Absolute Desperation

Scarface Qiang's Ground Splitting Claw came crashing down, shrieking as it tore through the air!

Lin Xiao's eyes were webbed with blood vessels, and the soul-rending pain nearly swallowed him whole.

The ghostly blue number, Source Energy Points: -1.7, flashed wildly in his mind like a death warrant.

Under the glow of True Qi, the savage scar on Scarface Qiang's face twisted grotesquely, carrying the cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse.

"Break for me!"

Lin Xiao's will was like a dying beast, slamming violently into the ghostly blue screen deep within his mind that was on the verge of collapse!

"Scan! Maximum power! Target: Scarface Qiang! Environment! Find me a way out!"

The screen flickered violently and warped, while fine, ominous strands of black garbled data even began spilling from its edges!

Warning! Core severely overloaded! Scanning accuracy declining!

Target locked: Scarface Qiang (peak two-star martial artist). Martial skill: Ground Splitting Claw (Yellow-tier High-grade), operating pattern: Earth-attributed True Qi condensed in both claws—sharp, heavy, tearing!

Environmental scan: 0.8 meters ahead and to the target's right, beneath ground slab A (No. G-7), the foundation soil has become structurally loose due to prolonged corrosion and recent shockwave vibrations. Looseness has reached a critical point (82.3%)!

1.5 meters behind and to the target's left, abandoned oil drum B (No. Y-3) contains residual highly volatile organic solvent vapor (concentration: dangerous)!

Modifiable item: ...Forcefully amplify the loosening effect in the soil beneath slab A for an instant (estimated result: localized collapse)! Source Energy Points required: 0.1!

Modifiable item: ...Temporarily reinforce the density of the host's own bones and muscle fibers at the points of impact (right shoulder and back), duration: 0.3 seconds! Source Energy Points required: 0.1!

Warning! Any modification will further worsen the overdraft of Source Energy Points! Core stability will continue to decrease! Risk of collapse: extremely high!

0.2 points!

Another 0.2 points, and it would become -1.9!

The risk of core collapse hung over him like the sword of Damocles!

But Scarface Qiang's claws, wrapped in an earthy-yellow aura of death, were already right before him! The gust they stirred scraped Lin Xiao's cheeks raw!

There was no choice! He could only gamble!

"Modify! Collapse the slab! Target: Scarface Qiang's right-foot landing point! Reinforce myself! Right shoulder and back!"

Lin Xiao's will roared amid the soul-rending pain, carrying the madness of staking everything on one throw!

Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.1 (environmental modification)! 0.1 (self-reinforcement)!

Source Energy Points: -1.7 - 0.1 - 0.1 = -1.9!

Buzz—!

The instant the points were deducted, the screen suddenly caved inward. Its ghostly blue light dimmed sharply, and its surface filled with countless tiny black cracks, like shattered porcelain!

A desolation far deeper and colder than before flooded Lin Xiao's entire consciousness like icy water!

For a moment, even a snowflake-like scene of garbled data appeared before his eyes!

In the real world, time stretched infinitely at the brink between life and death!

Just as Scarface Qiang's right foot, carrying terrifying power and the certainty of victory, was about to land solidly—

beneath the seemingly sturdy slab, coated in oil and dust, the soil structure that had already loosened to its limit had the final supporting "straw" gently pulled away by a cold, precise force originating on the level of rules!

Crack!

The sound was incredibly faint, but in Lin Xiao's ears, it was heavenly music!

The savage grin on Scarface Qiang's face instantly froze!

He felt the spot where his right foot was landing suddenly give way!

An utterly unexpected sensation of weightlessness, as the ground collapsed beneath him, surged up!

"Hm?" Scarface Qiang's pupils shrank sharply, and the fierce momentum of his charge faltered!

The berserk True Qi condensed around his claws also became slightly disordered and veered off course due to the sudden loss of balance!

The fatal claw that had originally locked onto Lin Xiao's head inevitably shifted downward and outward by the slightest margin!

