Police flower rescue?

A cold, numb sensation, like a living thing, crawled frantically up Lin Xiao's right leg from the torn wound, devouring his last remaining strength.

Every drag of his leg, now almost devoid of feeling, was like scraping rusted iron across rough gravel. The searing pain of the potent venom, mixed with the soul-tearing agony of depleted Source Energy, threatened to drag him into darkness.

A faint glow of [Source Energy Points: -0.159] flickered in the depths of his consciousness, like a candle in the wind, each pulse bringing a wave of dizziness.

Behind him, the Viper's chilling aura, like a predator locking onto its prey, pierced through the narrow, filthy back alley, biting down on him, getting closer and closer!

Hasty, silent footsteps splashed through slippery garbage and sewage, creating sickening sounds.

Lin Xiao's vision swam, his lungs heaving like a bellows, each breath thick with the coppery tang of blood and the stench of decay.

He lunged towards a corner piled high with old cardboard boxes and discarded tires, attempting to use the complex terrain to shake his pursuer.

"You little bastard! Stop right there!"

The Viper's hoarse, distorted roar, laced with savage fury, pursued him like a persistent leech.

The cold glint of a metal dagger traced a deadly arc in the dim light, striking Lin Xiao's slightly sluggish lower back, dulled by poison!

He couldn't dodge!

Lin Xiao's pupils contracted to pinpricks, the icy touch of death seizing his heart! He desperately tensed his remaining strength, trying to twist sideways—

At this critical moment!

"Bang—!"

A crisp, sudden gunshot, tearing through the night sky, erupted at the alley entrance without warning!

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a soul-piercing coldness and precision!

The high-speed spinning bullet ripped through the air with a sharp whistle, grazing the outer side of the Viper's raised arm before embedding itself firmly in the mottled red brick wall beside him!

Puff!

Brick fragments mixed with cement dust exploded outwards!

A searing sting shot through the Viper's nerve endings!

His charging form froze as if an invisible button had been pressed, coming to an abrupt halt!

The dagger aimed at Lin Xiao stopped precariously mid-air!

Who?

The Viper's emerald pupils contracted to their absolute limit, like a startled viper, and he snapped his head towards the direction of the shot, his eyes filled with shock, anger, and disbelief!

Lin Xiao, thrown off balance by the sudden turn of events, fell heavily onto the cold, wet ground, splashing through a puddle.

He struggled to look up.

Under the dim streetlamp at the alley entrance, a tall, sharp figure stood silently.

A crisp, black special operations uniform perfectly outlined her agile, powerful form.

Her black combat boots stepped in the sewage, yet carried an odd sense of cleanliness.

Her long black hair was tied back in a neat, efficient ponytail, revealing a smooth forehead and a face so cold and sharp it was almost dangerous.

It was Qin Bing!

Her right hand was held steady, gripping a sleek, matte black pistol, a faint wisp of smoke still lingering at the muzzle.

Her icy gaze locked onto the Viper with the precision of a surgical scalpel, utterly devoid of emotion, radiating only a commanding pressure that suggested complete control of the situation.

"Special Operations Ninth Division! Drop your weapon! Immediately!"

Qin Bing's voice wasn't loud, but it cut clearly through the chaos and stillness of the back alley, carrying an undeniable tone of command, each word falling like ice chips onto the ground.

The Viper's expression beneath his hood turned instantly grim.

He stared intently at the distinctive insignia on Qin Bing's shoulder, the mark of the Special Operations Ninth Division. His emerald pupils flickered violently, filled with apprehension, anger, and a trace of almost imperceptible... hesitation!

The Special Operations Ninth Division! The official government's strongest enforcers!

How could they be here?

Coincidence? Or... were they specifically after the Seed of World Erosion fragment?

He glanced at Lin Xiao, slumped on the ground, barely breathing, then at the female officer at the alley entrance, radiating a deadly chill like an iceberg. He gritted his teeth.

The opponent's precise marksmanship, her unwavering gaze, and the uniform that symbolized absolute authority all put immense pressure on him.

Engage in a direct confrontation? The cost would be too high!

Being exposed to the Special Operations Ninth Division was a major taboo for the organization!

"Tsk!" The Viper let out a deeply unwilling growl, like a hissing viper.

He gave Lin Xiao one last, lingering look, his gaze so venomous it seemed capable of freezing the man's soul.

The next instant, without hesitation, he recoiled sharply, melting back into a narrow side path filled with discarded furniture like a retreating shadow. With a few eerie blurs, his presence completely vanished into the labyrinthine depths of the back alley, leaving only the lingering cold killing intent in his wake.

The crisis seemed to have been temporarily averted.

Lin Xiao lay sprawled in the icy sewage, gasping for air. Each breath pulled at the tearing pain in his right leg and the burning numbness of the spreading poison.

He struggled to lift his head, looking towards Qin Bing as she walked closer.

Qin Bing didn't immediately pursue the Viper. Her gaze, like a searchlight, sharply scanned Lin Xiao's entire body.

When she saw his right lower leg, soaked in blood and with traces of eerie dark green venom on the pant leg, a minuscule tremor flickered deep within her cold pupils.

She holstered her gun, her movements fluid and professional. She quickly walked over to Lin Xiao and crouched down, her voice still as cold and hard as ice, but with an undeniable hint of inquiry: "Lin Xiao? It's you again! Explain yourself. What are you doing out here in the middle of the night, being chased by a professional assassin of at least two-star caliber?"

Her gaze was almost tangible, locked onto Lin Xiao's eyes as if trying to pierce through all his disguises.

"That assassin just now, their target was clearly you. Why? And what about the wound on your leg, what kind of poison is that?"

She reached out, seemingly to examine the wound, but her movements carried the scrutiny typical of a detective.

