Escape

Afraid?

In the brief moment of stunned disbelief, Ming Yan could barely suppress a hideous grin. Too late!

Unfortunately, he had celebrated too soon.

He had no idea what it meant on a battlefield when an enemy took up such a stance...

Immediately afterward, he saw the figure revealed once Lu Feng had dropped prone.

Ji Jue.

And the heavy weapon in his hands, an outrageous size—standing a full shoulder-height against Ji Jue. Calling it a gun was an insult. It was a cannon!

The Mammoth II Assault Rifle—the standard weapon module of the Federation military's Powered Armor. After decades of warfare across Central Earth, its muzzle, stained red by countless trails of blood, still bloomed with a light that made the blood run cold.

Using his own body as a brace, Ji Jue planted the rifle's stock against the car's A-pillar. He patted the gun's body with one finger and smiled gently.

[Fire].

In that instant, it was as though the entire building suddenly shuddered!

Every pane of glass shattered "silently," because everyone's hearing had been stolen by the terrifying thunder rushing toward them. Amid the violent ringing in their ears, only a scalp-prickling silence remained.

An out-and-out weapon of war roared once more from the brink of death, spewing blazing fire, radiance, and destruction!

It was loaded with 22.4-millimeter anchor-type high-velocity armor-piercing rounds custom-made by Sentry Military Industries. Although its effectiveness at long range could be said to be practically nonexistent, it had not been created to bring death to enemies ten thousand meters away. Its true purpose was to unleash a thoroughly satisfying slaughter at point-blank range.

On the battlefield, when Armored Knights wielding weapons like this faced opponents of the same kind, they would press the muzzle against the enemy's armor and pull the trigger.

It was called the "Can Opener."

No matter how tough or troublesome the can, once it was drilled through head-on, sweet and savory tomato sauce would spill out!

Now, after the thunder and tremors had passed, everyone looked up and saw Lu Feng slowly rising from the ground, along with the shattered wreckage in front of him.

The great shield was gone. The armor was useless. Cracks rapidly spread across the steel before it collapsed and fell away, revealing a bloodless, vacant face.

A horrifying hole had appeared in his chest, one that had nearly blown him cleanly in half.

Through that hole, they could see the wall behind him, torn open and pierced through—pierced through again, and again—until the projectile had shot out of the building and soared into the vast night sky before finally plunging into the sea.

No one would probably ever find the surviving warhead.

Nor could anyone save Ming Yan as he fell backward, staring at the sky.

"Go! Boss, go!"

Bai Yi's expression changed drastically. He did not even have time to grieve over the Shadow Beast being pinned down and beaten; he hauled the limp Jiang Jin to his feet.

Even if Jiang Jin, a local snake who operated in the shadows, did not understand, the mercenary from Central Earth had seen scenes like this countless times in his nightmares.

From the instant the enemy pulled out such an absurd weapon, their resistance had lost all meaning.

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

What they had hooked was no Qiaozui they had wanted to reel in, but a genuine Double-headed Man-eating Shark!

He blew his whistle again. The invisible Shadow Beast instantly returned, hoisted him and Jiang Jin onto its back, and burst through the door behind them.

"Boss, you go first!"

He shoved Jiang Jin forward. "I'll hold them off!"

Unfortunately, the moment Jiang Jin had gone around the corner, Bai Yi had already impatiently mounted the Shadow Beast and charged out the window. He landed safely below, then sprinted away at full speed!

Stay behind? Hold them off?

At a time like this?

Was he kidding?!

He only wanted to make money. He was not born with a cheap life, looking to sell it to someone and insisting on dying before he was happy. How could he possibly fail to tell whose life mattered more—his boss's or his own?

One boss—if he died, then he died. Bye-bye, and the next one would be more obedient!

Yet as they raced away, the Shadow Beast's steps suddenly stopped dead.

No matter how Bai Yi shouted or commanded it, it refused to advance.

It could not—or rather, instinctively, it did not dare—to cross that invisible boundary.

In a little alley rarely visited by anyone, a slender figure sat on the steps, wholly absorbed in playing on a handheld console. Its faint glow illuminated short hair brushing the shoulders, while the exquisite face possessed a beauty impossible to place as male or female.

A cane leaned diagonally against the wall beside them, drawing an invisible boundary.