Now!

At the same time, Lin Xiao felt a cold, unyielding force instantly pour into the bones and muscles of his right shoulder and back!

For that 0.3 seconds, it was as though the tissues there had been forcibly "calcified" into the hardest alloy!

The price was soul-rending pain that instantly spread through his entire body, while the mixed energies in his meridians churned like boiling oil!

He made no attempt to dodge completely—that was impossible!

At the split-second when Scarface Qiang lost his balance and his attack veered off, Lin Xiao used every shred of strength remaining in his body to twist his waist and turn sideways!

Rip—!

Scarface Qiang's claws, carrying terrifying tearing force, raked viciously across Lin Xiao's right shoulder blade as he desperately twisted away!

The sound of tearing fabric was ear-piercing!

His oversized school uniform, along with the T-shirt beneath it, was ripped open like scraps of paper!

Five deep, savage gashes, with flesh turned inside out and bone showing, appeared instantly from his right shoulder to his back! Blood gushed out like a spring, dyeing his back red!

Boom!

The remaining force of Scarface Qiang's strike slammed into the ground beside Lin Xiao. The hard concrete was torn into five deep furrows like tofu, sending rubble flying!

"Argh—!"

Lin Xiao let out a howl of pain suppressed to the absolute limit. His body was flung away as though struck by a speeding truck, hurled violently through the air by the enormous impact!

The pain from his right shoulder and back nearly knocked him unconscious on the spot! Stars burst before his eyes!

But he did not black out!

The 0.3-second reinforcement of his bones and muscles acted like the hardest shield, taking most of the impact that could have crushed his bones and ruptured his organs at the most critical moment!

Though he was still grievously injured, that force also became the final push that carried him out of the vortex of death!

Thud!

Lin Xiao's body crashed heavily into the ground several meters away like a torn sack, rolling several times before stopping. He happened to roll right beside the abandoned oil drum (Y-3), which still contained highly volatile organic solvent vapor!

A thick, acrid chemical smell rushed into his nostrils!

Dust mixed with the smell of blood and filled the deathly silent air.

Scarface Qiang planted one foot in the collapsed slab pit and steadied himself.

He looked at the claws that had missed, then at the scraps of flesh and still-hot blood clinging to their tips. The scar across his face twitched violently from extreme shock and fury!

What had happened?

How had the slab suddenly collapsed?

How could that brat have made such a precise evasion in those circumstances and endured one of his claws without dying?

This made no damn sense!

He abruptly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Lin Xiao, who lay beside the oil drum, covered in blood and struggling to get up!

"Bastard! Let's see what other tricks you can play!"

Scarface Qiang had gone completely berserk. The humiliation of being toyed with by an ant burned through his reason like poisonous fire!

He completely ignored the strange collapse beneath his feet, as well as the nearly deranged calculating glint that flashed through Lin Xiao's eyes despite his grievous injuries!

With a roar, Scarface Qiang's earthy-yellow True Qi erupted again, even more violently than before!

He stepped out of the collapsed pit, cracking the ground beneath his foot. His burly body lunged toward Lin Xiao beside the oil drum with an aura that seemed capable of crushing everything!

This time, he would tear his opponent completely apart!

Lin Xiao lay facedown on the cold ground, his mouth full of blood. Every breath tugged at the excruciating pain in his right shoulder and back, which felt as though it might tear him apart.

The soul-drying sensation brought by Source Energy Points -1.9 crashed against his precarious consciousness like an icy tide, wave after wave.

The black cracks on the ghostly blue screen in his mind were glaring as spiderwebs, and every flicker brought needle-like pain.

Scarface Qiang's figure, like a prehistoric beast, rapidly grew larger through the dust. The shadow of death descended again, heavier and more suffocating than before!

Run? In his current condition, he could never outrun a furious peak two-star martial artist!

Fight head-on? That was suicide!

His only chance of survival... lay in the abandoned oil drum beside him, which reeked of an acrid odor!

