Blood Wolf Gang's Fangs

Deep in the industrial district west of the city, the shadows of the abandoned factory crouched like a colossal beast, devouring the last traces of dusk.

The heavy smell of rust and faint traces of blood had yet to fully disperse when they were overtaken by an even colder, more viscous killing intent.

Lin Xiao sat cross-legged in the corner where he had made his home, enveloped by the deep shadow cast by the massive stamping press's base.

Inside him, the True Qi of the Surging Waves Art flowed steadily through his widened and strengthened meridians like a surging underground river. Each cycle brought him a solid sense of fullness and strength.

A deep, marrow-itching numbness pulsed from the wound behind his right shoulder. It was the sign of flesh growing rapidly under the nourishment of the new True Qi and Jade Marrow Muscle Growth Powder.

Source Energy Points: +0.01 (surplus)

The faint blue screen in his mind shone steadily and brightly. The cracks that had once covered it had dwindled to only a few pale silver lines, like inscriptions on an ancient divine artifact. The core's pulse was vigorous and powerful.

Although the surplus was meager, it represented a stable foundation. The ammunition depot was small, but it had been opened.

He rolled between his fingertips a tiny chip flaked from a low-grade Energy Stone from the Wild Dog Mine, and his thoughts stirred slightly.

Target locked: low-grade Energy Stone fragment (trace amount)... Energy attribute: impure, unstable... Can be converted into Source Energy Points in a trace amount... Absorb?

"Absorb."

Absorption complete. Obtained Source Energy Points: +0.001.

Source Energy Points: +0.01 + 0.001 = +0.011!

An imperceptibly warm current flowed in, and the core's pulse seemed a little more pleased. Many grains of sand made a tower, and many streams made a sea. This was the path he had to take to repair his foundation and stabilize his realm.

"Brother Xiao! Brother Xiao!"

Fatty Wang emerged from the shadows at the factory entrance like a rolling ball of flesh. He stumbled and crawled toward Lin Xiao, the fat on his face quivering violently from extreme terror, his tiny eyes bloodshot and filled with fear.

"What are you panicking about?" Lin Xiao did not even raise his eyelids. His voice was calm and unruffled as his fingers continued rolling the fragment of Energy Stone, as though he were playing with a priceless treasure.

"Scar... Scarface Qiang! That lunatic... he... he's gone mad!"

Fatty Wang gasped for breath, his voice tinged with sobs. "I just got the news from Old Weasel! Scarface Qiang suffered a huge loss at the Weasel's Den, making a complete fool of himself. As soon as he went back, the higher-ups of the Blood Wolf Gang cursed him out! He... he pushed all the blame onto you! Said you were a jinx, the nemesis of the Blood Wolf Gang!"

Lin Xiao's fingers paused slightly as he rolled the fragment, and a cold curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Just as expected. Nothing but a defeated dog's bark.

"And then?" he asked flatly.

"Then... then he reported it!"

Fatty Wang's voice trembled. "He reported it to Scorpion! One of the true people in charge of the Blood Wolf Gang's territory in the west of the city! Ruthless and vicious—ten times more poisonous than Scarface Qiang! I heard he was an expert in poisons when he was young, and only later took up martial arts. His skills are extremely strange too!"

Scorpion? Lin Xiao's gaze narrowed slightly.

He had heard Fatty Wang and Skinny Monkey mention that name. Scorpion was a powerful figure in the Blood Wolf Gang's western territory, second only to a few big bosses. His actions were mysterious and his methods vicious, and he rarely showed himself personally.

Scarface Qiang had actually alerted him?

"What did Scorpion say?" Lin Xiao's voice remained calm, but the aura around him quietly grew heavier.

"Scorpion... issued a death order!"

Fatty Wang swallowed, all color draining from his face. His voice dropped to a mosquito's buzz, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness. "'At any cost, leave no survivors, and erase Lin Xiao completely!' He... he sent out Viper!"

"Viper?" Lin Xiao frowned slightly.

He had never heard that name.

"He's the most sinister and poisonous dog under Scorpion!"

The terror in Fatty Wang's eyes deepened. "No one knows his real name, and no one has ever clearly seen what he looks like! All they know is that he's like a true venomous snake, hiding in the shadows and killing with one strike! His strength... is supposedly extremely close to that of a two-star martial artist! The most terrifying thing is his weapon. They say it's a poisoned alloy stinger—once it draws blood, death follows! Brother Xiao, this time is different! Scorpion has made his move, and Viper is coming! He... he really wants you dead!"