"Please stay there and don't move. Wait until I'm done."

The newcomer was wholly focused, yet clumsy beyond belief, trying to perform a Rising Dragon Slash against the monster on the screen. After repeatedly missing helplessly, a trace of impatience entered their voice.

"Take one more step and you're dead..."

Bai Yi froze where he stood.

He did not dare move again.

At that moment, amid the ruins of the office, Ji Jue finally recovered from the violent ringing in his ears and dizziness—or at least, managed to recover a little.

He felt as though he were holding a blazing iron pillar. His fingers were almost burned.

He lowered his head, exhaled, and looked at the weapon in his arms. [Satisfied?]

[...Thank you.]

After firing that single shot, countless cracks had appeared across the Mammoth's body. It could only barely maintain its integrity through the Supreme Goodness Emblem—[Waste Ruins] engraved upon it.

Yet at that moment, the vicious intent accumulated within the gun after countless killings was dissipating with incomparable relief and satisfaction.

Like an old man who had once more fought and defeated an enemy at the moment of his death.

It welcomed death and decommissioning peacefully, without a trace of regret.

Only wisps of Spiritual Substance flowed from the gun's body, merging into Ji Jue's abilities without the slightest resistance. In an instant, the emblem of the Supreme Goodness Horde within his perception grew brighter and more complex.

His experience bar surged!

"Whew..."

Ji Jue slowly released his grip, carefully dismantled the weapon, and put it back in his bag. He had promised Laila that he was borrowing it, so he had to return it intact.

Only then did he hear footsteps approaching.

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

"You can't blame me."

Lu Feng dragged Jiang Jin along like a dead dog, panting heavily. "That old bastard is really fucking fast. He's as spry as an athlete. I nearly failed to catch him."

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

"He probably ran," Lu Feng answered indifferently. "Judging by his complexion, he should be from Central Earth. He was scared witless the moment he saw the weapons of the Powered Armor. Ever since people from the Federation and the Empire arrived, the locals don't even use ghosts and monsters to scare children at night anymore. They've seen too many of them on the battlefield. Once he decided to run, there was no stopping him."

"Lucky him."

Ji Jue sighed. He lowered his head and looked at the old, dirt-covered face among the ruins and corpses. Then he suddenly broke into a smile.

"Mr. Jiang Jin, is it?"

Jiang Jin's expression twitched. Blood stained the white hair hanging from his temples, leaving him in a wretched state.

"If you wanted to find me, you could have come straight at me. Why go to all this trouble?"

Ji Jue raised a hand and counted. "Look, so many people have died because of you... One, two, three, four... There must be at least seventeen or eighteen, right?"

"You have no idea what you're doing!"

Jiang Jin gritted his teeth and forced the words from his throat. "You won't escape, Ji Jue!"

"Why should I escape?"

Ji Jue smiled and asked curiously, "I have a home and family in Yacheng, along with a teacher and backing. 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 until dawn tomorrow?"

For an instant, Jiang Jin's face turned deathly pale.

Especially when he noticed that Ji Jue was holding his phone and carefully taking pictures of him, his heart sank straight to the bottom.

He had spent all these years doing so many things that could never see the light of day. Saying he had earned the wrath of Heaven and Earth would not be an exaggeration. Once he lost power, even the people backing him might not be willing to pull him up. The other people in his line of work would certainly trample him without hesitation, just as he himself had once done...

He would not live until tomorrow morning.

That was not an empty threat.

It was his genuine fate, written in blood.

"So run, Jiang Jin."

Ji Jue smiled encouragingly and patted him on the shoulder, speaking earnestly. "Get moving. Let us brothers see how far you can run."

Jiang Jin's expression shifted, as though he wanted to curse or condemn him. But when the muzzle of the gun in Ji Jue's hand pointed at his face, he ultimately said nothing. Gritting his teeth, he crawled up from the ground and ran toward the door on all fours.

Bang!

A sharp scream rang out. Jiang Jin, who had been running madly, fell to the ground, howling and cursing as he clutched his shattered knee.

"Come on, Teacher Jiang!"

The culprit, Ji Jue, wore an even brighter smile. Waving his handgun, he encouraged him enthusiastically. "A true warrior will not be defeated by a momentary setback. You have to bravely stand up. Hurry, faster... Otherwise, you'll die!"

