Ice Silk Weaves a Net, Setting a Killing Array; Derivative Skills Show Their Clues

Deep within the limestone cave, the light was dim and murky. Only the water droplets falling from the stalactites above broke the surface of the stagnant pools, sending out ripples of fine, fragmented circles.

Mizuki Han crouched beside a puddle, his right hand slightly splayed. Wisps of cold air spilled from his fingertips, rapidly condensing into razor-thin threads of ice in the air. These ice threads were translucent; without careful observation, they were nearly indistinguishable from the damp rock walls.

His movements were incredibly slow and precise. He tied one end of an ice thread to the base of a stalactite, while the other end submerged into the murky water, connecting to a pre-buried Ice Shard anchor point.

This was no simple trap; it was a hunting ground that used the entire cave as its chessboard.

"Three inches to the left." Mizuki Han did not turn his head, his voice as cold and hard as ice.

Behind him, Haku knelt in the mud, her hands cupping a bundle of Explosive Tags scavenged from the corpses of Anbu ninjas. Her small face was smudged with dirt, and her once-clear eyes appeared somewhat vacant, yet her movements were exceptionally obedient. Upon hearing the command, she immediately placed the Explosive Tags into a hidden groove at the cave entrance, just as Han had instructed.

Every point Han laid out had been rigorously calculated. He utilized the refractive index of the stagnant water to hide the ice threads in the blind spots where light and shadow intersected. As long as someone stepped in, even the slightest touch would trigger a chain reaction.

[Detected that the host is setting up the "Ice Silk Killing Array." System danger assessment: Medium.]

[Two Chunin lives harvested consecutively; chakra pathways have achieved initial adaptation.]

[Mission Tip: Continue hunting to accumulate killing energy, which will unlock the derivative skill—"Cicada of Winter Silk."]

The cold, mechanical voice flashed through his mind, but Mizuki Han showed no sign of joy. He stood up, brushed the ice shavings from his hands, and scanned the area he had transformed into a "death trap."

Killing energy... He murmured in his heart, a temperatureless curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He did not reject this method of exchanging slaughter for power. In this cruel world shrouded in blood mist, so-called morality and bottom lines were merely lies woven by the weak to numb themselves. Only power was truly real.

He walked to the very edge of the cave, the trigger core of the trap. He held the final ice thread in his hand; with a single gentle pull, the entire trap would be fully activated.

"Han-gege, will they come?" Haku's voice was very soft, carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

Han did not look at her. His gaze was fixed on the cave entrance, a pitch-black passage.

"They will definitely come." Han's voice was steady and certain. "Because they are hunting dogs, and we are the 'stains' they must clear. When hunting dogs smell blood, they don't need bait; they will run over on their own."

He did not need to actively seek out the enemy; he only needed to stay here and wait quietly.

The cave fell into a deathly silence, save for the monotonous dripping of water, which sounded like a countdown to the coming slaughter.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Han's body remained in absolute stillness. He adjusted his breathing frequency, lowering his heart rate to the minimum, his entire presence seemingly merging with the surrounding rocks. This was a concealment technique he had mastered during his special forces training in his previous life, and combined with the low-temperature constitution brought by his Ice Release, it was extremely difficult for even sensory-type ninjas to detect his existence.

Suddenly, Mizuki Han's ears twitched slightly.

It was the sound of soles stepping on slippery rock—faint, yet rhythmic. It was not a rat, nor was it dripping water, but rather... human footsteps.

They were here.

He turned his head and gave Haku an extremely subtle hand signal. Haku quickly shrank into the shadows behind a stalactite, holding her breath, not daring to make a sound.

Han's figure likewise vanished into the shadows. He did not hide; instead, he waited like a spider perched on its web, waiting for the prey to throw itself into the trap.

The footsteps grew closer, accompanied by low conversation.

"This is Zone C-9. No abnormalities."

"Don't be careless. The last signal from those two missing Chunin was nearby. Search carefully. The higher-ups said we need to see the people if they're alive, or their corpses if they're dead."

Three black shadows emerged from the gloom of the passage.

They were three Anbu ninjas. They advanced in a triangular formation with cautious steps, their ninja swords glinting with a biting, cold light in the dim environment. Every movement had undergone strict tactical training; clearly, this was an experienced search team.

The lead Anbu ninja walked at the front, his sharp gaze sweeping over every corner of the cave. The moment he stepped into the cave, his pace suddenly faltered.

He looked down at the stagnant water beneath his feet; the ripples there seemed... somewhat unnatural.

"Wait." The lead Anbu ninja raised his hand abruptly, signaling the two behind him to stop.

He crouched down and extended a finger, intending to touch the pool of water.

The very instant his fingertip was less than three centimeters from the surface, Mizuki Han's right hand, hidden in the shadows, tightened sharply!

It was the terminal connected to countless ice threads.

Click.

An extremely faint, almost negligible crisp sound echoed beneath the lead Anbu ninja's feet.

It was the sound of an ice thread snapping, and the sound of the lock on the gate of death turning.

Before the Anbu ninja could react, countless bone-white glints erupted from beneath the calm water. The ice threads hidden at the bottom of the pool tightened instantly like awakened vipers, springing up to form an airtight web of death!

"Ambush!" The lead Anbu ninja's pupils constricted as he cried out, his body instinctively recoiling.

However, it was already too late.

The moment he retreated, a cold blue light suddenly ignited behind the stalactites at the top of the cave. It was an Ice Blade that had long been primed, carving a lethal arc through the air, aiming straight for his throat!

At the same time, behind the Anbu squad, the groove where Haku had placed the Explosive Tags erupted with a heart-stopping red glow.