Unexpected Assistance

Darkness. Coldness. Shattering pain.

Lin Xiao's consciousness drifted in a bottomless abyss, like a dying candle about to be snuffed out amid raging winds and towering waves. The ghostly glow of -1.5 in his mind was as faint as dying embers in the wind, and every flicker brought the phantom pain of his soul being torn completely apart. His right leg—no, his entire lower body—had lost all sensation. Only the cold, greedy, mocking pulse of Viper's Kiss's core continued to beat deep within his marrow, like the metronome of death.

He could vaguely "hear" it—not with his ears, but with his remaining instincts—as the shriek of blades slicing through the air rapidly approached! From the left came the dull thud of a hatchet tearing through the air; from the right, the faint click of the crossbowman drawing his bow again; and... from above, the faint, hair-raising hum of Scorpion's energy crossbow as it charged!

Heavy footsteps filled with killing intent rapidly closed in from both sides!

The aura of death had grown so thick it seemed tangible, choking off the last trace of his vitality.

Was it over?

Was he really going to die like a stray dog in this filthy back alley piled with trash?

Reluctance! It burned through the last fragments of his consciousness like poisonous fire!

He tried to raise his arm, tried to tighten his grip around the dagger that still pressed coldly against his palm, even if he could only swing it once more with his remaining strength... But control of his body had long since slipped away from him. Even lifting a single finger had become an impossible wish. Only his consciousness could unleash a silent, tearing roar in the withering darkness!

Scorpion's cruel, triumphant grin expanded in his blurred vision. The energy crossbow in his hand was already aimed at Lin Xiao's head, its ghostly blue energy condensing at the tip of the bolt and radiating an aura of destruction.

"Be smarter in your next life. Don't provoke people you shouldn't!"

Scorpion's hoarse voice rang out like the final toll of a funeral bell.

At that critical moment!

Vroooom—!!!

An abrupt, piercing engine roar that seemed capable of tearing through eardrums exploded from the direction of the alley entrance without warning! The sound was violent and domineering, carrying a metallic quality that crushed everything in its path. In an instant, it drowned out all the shouts, killings, and crossbow hums in the alley!

Immediately afterward!

A blinding pillar of incandescent white light, like a sword of judgment, slashed into the alley from the entrance! It brutally tore through the dim dusk and the smoke left by the explosions, illuminating the entire blood-soaked back alley as brightly as day!

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

"What?!" The sudden glare blinded Scorpion instantly. He instinctively let out a furious, shocked roar, and the finger moving toward the trigger abruptly froze!

Screeech—!!!

Accompanied by the grating sound of heavy rubber scraping against the ground, a massive, sinister heavy off-road vehicle, pitch-black from top to bottom like a mobile fortress, brutally blocked the narrow alley entrance! Its body had sharply defined edges, its armor was thick, and its windows were made of completely opaque dark bulletproof glass that gleamed with an icy metallic sheen.

But that wasn't all!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The off-road vehicle's front and rear doors were shoved open almost simultaneously! Six figures dressed in black combat uniforms and tactical sunglasses sprang out like ghosts, their movements swift, precise, and silent, carrying the heart-chilling efficiency of men tempered through countless trials!

There was not the slightest bit of needless talk or warning!

Two of them held Pulse Shock Batons that instantly crackled with ghostly blue electricity. With a blur, they appeared in front of the burly man charging at Lin Xiao with a hatchet, as if they had teleported there! The batons hummed deeply as they struck first, landing with pinpoint accuracy against his chest and underarm!

The burly man did not even have time to react before his protective True Qi was ripped apart like paper. His entire body convulsed violently, his eyeballs bulged, and blood spilled from his nose and mouth. He collapsed limply without making a sound, while the hatchet in his hand clanged to the ground.

The other two pounced like leopards toward the elevated positions on either side of the alley! Strange-looking submachine guns fitted with suppressors spat brief but deadly tongues of flame!

Pfft! Pfft!

After two extremely faint sounds like cloth tearing, the two crossbowmen hidden in the third-floor window on the left and atop the van on the right suddenly had bloody holes in their foreheads. Without uttering a sound, they toppled from their high positions and hit the ground with dull thuds.

