The Reason Why

Lin Yun had no strength left. Bracing himself on his knees, he gulped down breaths, his gaze passing over the insect corpses carpeting the floor to the battlefield on the other side of the hall.

The Spider Queen's massive body lay crookedly on the ground, its abdomen split open by a huge gash. Dark-green bodily fluid had spilled everywhere, and the light had long faded from its eight compound eyes.

Black Brother lay motionless in a pool of blood beside the Spider Queen's corpse.

Without the Spider King and Spider Queen to command them, the Shadow Spider swarm instantly became a disorganized rabble.

The insects that had once charged fearlessly stopped attacking one after another, letting out thin, grating hisses as they scrambled to burrow into the underground passages and cracks in the ceiling. In only moments, the hall was left with nothing but insect corpses and a pungent stench. Not a single standing Shadow Spider remained.

Lin Yun's heart tightened. Ignoring the ache throughout his body, he dragged his heavy legs and rushed over.

Only when he drew close did he see that Black Brother's injuries were even worse than he had imagined.

His entire right arm had been cleanly severed at the shoulder. The wound was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, crimson soaking half his body. Even his heavy-backed saber had fallen to one side.

His chest rose and fell faintly, his face white as paper. Only his eyes remained barely open, his breath as thin as a thread.

"Black Brother."

Lin Yun dropped to one knee and reached out to support him, but feared disturbing his wounds. He hurriedly fumbled through his backpack for a healing potion.

"Don't... don't waste it."

Black Brother shook his head with difficulty, his voice so hoarse it was nearly inaudible.

"Second over-limit... no surviving that."

Lin Yun's movements abruptly froze, as though something had smashed brutally into his heart.

Second over-limit.

He knew what that meant.

The first over-limit at the Martial Master realm damaged one's foundation. The second directly burned away one's lifespan. It was originally a method used only in desperate straits, practically a fight that ended in mutual destruction.

Combined with the excessive blood loss, not even third-tier spiritual medicine might be able to save Black Brother's life, much less ordinary first- or second-tier medicine.

Lin Yun's throat tightened, and his heart felt unbearably choked.

In a single night, Boss Chen had died. The bearded man had died. So many hunters he recognized had died.

Now, even Black Brother was going to die.

"Foolish kid, what are you so upset about?" Black Brother seemed to see through his thoughts. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a trace of his usual hearty smile. "When I set up a stronghold in this fallen zone, I never expected a good end. You all entered my stronghold. If I couldn't even protect you, how could I, Old Black, keep getting by?"

"Thank you," Lin Yun said quietly.

"I should be thanking you."

Black Brother gently shook his head. His gaze drifted toward the distant ceiling, as though he had remembered something, and his voice grew softer and softer.

"That matter with Ghost... I..."

Before he could finish, a relieved smile suddenly appeared on his lips. He closed his eyes, and his breath was gone.

Lin Yun stiffened where he was, his brows tightly furrowed.

Lin Yun remained frozen, staring at Black Brother's closed eyes as those words echoed over and over in his mind.

What was Black Brother thanking him for?

And what did it have to do with Ghost?

His lips moved, wanting to ask, but Black Brother would never answer again.

He knelt there, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he finally let out an extremely soft, hoarse exhale.

At that moment, faint footsteps sounded behind him.

The nine surviving hunters came over while supporting one another. Every one of them was wounded, their faces exhausted and pale.

They looked at Black Brother's corpse on the ground, then at Lin Yun standing nearby. Their eyes held confusion, along with a measure of dependence.

After a night of desperate battle and Black Brother's death, Lin Yun—who possessed the highest combat strength present and had led them to kill the Spider King—naturally became their pillar.

"Brother Lin, what... do we do now?" Skinny Monkey, one of Black Brother's underlings, asked.

Lin Yun gathered his thoughts and rose to his feet, walking over to the main doors.

He pressed his ear to the door and carefully listened to the sounds outside.

The scratching sounds and beast roars beyond the walls had become much sparser. Only a few scattered, faint noises remained, gradually retreating into the distance.

