He desperately wanted to know why anyone would cram a lethal weapon into a place like that!
Didn't these women feel any pain?
"Hah, it's because there are always bastards who resort to low blows. You need a way to strike back if someone tries to kick you in the crotch," the Street Brawler lady explained, her expression completely detached. "My setup is actually considered pretty mild. Some of the girls hide a solid steel spike down there just to pierce right through an enemy's shin."
You people definitely have some serious issues!
Li Ke truly couldn't hold back his internal screaming.
"But why go to such extreme lengths anyway...? With that kind of dedication, wouldn't it be better to just become an official adventurer?"
He was genuinely bewildered. Japanese ninjas from pop culture were already notorious for their underhanded tactics, but why would these Street Brawlers choose to abuse and desecrate their own bodies like this instead of taking up a legal adventuring license?
"How much money do you think an adventurer actually brings in? And out of all of them, how many can you genuinely trust?" the Street Brawler scoffed, shooting him a look of utter disbelief. "Your questions are incredibly bizarre. Don't you know that adventurers have the lowest baseline income around here?"
She couldn't help but vocalize her complaints.
"Only someone with literal brain damage would think an adventurer can just cruise through life safely. The wild monsters and the treacherous terrain outside the city gates aren't a single bit better than the hazards we face in the Backalleys..."
As she reached this point in her explanation, she casually took a step back, widening the distance between herself and Li Ke.
"So, you'd better mind your own business. I was only playing around with you earlier, so do yourself a favor and beat it."
She cast a final, evaluating glance over Li Ke, concluding that he was simply a naive outsider who didn't understand the rules of the streets. Satisfied with her assessment, she finally relaxed her grip on a concealed steel needle.
"Even if you do waste your resources to save that person on the ground, she isn't going to be grateful to you. If anything, she'll just cling to you until you're bled dry. That's just the survival strategy for those of us in the gutter. If you're actively looking for trouble, then consider my warnings unsaid. But let's get one thing straight—if you choose to help her, our crew will still come to collect what she owes us."
The Street Brawler flashed a cold, predatory grin.
"You'd better think it over very carefully."
Li Ke fell into a pensive silence. He weighed her words internally; this was undeniably a massive, tangled headache.
Street Brawlers were essentially the local syndicates and organized crime of this world. And realistically, how many individuals who dug themselves into a financial hole with the mob actually turned out to be innocent, upstanding citizens? Granted, it wasn't impossible that some were simply victims of cruel circumstances, but the unconscious woman in the dirt didn't exactly look like a saint either.
But the problem was...
"You've said all this just because you want me to save her, right?" Li Ke asked directly.
The Street Brawler froze for a second, then immediately turned on her heel to leave.
"Crazy. I just want to collect what she owes."
She walked away in an incredibly cool, carefree manner, as if trying to hide her true intentions. But a moment later, she spun right back around, snatched the gold coin from Li Ke's hand, and shoved a small vial into his grasp.
"This is the antidote to my poison. Just take a single gulp. I don't want a wealthy guy like you mysteriously dropping dead by my hands; otherwise, it'll cause a mountain of trouble for me."
With that, the Street Brawler completely vanished into the crowd.
Li Ke looked at the vial, which contained about two doses of antidote. After a moment of thought, he decided to look for a doctor first.
A short while later, the female doctor from yesterday handed him a mirror so he could see his current appearance.
"You are indeed poisoned."
Looking at his reflection, where his lips had already turned a deep shade of purple-blue, Li Ke was utterly at a loss for words. He was genuinely curious: what kind of twisted logic possessed that Street Brawler to tuck blades laced with such lethal venom into her own clothes?! Isn't she afraid of accidentally killing herself?!
While he was lost in thought, the doctor checked the vial and handed it back to him.
"The antidote is fine. Just take a sip directly."
Li Ke silently took a gulp of the medicine. Right before his eyes, the swelling on his face and the purple hue on his lips vanished.
Sighing in relief, he turned his gaze back to the beautiful doctor. "Interested in making a house call?"
——————
"Truly incredible vitality," the doctor praised, looking down at the female fighter lying on the bed.
"Not only is she suffering from a severe illness, but she's also riddled with over a dozen different toxins. Her internal organs are bleeding and damaged to varying degrees, yet she still manages to stay alive under these conditions. It's quite miraculous. However, I'm sorry. While this antidote can neutralize some of the active poisons in her system, I am powerless to change her overall condition."
The doctor shook her head with a look of genuine regret.
