigarette forward.

"Weidong, you were called back too?"

"Exactly. I was just about to board my plane."

"I was so frustrated, I had to come out for a walk. Fuck, I was the one who discovered that guy, and the credit was just about to fall into my pocket. The damn duck, already cooked, actually flew away."

"Didn't Lige say he isn't dead? As long as he's not dead, the duck hasn't flown yet."

"His heart's been smashed to a pulp. You tell me, is he dead or not?"

"Dead?" Ma Weidong stared at Xu Shiyun in astonishment.

Nearby, Lige's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Shiyun preempted him, blowing out a plume of smoke.

"Not yet!"

"Huh?" Ma Weidong looked completely bewildered, then chuckled. "Don't joke around. You said his heart was smashed to a pulp. How could he still be alive?"

"Have you forgotten who saved your life last time, after you were pierced through from front to back?"

"Ah!" Ma Weidong nodded in understanding. "That young man, Wang Lan. I wanted to thank him after I was discharged from the hospital, but I found out his identity information has Class-A clearance. I couldn't even find him…"

"Wang Lan's Medical Star Martial Techniques are unparalleled, but with a heart turned to mush, even Wang Lan's techniques are useless. Fortunately, the National Defense Hospital has organ cloning technology. Let's hope that human traitor can hold on for a few days. Once a new heart is cloned, Wang Lan might be able to save him."

"That traitor deserves to die! Why save him? To waste food?" Lige sneered disdainfully.

"What choice do we have? He knows the identity of the mole."

And just like that, small groups like Lige and Xu Shiyun, discussing the state of the mole and the traitor, spread out like a virus.

「A day quietly passed by.」

The moon cast a cool light, and a gentle breeze rustled through the shadows of the high hill. The grass underfoot was already lush and green. The moonlit night was unexpectedly tranquil. Insect calls were hushed, and the wind grew colder.

A hand eerily emerged from the depths beneath the hilltop, like that of a ghoul crawling from its grave.

"What's going on? Why isn't Poison Sting dead?" the shadowy figure emerging from the earth asked in a low voice.

WHOOSH—

A spark flared. It turned out that what had seemed like a stone on the moonlit hilltop was actually a person standing perfectly still.

"Is one Poison Sting really that important? Important enough for me to risk exposure to silence him?"

"If it weren't for him, how would Poison Snake have been exposed? Poison Snake infiltrated Jade Country fifty years ago, dutifully relaying intelligence for the Empire. After fifty years of painstaking service, all ruined by a single Poison Sting…

Humans are untrustworthy. The higher-ups who devised the infiltration plan are definitely… to put it in human terms, out of their minds."

"So you're saying… Poison Sting doesn't need to be silenced anymore? And the reason you asked me to act before was also a lie?" Instantly, the previous voice grew deeper, as if suppressing boundless fury.

"Of course, it's necessary. At the very least, he knows about the infiltration plan."

"Why wasn't a Brain-eating Worm planted in his head?"

"It was Poison Snake's decision! Brain-eating worms would limit Poison Sting's development. This Poison Sting is the most promising one we have. He could have been cultivated into the best, the one embedded deepest."

"But now… Poison Snake was annihilated by Wang Lan's arrow, not even bones left!" the shadowy figure declared coldly. "But merely knowing about an infiltration plan isn't enough to make me take such a risk."

"No. If you had succeeded in killing him, you wouldn't be in danger. Your danger lies in why you *didn't* kill him."

"He's already dead!"

"If he were truly dead, you wouldn't be this furious, practically beside yourself. If he were really dead, you wouldn't have requested this meeting."

"I can confirm he's dead… but… but… I really don't understand how they did it. Humans are so fragile. They have many vital spots; hitting any one of them could kill them.

My last strike completely destroyed his heart. He should have been dead beyond doubt. However, the Tianjian Bureau now has an exceptionally skilled Medical Attribute Star Martial Warrior. This warrior is extremely powerful. It's entirely possible that he managed to keep Poison Sting alive.

Just today, I personally oversaw the escort of a batch of Soul Beads to the special ward at the National Defense Hospital. The Tianjian Bureau is going to such great lengths. It seems they're determined to find me and won't rest until they do."

"What are you implying?"

"I need to withdraw."

"That's not an option. The next operation requires your cooperation. Your withdrawal would cause all our previous efforts to be wasted. We'll die horribly, you should understand that."

"No, only you will die horribly. You're the one who violated the rules and increased my risk of exposure. If I continue to stay, I could be exposed at any moment. I have every reason to withdraw."

"Compared to the upcoming plan, your reasons seem utterly trivial. That is a mission that must be completed, even if it costs us our lives."

The shadowy figure fell silent, taking a deep drag from a cigarette.

"I cannot be exposed. But now, I could be exposed at any moment. You must take responsibility for eliminating the risk of my exposure."

"Can't you strike one more time? Since Poison Sting is in the hospital, it would be much easier to take him down there than at the Tianjian Bureau."