The result of the environmental scan flashed through his chaotic mind like lightning—the abandoned oil drum B (No. Y-3) contained residual highly volatile organic solvent vapor (concentration: dangerous)!

Gamble! Gamble with his life one final time!

At the split-second when Scarface Qiang's massive claw, wrapped in a fierce wind and powerful enough to split stone monuments, was about to descend on his head—

A vicious light burst from Lin Xiao's eyes!

It was the beastlike madness of someone driven into a dead end with nowhere left to retreat!

He abruptly braced his left hand against the ground!

Ignoring the tearing pain from his right shoulder, he unleashed the last trace of strength left in his body. Like an arrow leaving the bow, he did not dodge backward, but instead slammed toward the side-front—toward the enormous, rust-covered abandoned oil drum!

At the same time, he spread the five fingers of his left hand, covered in blood and dirt, and slapped them hard against the cold, rough metal of the oil drum!

Buzz!

The modification screen, on the verge of collapse, was forcibly driven once more!

The ghostly blue light struggled to flicker between the black cracks!

Target locked: abandoned oil drum B (Y-3) metal casing (rust-weakened point: central seam of the drum body)

Modifiable item: ...Instantly amplify the metal fatigue effect at the rusted point, triggering a localized rupture (estimated result: tiny breach)... Source Energy Points required: 0.05! Warning! Core on the verge of collapse! This operation carries uncontrollable risks!

0.05 points! A drop in the bucket! But it was enough to create an environment where sparks could fly!

"Break!" Lin Xiao let out a soundless roar from the depths of his soul!

Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.05!

Source Energy Points: -1.9 - 0.05 = -1.95!

The instant the points were deducted, the screen violently contracted inward, as though it were about to collapse completely into a black hole! The dense black cracks suddenly spread and deepened!

A cold desolation originating from the very source of his soul, as if it could completely erase all existence, pierced through every inch of Lin Xiao's consciousness like billions of ice needles!

His vision abruptly went black, and blood foam spilled uncontrollably from his nose and mouth!

The real world.

Lin Xiao slammed into the cold oil drum with a muffled boom. At the same time, the spot struck by his left hand—the already badly rusted seam at the center of the drum—seemed to be lightly touched by an invisible finger at its weakest point!

Rip—!

An extremely faint sound of tearing metal rang out, almost unnoticed!

A tiny crack no wider than a finger appeared instantly along the rusted seam!

Boom!

The instant the crack appeared!

The highly volatile organic solvent vapor accumulated inside the oil drum, its concentration long since having reached a dangerous threshold, finally found an outlet!

It was like a powder keg being ignited!

A blinding orange-red tongue of flame, mixed with scorching waves of heat that warped the air and a deafening explosion, suddenly blasted out through the tiny crack!

Like a furious flaming dragon!

The shockwave produced by the explosion was more than ten times fiercer than the falling beam earlier!

Lin Xiao, being closest to the oil drum, bore the brunt!

He felt an irresistible force carrying devastating heat slam violently into his back!

"Pfft—!" A mouthful of scalding blood sprayed out!

His body was flung away like a leaf in a gale, hurled through the air by the berserk force!

The wounds on his back were seared by the intense heat, filling the air with a charred smell and sending pain deep into his bones!

His consciousness had already blurred in midair under the impact of the explosion and the pain wracking his body. Only his instinct to survive made him curl up.

Scarface Qiang, who was charging forward, had the fury on his face instantly replaced by utter terror!

He had never expected such a change!

The flames and berserk shockwave erupted practically in front of him!

"Fuck!" Scarface Qiang only had time to roar before frantically gathering all his True Qi before him, forming a thick earthy-yellow shield!

Boom—!

The flames and shockwave slammed into the shield!

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

The shield churned violently and warped, groaning under the strain!

It lasted less than half a second before shattering with a boom!

The remaining force slammed hard into Scarface Qiang's burly body!

"Urgh!" Scarface Qiang grunted. As though struck by a battering ram, he was blasted backward, flying even farther than Lin Xiao!