"If it were just a severe illness, I might still be able to save her. But she has dragged it out for far too long. Although her sheer will to live is incredibly strong and has kept her going until now, there is no doubt that she is on the brink of death. Her body gave out a long time ago; she's simply too weak... She won't even survive long enough for me to finish cleaning her wounds."
After saying her piece, the doctor sighed, left a bottle of grey liquid on the table, and departed.
Li Ke saw the doctor out, paying off both his previous outstanding medical bill and the fee for today's house call before returning to his rented room.
When he walked back into his quarters, he saw the female fighter with her eyes wide open, her trembling hand reaching desperately toward the antidote vial. With every slight movement she made, fresh blood seeped from the wounds across her body.
It was completely obvious she had been awake for a while.
Her messy ponytail looked even more disheveled now. Even a simple action like reaching out her hand was something she couldn't properly manage. Her entire being radiated the aura of someone whose time was rapidly running out, yet her gaze remained fiercely defiant.
The moment she saw Li Ke approaching, she instinctively took a defensive stance—an action that immediately caused her to cough up a mouthful of dark, purplish blood.
It was glaringly obvious that she was indeed on the brink of death.
"The doctor said your internal organs are practically ruined. Even if the toxins are purged from your body, you'll last until this evening at most. Is it really necessary to be this guarded against me?"
The female Street Brawler didn't say a word, merely glaring at Li Ke with those ferocious eyes. Looking into that gaze, Li Ke became absolutely certain of one thing.
A woman like this would definitely provide him with a massive amount of Energy Points.
Although there was still a lot to uncover regarding how Energy Points were acquired, Li Ke had more or less figured out the baseline rules. The more fixated, determined, or deeply obsessed a person was—and the greater their emotional turbulence—the more Energy Points he would gain from his interactions with them.
A stubborn person who remained completely unyielding even on the verge of death was the textbook definition of someone with an extreme obsession.
Li Ke was highly curious to see if being with someone like her would exponentially boost his Energy Points. If it worked... then his options in this world would expand dramatically. After all, there was no shortage of desperate, suffering women in a world like this. It also meant he wouldn't have to resort to tearing apart existing relationships to get what he needed.
He hadn't forgotten about Lux. She had helped him out, so the least he could do was ensure she returned home safe and sound. Because of that, rapidly accumulating enough Energy Points was an absolute necessity. Given his current physical capabilities, tracking down individuals who could yield high amounts of energy quickly was his best course of action.
After all, even though Lux had been proactive, willing, and completely voluntary, it didn't automatically mean she genuinely enjoyed every single intimate act. He didn't want to force the poor girl to put on a brave face just to satisfy his system requirements anymore.
Hearing Li Ke's words, the Street Brawler finally relaxed her defensive posture. However, the moment Li Ke reached for the antidote, she instinctively coiled into a striking position. If Li Ke made any move to take the medicine away, she would attack immediately—even though, in her current state, she was physically incapable of landing a meaningful blow.
Yet, when Li Ke simply handed the antidote over to her, she was momentarily stunned. She couldn't help but ask, "Why... why are you saving me?"
"Because you're gorgeous, and I want to sleep with you," Li Ke replied completely unfiltered. "But let's be clear from the start—I don't have any actual romantic feelings for you."
The Street Brawler blanked out for a second, but then she gave a slow nod. "Fine. As long as you don't end up killing me, you can do whatever you want."
With that, she began to down the antidote, completely indifferent to whatever intentions Li Ke might have.
"I don't have a habit of messing around with corpses," Li Ke said, clicking his tongue with a look of mock disgust. "Besides, take a look at yourself right now. You're covered in filth, sewage, blood, and poison. The very least you can do is get cleaned up first."
"..."
The Street Brawler paused, staring at Li Ke with genuine confusion. "You want to do it with my corpse? If that's the case, you didn't need to say all that to me. Wouldn't it be easier to just wait until I die?"
"..."
Can we please not take the conversation into such a twisted direction?
"What I mean is, I actually have a way to save your life," Li Ke corrected her seriously. "But the price is that for the entire duration of my stay here in Arad, you will serve as my personal intimate outlet. Are you willing to accept that trade?"
The Street Brawler merely let out a mocking scoff. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm already dying anyway."
"Good."
Li Ke dragged the First Aid Kit from his inventory screen, dropped it directly onto his active action bar, and clicked "use" while targeting the female Street Brawler.
And then, something truly miraculous happened.