Mask of the Grim Reaper

What kind of power is this!?

Taylor was shocked. Even the strongest boxer couldn't send someone flying with a single punch, could they? Zhou Zhi's face was completely caved in on one side, clearly dead. He would have to face his opponent alone now.

The Englishman reacted immediately, kicking the corpse towards his opponent as he retreated, unleashing a barrage of gunfire.

The opponent seemed to fear the power of the musket and didn't press forward. Instead, he turned and fled out the door.

At this point, Taylor knew without a doubt that this person was the final target of the mission—Kuiqi, the chief of the North City Police Station.

After hearing gunshots from the courtyard, Kuiqi hadn't fled immediately. He probably didn't believe anyone in the inner city could threaten him. By the time he realized his subordinates were all dead, it was too late to escape. So, he made a bold decision: to ambush the attacker in his own room. It had to be said that this move was surprisingly effective. Zhou Zhi had been careless and died instantly, turning an advantageous situation into a stalemate.

However, the opponent's choice to temporarily avoid confrontation was good news for Taylor. No matter how swift and strange Kuiqi's movements were, he couldn't be faster than bullets. As long as they maintained distance, Taylor was confident he could regain the upper hand.

Just as Taylor was about to give chase, Chaoyang suddenly appeared and warned him, "Careful, he's behind the wall!"

At that moment, the Englishman had already stepped out of the house.

Kuiqi used the wall for cover, raising a greatsword and swinging it down at Taylor, who had just poked his head out! Thanks to the warning, Taylor quickly retracted, his hair grazing the blade.

"Damn it, he's still not planning to run!"

Even the usually calm Englishman cursed loudly.

He raised his gun and fired continuously at the wall. Brick fragments flew everywhere, and Kuiqi's pained cry could be heard from the other side.

But just then, the gun made a crisp ding sound, and the muzzle flash abruptly ceased.

The magazine was empty.

"Damn it, just at this moment..."

Before Taylor could reload, Kuiqi burst out from behind the wall—even an enemy ignorant of automatic rifles could guess that this brief silence might be the best opportunity to counterattack!

The two collided violently, crashing to the ground.

Kuiqi grabbed Taylor's right wrist and twisted it forcefully. The bones in his arm immediately cracked, and he could no longer hold his gun tightly.

Seeing the greatest threat eliminated, Kuiqi finally revealed a ferocious expression.

He gripped Taylor's throat with his other hand like a vise.

"You're out of moves? You two actually thought you could kill me!?" Kuiqi roared at the Englishman, his eyes red. "You're just two incompetent fools. I am a proud champion warrior! Who gave you the guts!?"

He also appeared to be seriously injured. Half of his clothes were stained with blood, and blood was still seeping from the gunshot wound on his leg. Most people would have lost the ability to fight in this state, but he suppressed the excruciating pain from the wound with astonishing willpower.

"Heh... heh..."

Veins bulged on Taylor's face as he could only gasp for air with his mouth wide open.

Seeing this, Kuiqi slightly loosened his grip. "Speak! Who sent you!? Tell me honestly, and perhaps I can spare your life!"

To be honest, he was still somewhat shaken.

Who could have imagined that thugs would dare to brazenly attack the Wangshui Manor? Everyone in the city knew that this was property of the North City Police Station. To oppose them was essentially challenging the order of the entire Glorious Fortress. What shocked him even more was that these thugs were only two people, and they had almost succeeded!

Yes, it was all because of that never-before-seen weapon.

Kuiqi looked at the strange gun lying on the ground, his heart churning like a stormy sea. It didn't even look like it was made of steel, its entire body a rare grayish-black. The barrel and body also appeared very short, vastly different from the long rifles produced in the armory. Moreover, no matter how he looked, he couldn't find the gun's power source. If it had a steam core, it would be understandable, but that thing required magic to operate, and an incompetent could never use it.

They say great disaster is often followed by great fortune. Perhaps this new type of weapon could bring him more power and wealth.

At this moment, Taylor slowly reached for the cloth bag hanging around his neck with the only hand he could still move.

"Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying at all..."

"What did you say?" Kuiqi growled. "What language is that? Sea Guard? Ancient?"

Taylor raised the corner of his mouth, then suddenly lifted his legs and clamped them around Kuiqi's waist, clinging to him tightly like a sloth.

Kuiqi realized something was wrong. He exerted force with one hand, trying to choke Taylor to death.

But a blinding fire erupted from Taylor's chest!

It was the thermite they had exchanged for newly acquired Points with Zhou Zhi—eight packs, divided into two bags, combined with the gunpowder from a few bullets, and the flint and steel from a lighter, to create two simple incendiary bombs. His action of holding the bag seemed harmless, but he had actually struck the flint, creating brilliant sparks.

Zhou Zhi also wore a similar cloth bag.

They didn't know what kind of opponent Kuiqi was before, but Zhang Zhiyuan knew their advantage: they were fearless of pain and death. Even on the verge of death, they could control their bodies with absolute rational will. Therefore, a weapon that could be used for mutual destruction was undoubtedly their most suitable trump card.

The flames quickly expanded, then burst from the bag, creating a blazing inferno between them! Smoke billowed out with sparks, the moisture in their clothes evaporated rapidly, followed by the smell of burning flesh... In less than a blink of an eye, the high temperature generated by the thermite reaction ignited a fierce fire at their point of contact!

Kuiqi screamed in agony!

It was a pain no human could possibly endure.

However, Taylor didn't care at all, as if his own body wasn't burning. His legs were clamped tightly around Kuiqi's waist, and even his left hand, which was burned to a bloody mess, joined in.

Even though Kuiqi had twisted the opponent's neck, he couldn't make him let go!

He rolled on the ground like a madman. The searing pain from the flames seemed to tear at his nerves. He knocked over furniture in the room as he rolled back and forth for tens of seconds before Taylor's burning body was flung off. After another half a minute of struggling, the flames on his body gradually extinguished.

However, Kuiqi was already unrecognizable. His clothes were completely burned away, and his skin curled and peeled off due to the high temperature, revealing bloody adipose tissue underneath. A large hole had been burned through his chest from direct contact with the thermite, and beneath the charred muscle, his pale gray ribs could be faintly seen.

But he was still alive.

Or rather, he was desperately holding on, refusing to breathe his last.

"I will live... I will be the final winner... How could I possibly die here!"

Kuiqi gritted his teeth and slowly crawled towards the reception room... There was always a water tank there, usually used for making tea for guests. If he couldn't alleviate the pain immediately, the constant agony throughout his body would send him into shock.

Crack.

The sound of shattering glass suddenly came from behind him.

It was the noise of someone stepping on broken glass.

"...Who... who is it?"

Kuiqi's gaze turned in terror, and he saw a pair of leather boots and the hem of a black trench coat. The person walked slowly, but their steps were steady, one after another, steadily approaching him.

When did this person enter? Why, with his senses, was he completely unaware?

Kuiqi felt fear for the first time.

He struggled to get up, but slipped on his own blood several times until the person stopped in front of him.

Then, the other person slowly crouched down until their entire figure was within his sight.

Kuiqi saw a strange red and black mask.