His clothes instantly blackened and tore apart, his skin scorched. The scar on his face was seared bright red by the heat, burning fiercely!

Though his profound cultivation kept him from suffering a fatal injury, his blood and qi still churned, leaving him in a miserable state!

The entire ambush point was once again swallowed by an even more violent explosion and flames surging into the sky!

Thick smoke billowed, and waves of heat pressed in!

Shattered pieces of the oil drum flew in every direction like shell fragments, leaving the surrounding abandoned machinery and walls riddled with holes!

The few Blood Wolf Gang thugs lucky enough to survive had just struggled out of the rubble from the earlier fallen beam when the terrifying blast wave hurled them down again. They screamed as flames and fragments swallowed them!

Hell! A true living hell!

Lin Xiao's body crashed heavily onto a pile of relatively soft industrial waste more than ten meters away, rolling several times before stopping.

Pfft!

He spat out another mouthful of blood. His vision went black in waves, and all he could hear was a shrill ringing.

The wounds on his back burned fiercely, while his right shoulder felt as though it had been completely torn off, utterly numb.

The desolation brought by Source Energy Points -1.95 surged through him like an icy tide, wave after wave, trying to drag him into eternal darkness.

The screen in his mind was so dim that it was nearly extinguished. The black cracks looked like openings into an abyss, and every flicker brought soul-rending pain.

But he was still alive!

Using the last shred of his strength, he struggled to raise his head. Through the drifting smoke and leaping flames, he saw Scarface Qiang's burly figure staggering up from the ruins farther away. Though battered, the fury and killing intent in his eyes burned like tangible flames, piercing through the smoke and locking firmly onto him!

He could not stop! Stopping meant death!

His instinct to survive overpowered the pain in his body and the desolation of his soul!

A low growl like that of a dying beast escaped Lin Xiao's throat. His left hand dug fiercely into the trash beneath him. Ignoring the groans of his bones as though they had come apart, he dragged his nearly ruined right side and used the last of his strength to roll and crawl into the depths of the industrial district, toward the more complex and darker maze of abandoned factories!

Every step left a glaring bloody footprint behind!

"Lin Xiao—! I'll tear you limb from limb!"

Behind him came Scarface Qiang's furious roar, as violent as a wounded beast's!

It was followed by the heavy, hurried thud of footsteps, charging after him with a murderous intent that seemed capable of crushing everything in its path!

A chase!

Once again, it unfolded in this abandoned industrial district illuminated by a blood-red sunset and soaring flames, making it look like purgatory!

Only this time, the prey was covered in wounds and barely breathing, while the hunter had been thoroughly enraged and would not stop until one of them was dead!

Lin Xiao's consciousness flickered under the torment of excruciating pain, severe blood loss, and dangerously depleted Source Energy Points, like a candle guttering in the wind and liable to go out at any moment.

He was relying entirely on a tenacious will to survive, one carved into his very bones, to support his body as it mechanically dragged itself forward.

As he rushed into the abandoned factory district that stood like a forest of steel, the light suddenly dimmed.

Huge shadows intersected and crisscrossed. The shattered windows resembled the hollow eye sockets of monsters, while cold wind passed through twisted pipes and steel frames, producing eerie, whimpering noises.

The footsteps behind him were drawing closer!

Scarface Qiang's roar clung to him like a parasite!

"Bastard! Let's see where you can run!"

Lin Xiao abruptly turned into a narrow passage piled with huge rusted gears and abandoned conveyor belts. His foot caught hard on a protruding steel bar!

Thud!

He could no longer hold himself up. His entire body pitched heavily forward and slammed into the ground! Dust billowed into the air!

His right shoulder crashed into a slab of cold metal scrap. The violent pain blacked out his vision, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

Blood gushed from the wounds in his back and shoulder, quickly pooling beneath him into a glaring patch of dark red.

Is this it...

A cold despair, accompanied by the boundless desolation brought by -1.95 from the depths of his soul, coiled around him like a venomous snake.

