What Weapon Do You Use

Fu Qian glanced at the middle-aged man who emerged after he looked at the stone tablet.

He was slightly overweight, with an unremarkable appearance, dressed in loose knitwear, his hair thinning slightly at the forehead. He had a smiling expression on his face, looking like a twenty-five-year-old programmer at first glance.

As soon as he left the team, he had noticed someone following him. He had ignored them, not expecting them to be so persistent and chase him all the way here.

Although he looked harmless, the man had emerged silently just now, his body so light it seemed to have no mass. He was clearly skilled in stealth and subterfuge.

Being targeted by someone like this usually didn't bode well.

"I have to say, you've impressed me greatly."

The middle-aged man looked at Fu Qian, his eyes like a cat playing with a mouse.

"On the surface, you don't reveal anything, but your actual cultivation level is probably the highest in your team. Even I almost lost track of you."

"With such low-key endurance, you'll achieve great things in time, assuming you have the time."

"You flatter me."

Fu Qian's eyes remained fixed on the invisible barrier, and he casually replied, seemingly not hearing the last sentence.

His reaction clearly exceeded the middle-aged man's expectations, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Actually, I'm a bit curious. Can you tell me what you're trying to do by leaving the team and coming here alone?"

"Running away."

"Running away?"

This answer clearly caught the middle-aged man off guard.

"Yeah, the atmosphere here is a bit oppressive. I'm going home to rest."

Fu Qian's tone was as matter-of-fact as if he were saying he needed to pee.

"An exploration mission personally led by Li Weixuan, something so many people would clamor for, and you want to go home?"

The smile on the middle-aged man's face turned cold.

"If that's truly the case, then you don't need to worry, because I'll be sending you on your way soon."

"Of course, you can try to escape, or you can take out your Arrow Bell and see if Li Weixuan can arrive in time to save you."

Arrow Bell?

Fu Qian pondered. He vaguely recalled hearing his teammates chat about it. Simply put, it was a survival tool provided by the Academy for every student undergoing training, similar to a flare gun for signaling for help.

Given that communication devices often failed in many forbidden areas, it could be activated and fired in life-threatening situations to seek assistance and mutual support.

"It's fine, I don't need to call for backup yet."

Fu Qian waved his hand, frowning at the middle-aged man, and asked the question that truly concerned him.

"What weapon do you plan to use to kill me?"

What weapon?

The middle-aged man was clearly taken aback, wearing an expression that screamed, "Are you crazy?"

"Aren't you curious why I want to kill you?"

"Not really. And are you sure you really want to kill me?"

Receiving no answer, Fu Qian sighed.

"What do you mean?"

The middle-aged man's eyes sharpened.

"Just guessing. Ever since I left the team, you've been following me. There were countless opportunities to strike, yet you specifically followed me to this remote location.

And now, when you're about to make your move, you're not attacking stealthily but openly revealing yourself and telling me I'm going to die. It feels like you're deliberately creating pressure to make me flee."

"You even reminded me that I can use the Arrow Bell to call for backup. These actions don't seem like something an assassin would do."

"Your target is still deep within the ruins, isn't it? Are you trying to create a diversion?"

"You want to drive me as far away as possible, then use the Arrow Bell to attract Li Weixuan to rescue me, giving you an opportunity to return and eliminate the real target?"

"Interesting... Then why don't you guess who my target is."

The middle-aged man lowered his voice, seemingly acknowledging Fu Qian's guess.

"This isn't that difficult to guess either. First, we split into three teams. You targeted me so quickly, which means your target and I are most likely in the same team. You followed us and discovered I had separated from the group, seeing it as a good opportunity to pursue me."

"Besides me, there are nine other people in that team. Based on your performance, you're clearly skilled in stealth and assassination. You followed us all the way, and even Dean Li Weixuan didn't notice.

Considering Li Weixuan can't possibly keep an eye on our team at all times, you could have found an opportunity for a swift kill and escaped, which wouldn't be much worse than your current plan. But you didn't. This suggests you lack confidence in eliminating the target with a single blow, and you're worried about escaping if Li Weixuan arrives. Therefore, you need more time to ensure mission completion.

With your strength, who on our team would make you lack confidence in a one-hit kill? Ji Liushuang, or Yuan Xin?"

Fu Qian looked at the middle-aged man. The man's pupils visibly flickered when Fu Qian mentioned Ji Liushuang.

"I understand. Ji Liushuang."

Hahaha.

The middle-aged man burst into laughter.

"If what you say is true, then why do you think I would kill Ji Liushuang?"

"That's a bit difficult for me. That student Ji looks like someone of considerable status. It's probably another dispute over the interests of some conglomerate family.

Once it involves something like that, it's only natural for a lackey like you, skilled in assassination, to appear."

Fu Qian's expression was blank. He truly had not the slightest interest in these trivial matters, and he couldn't understand why they kept finding him.

"You're asking for death..."

Under Fu Qian's continuous taunts, the middle-aged man finally lost face and uttered a typical line of enraged shame.

"Killing you and activating the Arrow Bell myself are one and the same."

The next moment, the middle-aged man moved like lightning, instantly appearing beside Fu Qian. He silently unleashed a palm strike, his killing intent ferocious--

Sigh, so this guy uses fisticuffs after all.

Fu Qian let out a sigh.

Wasting my precious time!

I thought someone who works as an assassin would at least have some divine weapon, something I could use to test if it could damage the barrier.

Disappointing.

Facing the terrifying strike, Fu Qian flashed to the side.

When I was testing the barrier earlier, this guy hadn't arrived yet, so he definitely wouldn't be aware of the invisible obstacle here. How could I not take advantage of it?

This is why I've been standing here without moving.

Fu Qian's evasion speed clearly startled the middle-aged man. He hadn't expected that even though he had been as cautious as possible, he had still misjudged.

His strike missed, and just as he was about to change his move, he slammed headfirst into an unseen obstacle.

What is this!

Looking at his empty side, the middle-aged man's mind went blank for a moment.

Before he could recover, his ribs ached, and a red whip flashed past, splashing blood.

At the same time, an inexplicable sense of irritability rose in his heart.

This whip is strange!

The middle-aged man pushed off the invisible barrier with his hand, dodging the next two lashes. The feeling of irritation in his heart lessened slightly.

The injury to my ribs is minor. I need to avoid being hit by this whip and try to engage in close-quarters combat...

As soon as this thought arose, he saw Fu Qian's face up close.

This guy is giving up his ranged advantage to fight me in close combat?

The middle-aged man couldn't understand Fu Qian's actions for a moment, but then his ribs ached again. It felt like something had pierced through the wound, splitting into countless fine threads that entangled deeply with his internal organs.

The next moment, heat surged out. Amidst a shower of blood, his corpse plummeted heavily from the air.