The final two stood guard like iron towers in front of and to the side of the heavy off-road vehicle. They, too, held cold firearms, their keen, hawk-like gazes piercing through their sunglasses as they fixed on the only person still standing in the scene—Scorpion, who was blinded by the glare and unable to open his eyes! Their powerful presence formed a tangible wall, completely shutting out every trace of killing intent and danger!

In a flash! In the blink of an eye!

Almost in the very next second after the heavy off-road vehicle appeared, every threat charging at Lin Xiao—except Scorpion—had already been eliminated! It was so clean and decisive that it took one's breath away!

This wasn't a battle at all. It was a crushing... purge!

"Who are you?! What faction are you from?!" Scorpion finally managed to adjust to the glare. Squinting, he snarled in shock and rage, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice. He looked at his men lying dead on the ground, then at the six bodyguards whose icy auras and impossibly sophisticated equipment made his heart feel as if it had fallen into an icy pit. This style, this efficiency... They definitely weren't an ordinary faction!

No one answered him.

Only the dark rear window of the heavy off-road vehicle silently lowered a fraction.

Behind the window appeared a delicate profile as beautiful as a porcelain doll, yet as cold as the surface of a frozen lake. Ye Qingyan. She seemed to be looking down at an electronic document on her lap, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyes. She did not even glance at the bloody battlefield outside. Only the slightly pursed, perfectly curved corner of her lips seemed to carry the faintest trace of icy indifference—the indifference of someone in complete control.

Yet that fleeting glimpse, that utterly dismissive attitude, made Scorpion feel a bone-deep chill and humiliation far greater than any threat or mockery could have.

He recognized the car! He recognized bodyguards of that level! And he recognized that kind of... indifference toward human life, something only true people in power possessed!

Huanyu Group! Ye Qingyan!

Why?! Why was she here?! Why was she interfering in the Blood Wolf Gang's affairs?!

Scorpion's mind was in chaos, filled with shock and fury, but above all, with a fear that came from the depths of his soul! He knew that this matter was completely ruined today! If he stayed, he would be the one to die!

He clenched the energy crossbow in his hand so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his flesh. He cast a venomous glance at Lin Xiao, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, then unwillingly swept his gaze over the black-fortress-like off-road vehicle and the cold profile that had appeared briefly behind it.

"Let's go!" he forced through clenched teeth, his voice hoarse and unpleasant. Without the slightest hesitation, he suddenly leaped backward like a startled viper. After a few bounds, he vanished into the tangled shadows of the back alleys, not even bothering to deal with his men's corpses.

The six black-clad bodyguards did not pursue him. They merely stood like statues, maintaining a high state of alert until Scorpion's presence had vanished completely.

The alley was left with only the heavy smell of blood, the scorched stench of burning, and deathly silence.

One bodyguard hurried to Lin Xiao's side and crouched down to examine him. He checked his pulse, then quickly scanned the savage wounds covering his body and his pale complexion.

"The target's vital signs are weak. Multiple serious injuries and signs of poisoning. Immediate treatment is required." The bodyguard's voice came through the miniature communicator, cold and utterly devoid of emotion.

Inside the heavy off-road vehicle, Ye Qingyan seemed to have finally finished reading the document. Her slender finger lightly tapped the screen, closing the display. She slowly and gracefully turned her head.

Her deep, beautiful eyes, as cold as a frozen pool, finally fell through the half-lowered window onto the youth lying at death's door in the middle of the alley, surrounded by a pool of blood.

Her gaze was calm and assessing, carrying the composure of someone evaluating a damaged piece of cargo and... the faintest, most inscrutable trace of curiosity.

She watched for roughly three seconds, then slightly parted her red lips. Her voice was cool, like jade beads falling onto a plate, yet carried an unquestionable command:

"Take him."

The window silently rose, once again separating that exquisite, cold face from the outside world behind the dark bulletproof glass.

Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward and professionally and swiftly lifted the completely unconscious Lin Xiao, carrying him toward the off-road vehicle.

The blood-red sunset finally sank completely below the horizon. Its last rays dyed the ruined back alley and congealed pools of blood a desolate, dark red.