The heavy footsteps stopped at the mouth of the passage.

Amid the dust, Scarface Qiang's tower-like figure slowly appeared, blocking the only exit.

His clothes were scorched and torn in several places, and his skin bore traces of burns. The scar across his face looked even more ferocious in the dim light.

He panted heavily, his chest heaving violently, but the savage killing intent in his eyes had burned to its peak.

"Run. Why aren't you running anymore?"

Scarface Qiang advanced step by step. His footsteps echoed through the silent passage like the death knell of the Grim Reaper. "You little bastard, you've got plenty of tricks, don't you? Beams and exploding oil drums? Today, I'm going to see what else you can pull out!"

He stopped a few steps in front of Lin Xiao and looked down at the boy curled up on the ground like a dead dog. The corner of his mouth split into a smile of utmost cruelty.

"Don't worry. I won't let you die too quickly..."

He slowly raised his right hand, still smeared with traces of Lin Xiao's flesh and blood. Earthen-yellow True Qi began gathering again, and his five fingers curled into a claw, the tips gleaming with a bone-chilling light. "I'm going to crush your bones one by one! I'll let you learn what it means to wish you were dead!"

The shadow of death had never felt so real and cold!

Lin Xiao lay facedown, his cheek pressed against the cold, rough floor stained with oil. The pungent smells of rust and blood surged into his nostrils together. He could clearly feel Scarface Qiang's killing intent, condensed with terrifying power, stabbing at his skin like icy needles.

Source Energy Points: -1.95.

The dusky blue light screen in his mind had dimmed to its limit, like a guttering candle that could go out completely at any moment.

Dense black cracks spread across the surface of the light screen like a spiderweb. Every faint flicker brought the excruciating sensation of his soul being torn apart inch by inch.

The core-overload warning had long since become a continuous, shrill buzzing that symbolized the brink of collapse, like a death knell pounding wildly in the depths of his consciousness.

Exhaustion! Utter exhaustion!

It was not merely the severe injuries that had left his body on the verge of death, but also the grave depletion of his soul's origin!

Forget activating the Modifier again—even staying conscious had become incredibly difficult.

Every breath tugged at agonizing pain throughout his body. His vision began to blur and double, while the buzzing in his ears grew louder and louder, nearly drowning out Scarface Qiang's murderous footsteps.

Is it over?

Just as the boundless despair was about to drown him completely like a cold tide—

Wooo—wooo—wooo!

A powerful siren approached from afar, suddenly ripping through the abandoned industrial district's dead, oppressive silence like dawn breaking through purgatory!

Sharp! Urgent! Carrying an unmistakable official authority!

And there was more than one vehicle! The sound was rapidly closing in on their location!

The cruel smile on Scarface Qiang's face instantly froze!

The claw filled with True Qi also halted abruptly!

He whipped his head around. His fierce gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of abandoned factory buildings toward the direction of the sirens!

"Damn it! The Special Operations Ninth Division?"

A clear flash of fear and fury crossed Scarface Qiang's eyes!

He had obviously recognized what the sirens meant!

The instant Lin Xiao heard the sirens, the nearly extinguished flame of his consciousness suddenly flickered.

Qin Bing!

Had she tracked him here?

Or had the explosion been so loud that it drew the authorities?

Either way, this was his only—and final—chance to survive!

His desire to live, like a sudden return of light before death, instantly overwhelmed the pain in his body and the exhaustion of his soul!

Using the last sliver of strength he had left, he suddenly braced his bloodstained left hand against the ground!

Dragging the right half of his body, which had almost completely lost sensation, he hurled himself recklessly toward the depths of the passage, toward a corner shrouded in even deeper darkness and piled with huge abandoned machines, like an arrow loosed from a bow!

He completely concealed himself in the dense shadows cast by the rusted steel behemoths!

"Trying to run?" Startled by Lin Xiao's sudden movement, Scarface Qiang spun around. Killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he instinctively prepared to chase after him and crush the dying bastard's last struggle!