Bang!

Another bullet struck beside his temple and shattered his ear.

Jiang Jin howled as he dragged his broken leg and desperately crawled forward. But then the gunshot rang out again, sending him tumbling to the ground in a miserable heap.

This time, it was his right leg.

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

"I don't know." Ji Jue shook his head. Noticing what Lu Feng was thinking, he readily played along. "Want to make a bet? Fifty yuan. I bet ten minutes."

"I'm in!"

Lu Feng grinned and raised his gun. "I bet he won't crawl to the door."

"Hey, Jiang Jin, hear that?"

Ji Jue raised his voice and shouted, "You have to keep going! Don't be afraid. The comics say effort plus friendship equals victory! Believe in yourself—you can definitely do it!"

"Ahhhhhhh—"

Jiang Jin screamed with all his heart in the pool of blood, wailing and cursing, using every filthy word and threat he knew.

Bang!

Lu Feng pulled the trigger again. This time it was Jiang Jin's left hand. A bloody hole was drilled through his palm, snapping tendons and bones.

"I knew you'd cheat."

Ji Jue sighed, raised his hand, took aim, and fired as well—at Jiang Jin's right hand!

All right. Now all four limbs were gone. Bad news.

The good news was that he could still wriggle a little, howling and squirming through his own blood as he rolled forward.

Like a lost child who could not find his mother.

"Looks like you lost."

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

He aimed at Jiang Jin's head.

At that instant, a cold snort sounded through the air.

It was low, yet erupted abruptly into nothing short of... thunderous thunder!

The two men nearly forgot to breathe.

Blinding electric light suddenly burst from the night sky and came racing over. In an instant, it descended from the heavens, whipping up wild winds and thunderous noise. Amid the violent tremors, a figure appeared from within the lightning without warning and raised a hand.

With effortless ease, he caught the incoming bullet between his fingers.

A flash of electric light.

Melted copper slowly dripped between his fingers.

Yet his clenched fingers were completely unharmed.

—Entropy Lineage, Matrix - Awakening of Insects!

At that moment, the newcomer slowly raised his narrow, icy gaze and swept it across the surroundings. When his eyes finally landed on the two of them, understanding dawned in them.

When he saw the newcomer, Jiang Jin seemed to find a pillar of support. He wailed with delirious joy, like a Faithful Hound seeing its master. If he had still possessed hands and feet, he would practically have leaped at the man.

"Team Leader Yu, save me... I, I..."

"Shut up."

Yu Hanguang glanced at the disgraceful wreck on the ground, then turned to Ji Jue and sighed softly. "As expected, you're nothing but a little bastard who only knows how to stir up trouble."

Without warning and without the slightest opening,

he raised a hand and pointed.

From more than ten meters away,

the ruined space was instantly filled with endless thunder. Amid the vast rumble, myriad rays of blazing light contracted and surged, roaring toward him.

In an instant, they swallowed the two men whole!

Nothing remained of their corpses!

Unfortunately, that did not happen.

Ji Jue had not even lost a single hair, and neither had Lu Feng. He had even yawned, finding the hairs in his nose itchy.

At that moment, an inconspicuous crystal button on their collars silently shattered. Crystal sprouted from it, transforming into gorgeous, razor-sharp petals.

With effortless ease, it halted and froze the raging thunder before them!

—Wasteland Ruins Path - Stasis Zone!

In that instant, Ji Jue finally relaxed. Even the cramping muscle in his calf returned to normal.

Safe.

He looked toward the doorway. "Wen Jie, if you don't come soon, the two of us are going to be done for."

"Patience is what lets you catch a big fish. Wasn't that what you said?"

As the words rang out, Wen Wen's figure emerged from the swirling dust. She looked at the suddenly stiffened Yu Hanguang with an enigmatic smile.

"Team Leader Yu, what a coincidence. Who would have thought we'd run into you here?"

Yu Hanguang's expression shifted, but he said nothing.

"If I remember correctly, Beishan is my jurisdiction, isn't it?" She tilted her head and asked curiously, "Since when did Liying District start sticking its nose into matters here?"

Her slender fingers clenched. Her knuckles rubbed together, producing a crisp sound like shattering crystal.

She asked coldly,

"Don't you plan to explain yourself?"