Gang Shootout

"This is nice. Much more comfortable than that frozen tundra in Ursus." Zhuang Xiaolin strolled through the slums, carefully observing everything around him.

"You've been to Ursus too?" Exusiai asked curiously.

"Not really. I only remember that I was close to dying at the time." Zhuang Xiaolin spoke reminiscently. "It was my first time experiencing the feeling of being on the brink of death. That suffocating, hazy feeling was a first for me."

"Alright, you really are tough."

"Of course. People who aren't tough can't survive this long," Zhuang Xiaolin said leisurely.

Texas walked in front the entire time without making a sound, as though she had entered a different state.

Exusiai seemed accustomed to it. She followed behind Texas casually, chatting on and off with Zhuang Xiaolin.

"We've got trouble."

"That much is obvious."

Texas spoke from up ahead, and Exusiai responded as she pulled out a weapon resembling a Vector submachine gun from who knew where.

"I'll handle the rear." Zhuang Xiaolin adjusted his hat, a faint killing intent showing in his eyes.

Rustling sounds came from the surrounding houses. Shadow after shadow pressed close behind the walls indoors, peeking through cracks at the three people standing in the middle of the slum street.

Before they knew it, people had also climbed onto the rooftops. They wore suits, each carrying a similarly styled weapon.

The mafia's retaliation had arrived.

[Tip: It is recommended to listen to the BGM "American Venom" for the following scene.]

The wind blew softly, sweeping up grit from the roadside.

Exusiai's gun was already adjusted and ready, prepared to deliver a fierce counterattack from any angle at any moment.

Killing was forbidden in Lungmen, but that only applied to ordinary people. Outside the city center and the core areas under the Lungmen Guard Department's jurisdiction, deaths could occur one after another in dark alleys and corners beyond their sight.

Zhuang Xiaolin tilted his head slightly and looked behind him.

The road they had come from was already packed with people. Suited men armed with crossbows, blades, and swords formed a circle at the alley entrance, sealing off every route of escape for Zhuang Xiaolin and the others.

The atmosphere became incredibly tense. Scorching sunlight spilled onto the ground, stretching everyone's shadows long and thin.

"Ding dong, ding dong—!" Accompanied by the ringing of some distant bell, the scene was instantly ignited.

"Bang bang bang—!"

"Whoosh—!"

Zhuang Xiaolin struck first. His pupils abruptly turned crimson, and everything around him seemed frozen in time through his eyes. Figure after figure lay exposed before him. Empowered by the Eye of Death, Death's Revolver rapidly fired one blood-red bullet after another.

Before the mafia members behind them could react, a hole had already been punched through their heads. Then came Death's Revolver's additional effect. After someone's brain was pierced, a pale crimson shockwave spread from their body, blasting nearby companions away. Some were even hurled onto sharp objects and impaled straight through.

After Zhuang Xiaolin made the first move, Exusiai and Texas began moving as well. Only then did the enemies react, pulling their triggers one after another.

Sharp flashes of cold light shot toward the spot occupied by the three of them from the rooftops, street corners, and every direction along the road. But by the time those flashes reached their target, all that remained was a ruined street. The three had already vanished.

Exusiai leaped onto a rooftop, her gun constantly spitting fire. The "rat-a-tat-tat—!" of gunfire rang without end as the dense cluster of rooftop shooters was instantly pierced by bullet after bullet, their bodies collapsing to the ground unconscious.

Since they were in the ungoverned slums of the Lungmen Outer Ring, Exusiai had not loaded her weapon with rubber bullets as usual. Instead, she used cheap ordinary rounds. Using those expensive Originium bullets on this bunch of trash would have been far too wasteful.

Texas lowered herself and lunged forward like a wolf, cutting down three mafia members in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, some mafia members hurriedly swung their swords at Texas. Yet in an instant, Texas counterattacked. Their sharp blades not only missed Texas by a hair, but a light sword also pierced straight through their chests.

Zhuang Xiaolin charged forward at high speed, never stopping his shooting. Mafia members surged toward him endlessly from behind. As he dodged, he used Death's Revolver to kill the enemies before him.

Because of Death's Revolver's characteristics, facing such clustered enemies was instead Zhuang Xiaolin's home ground. Every person he killed emitted a pale crimson shockwave from the center of their body, blasting nearby companions away. Those with weaker constitutions could even be shaken to death on the spot by the unceasing waves.

"Bang bang—!" After firing two more shots, a flash of cold light flew toward Zhuang Xiaolin's body from the side. He calmly twisted aside to evade it, then casually fired another shot at an enemy on the rooftop to his side.

"Damn it, are they monsters?!" Some mafia members positioned farther away could not help showing terrified expressions when they saw the hellish slaughter before them.

