Blade of Vengeance

Time was no longer a slowly flowing, viscous liquid, but had become scorching sand, each grain that fell chafing Lin Xiao's agitated nerves. Every inch of the medical room's air was filled with the faint bitterness of disinfectant and a silent countdown.

Ye Qingyan's "sweetness" was like poisoned bait, burning repeatedly in his mind. The Blood Wolf Gang's "Mad Dog," the Shadow Alliance's shadows, the mystery of the abandoned factory... every word was like a whip, lashing his forcedly dormant body.

He no longer fruitlessly tried to extract strength from the barren desert of [-1.5], but instead poured all his intent, all his spirit, all his hatred and desire into the frantic "chewing" of the fragmented information provided by Ye Qingyan.

Analyzing potential blind spots in the "Obsidian" bar's terrain map, deducing the behavior patterns of "Mad Dog" and his subordinates, simulating optimal paths and timings for infiltration and assassination, calculating possible contingencies and countermeasures... every fierce collision of thoughts, every extreme exertion of mental power, was like a silent storm raging in his mind.

[Intense intent driving... Information processing overload... Core instinct activity continuously increasing... Consuming Source Energy Points: 0.003...]

[Source Energy Points: -1.501 - 0.003 = -1.504!]

[Tactical model constructing... Simulated combat deduction... Energy load intensifying... Consuming Source Energy Points: 0.005...]

[Source Energy Points: -1.504 - 0.005 = -1.509!]

Inconsequential numbers leaped wildly! Each leap represented soul-tearing agony and deeper, depleted dizziness! Cold sweat soaked the hospital gown, his face was as pale as transparent, veins bulged at his temples, and his eyeballs were bloodshot.

Watching him as if possessed, the nurse's icy gaze flickered with a hint of surprise for the first time. She increased the dosage of the sedative, but its effect was minimal. Lin Xiao's consciousness felt like it was being fried in hot oil – painful, yet exceptionally clear and... exhilarating!

This almost masochistic, soul-burning contemplation not only led to a continuous depletion of Source Energy Points but also an extreme squeezing and tempering of his own condition, the external environment, and his combat instincts! Under this extreme load, his mental power, instead, became like iron ore repeatedly forged, impurities removed, becoming more refined and sharp!

Five days later.

When the nurse conducted her routine check again, she was astonished to find that the gruesome external injuries on Lin Xiao's body were healing at an astonishing speed! Wounds that exposed bone had already closed and scabbed over, and fractured bones showed signs of stable healing. Even the peculiar neurotoxin activity within him had been suppressed to an unprecedented low.

This was not merely the effect of medication. It was a barbaric, unnatural healing catalyzed by the primal survival instinct and immense willpower originating from the very core of his life!

Lin Xiao slowly sat up from the bed, his movements still somewhat stiff, the unhealed wounds stinging as they were pulled, but his eyes were no longer filled with the previous weakness and confusion. Instead, they held a settled, cold sharpness, like a blade polished through quenching.

He threw off the covers and tried to place his feet on the ground. A cold sensation traveled up from his soles. A dormant chill emanated from the core of the dark green "Viper's Kiss" deep within his right leg, but the strength to support his body had largely returned.

He gripped the edge of the bed and slowly straightened up. A wave of weakness washed over him, making him sway, but he quickly steadied himself. His muscle fibers trembled slightly, yet they conveyed a long-lost sense of power.

The struggle between life and death, the desperation in the face of a hopeless situation, and these five days of sleepless, soul-burning deduction seemed to have squeezed out even the last bit of potential from his body. His strength had not broken through any realms, but his control over power, his intuition for danger, and his grasp of timing had undergone a transformative improvement.

He walked to the medical room's mirror-like wall and looked at his reflection within: his face was still pale, but his eyes were sharp as knives, and he exuded a dangerous aura like a lone wolf.

It was about time.

He stretched his neck, his joints emitting a faint crisp sound. His gaze fell upon the ordinary but clean and tidy black casual clothes provided by the Ye family, placed on a chair nearby.

It was time to collect his debts.

The night sky, like spilled ink, rapidly swallowed the city's silhouette. In the western district, the neon sign of the "Obsidian" bar flickered with cheap, ambiguous light on the grimy street. The air was thick with the sour stench of cheap alcohol, tobacco, and sweat. This was a notorious lawless zone and a favorite haunt and stronghold for low-level gangs like the Blood Wolf Gang.

Lin Xiao's figure, like a ghost blending into the night, silently appeared in the shadows of a dilapidated building opposite the bar. He had changed into the black casual clothes, the brim of his hood pulled low, obscuring most of his face. His presence was concealed to the extreme, like a cold stone.

He didn't act immediately, but like the most patient hunter, he quietly lay in wait, observing.

In his mind, the results of the past five days of frantic deduction unfolded like a precise map, constantly verifying and correcting against the real scene before him.

[Environment scan (low power)... Confirmed 3 entrances/exits, 2 visible sentries (Martial Disciple peak), 1 hidden sentry (suspected drunk near the bar's back door trash can)... Internal energy signatures approximately 15 individuals, dispersed... Target "Mad Dog" energy signature (One-Star Martial Artist early stage, unstable) located in the second-floor southeast private room... Consuming Source Energy Points: 0.001...]

[Source Energy Points: -1.509 - 0.001 = -1.510!]

The scarlet numbers flickered again, bringing the familiar sting. Lin Xiao's expression was unreadable, his eyes locked onto the private room window on the second floor, from which faint roars and the sound of shattering cups could be heard.

Mad Dog. Scorpion's successor. He was venting his rage with alcohol and violence, while also numbing the fear of losing his backing.

That was the place.

Lin Xiao slowly took a breath, the cold air filling his lungs, suppressing the subtle pains from all over his body and the fatigue of his soul. In his left hand, the dark green reinforced dagger, its blade flowing with a deadly, ethereal glow, was tightly gripped. The cold touch spread from his palm, bringing a heart-stopping calm.

He didn't need a complex plan. Five days of deduction had already etched every step into his instincts.

Settle the score.

Obtain Source Energy Points.

It would start with this... barking mad dog.

His figure, as if swallowed by the night, silently slid towards that noisy, sinful back door.

The blade of revenge had been quietly drawn.