Escape

Scared?

In the brief moment of astonishment, Ming Yan could barely suppress a sinister laugh: It's too late!

Unfortunately, he was rejoicing too soon.

He had no idea what it meant on the battlefield when an enemy assumed such a posture...

Immediately after, he saw the figure revealed after Lu Feng crouched down.

Ji Jue.

And in his hands, that heavy armament with a scale so absurdly large it reached Ji Jue's shoulder—it was less of a rifle and more of a cannon!

The Mammoth II Assault Rifle, a standard weapon module for the Federation's military-grade exoskeleton armor, still radiated a bone-chilling gleam from its muzzle, which had been stained by countless bloodstains over decades of war in Central Earth.

Just like that, using his own body as a tripod, he braced the stock against the A-pillar of the car frame. Ji Jue tapped the weapon's body, his smile gentle:

[Fire].

In that instant, it felt as if the entire building shuddered violently!

All the glass shattered in silence, for everyone's hearing had been stolen by the terrifying thunder that roared in. Amidst the intense ringing in their ears, only a hair-raising silence remained.

A weapon of war, in the truest sense, roared once more from the brink of death, spewing blazing fire, majesty, and destruction!

It was equipped with 22.4mm anchor-type high-speed armor-piercing rounds, custom-tailored by Sentry Military Industries. While its effectiveness in long-range shooting was nearly negligible, it was never born to bring death to enemies ten thousand meters away, but to stir up a hearty, unrestrained slaughter when the target was close at hand.

On the battlefield, when Armored Knights wielded such weapons against similar opponents, they would press it directly against the enemy's armor and pull the trigger.

It was known as the "Can Opener."

No matter how tough or troublesome the can, once pierced head-on by this, it would spill out sweet, delicious tomato sauce!

Now, as the thunder and tremors subsided, everyone looked up to see Lu Feng slowly climbing to his feet, and before him, the shattered remains.

The giant shield was gone, the armor was useless, and cracks spread rapidly across the steel, collapsing and falling away to reveal a bloodless, vacant face.

Right in the center of his chest, a terrifying hole had appeared, nearly tearing him in two.

Through that hole, one could see the wall behind him torn apart—pierced, pierced, and pierced again, all the way until the round flew out of the building, soared into the vast night sky, and finally, plummeted into the sea.

Likely, no one would ever find that remaining bullet head again.

And no one could save Ming Yan, who had fallen backwards.

"Go! Boss, run!"

Bai Yi's expression changed drastically. He didn't even have time to grieve for his Shadow Beast, which had been pinned to the ground and beaten, as he hauled the limp Jiang Jin to his feet.

Even if a low-life snake like Jiang Jin didn't understand, a mercenary from Central Earth had seen scenes like this in his nightmares a thousand times over.

The moment the opponent pulled out such an outrageous piece of equipment, their resistance lost all meaning.

No, they should have made a decisive choice the moment they charged in here!

This wasn't the Qiaozui they had intended to hook at all, but a genuine Double-headed Man-eating Shark!

He blew his whistle again, causing the intangible Shadow Beast to return instantly. After hoisting himself and Jiang Jin onto its back, he burst through the door behind them.

"Boss, you go first!"

He shoved Jiang Jin, "I'll go hold them off!"

Regrettably, the moment Jiang Jin turned the corner, he had already impatiently ridden the Shadow Beast toward the window, landed steadily from the floor above, and fled at top speed!

Covering the retreat? Delaying them?

At a time like this?

Are you kidding me?!

He only wanted to make money, not throw his life away for someone else. How could he not know whose life was more important, his or his boss's?

A boss, if he dies, he dies. Goodbye is goodbye; the next one will be more obedient!

But in the midst of his flight, the Shadow Beast's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

No matter how he scolded or commanded, it refused to move forward.

It couldn't, or rather, instinctively dared not, cross that invisible boundary.

In the deserted alley, a slender, slim figure sat on the steps, focused on playing with a handheld console. The soft, glowing light illuminated their shoulder-length hair, and their exquisite, delicate face possessed a beauty that blurred the lines between genders.

A cane leaned diagonally against the wall nearby, marking an unseen boundary.

"Please stay there, don't move, wait until I finish playing."