"Quick! Bring out the heavy weapon! Where are the caster operators? Use Arts and kill them!!" Some began shouting. What they called a heavy weapon was slowly pushed out from behind the street—a massive crossbow.

Zhuang Xiaolin frowned, realizing things were not so simple.

There were explosives on the giant crossbow's bolt!

After taking a closer look, Zhuang Xiaolin reacted swiftly, but he was still one step too late.

"Bang bang bang—!" Three consecutive shots killed the mafia members operating the giant crossbow. However, one mafia member whose head had been pierced stubbornly pulled the trigger before slowly collapsing.

"Whoosh—!" The arrow streaked past Zhuang Xiaolin at a terrifying speed, kicking up a fierce gust that left him a little disheveled.

So fast!

Zhuang Xiaolin marveled inwardly as he closed his eyes once more, took a deep breath, and opened them again. His pupils had once again turned crimson.

Death's Revolver began gathering power in Zhuang Xiaolin's hand. More and more crimson energy drifted from the corpses toward him, then flowed through his body into Death's Revolver.

The two eye-like clusters of energy on Death's Revolver grew increasingly distinct. The eyes formed by that energy vaguely resembled a pair of fierce wolf eyes.

As it charged, the world before Zhuang Xiaolin seemed frozen in time. No matter how fast the giant crossbow's bolt was, beneath the Eye of Death's gaze, it was incomparably slow.

Zhuang Xiaolin turned even faster than the arrow flew.

"Bang—!" Zhuang Xiaolin slowly pulled the trigger, and Death's Revolver let out a firing sound like a roar.

Crimson energy gathered into a single point at the muzzle, then shot forth like a meteor, piercing directly through the massive arrow. It severed the arrowhead from the shaft and sliced apart the explosives that were about to ignite.

Because it had been suddenly cut apart, the arrow veered away from its original trajectory. Yet due to inertia, its two pieces continued flying in different directions.

The arrowhead carrying the explosives flew toward a house that still had lights on.

Before a tragedy could occur, another gunshot rang out. The explosives on the arrowhead were pierced by a bullet, erupting in brilliant firelight in midair.

Zhuang Xiaolin drew his gun again, glaring fiercely at the mafia figure in the distance who seemed to be the commander, and pulled the trigger hard.

The commander did not even have time to react before a meteor-like streak pierced through his body, causing him to explode where he stood.

"Bang bang bang—!" Zhuang Xiaolin held Death's Revolver at his waist and pulled the trigger dozens of times in succession. The mafia reinforcements in the distance, who had been preparing to fill the gaps in the front line, were instantly wiped out.

Even their so-called casters were shot in the head before they could use their abilities.

After checking once more with the Eye of Death, Zhuang Xiaolin returned his gun to its holster. He then calmly turned around and adjusted his hat. Not a speck of dust stained him, while behind him lay bodies of enemies in every direction.

On the other side, Texas and Exusiai worked together flawlessly. The enemies ahead were no match for them at all. With a single rain of swords, Texas could take dozens of lives in an instant.

Exusiai, meanwhile, continuously provided fire support, firmly suppressing large groups of ranged enemies on the rooftops.

At the same time Zhuang Xiaolin finished his side, Exusiai and Texas had just taken down their final opponent.

Exusiai and Texas looked in shock at the black figure standing alone in the middle of the street.

An aura of overwhelming dominance radiated from Zhuang Xiaolin. It was a bearing no ordinary person could possess.

[Death's Revolver LV4 (3500/120000)]

[Eye of Death LV4 (5000/120000)]

When Zhuang Xiaolin turned around, the system panel appeared before him. Killing human enemies granted more experience to the Eye of Death and Death's Revolver.

Zhuang Xiaolin was not a cold and heartless person, yet he felt nothing at all about killing. It was not because his heart was exceptionally strong, but because Zhuang Xiaolin, who had witnessed partings in life and death as well as all kinds of conflict, had already matured several times over.

Real war was even more brutal than this. Having personally experienced war, Zhuang Xiaolin understood that deeply. That was also why, even after climbing to the dream position of a corporate drone, he had retained some basic command ability and shooting skills.

Exusiai and Texas returned to the street. The package on Exusiai's back was not damaged in the slightest, and Texas was likewise completely unharmed. To these people, the three of them were monsters.

This was not a gang shootout at all. It was a massacre.

But who had caused it? They had only themselves to blame.

The Lungmen Guard Department would probably arrive soon. After Exusiai and Texas gave Zhuang Xiaolin a deep look, they continued toward their destination. Zhuang Xiaolin said nothing and followed them.

The blood from the corpses gathered into a river. Suit after suit of black and white had ultimately become mourning clothes for the dead lying in pools of blood.

The onlookers and informants scattered like frightened birds and beasts. One rumor after another would spread throughout the city of Lungmen.