Su Ze did not stay at the Black and White Bar for long. After confirming that he would join the intellectual beauty's team and asking about a few details, he got up and left.
They agreed to meet at the Black and White Bar at seven tomorrow morning. Tonight, he still needed to return to the bathhouse to rest.
After leaving the bar, Su Ze hailed a cab and headed for the Jade Sea Hot Spring City bathhouse.
When they were still over two hundred meters from the bathhouse, traffic slowed to a congested crawl. Su Ze's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly told the driver to stop. He saw many Public Security Bureau vehicles surrounding the Jade Sea Hot Spring City bathhouse, with checkpoints set up on the road. Every vehicle had to be inspected before it could pass.
Was it a routine vice crackdown, or had the Zhao Family traced him here?
Zhao Yuanyi held immense influence in Mu Kingdom. Mobilizing Black Rock City's official forces would not be difficult for him. Su Ze did not dare take chances. After paying the fare, he got out.
He blended into the passing crowd and turned back the way he had come. But after only a few steps, he vaguely felt someone watching him.
Su Ze quickened his pace and noticed that a man in a military-green trench coat behind him had also sped up to follow.
One of Zhao Yuanyi's elite guards... Su Ze did not know the trench-coated man, but his clothing gave away a few clues.
The Zhao Family Elite Guard was responsible for Zhao Yuanyi's personal security, and its members generally possessed Cocoon Breaking Stage strength.
My getting out early and turning back must have drawn attention... Su Ze took a deep breath and tried not to reveal anything unusual, maintaining his brisk pace as he headed toward a small park by the roadside.
It was already early winter, and the weather was slightly cold. There was almost no one in the park at night.
The dim park lights cast Su Ze's shadow long behind him. He sped up again and rushed toward the public restroom, looking like a passerby desperately in need of relief.
Not far behind Su Ze, the trench-coated man clutched his lower abdomen and jogged after him, as though he too urgently needed the restroom. Still, he lagged one step behind. Seeing Su Ze enter, he hurried in after him.
The trench-coated man ran into the men's restroom but did not see Su Ze. He quickly stepped forward and pulled open the stall doors one by one, only to find them all empty. His expression changed, and he turned toward the women's restroom next door.
The women's restroom was just as empty.
What the trench-coated man did not know was that shortly after he entered the men's restroom, Su Ze had run out through the women's restroom next door.
Realizing he had been fooled, the man rushed out and looked around. He did not see Su Ze, but he spotted a string of fresh footprints in the landscaping.
He immediately chased after them.
Su Ze sprinted all the way, not daring to relax.
Time was tight. He had no time to cover the tracks he had left behind, and the trench-coated man could very well catch up.
He could not outrun a Cocoon Breaking Stage powerhouse, so he planned to reach the main road and hail a cab. But just then, a figure blocked his path.
It was a lean young man with a long scar across his face. He radiated a wild air, as crafty and vicious as a hyena on the plains.
Gao Long!
The man was none other than Gao Long, who had clashed with Su Ze at the Black and White Bar not long ago.
He was here with ill intent!
Gao Long's appearance here was certainly no coincidence. He had been following Su Ze the whole time.
I specifically checked when I left the bar and didn't notice anyone tailing me. Looks like Gao Long has a stealth-type skill or wonder item... Su Ze considered this inwardly, but his feet did not stop as he charged straight at Gao Long.
He had no way out.
Su Ze was not afraid of Gao Long, but he had no time to get entangled with him. The Zhao Family's Cocoon Breaking Stage expert could catch up at any moment.
This had to end quickly!
"Trying to fight me to the death? You've got some nerve." Gao Long sneered. "Trash like you, propped up by family backing and resources—even if you're loaded with top-tier skills, you're still nothing before me!"
Though he said that, Gao Long did not lower his guard. Instead, he cautiously retreated two steps. He had clawed his way to where he was today not only through considerable Combat Strength among Evolvers of the same rank, but also through boldness and carefulness.
Without saying a word, Su Ze activated Rhino Charge when he was roughly ten meters from Gao Long. His speed surged as he turned into an afterimage and slammed toward him.
Gao Long reacted quickly. While frantically retreating, he raised a hand to counterattack, condensing a water arrow at his fingertips and firing it at Su Ze.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three water arrows shot out in succession, each carrying considerable force.
Yet two of the water arrows missed entirely. The sole arrow that struck Su Ze failed to cause any obvious damage.
"How is that possible?!" Gao Long was deeply shaken, unable to believe it.
He simply did not know how powerful the S-rank skill Rhino Charge was.
Rhino Charge: Launch a short-distance charge forward. During the charge, speed greatly increases, defense rises substantially, and the user is difficult to hit.
It could be said that in the instant Su Ze used Rhino Charge, he was practically invincible.
In the blink of an eye, Su Ze used Rhino Charge to reach Gao Long, while simultaneously activating Ant Strength.
Ant Strength: Gain a threefold burst of strength for 2 seconds. Duration and strength increase depend on the user's physical condition.
After Su Ze completed his first evolution, Ant Strength had received another significant boost.
Seeing Su Ze's aura soar before him, Gao Long finally snapped out of it. He thrust one hand before himself, rapidly condensing a shield of stone in his palm.
The Rock Shield, a Defense Skill from the rock scorpion beast!
At the same time, Gao Long drew the dagger strapped to his leg with his other hand and stabbed toward Su Ze from a tricky angle.
A fierce look appeared on Su Ze's face. Without retreating in the slightest, he used the Needle Strike skill he had just acquired.
Needle Strike concentrated the body's entire strength into a single point, unleashing a piercing blow.
He wanted to see just what kind of power he could unleash by using Needle Strike to focus Ant Strength's threefold boost into one point!
This was also the strongest strike Su Ze could currently deliver.
Su Ze extended a finger and jabbed it toward Gao Long's Rock Shield.
When his finger landed on the Rock Shield, there was no thunderous boom, almost no sound at all. Needle Strike's piercing property took effect, and the Rock Shield was like paper, pierced through with a hole.
Su Ze's finger continued unabated, passing through the shield, piercing Gao Long's chest, and plunging straight into his heart!
Gao Long stared at Su Ze in stunned disbelief, his face full of unwillingness. The dagger slipped weakly from his hand, and the light in his eyes faded with it.
Su Ze felt the warm pulse at his fingertip gradually stop. Suppressing his slight discomfort, he pulled back his blood-soaked arm.
He and Gao Long could not be said to have had any deep grudge. They had merely had a small conflict at the bar, and Gao Long had most likely only followed him to teach him a lesson. But Su Ze had no choice. He could only strike to kill.
Gao Long had only himself to blame for blocking his path.
There were pursuers behind him. Even if Gao Long had not intended to kill Su Ze, his actions could very well have gotten Su Ze killed.
Thinking about it, in just a few days since crossing over, several people had already died directly or indirectly at Su Ze's hands.
Su Ze had no choice either. He only wanted to live.
Watching Gao Long's corpse collapse to the ground as blood spread everywhere, Su Ze took a deep breath. He swiftly removed his bloodstained jacket, wiped the blood from his hands, and casually tossed it aside.
He bent down and searched Gao Long, finding a phone, a card holder, and a small toe bone.
The toe bone was smooth as jade. After Su Ze injected a thread of Evolutionary Force into it, it emitted a faint crimson glow.
A Tier 1 Wonder Item!
Su Ze had not expected to obtain a wonder item as well. Though it was only Tier 1, wonder items were scarce to begin with, and their low usage threshold made them more valuable than extracts of the same tier.
Su Ze put away the spoils from the body and immediately left the scene.
Before you continue