Lin Xiao's internal alarm bells blared!

Qin Bing's appearance was too "coincidental"!

Coincidental to the point of making him tremble!

Zhao Hu, Scarface Qiang, Scorpion, the Blood Wolf Gang, the Erosion World Seed fragments... this string of events, plus tonight's deadly "Shadow Alliance" assassin, Viper... he felt like a lightbulb in the dark, getting brighter and hotter to the touch!

Qin Bing's suspicion was practically written all over her face.

Play dumb! I must play dumb!

At least for now, I absolutely cannot reveal the existence of the modifier!

Lin Xiao endured the dizziness and searing pain, forcing a pale, habitually roguish smile. A trace of blood foam even lingered at the corner of his mouth. "Cough, cough... Officer Qin? What a coincidence! Running into you here... hiss..."

He deliberately gasped in pain, grimacing, trying to change the subject. "I... I don't know what kind of bad luck I've run into... I just wanted to take a shortcut home, who knew I'd run into such a... lunatic! He started hacking at me without a word! Who did I offend?"

His eyes held just the right amount of fear, confusion, and a touch of lingering dread. He tried his best to portray an innocent and extremely unlucky victim, his body even trembling slightly in pain to match.

Qin Bing watched him coldly, her beautiful, stern face devoid of any expression, as if she were examining a piece of evidence.

Her gaze swept over the wound on Lin Xiao's shoulder and back, which had already been torn open and then ripped further by the impact wave from the steel beam. It moved to his pale, paper-like complexion and his pupils, slightly unfocused from energy depletion. Finally, it settled on the dark green wound on his right lower leg, which was clearly abnormal and emitted a sickly sweet odor.

"A shortcut?" Qin Bing's voice held no warmth, even carrying a hint of mockery. "A shortcut that leads to an abandoned factory in the old city district? One that gets you involved with an assassin of this caliber? And poisoned with such a rare neurotoxin?"

She extended a finger, very quickly dabbing a bit of the residual venom from the edge of Lin Xiao's leg wound. She brought it to her nose and sniffed, her brows immediately furrowing, her eyes becoming even sharper and more serious. "'Viper's Kiss'? High-grade stuff from the black market... Would a 'lunatic' assassin use such a priceless poison on a student taking a 'shortcut'?"

Her questions were like cold needles, hitting their mark precisely.

Lin Xiao's heart tightened. He cursed the police officer's overly sharp senses.

He could only continue to brace himself, his eyes blinking "innocently." His voice was weak and tinged with grievance, "I... I really don't know, Officer Qin! That guy... that guy was like a ghost! I... I just wanted to find a place to hide from the rain... Yes! Hide from the rain! And then..." He spoke incoherently, trying to muddy the waters.

Qin Bing stopped talking, merely staring at him coldly, her gaze seeming to freeze the air.

Silence descended upon the alley once more, leaving only Lin Xiao's heavy breaths and the faint city noise from a distance.

The air was filled with the smell of blood, the stench of garbage, and the unsettling, sickly sweet aroma of the dark green poison.

Just then, a piercing siren grew louder as it approached. The alternating red and blue flashing police lights tore through the darkness of the alley, casting the garbage-strewn walls in a bizarre, shifting glow.

Several vehicles with flashing police lights and a black SUV bearing the insignia of the Special Operations Ninth Division barreled into the alley entrance, braking sharply.

The car doors flew open, and several fully armed, imposing Special Operations members quickly disembarked, spreading out in a tactical formation, their weapons warily pointed in all directions.

The leading member hurried to Qin Bing's side: "Captain Qin! Target?"

"Escaped. A professional assassin, codename and characteristics match 'Viper' from the 'Shadow Alliance' outer ring, fled towards the deeper parts of the southwestern old city. Notify the containment team to set up a cordon, focus on searching abandoned buildings and underground passages. The target may have graze wounds on their right arm from me; they are extremely dangerous."

Qin Bing issued orders at lightning speed, her cold voice carrying unquestionable authority, though her gaze remained fixed on Lin Xiao.

"Understood!" The team member immediately acknowledged and quickly relayed the instructions via communicator.

Another team member approached with a medical kit: "Captain Qin, the injured?"

Qin Bing's gaze finally shifted from Lin Xiao's face to his shocking right leg. Her voice was decisive: "He's been poisoned! 'Viper's Kiss' mixed toxin! Administer a broad-spectrum neurotoxin inhibitor immediately and perform emergency wound debridement! Hurry! Call an ambulance!"

"Understood!"

A cold needle pierced Lin Xiao's arm, and a slightly numbing agent was pushed into his body.

Then came the sound of scissors cutting away the fabric of his pants. The cold disinfectant touching the torn wound sent a piercing pain through him.

Lin Xiao grunted, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead.

He lay on the cold, dirty ground, looking up at the narrow sky, painted red and blue by the police lights. He listened to the urgent commands of the Special Operations members and the static crackle of the communicator in his ears. He felt the rough handling of his wound and the relentless flicker of [-0.159] in his mind, bringing an boundless sense of exhaustion.

Qin Bing stood to the side, arms crossed, watching the medical team's actions with a cold gaze.

Her figure cast a long shadow under the flashing police lights. Her discerning eyes, like two blades quenched in ice, hung subtly over Lin Xiao's head.

Lin Xiao closed his eyes, fatigue washing over him like a tide, threatening to drown him.

He knew the immediate chase was over, but falling into the hands of this cold-faced police officer, the trouble... might have just begun.

Can playing dumb fool them?

He didn't know. All he knew was that he had to hold on, he had to survive.

His consciousness, affected by the intense pain and medication, gradually sank into a dark abyss.

The piercing wail of the ambulance siren seemed to come from a distant place