Wooo—wooo—!

The sirens were already right outside!

He could even faintly hear the sharp screech of tires scraping against the ground!

Scarface Qiang's footsteps halted abruptly!

The scar on his face twitched violently from extreme fury and unwillingness to accept defeat!

He stared murderously at the dark corner where Lin Xiao had vanished, his gaze as venomous as a poisoned blade!

The Special Operations Ninth Division! He could not afford to provoke them!

At least not here and now. He could not clash with them head-on!

"You little bastard... count yourself lucky!"

Scarface Qiang forced the words through clenched teeth, his voice filled with deep hatred. "Next time we meet, I'll strip you to the bone!"

He did not hesitate any longer. He spun around, and his burly figure moved like an agile cheetah. After a few leaps, he disappeared into the tangled shadows of the factories, leaving behind only the wreckage and the heavy stench of blood.

His footsteps quickly faded into the distance.

Deep within the passage, in the dark corner formed by enormous abandoned machines,

Lin Xiao's body was curled up between cold, hard steel, his back pressed tightly against a rough, rust-covered metal surface.

Every faint breath came with violent spasms throughout his body and muffled, blood-flecked coughing that he could not suppress.

Blood soaked through his tattered clothes and slowly spread across the cold ground beneath him, forming a small, sticky patch of dark red.

The soul exhaustion brought by Source Energy Points -1.95 was like billions of icy ants viciously gnawing at the foundation of his consciousness.

The dusky blue light screen in his mind had completely dimmed, leaving only a dead blackness and black patterns that resembled cracks in an abyss and radiated an ominous aura.

The warning of core collapse had long since vanished, replaced by a complete, despair-inducing sense of nothingness.

He felt as if his soul had been hollowed out, leaving behind only a broken, cold, heavy shell.

His eyelids felt as though they were filled with lead, too heavy to lift.

The sirens and the screech of brakes rang clearly across the open ground outside.

Disorderly footsteps approached, accompanied by stern shouts.

"Seal off the area!"

"Search for survivors! Stay alert!"

"Report! We've found a large amount of blood and signs of combat! There are traces of an explosion!"

They're from the Special Operations Ninth Division... Qin Bing... she should be here too, right?

I'm saved...

The thought flickered weakly like the last flame of a candle in his consciousness, which was about to sink completely into darkness.

His nerves, stretched taut to the limit, suddenly relaxed.

Like a string with its final support removed,

all the pain, exhaustion, and desolation surged over him like a breached dam and instantly drowned him completely.

Lin Xiao's head lolled to one side, and the last trace of consciousness went out like a candle in the wind.

His body collapsed completely into the cold, filthy steel ruins, motionless.

Only the pool of dark red blood beneath him, still slowly spreading, proved that life had once struggled fiercely here.

Outside the passage, glaring headlights tore through the drifting smoke and dust.

Several black off-road vehicles bearing the insignia of the Special Operations Ninth Division came to a rough stop in the open ground.

The doors opened, and the first person to leap out was Qin Bing.

She was still dressed in a crisp black combat uniform that outlined her tall, powerful figure.

But now, her coldly beautiful face was drawn tight with a frown, and her sharp gaze swept across the battlefield, which looked as if it had been plowed by artillery—

Broken massive beams, the remains of burning oil drums, craters formed by explosions, scattered rubble and twisted metal fragments everywhere, and... several bodies, some dead and others maimed, their flesh mangled beyond recognition.

The thick stench of blood mixed with gunpowder smoke, scorching, and the pungent odor of chemical solvents, rushing toward them.

The scene before her was several times more gruesome than she had expected!

"Report, Captain Qin! Preliminary investigation complete! Three dead and four seriously injured at the scene! All bear Blood Wolf Gang insignia! The center of the explosion was an abandoned industrial-solvent oil drum! There are obvious signs of combat, involving at least one extremely powerful martial artist!"

A team member quickly stepped forward to report.

