Unexpected Reinforcements

Darkness. Cold. Shattering pain.

Lin Xiao's consciousness drifted in a bottomless abyss, like a dying candle in a raging storm. The faint glow of [-1.5] in his mind was as weak as embers in the wind, each flicker bringing phantom pain as if his soul were being torn apart. His right leg, no, his entire lower body, was numb. Only the cold, greedily mocking pulse of the Viper's Kiss core beat on, like a death knell, resonating deep within his bones.

He could vaguely "hear"—not with his ears, but with his remaining instincts—the sharp whistle of blades slicing through the air, rapidly approaching! The muffled thud of a short axe tearing through the air from his left, the faint click of a crossbowman nocking another bolt from his right, and... from above, the chilling, faint hum of the Scorpion's energy hand crossbow charging up!

And the heavy, killing-intent-filled footsteps were rapidly closing in from both sides!

The scent of death was thick as a physical presence, choking his last breath.

Was it over?

Just like this... dying like a stray dog in this dirty, garbage-filled back alley?

Unwilling! It burned like venomous fire through the fragments of his consciousness!

He tried to lift his arm, tried to clench the dagger still cold in his palm, even just to swing it one last, feeble time... but control of his body had long since abandoned him. Even lifting a finger was a luxury. Only his consciousness roared silently, tearing itself apart in the wilting darkness!

The Scorpion's cruel, gleeful grin magnified in his blurry vision. The energy hand crossbow in his hand was aimed at Lin Xiao's head, its blue energy light condensing at the tip of the bolt, radiating an aura of destruction.

"Next life, learn to be smarter. Don't mess with people you shouldn't!" the Scorpion's hoarse voice was like a final death knell.

At this critical moment!

Woooo—!!!

An extremely abrupt, ear-splitting engine roar, like the roar of a primordial behemoth, exploded from the alley entrance without warning! The sound was wild, overbearing, with a crushing metallic quality that instantly drowned out all the shouts and the hum of the crossbows in the alley!

Then!

A blindingly bright pillar of white light, like a sword of judgment, slashed into the alley from the entrance! It brutally tore through the dim twilight and the residual smoke from explosions, illuminating the entire bloody back alley as if it were day!

The light beam precisely locked onto the Scorpion's face just as he was about to pull the trigger!

"What?!" The Scorpion, instantly blinded by the sudden intense light, let out an involuntary cry of shock and rage. The finger reaching for the trigger froze!

Screeeech—!!!

Accompanied by the grating sound of heavy rubber friction against the ground, a massive, ferocious, all-black heavy off-road vehicle, like a mobile fortress, brutally blocked the narrow alley entrance! Its body had sharp angles, thick armor, and its windows were completely opaque dark bulletproof glass, exuding a cold metallic sheen.

That wasn't all!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The front and rear doors of the off-road vehicle were thrown open almost simultaneously! Six figures clad in black combat suits, wearing tactical sunglasses, exuding a sharp, cold aura, flashed out like phantoms! Their movements were swift, precise, silent, carrying a terrifying efficiency honed through countless battles!

Not a single word or warning!

Two of them instantly activated the blue electric arcs on their "Pulse Shock Batons." With a flash, they appeared in front of the burly man lunging at Lin Xiao with the short axe, as if teleporting! The batons hummed with a low thrum, striking after the fact, precisely hitting his chest and armpit!

The burly man didn't even have time to react. His protective True Qi was torn apart like paper! His body convulsed violently, his eyeballs bulged, blood seeped from his nose and mouth, and he collapsed to the ground silently, his short axe clattering to the ground.

The other two, like leopards, sprang towards the vantage points on both sides of the alley! The uniquely shaped submachine guns with silencers in their hands spat out short, deadly bursts of fire!

Thwip! Thwip!

After two extremely faint sounds, like tearing silk, the two crossbowmen hidden in the third-floor window on the left and on top of the van on the right instantly had bloody holes in their foreheads. They fell from their positions without a sound, hitting the ground with dull thuds.

