Unknown Black Shadow!

Iron Tiger Gang residence.

Two men stood guard in the front courtyard.

"That son of a bitch Cao Yan, he's just like a rat, hiding here and there. He's had us searching all over for him!"

The man with triangular eyes, who had previously recruited Li Chuan, cursed angrily.

The other man with thick eyebrows sighed repeatedly:

"The gang leader has already expanded the search radius significantly, yet we've come up empty-handed. We can't even find a stray kitten..."

Suddenly, a cold breeze blew past.

The man with triangular eyes shivered, and when he looked down, he saw a crumpled ball of paper at his feet!

He rubbed his eyes, and after confirming he hadn't seen things, he looked up vigilantly to scan his surroundings.

Yet, after a full sweep, he found no trace of anyone.

It was as if the paper had been there all along.

He picked up the paper, unfolded it, and examined it carefully under the lamplight.

The man with thick eyebrows leaned in and read it word for word:

"The hideout of Black Bear Gang leader Cao Yan?"

He snatched the paper away and smoothed it out, only to discover a simple diagram drawn underneath.

"Cao Yan is just two rooms away from us?!" The man with thick eyebrows twitched his mouth. "Who pulled this prank?"

"Brother A-San, do you think it's possible? We've searched the nearby shops so many times, we could have found a fly if it were hiding there."

The man with triangular eyes looked thoughtful:

"It is true that we've searched many times, and we haven't even found a single fly from the Black Bear Gang."

The man with thick eyebrows scoffed:

"In my opinion, it's likely the Black Bear Gang sent someone to distract us!"

"If we blindly believe this and report it, wouldn't the gang leader hold us accountable?"

"Just throw it away!"

The man with thick eyebrows made a move to tear the paper to shreds.

The man with triangular eyes hurriedly stopped him:

"What are you doing! Whether it's true or not, how can we decide such a big matter on our own?"

"Let me teach you a trick: when you're unsure about something, don't make the decision yourself. Report it and let the gang leader decide; that way, he can't blame you."

The man with triangular eyes gave the man with thick eyebrows a deep look:

"These are ways to save your own skin. Learn them slowly."

There was one thing he didn't say.

What if... it was true?

Song Jin took the crumpled paper and stared at it for a few moments:

"Impossible."

The man with thick eyebrows felt an inexplicable sense of relief and was about to take the paper back to throw it away.

"Wait, you're saying someone threw this paper in without anyone noticing?" Song Jin asked, knitting his brows.

The man with triangular eyes nodded hurriedly in confirmation.

Song Jin muttered to himself:

"Then it must be a Bright Force expert. We really haven't had any luck searching the outskirts for the Black Bear Gang lately."

"Lurking right beside us fits Cao Yan's penchant for taking risks."

After a moment of contemplation, Song Jin made his decision.

Even if he wasn't sure if it was true, there were no better leads at the moment.

It was worth a try!

Even if it failed, there would be no extra losses.

"Call the brothers, grab your gear, and set off immediately. Don't let a word of this leak out!" Song Jin stood up and strode out with a commanding gait.

Black Bear Gang residence.

A-Liang was changing shifts with someone else, standing guard at the door.

He looked down at the moonlight shining through the gap in the door, but his mind was no longer on guarding; it had already drifted far away.

"Tomorrow, I'll wipe out the entire Li Family. What method should I use? Poison? No, poison is too conspicuous, and it's easy to leave traces behind. It wouldn't be easy to cover up..."

"What about assassination? Sneak in late at night, one punch per person, then set the shop on fire. No one could find any fault with that, and there are big shots who will clean up the mess for me afterward!"

The more A-Liang thought about it, the more excited he became, and the lingering trace of sleepiness was completely driven away.

That's it!

"What's that sound?!" A-Liang heard a sudden flurry of footsteps outside the door.

It had been exceptionally quiet just a moment ago, but now they were suddenly right at the door.

This meant the intruders had been waiting for a long time!

"Bang!"

The heavy wooden door was kicked to pieces, and wooden splinters flew everywhere.

Song Jin, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light, saw A-Liang's figure and a sinister grin spread across his lips:

"Finally found you!"

A-Liang's internal alarm bells rang wildly, his breath hitching in fear.

How could this be? How could they have tracked him down so suddenly?!

"Bang!"

Song Jin threw a fierce punch, slamming it straight into A-Liang's head, caving in his skull!

