Raid!!

In the night, Matthew's figure silently blended into the shadows on the side of a villa. Pressing his back against the cold stone wall, his sharp gaze swept over the brightly lit building ahead.

“To think a gang's main headquarters would actually be in the inner city...” He lowered his voice to a near-whisper. “And in a villa district, no less.”

“But this actually makes things much easier.”

After all, Matthew was not someone who enjoyed indiscriminate slaughter. Those inside a villa like this were bound to be the mid-to-high-level members of the Blood Hand Gang.

For his revenge, this was perfect.

With this thought in mind, Matthew's figure moved like a wisp of smoke blending into the shadows, silently approaching the two-story villa.

According to the intelligence provided by Regg, this Blood Hand Gang stronghold located in the inner city's villa district was a two-story detached building.

It stood quietly in the night. Compared to the surrounding luxury mansions, it looked unremarkable, perhaps even deliberately low-profile.

The building's outer walls were made of dark stone, their surfaces showing slight weathering from the passage of time.

There were few windows, all covered by heavy drapes. Only a scattered few leaked a dim light, exuding a sense of isolation and gloom that was completely out of place in the quiet neighborhood.

The layout was not complex:

First floor: Mainly the main hall and a few functional rooms, with two gang members taking shifts at night to stand guard and patrol the perimeter. Second floor: The living quarters and meeting area for the leaders and a few core members, usually with two to three people inside.

In total, there were fewer than five permanent residents inside the entire building.

For Matthew, who had already stabilized his Silver Rank realm and carried clear killing intent, this was not an evenly matched battle. It was to be a precise, swift, and thorough elimination.

Concealed in the shadow of an ancient tree at the street corner, his gaze was like a cold blade, slowly scanning the building's silhouette, the positions of the doors and windows, and any potential signs of hidden sentries in the courtyard. The night breeze rustled the leaves gently, perfectly masking his near-silent breathing and heartbeat.

The intelligence was already engraved in his mind, and his on-site observations perfectly matched the descriptions.

It was time.

Matthew took one final deep breath, calming the surging Silver Rank life energy within his body into a quiet, sharp state of readiness.

Without further hesitation, his figure vaulted over the perimeter wall like a silent wisp of smoke, landing in the courtyard.

He landed like a falling leaf, making almost no sound. Quickly slipping behind a patch of shrubbery, he focused his mind and listened intently.

The lights in the first-floor hall were on. Through a gap in the loosely drawn curtains, two figures could be seen sitting by a table.

A coarse laugh and the clinking of cups faintly drifted out:

“Haha, we brought back a whopping two Class holders today! That's worth a whole week's haul from before!”

“Tell me about it. Who would've thought our Blood Hand Gang would be this powerful one day, even daring to touch people from the adventurer guild?” Another voice, laced with drunkenness and pride, chimed in.

“Isn't that all thanks to the batch of ‘good stuff’ Big Brother got? I heard that with that potion, even a Brass Rank can go toe-to-toe with a newly initiated Silver Rank!”

“Tsk...” Upon hearing this, the first man said no more, and only the sound of drinking and clinking cups followed.

Matthew narrowed his eyes slightly in the shadows.

One had to understand that Matthew had only just broken through from the Brass Rank.

Though he had been far from ordinary back when he was at the Brass Rank, he understood the chasm between Brass and Silver better than anyone.

It was not merely a multiplication of Strength and speed, but a transformation of one's life level and the very essence of their energy.

To think a single potion could bridge that gap was truly astonishing!

These scattered pieces of information began to align with the intelligence in his hands.

Instead of acting rashly, he used the cover of the night to press against the villa's outer wall like a ghost, moving along the base of the wall until he was beneath a half-open window.

The heavy stench of alcohol and tobacco drifted out from inside.

Through the gap, he could see the situation in the hall:

Two bare-chested, burly men were sitting opposite each other, drinking. Leftover bones and empty wine bottles were scattered across the table.

Both had short daggers with blood grooves tucked into their waists, and their arms were tattooed with the signature mark of the Blood Hand Gang—a ferocious, dripping handprint.

The bald, burly man among them took another swig of liquor, wiped his mouth, and lowered his voice:

“But that potion... we brothers definitely shouldn't drink it.”

The other scar-faced man sneered. “Obviously. Boss said that as long as we get this done, the underground business in the western district of the inner city will belong to us in the future!”

“Besides, I want to live a bit longer.”

“Hehe, when that time comes, we brothers will truly be living the high life...”

Before he could finish his sentence—

“Crack—”

A faint, barely perceptible cracking sound came from outside the window.

“What was that sound?” The scar-faced man raised his head alertly, his hand already reaching for the hilt of his dagger.

“Probably a stray cat...” The bald man paid it no mind and poured himself another cup of wine.

But the scar-faced man had already stood up and was walking toward the window. “Better safe than sorry. Boss said things are tight these days, so we have to be careful.”

He had just reached the window and was about to poke his head out to look.

A dark red arc of light suddenly tore through the darkness!

“Pfft—”

Precise, swift, and without warning.

The scar-faced man did not even manage to let out a scream before an extremely thin line of blood appeared on his neck. His eyes widened, his body swayed, and he fell straight backward.

“Old Fourth?!” The bald man jumped up in shock, instantly sobering up from the alcohol.

But before he could draw his weapon, a figure had already swept in through the window like a ghost, landing without a sound.

Matthew stood in the center of the hall, his longsword pointing diagonally toward the ground, a single drop of blood slowly sliding off the tip.

His gaze was terrifyingly calm, as if he had just casually brushed away a speck of dust.

“Who are you?!”

The bald man recognized this skill—this was definitely no ordinary Class holder! Just as he was about to shout for the boss upstairs, he saw Matthew take a step forward.

His Silver Rank speed was so fast that it left only a faint afterimage.

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