The newcomer was focused but clumsily attempting to execute a "Dragon Strike" on the monster on the screen, only to miss repeatedly. The tone of their voice carried a hint of impatience: "Take one more step forward, and you're dead..."

Bai Yi froze in place.

He dared not move again.

At this moment, in the ruins of the office, Ji Jue finally recovered from the intense ringing and dizziness—barely, just a little.

He felt as if he were hugging a scorching iron pillar; his fingers were nearly burned.

He lowered his head, caught his breath, and looked at the weapon in his arms: [Are you satisfied?]

[...Thank you.]

After that one shot, countless cracks had emerged across the Mammoth's frame, and it could only struggle to maintain its integrity by relying on the Supreme Goodness Emblem—[Waste Ruins] engraved upon it.

But at this moment, the fierce intent accumulated from countless slaughters within the gun barrel was met with an incredibly relieved and satisfied dissipation.

It was like an old man who had fought his enemy one last time before death and emerged victorious.

It welcomed death and obsolescence peacefully, with no regrets left.

Only wisps of Spiritual Substance flowed out from the barrel, merging into Ji Jue's ability without the slightest resistance. Instantly, within his perception, the emblem of the Supreme Horde grew brighter and more complex.

Experience bar surged!

"Whew..."

Ji Jue slowly loosened his grip, carefully dismantled it, and placed it back into his bag. Since he had promised Laila that he was only borrowing it, he had to return it in the same condition.

Only then did he hear the sound of returning footsteps.

"You're slow, Feng Ge," he complained.

"Don't blame me," Lu Feng panted, dragging the dog-like Jiang Jin behind him. "This Old Bastard is fast as hell, nimble as a damn athlete. I almost couldn't catch him."

"What about the other one?" Ji Jue asked.

"Ran off, I suppose?" Lu Feng replied indifferently. "Judging by his skin tone, he was likely a Central Earth native. He was scared out of his wits the moment he saw the Powered Armor's weaponry. Ever since the Federation and Empire folks arrived, the locals don't even use monsters or ghosts to scare their kids at night anymore. They've seen too much on the battlefield; they're experienced, and if they want to run, you can't stop them."

"Lucky him."

Ji Jue Sighed, bowed his head, and looked toward the Aged Face covered in dust and grime amidst the ruins and corpses. Suddenly, he beamed. "Mr. Jiang Jin, is it?"

Jiang Jin's expression twitched. His white hair hung down from his temples, stained with blood, looking utterly wretched.

"If you wanted to find me, you should have just come for me. Why go through all this trouble?"

Ji Jue reached out and counted. "Look, so many people have been killed because of you... one, two, three, four... at least seventeen or eighteen, right?"

"You have no idea what you're doing!" Jiang Jin gritted his teeth, the words squeezed from his throat. "You won't escape this, Ji Jue!"

"Why would I need to escape?"

Ji Jue smiled, asking curiously, "In Yacheng, I have a home, family, teachers, and backers. Why would I run? Besides, shouldn't you be the one running? Even if I don't kill you, do you think you'll live to see tomorrow's sunrise?"

For a moment, Jiang Jin's face turned deathly pale.

Especially when he realized that Ji Jue was holding his phone, carefully and earnestly taking photos of him, his heart sank to the bottom of the abyss.

After doing so many shady things for so many years, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had incurred the wrath of heaven and men. Once he lost his power, his backers might not even be willing to pull him up, and his peers would certainly fall upon him without hesitation, just as he had once done to others...

He wouldn't live until tomorrow morning.

This wasn't just empty talk.

It was the genuine, unvarnished portrait of his fate.

"So, run, Jiang Jin."

Ji Jue smiled encouragingly, patted his shoulder, and spoke with earnest concern, "Run. Let us brothers see how far you can go."

Jiang Jin's expression shifted; he wanted to curse or berate him, but when the muzzle of Ji Jue's gun pointed at his face, he ultimately said nothing. He gritted his teeth, scrambled up from the ground, and sprinted toward the door on all fours.

Bang!

A sharp scream rang out. The sprinting Jiang Jin collapsed to the ground, wailing and cursing as he clutched his shattered kneecap.

"Keep it up, Teacher Jiang!"

The culprit, Ji Jue, smiled even more brightly, waving his pistol and cheering him on enthusiastically. "A true warrior is not defeated by a momentary setback! You must stand up bravely. Faster, faster... or else you're going to die!"

