Mysterious Person

"BOOM!!!"

That was the sound of a bowstring being released, vibrating deep into his internal organs and leaving Xu Tong with such a sickening sensation that he felt like vomiting blood.

The arrow, glinting with a cold light, shot forth like a tiger released from its cage. It arrived in an instant, carving a sharp, electric arc through the air, and was within three meters of Xu Tong before he could even blink! It gave him absolutely no time to react, dodge, or parry!!!

But at that very moment, a thick, burly figure slammed in from the side, accompanied by a howling gale. His silhouette shimmered with a pale golden light-armor, standing as immovable as a solid rock amidst a raging storm.

"Divine Spirit Shield!"

The bone-tipped arrow struck Xiong Tao's light-armor with a "thud."

Unexpectedly, the Divine Spirit Shield that Xiong Tao boasted was impenetrable proved fragile and pathetic under the arrow's impact. It didn't even last a second before being pierced clean through by the projectile.

Fortunately, the arrow's trajectory was altered, but the immense force still tore a long strip of flesh and muscle right off his arm.

After the surprise attack, Xu Tong immediately raised his gun, but his target wasn't the forest—it was Mad Dog, who stood right beside him.

In the instant he turned, without a shred of hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Before the bullets could even leave the barrel, Mad Dog erupted with incredible speed, rolling sideways across the ground before his body began to rapidly expand.

"Wolf Transformation!"

A layer of faint black fur sprouted across his skin as his muscles swelled violently.

"Riiip!"

As his clothes shredded, Mad Dog had completely transformed; he now possessed a wolf's head and a human body, looking exactly like a werewolf from the movies.

His dark grey beastly eyes locked onto Xu Tong's face: "When did you start suspecting me!"

He had prided himself on his impeccable disguise, and since he hadn't been with Xu Tong for long, he had followed every order with perfect precision.

What he couldn't fathom was how this guy had managed to see through him.

Xu Tong offered no explanation, continuing to fire his weapon.

But the bullets were clearly no match for the speed of the wolf-transformed Mad Dog. As he dodged them one after another, Mad Dog surged forward, his sharp iron claws tearing down in a strike that held no mercy.

However, faster than his claws were two Flying Blades whistling through the air.

"Clang!"

Mad Dog swatted the Flying Blades away with a single swipe, but in that split second, Xu Tong seized the opportunity. With black flames burning on one hand, he slammed a fist into Mad Dog's chest.

[Demon Power]

Consumes 5 Script Points. Upon activation, physical strength is temporarily doubled for 30 seconds. During activation, grants the special ability: Demon King Hand, imbuing both hands with demonic flame damage.

The demonic flames on his fist clung to Mad Dog's fur, instantly erupting into a roaring blaze.

The intense burning sensation forced a grunt from Mad Dog, who kicked Xu Tong flying before quickly pulling out a bottle of [Yellow Talisman Water] and dousing himself with it.

Watching the flames on his body extinguish, Mad Dog looked at Xu Tong with a mix of surprise and shock.

Because last time, Xu Tong had only shared 300 Script Points with him, never mentioning that his true haul had been the two Prop Cards he had swindled from Zhang Hu.

It was precisely because of this that Mad Dog had been caught off guard and suffered a minor setback.

Suddenly, as if something had clicked, Mad Dog shrieked: "You were guarding against me even back then!"

In an instant, he recalled many inconsistencies—for instance, when Yang Guanjin had tried to tell him something, only for Xu Tong to interrupt her the moment she opened her mouth.

And when he was teaching Yang Guanjin how to be a good actor, he hadn't even wanted to listen, yet Xu Tong had forced him to get up and listen along.

He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now that he looked back... that guy had been pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree!

As these details fell into place, a complex wave of emotion swept through Mad Dog; it felt as though he had been played like a fool under this guy's feet from start to finish, all while he himself had been standing on the sidelines cheering him on.

Seeing Mad Dog finally wake from his dream, Xu Tong shook his head: "Slow-witted!"

"I'll slaughter you!!"

Mad Dog's eyes turned blood-red in an instant! It was as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his head; the manic, uncontrollable rage swallowed his reason whole! With a wild roar, he lunged at him.

Facing the now-berserk Mad Dog, Xu Tong had no choice but to activate the skill of his title, [Retributor], and a layer of invisible light-shield enveloped his body.

Simultaneously, he raised his hands, meeting Mad Dog's descending claws head-on.

A deafening "BOOM" echoed out, sending gravel from the ground flying as a thick cloud of dust rippled violently through the air.

