Outwitting One Another

Fang Linyan immediately bent forward, lowered his body, and charged ahead, lunging straight for the display case five meters away.

Fang Linyan's actions seemed perfectly reasonable at that moment. He looked just like a desperate man backed into a corner, making a last-ditch gamble after snapping under pressure. His motive was what people commonly called wanting one last thrill before death. Such reckless gamblers were a dime a dozen, and the middle-aged guard had seen plenty of them.

A cold smile played at the corner of the man's mouth as he slowly turned. His right hand had already begun aiming his crossbow ahead of the charging Fang Linyan, leading his target. The crossbow was powerful and easy to conceal, and it could fire several types of bolts. Its only drawback was that it had to be reloaded after every shot, leaving a three-second gap between shots.

But just as he confidently pulled the trigger, Fang Linyan turned to look at him. His expression seemed panicked and terrified, yet his eyes held an indescribable coldness. Like a robot's electronic eyes, they showed neither joy nor sorrow; even in the face of death, they remained utterly rational and composed. His gaze was fixed squarely on the man's finger.

"T-this guy!"

The middle-aged guard felt a powerful sense of danger surge through him when he saw Fang Linyan's eyes. But by then, the electrified bolt had already shot free.

Yet the instant the man's finger tightened, Fang Linyan seemed to see it coming. As if he had tripped over something, he suddenly pitched forward, falling flat on his face. He looked just like someone who had lost his balance and fallen face-first—an utterly clumsy sight!

But that fall just so happened to let him dodge the incoming bolt!

It seemed like a coincidence, but it was inevitable. The middle-aged guard had already attacked three times, and Fang Linyan, who was now pushing his brain to its absolute limits, could easily calculate the interval between his shots and time his fall.

The middle-aged guard, however, had no idea why. His expression darkened. He pressed a hand against the nearby table and vaulted over it with such ease that he seemed barely to move, landing directly in front of the glass case holding the Mayflower Compact. He wasn't only good at shooting people with a crossbow; he wasn't afraid of anyone in close combat, either. The case was extremely important to him. It could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands!

There were only about two meters between the middle-aged guard and Fang Linyan now, with nothing in between them.

The middle-aged guard looked at Fang Linyan and gave a cold snort.

"Annoying little insect. You can die now."

But then a mocking glint appeared in Fang Linyan's indifferent eyes.

"It's time! If my calculations are right, they'll definitely make their move at this perfect moment!"

Yes, all the painstaking theatrics Fang Linyan had put on were meant to lure the middle-aged guard into attacking him and facing him with his back to the other two visitors—the couple.

This was the one and only chance Fang Linyan had calculated he might have to survive! According to his calculations, the blonde woman in the couple was also a Contractor, and an exceptionally good one at hiding her identity. The man she had her arm around was an ordinary local. She had apparently lured him into helping her on the spur of the moment with her charms. He was in the throes of a full-blown infatuation, which was why they had played their parts so convincingly.

So how had Fang Linyan figured this out?

With his brain burning at full throttle, he could enter a terrifying state in which time seemed to slow to a crawl. He analyzed every piece of information he had witnessed in painstaking detail, allowing him to gain complete control of the situation.

That was when Fang Linyan noticed something. As the blonde woman walked, she would occasionally flick the tip of her toe. It seemed like a normal gesture, but in slow motion, he could see a grain-sized object spring from her toe and shoot away at high speed before sticking to a corner of the wall. Fang Linyan had no idea what the tiny object was, but he knew that no ordinary person would do something like that.

So Fang Linyan did everything he could to lure the middle-aged guard into letting down his guard. The opportunity would vanish in an instant, and he was sure the blonde woman had also realized how difficult the guard was to deal with. Fang Linyan was gambling, pure and simple—betting that she wouldn't pass up such a golden opportunity.

As the middle-aged guard strode toward him, Fang Linyan's heart sank. He gritted his teeth and gripped the Voodoo Doll in his pocket with his right hand, deciding to play his final trump card: Blood Spider. If he struck by surprise, he had a good chance of succeeding, but at best it would only buy him an opportunity to escape. Completing the milestone was out of the question.

But just then, a huge ball of fire erupted behind the middle-aged guard. His body jolted violently, and he let out a roar as he spun around. At the same time, a foul, burnt stench filled the air, and the temperature shot up several degrees.

When the middle-aged guard turned, Fang Linyan saw a charred patch the size of a basketball on his back. His clothes had been reduced to ash, and even the flesh beneath had turned into cracked, dry charcoal. Through the fissures, terrible, bright-red flesh could be seen, steaming as if it had been cooked.

The blonde woman now held a wand that was trailing wisps of black smoke. The gem at its tip had shattered completely, scattering into tiny red sparks. It must have been a one-use item.

A Fireball Wand!

After landing her ambush, she casually tossed the wand aside and charged toward the middle-aged guard. She leaned low as she sprinted, keeping her center of gravity near the ground. Her path veered unpredictably from side to side, making it difficult to guess where she would go next.

At the same time, several sharp pops came from the corner of the wall. The tiny objects she had kicked there had exploded, rapidly releasing clouds of smoke. Within seconds, the entire exhibition hall was shrouded in it, making it extremely difficult to aim accurately!

The middle-aged guard's heart sank. His opponent had come prepared, with every move designed to counter him! More importantly, under normal circumstances, he would instinctively assume that Fang Linyan and the blonde woman were working together. His enemies were a team, and they had set this deadly trap in concert. That was especially frightening, because two enemies had already revealed themselves. Who knew whether there was a third—or even a fourth—still lying in wait?