Extremely close to a two-star martial artist!

A poisoned stinger!

Stealthy assassination, killing with one strike!

The information Fatty Wang brought was like cold venom, instantly injected into the air!

The already oppressive atmosphere in the abandoned factory suddenly became as deathly silent as the calm before a storm, filled with suffocating killing intent!

Scarface Qiang's frenzied revenge had escalated!

Scorpion's intervention meant that the Blood Wolf Gang's higher-ups had truly developed murderous intent!

With a vicious figure like Viper, who specialized in assassination, making his move, the threat far exceeded that of a reckless brute like Scarface Qiang, who relied on frontal assaults!

Lin Xiao slowly rose to his feet.

The aura of a Martial Disciple peak no longer remained deliberately restrained. Like a sleeping beast awakening, a condensed and weighty presence naturally spread out, suppressing even Fatty Wang's terrified rambling.

His expression was calm, but his gaze was as sharp as a drawn blade as it swept across the steel labyrinth gradually being devoured by darkness.

Environmental scan initiated...

Targets: heavy stamping press (sturdy base), suspended rusted steel beam (connection point A rust level: 79%), abandoned oil drum D (residue inside: unidentified highly corrosive liquid), ventilation duct (narrow, concealed entrance)...

Modifiable item: ...Instantly amplify metal fatigue at connection point A of the rusted steel beam (+12%)... Source Energy Points required: 0.05...

Modifiable item: ...Slightly adjust the volatility of the unidentified liquid inside oil drum D (+3%)... Source Energy Points required: 0.02...

The notification sounded clear and steady, like the calmest military strategist analyzing a battlefield.

But Lin Xiao knew that against Viper, who was close to two-star rank and skilled in stealth and poison assassination, he had to use the environment with even greater precision and lethality!

The slightest negligence could cost him his life.

"Brother... Brother Xiao, should we... should we run?"

Looking at Lin Xiao's frighteningly calm face, Fatty Wang grew even more frantic. "As long as the green hills remain..."

"Run?" Lin Xiao interrupted him. His voice was low and cold, carrying unquestionable resolve. "Where would we run? Once Scorpion has his eyes on you and a venomous snake like Viper is on your trail, he'll chase you to the ends of the earth and still find a chance to bite."

His gaze swept over Fatty Wang's pale face. "Fatty, if you're afraid, find a rat hole and hide in it. If you're not, do as I say."

"I... I'll listen to you, Brother Xiao!" Fatty Wang clenched his teeth. The fat on his face trembled, and a desperate ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. He knew that aside from clinging to Lin Xiao, he had no path to survival.

"Good." A cold glint flashed through Lin Xiao's eyes. "First, go find Skinny Monkey immediately. Have him use every connection he has and dig! Dig up information on Viper! His usual methods, possible hiding places, every clue, no matter how small! Even if it's only a rumor, report it to me!"

"Second, go near the Wild Dog Mine yourself. Don't get close—watch from a distance. See if the Blood Wolf Gang's people are still there and whether anything unusual is happening. Especially... look for any unfamiliar face whose movements are particularly mysterious and whose aura is cold and sinister!"

"Third." Lin Xiao pulled a small metal tube wrapped in oiled paper from the pocket against his body—a simple signal jammer bought on the black market, one of the items Fatty Wang had obtained earlier—and stuffed it into Fatty Wang's hand. "If you notice anything unusual, or feel that you're in extreme danger, crush this immediately! It can emit a one-time, extremely short-range interference signal. I'll know."

Fatty Wang received the cold metal tube as though it were a lifeline and nodded vigorously. "Understood, Brother Xiao! I'll go right away!"

Watching Fatty Wang's bulky figure roll and crawl into the darkness at the factory entrance, Lin Xiao slowly withdrew his gaze.

He walked to the massive stamping press and gently brushed his palm over its cold, rough, oil-stained metal base.

In his mind, the pale blue screen operated steadily, clearly reflecting the base's structure, center of gravity, and its connection points with the ground.

"This... can make a trap."

Lin Xiao muttered under his breath. His thoughts stirred slightly. "Scan and lock onto support point C at the southwest corner of the base, the weak point in its structural strength... Slightly adjust its rate of accumulated metal fatigue (instantaneous +15%)... Source Energy Points required: 0.03..."

Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.03!

Source Energy Points: +0.011 - 0.03 = -0.019 (slightly overdrawn)!

Modifying parameters... Modification complete!