Mad Dog roared as he brought both fists down in a heavy smash, but Xu Tong dodged them with nimble grace. Even so, he had underestimated the sheer increase in power Mad Dog gained after his Wolf Transformation.

The intense shockwave blew him backward, and the moment he lost his balance, Mad Dog spun around and smashed him away with a single punch.

Perhaps you might ask, what about the others?

In the moment he was sent tumbling, Xu Tong caught a glimpse of Yang Zixuan summoning his Flying Blades, positioning himself in front of Xiong Tao to swat away all the arrows raining down from the forest.

At some point, many Miao figures had emerged from the surrounding woods.

Unlike those Sinicized Miao, these people had their faces smeared with thick mud. They were short in stature, dressed in pale blue garments, and wore crooked horn-hats on their heads.

Each of them held a bow and arrow, firing rapidly toward the group.

But the truly intimidating presence was the man standing behind these Miao warriors—a tall, burly man with a robust build, well-defined muscles, and rough skin that was a mix of deathly pale and brown.

Sparse, grayish-white hair hung loosely over his shoulders, and his face was etched with strange tattoos. Though he remained silent, he exuded a pressure as heavy as a mountain.

"It's you!"

Seeing the man clearly, Zhou Huasheng couldn't help but shriek. He would never forget this devilish face; it was he who had attacked the village over twenty years ago.

He was the true culprit who had slaughtered the entire village.

Hearing Zhou Huasheng's scream, the man slowly turned his head. He flashed a grin of blackened teeth at Zhou Huasheng and said in stiff, broken Chinese, "Mr. Zhou, we meet again. I remember saying that the next time I saw you, I would peel off your skin to make myself a pair of shoes."

After speaking, the man looked down at the shoes on his feet and said to Yang Guanjin, "Perfect. Your mother's skin has torn several times already; this time, I can finally replace it with a new pair."

"You beast!"

Hearing this, Yang Guanjin's eyes reddened. She spat a black gu-insect from her mouth. This insect was unlike any other; it resembled a beetle, yet was entirely different. Flapping its wings, it streaked through the air like a bolt of black light toward the man.

This was a venomous insect she had raised for over a decade. Although it could only be used once—the insect would inevitably die after firing its stinger—anyone struck by it would never survive.

The insect flew with such incredible speed that it was barely visible to the naked eye, yet the man suddenly reached out, snatched the insect from the air, and shoved it into his mouth.

The sound of "Crunch, crunch, crunch!" as he chewed made it seem as if he weren't eating a bug, but rather snacking on a potato chip with great relish.

"Not bad, though a bit tender."

As he spoke, the man spat out a glob of black, viscous phlegm. It landed on a nearby tree, instantly corroding a coin-sized hole right through the trunk.

"I'll deal with you later; first, I must entertain our honored guest!" He turned his gaze toward Yang Zixuan and waved his hand, signaling the others to cease fire.

He tossed aside his bow and arrows and clenched his fists, his animal-hide clothing visibly straining against the sudden bulging of his muscles.

Sensing the man's gaze, Yang Zixuan's brow tightened. He caught the scent of danger radiating from this man.

Yet, because of this, he did not retreat. Instead, he chose to summon all his Flying Blades and charged straight at the man.

Facing Yang Zixuan's sudden assault, a look of contempt flashed in the man's fierce eyes. He let out a roar from his throat, and a pungent, foul stench instantly rushed toward Yang Zixuan.

As the stench hit him, warning sounds began to ring incessantly in Yang Zixuan's ears.

[Warning! You have been struck by a special toxin. Your Mental Power has decreased by 35%.]

[Warning! You have been struck by a special toxin. All skill costs have increased by 45%, and cooldown times have doubled.]

[Warning!...]

"Screw your warnings." Yang Zixuan's expression changed drastically as he felt the abnormality in his body, but he did not stop his advance. Under his control, the six Flying Blades formed a terrifying blade storm.

But to Yang Zixuan's utter disbelief, his invincible Flying Blades were forcibly deflected the moment they touched the man's body.

In a state of shock, he saw the man raise his fist, dash right in front of him, and smash it down toward his head.

Yang Zixuan instinctively crossed his arms to block, but his hasty defense failed. The man's punch cleanly shattered his guard and struck him squarely in the shoulder.

His vision went black, and he felt an indescribable, massive force slam into him.

Immediately after, an agonizing pain erupted from his shoulder, and his body began to twitch uncontrollably as a heart-wrenching, soul-tearing pain swept through his entire being.