The simultaneous deaths of the second-tier Spider King and Spider Queen gave off enough deathly aura to intimidate the low-tier mutated beasts nearby. No mutated beast would dare approach this place for the time being.

"The mutated beasts outside have mostly scattered, and the Shadow Spider swarm has fled. We're safe for now."

Lin Yun turned to the others. "Take turns keeping watch. Wait until dawn before cleaning up the battlefield and gathering the bodies."

The hunters nodded repeatedly. No one objected.

Having gone through that desperate battle, no one dared let their guard down again.

Everyone found relatively clean corners to sit in, taking out healing potions to tend to their wounds. The hall was left with only the sound of suppressed breathing.

Facing the corpses of the bearded man and Old Guo, as well as the bodies of Boss Chen and the others wrapped in spider silk not far away, Lin Yun silently bowed.

Then he went up to the third floor alone.

Black Brother's final words had been too strange. Perhaps he could find an answer in his office.

The corridor was silent, with a faint lingering smell of smoke—the scent left behind by Black Brother and the others smoking.

The office door was unlocked and opened with a push. Lin Yun walked behind the desk and pulled open the largest drawer.

Inside lay a kraft-paper envelope and a yellowed photograph.

Black Brother looked much younger in the photograph. His face had not yet grown so much stubble, and he wore a brilliant smile.

Beside him stood a young woman with gentle features. She held a bouquet of wildflowers and was smiling as well.

The two stood on a flower-covered hillside. Under the sunlight, their wedding rings glittered brightly.

Beneath the photograph were several clearer pictures.

The same woman appeared in them, collapsed amid ruins with a black crossbow bolt embedded in the middle of her back.

Beside them was a stack of paper files, their pages worn fuzzy from being flipped through so often.

Lin Yun casually leafed through them. They were filled with investigation records regarding the assassination, every detail recorded without exception.

Lin Yun understood in an instant.

Black Brother's wife had been killed years ago by an arrow from the assassin Ghost's crossbow.

Black Brother had investigated Ghost all these years, but the latter had been too cunning and had never left any trace to seize upon.

No wonder Black Brother had saved him back then, and no wonder Black Brother had wanted only that crossbow.

The enemy Black Brother had investigated and searched for all this time had ultimately died by Lin Yun's hand.

That was why Black Brother had said he should thank him.

Remembering Black Brother's relieved smile before his death, perhaps the moment he learned his enemy was dead, he had already wished to go down and accompany his departed wife. Tonight, he had simply found a fitting way to die.

Lin Yun took a deep breath and carefully placed the photograph, the files, and a brass lighter Black Brother often used into the innermost compartment of his backpack.

Among the surviving hunters was one of Black Brother's underlings. He should know how to handle these things.

After finishing all that, Lin Yun walked to the window and gazed into the deep night beyond.

A faint sliver of pale light had already appeared on the horizon. Dawn was about to come.

But some people would not live to see daylight.

The pale dawn light on the horizon gradually took on a light golden hue. Morning rays slanted through the shattered glass windows into the hall, illuminating the insect corpses, dark-red bloodstains, and scattered weapons strewn across the floor with perfect clarity.

The stench in the air churned together with the smell of dust, making people's throats tighten.

When Lin Yun came down from the third floor, the surviving hunters had already barely pulled themselves together. They rested in twos and threes against the walls.

Their eyes were bloodshot, and their faces were still stained with unwashed dark-green insect fluid and dark-red blood. No one spoke. Only the sound of stifled breathing remained in the hall.

The moment Skinny Monkey saw Lin Yun appear at the stairway, he immediately came forward.

He had been Black Brother's most capable underling in life and had charged at the very front during last night's battle. Now, his left arm was wrapped in strips of cloth, his eyes reddened, yet he forced himself not to lose control.

"Brother Lin."

Lin Yun gave a slight nod, swept his gaze across the hall, and said, "Take two people to clean up the battlefield. Sort and count all mutated-beast materials by category, and record their quantities and grades. Move the bodies of the dead to the side hall first. Once everything is dealt with, choose a place and give them a proper burial."