A faint dizziness came over him, and a trace of emptiness surfaced deep in his soul. Yet Lin Xiao's gaze remained utterly unmoved.

He walked to the pile of abandoned oil drums, his eyes locking onto one marked with a hazardous corrosive symbol—oil drum D.

The modifier's scan showed that it contained a viscous liquid of unknown composition but extreme volatility.

"Target: residual liquid inside oil drum D... Slightly adjust its molecular surface activity (instantaneously reduce surface tension and increase the rate of volatile diffusion)... Source Energy Points required: 0.01..."

Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.01!

Source Energy Points: -0.019 - 0.01 = -0.029!

Parameter modification complete!

The overdraw deepened, but Lin Xiao paid it no mind.

Finally, he raised his head and looked toward the huge I-beam overhead, covered in rust, its connection point hanging by a thread. This was the weapon he had once used to smash through Scarface Qiang's killing move.

"Old friend... lend me your strength one more time." Lin Xiao's gaze was cold as his thoughts locked onto connection point A. "Target: connection point A of suspended steel beam... Instantly amplify rust and metal fatigue effects (+10%)... Source Energy Points required: 0.04..."

Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.04!

Source Energy Points: -0.029 - 0.04 = -0.069!

Parameter modification complete! Warning! Source Energy Points have entered a moderately overdrawn state! Core stability decreasing!

A powerful feeling of emptiness and needle-like pain instantly swept through his consciousness!

Lin Xiao's body swayed slightly. He steadied himself against the steel frame before he could remain standing.

Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his face paled a little.

The successive modifications—especially the final modification to the heavy steel beam—had consumed an enormous amount!

Source Energy Points: -0.069 (moderately overdrawn)!

The cost was immense, but it was worth it!

The base trap, corrosive poison mist, and falling steel beam... three layers of killing moves, each linked to the next!

This was the steel grave he had prepared for himself—and for that approaching "venomous snake."

He walked to the darkest corner deep within the factory. There lay a massive section of broken concrete pipe, its interior narrow enough for only one person to curl up inside.

The mouth of the pipe was cleverly concealed by twisted metal sheets and discarded debris, leaving only a few narrow gaps for observation.

It was a blind spot—and the perfect ambush point.

Like a leopard melting into the shadows, Lin Xiao slipped silently into the depths of the pipe and curled up.

The cold pipe wall pressed against his back, bringing a bone-chilling cold that only made him more alert. He lowered his breathing to a minimum and slowed his heartbeat, his entire presence completely restrained like a hibernating snake.

The True Qi of the Surging Waves Art flowed slowly through his body like a lurking undercurrent, ready to erupt into raging waves at any moment!

His right hand gripped the alloy dagger that the modifier had slightly strengthened. Its icy touch brought him a trace of calm.

The five fingers of his left hand spread slightly, a wisp of condensed Surging Waves Art True Qi coiling around his fingertips, ready to trigger interference or detonate the traps he had prepared.

In his mind, the pale blue screen operated at full capacity, and environmental monitoring mode activated!

Like countless invisible sensors, it clearly fed back every subtle change in the light, sounds, airflow, and even energy fluctuations within ten meters of the factory entrance, his preset trap zone, and the mouth of the pipe where he was hiding!

Time passed second by second in the deathly silence.

The abandoned factory was like a massive steel coffin. The only sound was the wail of the night wind passing through broken windows and twisted steel frames, like a requiem sung by the dead.

Warning! Weak abnormal airflow disturbance detected! Source: damaged ventilation opening to the southeast! Disturbance pattern: unnatural wind! Suspected biological infiltration!

The notification rang out like a cold alarm bell in the depths of Lin Xiao's consciousness!

It's here!

Lin Xiao's pupils abruptly shrank to pinpoints in the darkness!

Every muscle in his body tensed like a drawn bowstring, then relaxed to the extreme an instant later, entering the optimal state for explosive movement!

He did not move.

He did not even glance toward the ventilation opening.

Like the most patient hunter, he waited for the venomous snake to fully enter the trap and reveal its fatal weak point!

Deep within the factory, in the darkness as thick as ink, a figure darker and more viscous than the shadows, like a weightless ghost, silently "flowed" in through a damaged ventilation opening in the southeast barely large enough for a washbasin.

There was no sound.

No breath.

Even the light seemed to be swallowed by the specially made black bodysuit he wore, which absorbed every trace of illumination.

Only a pair of eyes flashed beneath the hood's shadow with two points of cold, inhuman green light, like a true venomous snake.

Viper had arrived.