A-Liang's eyes widened, and he whimpered, trying to say something, but he could no longer speak.

He fell straight to the ground.

One-hit kill!

Shouts and cries of battle erupted suddenly as a large group of people swarmed in from the front door and the backyard.

Cao Yan's eyes were bloodshot:

"Who betrayed me!"

He looked at the shifty-eyed man beside him:

"It was you!"

The man waved his hands in terror:

"Boss, you're wronging me! It wasn't me, I only dared to think about it, I didn't dare to do it!"

Murderous intent flashed in Cao Yan's eyes, and with a crack, he snapped the man's neck!

In that very instant, two Bright Force practitioners along with several skilled fighters had already surrounded him.

Cao Yan spat:

"You bastards, you think you can stop me!"

Li Chuan lay in wait on the only road leading to the suburbs.

If Cao Yan didn't die today, he wouldn't be able to rest easy.

Even though he had used others to do his dirty work, Cao Yan was, after all, a veteran of Bright Force. Although he was injured, who knew how much strength he still had left?

He might just escape.

Li Chuan would not allow such a risk to exist.

If Cao Yan died, that would be for the best.

If he survived and managed to escape, Li Chuan would finish him off himself.

As time passed, the sounds of fighting in the distance attracted many officers, who began to surround the area one after another.

Li Chuan's heart rate gradually accelerated.

If Cao Yan was going to escape, it had to be now.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Cao Yan was coming!

His black clothes were stained into a blood-red suit, his left arm hung limp, and his steps were somewhat unsteady.

"Those sons of bitches are truly persistent, but luckily my fists are hard enough! Don't let me get away, or every single one of you will die!" Cao Yan spat out a mouthful of blood, his heart filled with malice.

Looking at the empty street ahead, and having dealt with the pursuers behind him, Cao Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

After a bloody battle, he had finally made it out.

He was safe!

As long as he escaped the city, there was still hope for everything!

Just then, Cao Yan suddenly noticed a dark shadow appear before him, blocking his path forward.

The shadow was masked, its features obscured in the dim moonlight.

Cao Yan offered a conciliatory smile:

"Which hero is this? Would you mind letting me pass?"

The shadow did not reply, instead hooking its feet into the ground and lunging forward with a sudden burst of speed.

In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Cao Yan!

Following the movement was a handful of quicklime!

Cao Yan reacted quickly, instinctively fanning his arms to blow the lime powder away.

However, his movements were sluggish due to his injuries, and some still managed to get into his eyes.

A searing, intense heat erupted in his pupils, forcing a loud cry from his throat.

"Ah!"

Just as his mouth opened, the shadow threw another handful of powder.

This time, he inhaled a mouthful!

The fiery, stinging sensation in his mouth nearly caused Cao Yan to lose his sanity.

"Despicable!" Cao Yan mobilized all the blood and qi in his body, throwing a punch in a fit of rage.

"Hm?!"

The sensation of the impact was completely wrong; it was nothing like fist meeting fist!

Through his blurred vision, Cao Yan saw that the shadow had actually pulled out a dagger to clash with his punch!

With that single strike, the dagger pierced into Cao Yan's palm, making him grimace in agony.

"I...!"

The shadow pressed forward, its right hand climbing upward like a venomous snake, aiming straight for Cao Yan's eyes.

If this strike landed true, Cao Yan would truly be beyond saving!

But he was a veteran of many battles, and he managed to react in the nick of time despite the desperate situation.

In a flash, Cao Yan crouched down, narrowly dodging the lethal blow.

Yet, to his surprise, the shadow suddenly shifted its technique, its two fingers plunging downward to clamp tightly onto his windpipe!

"This is... Through-Arm Fist?!"

Before he died, many thoughts raced through Cao Yan's mind.

He couldn't recall ever offending anyone from the Pine Wind Martial Hall.

He had always been cautious, never provoking those with connections or potential.

The only person he had any dealings with was that useless grandson of Li Nian!

Could it be him?

"Snap!" The shadow cleanly twisted Cao Yan's neck, not wasting a single word.

Immediately after, it rummaged through Cao Yan's belongings.

A cloth bag and a manual.

Once finished, the shadow stomped on Cao Yan's body a dozen times.

Only when he was reduced to a bloody pulp, unrecognizable, did the shadow vanish into the distance, as if it had never been there at all.