The last two stood like iron towers, guarding the front sides of the heavy off-road vehicle. They too held cold firearms, their sharp, hawk-like eyes locked onto the Scorpion, the only one still standing, blinded by the intense light, through their sunglasses! Their powerful aura was like a solid wall, completely isolating all killing intent and danger!

In the flash of an eye! In a flurry of movement!

Almost the instant the heavy off-road vehicle appeared, all threats lunging at Lin Xiao, except for the Scorpion, were eliminated! It was so clean and efficient it was suffocating!

This wasn't combat, it was a crushing... clearance!

"Who?! Which friends are these?!" The Scorpion finally managed to adapt to the strong light, squinting his eyes and roaring in shock and anger, a hint of imperceptible tremor in his voice. He looked at his men, instantly killed on the ground, at the six bodyguards who were so well-equipped and exuded such a cold aura, his heart plummeted into an ice cellar! This style, this efficiency... was definitely not from an ordinary force!

No one answered him.

Only the dark rear window of the heavy off-road vehicle slowly rolled down a crack.

Behind the window, a face appeared, as delicate as a porcelain doll, yet as cold as a frozen lake. Ye Qingyan. She seemed to be looking down at an electronic file on her lap, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyelids. She didn't even cast a glance at the bloody battlefield outside the window. Only the slightly pursed, perfectly curved corners of her lips seemed to carry a hint of extremely faint, all-controlling indifference.

But it was this fleeting glimpse, this complete disregard, that sent a bone-chilling coldness and humiliation through the Scorpion more than any threat or mockery!

He recognized the car! He recognized the level of bodyguards! And he recognized that... cold indifference that only true superiors possessed, treating human lives as less than grass!

Huanyu Group! Ye Qingyan!

Why?! Why was she here?! And interfering with the Blood Wolf Gang's business?!

The Scorpion's mind was in chaos, a mixture of shock and rage, but more than anything, a deep-seated fear that originated from his soul! He knew that today's business was completely ruined! If he stayed any longer, he would be the one to die!

He tightly gripped the energy hand crossbow in his hand, his fingernails almost digging into his flesh. He glared venomously at Lin Xiao, lying on the ground like a dead dog, then cast an extremely unwilling glance at the black fortress-like off-road vehicle and the cold profile glimpsed behind it.

"Let's go!" he gritted out the words through his teeth, his voice hoarse and unpleasant. Without hesitation, he lunged backward, disappearing into the complex shadows of the back alley in a few leaps like a startled viper, not even bothering to deal with the bodies of his subordinates.

The six black-clad bodyguards did not pursue. They remained in place like statues, maintaining a high state of alert until the Scorpion's presence completely vanished.

In the alley, only the heavy smell of blood, the burnt scent of combustion, and a deathly silence remained.

A bodyguard quickly walked to Lin Xiao's side and knelt to check him. He felt for a pulse in his carotid artery, then quickly scanned his gruesome wounds and pale face.

"Target's vital signs are weak, multiple severe injuries, signs of poisoning, requires immediate treatment." The bodyguard's voice came through his miniature communicator, chillingly devoid of emotion.

Inside the heavy off-road vehicle, Ye Qingyan seemed to have finished reading the file. Her slender fingers lightly tapped the screen, closing the light display. She slowly, elegantly turned her head.

Those deep, profound eyes, like a cold pool, finally fell through the lowered window onto the center of the alley, onto the boy lying in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life.

His gaze was calm, scrutinizing, carrying a detached coolness as if assessing damaged goods, and… a faint, elusive hint of inquiry.

She watched for about three seconds, her red lips parting slightly. Her voice was clear and cold, like jade beads falling onto a plate, yet it carried an irrefutable command:

"Take him away."

The car window silently rose, once again isolating that exquisite, ice-cold face behind the dark bulletproof glass.

Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, their movements professional and swift as they lifted the completely unconscious Lin Xiao and headed towards the SUV.

The bloody sunset finally sank completely below the horizon, its last rays dyeing the broken walls and solidified bloodstains in the back alley a desolate dark red.