“Aaaah!!!”
A shrill scream pierced the darkness, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.
Mr. Qin once again took a 'drawing a bow' stance. The surrounding darkness grew even denser, surging toward him.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Mr. Qin fired three arrows in rapid succession. Although he didn't hit anyone again, he managed to tear a large hole in the darkness.
Rumble—
Before the Shadow Lotus cultists could react, the three arrows exploded with a roar, completely destroying several of the cannons.
This had been Mr. Qin’s true target all along!
Buzz—
Buzz—
Two slender figures in black robes stepped out of the darkness. One of them was the man who had been shedding chunks of flesh earlier.
The expressions on their faces as they looked at Mr. Qin were filled with cruelty.
“Chief Guo, you’ve killed many of our people. Today, you’ll pay for it with your life!”
The two lunged forward as they spoke. Mr. Qin didn't bother to explain.
The abilities of some pathways were incredibly bizarre; knowing a person's real name could even allow for clandestine curses.
Therefore, being mistaken for someone else was actually a good thing for Mr. Qin.
Clang, clang, clang.
One of the men in black unleashed a flurry of blade strikes, clashing with Mr. Qin over a dozen times in a single breath.
Mr. Qin spun his right hand, and the iron ruler actually split into two. Holding one in each hand with different grips, he maintained a perfect balance of offense and defense.
“Chief Guo, everything you’re doing is in vain!”
“Why don’t you take a guess? We knew many important figures were at Jiuqing Mountain today, and most of your security personnel were there too. So why did we shell the mountain?”
The man’s voice was raspy and unpleasant, leaving Mr. Qin in deep thought.
‘It’s true. Many big shots came to Jiuqing Mountain tonight, so the majority of Wangduan City’s security personnel are stationed here.’
‘If the Shadow Lotus Church wanted to do something, now would be the best opportunity. Why would they go through the extra trouble of shelling Jiuqing Mountain just to attract our attention?’
Mr. Qin couldn't quite figure it out, but he didn't dwell on it too much.
His current objective was to destroy the cannons, then capture whoever he could or kill them if capture wasn't possible!
It didn't matter if he couldn't understand it now; once he had a prisoner, he could force the answers out.
Clang, clang!
Mr. Qin struck his iron rulers together, creating a sharp metallic ring.
Boom!
The iron rulers burst into flames, illuminating the area around him.
He couldn't drag this out any longer. The handles of the iron rulers were starting to heat up; he didn't have much time left.
The smiles on the two men in black grew increasingly eerie.
Whoosh—
The flames from the iron rulers flared up, coiling toward the two black-robed men.
...
Wangduan City.
Security Bureau.
“Damn it, wet behind the ears and unreliable.”
“I knew that man named Mei couldn't be trusted!”
“Everything was fine, but he just had to organize some moon-viewing event. Now look what happened! We’re getting shelled!”
Bureau Chief Guo’s face was twisted with rage, looking as if he wanted to tear Mr. Mei apart with his bare hands.
The driver drove in silence, not daring to say a word. The Vice Chief sitting in the passenger seat spoke up.
“Chief Guo, now is not the time for this.”
“Many important figures went to Jiuqing Mountain today, including the minister’s daughter. If something happens to her, every single one of us... surviving until the end of the year would be a mercy.”
Chief Guo’s eyes couldn't help but twitch.
“Hmm? The shelling seems to have stopped?”
The driver’s ears perked up. Hearing this, the Vice Chief rolled down the window and leaned out to listen before speaking.
“It has indeed stopped. It should be Mr. Mei’s people. He brought quite a few experts from the Mei family this time.”
Chief Guo’s expression became even more unsightly upon hearing that.
“Listen to him brag! He told me before that with his people handling security, it would be foolproof. Yet now Jiuqing Mountain is being shelled!”
“After this is over, you and I will both be dragged down by him!”
The Vice Chief let out a bitter smile, thinking to himself: Isn’t this how it always is when the scions of great families come for training?
The credit belongs to them.
The blame belongs to us.
What could people like them, who rose from the bottom, even do?
They could only hope that after the higher-ups took the credit, they might toss a few scraps their way.
Case in point, the Sequence 6 main ingredient Chief Guo wanted—if he relied on his own merits, he might not even get it after ten years of hard work.
But in Mr. Mei’s eyes, that was likely something he was born with.
“Sir! There’s fire in the woods ahead!”
The driver slowed down, pointing toward the dense forest nearby.
“Hmm?”
Chief Guo looked up, and his expression changed when he saw the fire.
“That’s the power of a Clerk! Who could it be?”
...
Jiuqing Mountain.
“Brother!!!”
Xiao Yue wailed in grief, clutching Xiao Zhe tightly. To any observer, it would look like a display of profound brotherly love.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhe was already breathing more out than in, his small eyes filled with resentment and indignation.
After his loud wailing, Xiao Yue leaned down and whispered.
“I’ll take good care of stepmother for you. Don’t worry, she’ll be joining you soon.”
Xiao Zhe’s eyes snapped wide at those words, and his body began to tremble violently.
“Brother! You have to hold on! Someone will be here to save you soon!”
Xiao Yue’s voice sounded like a cuckoo crying blood, causing even the nearby security officers to feel a twinge of pity.
However, their priority was evacuating the crowd to prevent further casualties; they truly had no time to help this poor pair of 'brothers.'
Seeing Xiao Zhe’s face grow paler and paler, Xiao Yue hugged him even tighter, forcing more blood out.
“Brother, now that you don’t have the amulet Father gave you, it’s time for you to die!”
Xiao Zhe felt his head spinning as his vision grew increasingly blurry and dark.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
A vibration came from Xiao Zhe’s pocket. Seeing this, Xiao Yue’s eyes narrowed. He reached in and pulled out the 'plastic leaf.'
Before he could figure out what it was, the leaf caught the moonlight and melted into a liquid.
Xiao Yue had no time to stop it as the liquid seeped into Xiao Zhe’s wounds. After pushing out several bullet fragments lodged in his body, it began to slowly repair the tissue.
Xiao Yue wasn't about to stand by and watch this happen. He reached toward Xiao Zhe’s wound, intending to tear it open and let him bleed to death.
But before he could apply any force, his wrist was seized by a large, bony hand.
He looked up along the arm and saw a tall, thin man wearing a transparent raincoat. A black mask covered the lower half of his face.
What was most striking was the tear-drop mole beneath the man's eye, a feature that acted like the finishing touch on a painting, making him unforgettable at a single glance.
“Let go!”
Xiao Yue hissed. Instead of letting go, the newcomer increased the pressure, nearly crushing his wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing to my friend?”
The voice was very cold, completely different from the gentle tone in Xiao Zhe’s memory, yet he recognized it instantly.
“Yin... Yin Yang.”
His voice was like a faint buzz, hard to hear even if one’s ear was pressed to his mouth, but in the next second, a pair of large hands supported him.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
...
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