The Blood Wolf Gang? Qin Bing's gaze turned cold as a blade.

Those persistent vermin again! But... where was the person who caused all this?

Her sharp gaze swept across the area, eventually stopping at the entrance to a narrow passage leading deep into the factory, piled with abandoned gears and conveyor belts.

On the ground, a glaring trail of fresh blood extended intermittently into the depths of the dark passage, instantly seizing her entire attention like a crimson guiding line!

The blood was still very fresh!

Qin Bing's eyes narrowed sharply. Without the slightest hesitation, she pressed her right hand onto the grip of the gun at her waist, made a "stay alert and follow" gesture with her left, and strode silently yet swiftly toward the dark passage.

Her boots made faint sounds as they stepped across the oil- and dust-covered ground.

The passage was extremely dim, with only a few pale rays of daylight filtering through gaps in the ruined roof.

The air was thick with an even stronger smell of rust and blood, along with a faint aura... emanating from someone on the verge of death.

Qin Bing stopped deep in the passage before a pile of enormous abandoned machines that resembled the bones of monsters.

Her gaze, precise as a probe, instantly locked onto the deepest shadows beneath the machines.

There, a figure was curled up motionless, as if he had already merged with the cold steel.

A torn, bloodstained school uniform, a dirty cheek smeared with blood, and a chest rising so faintly it was nearly impossible to detect...

Lin Xiao!

Qin Bing's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly the instant she recognized that face.

It really was him!

She approached step by step, her boots striking the cold ground. The sound was exceptionally clear in the passage's dead silence.

At last, she crouched down in front of Lin Xiao.

The glaring beam of her flashlight instantly dispelled the darkness in the corner, clearly revealing Lin Xiao's miserable state—

His face was so pale it held not a trace of color. His lips were cracked and stained with black-red blood crust. The clothing from his right shoulder to his back had been completely torn apart, exposing five terrifying claw marks. They were deep enough to reveal bone, with flesh peeled back and edges even bearing traces of scorching. Although the bleeding seemed to have slowed, blood was still slowly seeping out.

His arm was covered in abrasions, bruises, and burns caused by the explosion. The entire right side of his body was twisted into an unnatural position...

These injuries were even more severe than she had expected!

He was completely hanging on by his last breath!

Qin Bing's brows furrowed even more deeply. Her cold face revealed nothing, but an extremely complicated emotion flashed deep in her eyes.

She extended a hand in a tactical glove. Her movements were brisk yet professionally precise as she quickly checked Lin Xiao's carotid pulse and breathing.

His pulse was as faint as a silken thread. His breathing was intermittent and weak.

He was on the verge of death!

"He's still alive! Call for medical support immediately! Highest priority! Prepare life support!"

Qin Bing's voice was cold and decisive, carrying an unquestionable command.

"Yes!" The team members behind her immediately responded and began making contact.

After issuing the order, Qin Bing's gaze returned to Lin Xiao's lifeless face.

She slowly rose and swept her sharp gaze across the cramped space like a scalpel, missing not the slightest detail.

The blood on the ground... the marks left by his struggle and rolling... the place where he had hidden at the end...

Qin Bing's gaze finally settled on the ground not far from Lin Xiao's left hand.

There, a piece of metal scrap that had been overturned from the heap of garbage was stained with oil. One edge seemed to have been lifted by the shock wave from the explosion.

Beneath the fragment, on a small patch of relatively clean ground, a blurred dark-red mark was clearly imprinted, radiating an intensely strange aura!

The shape of the mark... resembled a twisted eye without a pupil!

Qin Bing's breath paused imperceptibly for a second the instant she saw the mark clearly.

Her gaze suddenly turned icy and razor-sharp!

The Shadow Alliance!

It was unmistakably the unique symbol Shadow Alliance members used to mark important targets or the sites of significant events!

The Blood Wolf Gang's ambush... the strange explosion... Lin Xiao on the verge of death... and this Shadow Alliance mark...

What astonishing secret was buried beneath these ruins?