Bang!

Another bullet struck near his temple, shattering his ear.

Jiang Jin wailed, dragging his broken leg as he struggled to crawl forward. But immediately, the sound of gunfire rang out again, causing him to collapse once more, rolling about in misery.

This time, it was his right leg.

Lu Feng whistled, blowing the smoke from his muzzle. "How long do you think it'll take him to reach the door?"

"Don't know." Ji Jue shook his head, sensing his intent, and went along with it. "Want to make a bet? Fifty bucks. I bet ten minutes."

"You're on!"

Lu Feng grinned and raised his gun. "I bet he doesn't make it to the door."

"Hey, Jiang Jin, did you hear that?"

Ji Jue raised his voice and shouted, "You have to keep going! Don't be afraid. The manga says: Effort + Friendship = Victory! Believe in yourself, you can do it!"

"Ahhhhhhh—"

Jiang Jin screamed, wept, and cursed in the pool of blood, exhausting every obscenity and threat he knew.

Bang!

Lu Feng pulled the trigger once more, this time with his left hand, gouging a bloody hole through his palm and shattering the tendons and bones.

"I knew you were going to cheat."

Ji Jue sighed, raised his hand, and aimed in turn, firing at Jiang Jin's right hand!

Well, now all four limbs were gone—that was the bad news.

But the good news was that he could at least still wriggle a bit, wailing and squirming in his own blood as he rolled forward.

He looked just like a lost child who couldn't find his mother.

"It looks like you've lost."

Lu Feng shook his head and pulled the trigger one last time.

He aimed at his head.

In that instant, a cold snort echoed through the air.

It was so low, yet it suddenly erupted, transforming into an absolute... thunderous roar!

It made both of them nearly forget to breathe.

Dazzling electric light suddenly burst forth from the night sky, streaking down in an instant, falling from the sky and stirring up a gale and a deafening boom. Amidst the violent tremors, a figure appeared from the thunder without warning and raised a hand.

With a casual flick, he pinched the incoming bullet.

A flash of electric light.

Between his fingers, molten copper slowly dripped down.

Yet his clenched fingers remained completely unscathed.

--Entropy Lineage, Matrix - Awakening of Insects!

At this moment, the newcomer slowly raised his long, cold eyes, sweeping them across the surroundings before finally landing on the two of them with a look of realization.

Seeing the other party appear, Jiang Jin seemed to find his backbone, howling with wild joy like a loyal dog seeing its master. If he hadn't lost his hands and feet, he would have nearly lunged at him: "Team Leader Yu, save me... I, I..."

"Shut up."

Yu Hanguang glanced at the disgraceful mess on the ground before finally looking at Ji Jue, sighing softly: "As expected, just a little mongrel who only knows how to stir up trouble."

Without warning, without a gap.

He reached out and pointed.

He was over ten meters away.

Yet the broken space was already filled with infinite thunder; amidst the vast peals of lightning, ten thousand feet of Blazing Light converged and surged, whistling toward them.

In an instant, it completely swallowed the two!

Not a bone left!

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Ji Jue didn't even lose a single hair, and neither did Lu Feng; he even yawned, his nose hair tickling.

Right there on their collars, an inconspicuous crystal button shattered silently, the crystals growing and turning into magnificent, sharp petals.

With ease, it brought the chaotic thunder before them to a halt, freezing it in place!

--Wasteland Ruins Path - Stasis Field!

In that moment, Ji Jue finally sighed in relief, his twitching calf muscles returning to calm.

Safe.

He looked toward the doorway: "Wen Jie, if you didn't come, we would have had to surrender."

"Patience is how you catch the Big Fish, isn't that what you said?"

Accompanying the words, Wen Wen's figure walked out from the dancing dust, looking at the stunned Yu Hanguang with a half-smile: "Team Leader Yu, what a coincidence, to run into you here?"

Yu Hanguang's expression shifted, but he did not speak.

"If I remember correctly, Beishan is supposed to be my jurisdiction, right?" She tilted her head, asking curiously: "Since when is it Liying District's turn to interfere?"

Her long, slender fingers tightened, the joints rubbing together to produce a crisp sound like shattering crystal.

She asked coldly:

"Don't you intend to explain?"