Poison Scorpion's Trap

The dying embers of the setting sun cast an ominous bloody hue over the city. Lin Xiao dragged his increasingly cold and heavy right leg along, each step like treading on a blade soaked in icy water. Deep in his marrow, the dark-green "Viper's Kiss" core pulsed, and each flicker of the -0.8 ghostly glow in his mind brought needle-like pain and dizzying exhaustion. The clamor of the Su family's training grounds had long since been left behind, replaced by the silence unique to the old city district, thick with the stench of rotting garbage and the smell of rust.

He moved along the shadows at the base of the wall, his hat pulled low, his pale face hidden in the darkness. The brocade box tucked close to his chest radiated a warm energy fluctuation, like the only spark of fire in the darkness, tempting him to immediately absorb the three Energy Stones. But reason clamped down hard on the impulse—not now! Su Zhenshan's final, venomous glance hung above him like a tangible icicle. This was Su family territory; any unusual energy fluctuation could attract the probing gaze of that old fox!

He had to leave this area as quickly as possible and find somewhere absolutely safe!

He turned into an even narrower back alley, crammed with discarded oil drums and construction debris. It was a shortcut back to the cheap hotel where he was hiding, and one of the most inconspicuous veins in the old district's maze-like arteries. The crumbling brick walls on both sides completely blocked the setting sun. The alley was dim, with only a sliver of faint daylight spilling in from the distant entrance.

The air was stifling, carrying a heavy mixture of rust and rancid grease. Dead silent. Even the rustling of rats gnawing on garbage had vanished.

Too quiet!

Lin Xiao's footsteps abruptly halted! His bloodshot eyes narrowed at once, like a lone wolf that had caught the scent of danger. The wound on his back throbbed faintly under the intense tension, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his undershirt.

Something was wrong!

This was a route he often took. It was secluded, but it should never have been this silent! There wasn't even the sound of stray cats or dogs!

Buzz!

The pale-blue light screen in his mind struggled to glow faintly despite his depleted state!

Passive environmental scan activated... Warning! Multiple faint energy signatures detected (hostile)! Locations: behind the oil drums front-left (1)... beneath the chassis of the abandoned van on the right (1)... behind the damaged third-floor window frame overhead (1)... in the shadows at the end of the alley (2)... Threat assessment: High!
Warning! Multiple unnatural structural stress points detected (traps)! Locations: ground three meters ahead (tripwire)... connection point of the oil drums on the right (explosive?)... support frame of the awning overhead (suspended heavy object)...
Warning! Source Energy Points critically insufficient! Unable to perform deep scanning or evasion simulations! Danger level: Fatal!

The cold notification sound was like a funeral bell, instantly shattering the last trace of Lin Xiao's hope!

A trap! A death trap carefully prepared for him!

Poison Scorpion! It could only be Poison Scorpion! Only that venomous snake could have grasped his route and timing for leaving the Su family so precisely, and only he would have laid such a vicious, calculating killing trap! Was it revenge for Poison Scorpion? Or was it for the World-Erosion Seed fragments on him? Or both?

In the instant his thoughts raced, Lin Xiao's body had already reacted like a drawn bowstring! He did not hesitate in the slightest, nor did he have any intention of negotiating or retreating! Faced with such a killing formation, the only path to survival was forward! Before the enemy completed their encirclement, he had to tear open a gap!

Target—the end of the alley! There were only two energy signatures there, making it appear to be the weakest point in the encirclement! But Lin Xiao knew that it was very likely a deadly lure deliberately left by the enemy...

He kicked off violently, forcing down the icy pain deep in the marrow of his right leg and the dizziness brought on by exhaustion. His body shot toward the end of the alley like an arrow loosed from a bow! His left hand flashed into his coat and seized the cold, hard, razor-sharp enhanced dagger!

"Do it!" A hoarse, vicious roar exploded from behind the broken third-floor window overhead, like the hiss of a poisonous snake emerging from its hole!

The dead silence shattered instantly!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three shrill sounds tore through the darkness! They came respectively from behind the oil drums front-left, beneath the van's chassis on the right, and from overhead! They were not bullets, but three crossbow bolts gleaming with a ghostly blue chill, obviously dipped in deadly poison! They formed a triangular pattern, carrying bone-chilling killing intent as they instantly sealed off the space to Lin Xiao's left, right, and above! Their angles were vicious and treacherous, leaving no way to dodge!

At the same time!

Screech—!

Just three meters ahead of Lin Xiao's feet, an almost transparent alloy wire suddenly snapped taut from the shadows on both sides of the walls! It was positioned exactly at ankle height! If he were caught by it, he would instantly lose his balance and become a lamb awaiting slaughter!

Even more terrifyingly, the connection point of the seemingly haphazardly stacked oil drums on the right suddenly burst with a dazzling spray of electric sparks! A thick, pungent smell of gasoline mixed with the scent of sulfur instantly filled the air!

Boom—!

A deafening explosion erupted alongside a wave of scorching air! The oil drums exploded like barrels of dynamite, instantly blown apart! Burning gasoline mixed with razor-sharp metal fragments swept toward Lin Xiao like a storm of hellfire! The flames instantly illuminated the dim alley and revealed the savage faces of the assassins hidden in the shadows!

Overhead, the rusted awning supports that had long since been tampered with groaned under the explosion's shockwave, as if unable to bear the strain! A discarded I-beam, thick as a man's waist and covered in rust, came crashing down at Lin Xiao's head like a guillotine blade, emitting a terrifying shriek as it ripped through the air!

Sharp bolts blocked the way above, a deadly tripwire waited below, a sea of flames surged from the right, and a decapitating steel beam crashed down from overhead!

A killing blow!

Poison Scorpion's trap was linked together ring by ring, vicious and deadly! In an instant, it forced Lin Xiao into a hopeless situation where death was almost certain!

"Die, you little bastard!" Poison Scorpion's roar, filled with hatred and delight, drifted faintly through the thunder of the explosion!

Lin Xiao's pupils shrank to pinpoints! The icy touch of death seized his heart in an instant! The -0.8 ghostly glow in his mind flashed wildly, his exhausted soul crying out in anguish! Deep in his right leg, the Viper's Kiss core pulsed frantically, while a cold numbness spread upward like a tide!

He couldn't evade! He couldn't escape!

Then... he wouldn't evade!

A savage, resolute glint like that of a lone wolf erupted in Lin Xiao's eyes! All his fear, hesitation, and exhaustion were completely ignited by his instinct to survive at that moment, burned away!

Not only did his forward momentum fail to slow, it erupted once more at the critical instant! He lowered his body further, almost skimming the ground!

The enhanced dagger clenched in his left hand seemed to come alive under the dim light and the glow of the exploding flames. The almost transparent, peerless sharpness along its edge radiated a chilling glimmer!

"Open up!"

Facing the three poisoned bolts that formed a triangular seal over the space, the deadly tripwire beneath his feet, the sea of flames sweeping in from the right, and the steel beam crashing down from overhead, Lin Xiao's choice was—to charge!

Charge forward! Charge toward the end of the alley that seemed the weakest, but was actually the most lethal!