"The Action Department, Intelligence Department, and Shadow Guard Office have joined forces in their preparations. Superficially, they appear to be securing Poison Sting's safety, but they are actually conducting internal investigations.

If I make a move, I'll be exposed immediately."

"I understand. I will assist you."

"As soon as possible. I'll be preparing to evacuate in the near future. At any sign of probing or trouble, I will evacuate. That's my bottom line."

"Understood…"

The shadowy figure slowly sank deep into the earth and vanished.

「Without realizing it, two days had passed.」

Wang Lan, at this point, had been isolated for two days. If the Tianjian Bureau hadn't requested leave for Wang Lan, and if Xu Xiangwen, an unofficial contact, hadn't known some of the inside story, Wang Qi and Jiang Xinyu would probably have reported him missing by now.

「Another night fell.」

Lige had just finished his shift and returned home, planning to shower and get a good night's sleep. Just as he reached his doorstep, he suddenly froze.

Ma Weidong had appeared behind him at some unknown point.

"Captain Li, Director Li has given an order: assemble and prepare for action."

"Alright!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lige pocketed his keys, turned, and followed Ma Weidong. The meeting point was near a residential community street in the park district.

The car stopped. Lige and Ma Weidong got out and saw Li Weixin and several familiar comrades sitting outside a milk tea shop in the community's open-air area.

"Everyone is here. I will now brief you on the mission." Li Weixin pulled several photos from his breast pocket. "This man is named Huang Ziang. He's an instructor at the Star Martial Art Club here. For a long time, he has been providing intelligence to the Demon Clan and selling out the interests of the human race. Catch him alive."

"Yes!"

"Director Li, is this intelligence from the Intelligence Department? Everyone outside is swamped. Can the Intelligence Department still be this effective?" a team member asked curiously.

"Don't ask what you're not supposed to. Don't you know that piece of discipline? It was Colonel Wu who dug up this lead. Don't ask anything else."

"Yes!"

"Move out!"

For two Star Cloud Stage peak elites to capture a Star Shine Stage peak traitor was, of course, an easy task. Huang Ziang had no time to resist before Lige apprehended him. Then, a hood was thrown over his head, and he was dragged out like a dead dog.

"Colonel Wu… This morning when I changed shifts, I clearly saw Colonel Wu going to the hospital. Isn't there a rule at the hospital that you can enter but not leave? How did he get the intelligence?" an operative from the Action Department blurted out.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't," Lige snapped coldly.

"Yes!"

"The men are just grumbling casually. No need to be so serious, right? Lately, the Bureau has been watching us like we're thieves. It's normal for the men to feel resentful."

"Everything is for the human race. If the mole isn't caught, the vigilance won't be lifted. What's there to complain about? As long as our consciences are clear, who cares how the Bureau investigates?"

"Even if you say that… one can't help feeling a bit disgruntled, right?"

「In the dead of night...」

It was that same hilltop, resembling a mass grave. A terrifying, ghostly figure's hand once again reached out from beneath the ground.

STOMP—

A military boot stamped down on it from above!

"Ah—what are you doing?"

"Why must you appear this way every time? I find it irritating."

"Isn't it for safety?"

"The fact that you can see me means it's safe. If it weren't safe, could I even appear before you? Bastard, what have you two been doing these past two days?"

"Us? We're laying the groundwork for that plan. We're very busy… What's with you today? Why are you so worked up?"

"Are you that forgetful? What did I tell you last time? You must eliminate the threat of my exposure. What have you been doing? It's been two days. I could be exposed at any moment."

"Oh? Has the Tianjian Bureau already narrowed down the suspects?"

"Poison Sting really isn't dead. Wu Chao has started reading Poison Sting's memories. Today, using Wu Chao's memories, they caught an informant I had turned previously. Damn it…"

"Is that so? It seems the operation needs to be moved up. I originally thought we still had five days…"

"What do you mean?"

"Lately, I've been handing over my tasks to others."

"Handing them over to others? What do you mean?"

"That one in the hospital is both your death warrant and the bait to hook us. The Tianjian Bureau is using an overt plot: they want to either find you or lure me out. One of us must die."

"You…" The figure in military boots froze for a moment, staring blankly at the annoying fellow before him, whose face still wore a flippant smile. But at this moment, that annoying face somehow didn't seem so annoying anymore.

"Cicada, you're right. You can't be exposed. Your value extends far beyond merely cooperating to complete that plan. If I die, my mission can be handed over to another team. But if you're exposed, the plan will be completely impossible to execute.

Since only one of us can live between you and me, that person must be you. I've almost finished handing over my tasks. Tomorrow, I will attack the hospital. You should know the distribution of the hospital's defense forces, right?"

"How much force do you plan to deploy?"

"An elite team, plus some cannon fodder."

"Impossible. An elite team couldn't even reach the threshold of the isolation building."

"My objective isn't to conquer the hospital. I only need to kill Poison Sting and remove your threat," the shadowy figure cackled. Like a paper boat sinking into water, he slowly submerged and vanished.