Covering the Retreat

Climbing over the ruins of twisted sheet metal, his black trench coat fluttered faintly behind him in the wind.

Death's Revolver's energy charge kept rising. As the battle continued to intensify, this weapon forged from death grew ever stronger.

"Wake up. Don't fall asleep like this! Wake up, Glaz. An artist like you can't go down here." Zhuang Xiaolin shook Glaz by the shoulders. There was nowhere suitable nearby to treat him, and they had yet to escape danger.

Glaz was so weak that he could barely speak. No matter how many layers of ballistic plates he wore, he was helpless against close-range attacks.

Zhuang Xiaolin's left hand slowly clenched, icy killing intent erupting from his eyes.

Frost had laid traps along the path they had taken. Those traps could effectively hinder the Mafia members from closing in, but as their possible routes dwindled, the Mafia's advance grew faster and faster.

"We need to go. Rook, Montagne, and Mozzie sent us a message. They've secured a house two kilometers away. It's safe there for now." Seeing Zhuang Xiaolin clench his left fist while gripping Death's Revolver tightly in his right, Doc could not help reminding him.

"Give him another shot. Doc, help him to the front. Tachanka, stay close to him. Frost, take the middle. I'll cover your retreat," Zhuang Xiaolin ordered.

"Commander, this isn't wise." Doc wanted to persuade Zhuang Xiaolin to move to the middle or the front of the team. Taking the rear sounded easy, but getting away afterward was extremely difficult.

"Go. I'm your commander, after all. Besides, didn't you say they had no way to deal with me?" Zhuang Xiaolin bared his teeth in a smile.

Yet to everyone present, Zhuang Xiaolin's smile carried an unmistakable sense of rage. It was as though, once they had safely left, he would turn into an unrestrained beast and begin a mad slaughter.

After a moment of silence, Doc hoisted up the unconscious Glaz. Glaz was simply too heavy, so Doc could only drag him away slowly.

Frost stared at Zhuang Xiaolin for a long while without speaking. After setting down a bear trap, she followed Doc, looking back every few steps.

Tachanka was far more open-minded about it. In those days, there had been countless people with such resolve. Many had sacrificed themselves to cover their comrades' retreat. Even if they had not killed an enemy, even if they were only a tiny symbol in the casualty count, even if they would become weightless snow swept away by the tides of history, the fortress built by millions upon millions had defended their homeland.

Watching the four of them move away, Zhuang Xiaolin took a deep breath. Crimson energy spread from his body, and his pupils turned scarlet.

He unleashed all the power of Tal'darim Power. During the recent battles, Tal'darim Power had already advanced to LV3, which could only benefit his fighting ability.

The crimson energy of Tal'darim Power drifted through the surroundings.

"Quick! There are footprints here. They're here!" The voices of Mafia members came from the distance. Zhuang Xiaolin narrowed his eyes as Death's Revolver began to flicker in his hand.

When four or five men rushed out of the alley, one of them stepped on the bear trap on the ground. His lower body was instantly blown to pieces, followed by roaring flames.

The narrow alley could not accommodate too many charging men. They could only crowd together as the flames scorched them, letting out heart-wrenching wails.

Zhuang Xiaolin watched it all indifferently, because the enemies to come would outnumber these by dozens of times.

Just as expected, more and more enemies gathered around him. They did not attack Zhuang Xiaolin immediately, instead slowly closing in and surrounding him.

"Outsider, before you laid hands on the Mafia, you should have considered Siracusa's unity." A man in a suit and black top hat stepped out of the crowd, looking at Zhuang Xiaolin with disdain.

"Still, I must admit that you are the most capable gunslinger I've seen on Terra." The suited man took several steps forward as he spoke.

"What are you trying to say?" Zhuang Xiaolin watched his performance expressionlessly.

"I'm saying you have only two choices: join us, or... die." The moment the suited man finished speaking, numerous crossbowmen appeared on every standing platform amid the surrounding ruins. More Mafia members wielding blades flooded the already narrow road as well.

Like a tide, they slowly advanced toward Zhuang Xiaolin. The top-hatted man remained where he was, unmoving, quietly awaiting Zhuang Xiaolin's reply.

"I might be a good man, or a bad man, but... I'm definitely not a petty man." Zhuang Xiaolin took a cigarette from his trench coat pocket, lit it, and took a drag.

"A lot of people say that, but they act for nothing more than their own interests." The top-hatted man looked at Zhuang Xiaolin with a sneer.

"Oh? Then you're about to meet an exception." Zhuang Xiaolin took a deep drag. He had not originally been a smoker; he had quit the habit in middle age. But as time went on, frustration lingered in his heart, and only a cigarette from his youth could ease that burden, if only a little.

"What?" The top-hatted man was puzzled by what Zhuang Xiaolin meant, but he understood the next instant.

Crimson energy spread outward. Before anyone could react, the blood-red pistol began firing energy bullets one after another at a terrifying rate.

The dense mass of crossbowmen on the ruined platforms were all blasted away by the blood-red energy in that barrage, their internal organs torn apart by the tremendous impact.

Some of the crossbowmen on the platforms toppled forward and fell straight to the ground near Zhuang Xiaolin.

Zhuang Xiaolin did not stop. Death's Revolver continued firing from his hip, while Eye of Death, empowered by Tal'darim Power, exerted its full effect.

Energy bullets pierced one enemy's vital spot after another before dealing area damage, unleashing powerful shockwaves against nearby enemies and blasting their internal organs to pieces.

Enemy after enemy became lambs awaiting slaughter before the crimson energy bullets. The denser the crowd, the greater the bullets' power.

Seeing this, the top-hatted man hurriedly retreated. At the same time, squad after squad emerged once again on the cleared ruined platforms. They held Originium staves, and some even set up massive crossbows.

Zhuang Xiaolin sensed trouble and quickly bent down, darting to the left. A huge crossbow bolt pierced the ground and drove straight down.

All kinds of Originium Arts came at Zhuang Xiaolin like bamboo shoots after rain.

Zhuang Xiaolin dodged awkwardly. Though streams of crimson energy floated toward him from the corpses, under suppression from such dense firepower, he could not mount any effective counterattack.

As Zhuang Xiaolin kept dodging, more and more Mafia members gathered nearby. The number of people on the ruined platforms grew exponentially as well. More and more casters climbed onto those platforms and began suppressing Zhuang Xiaolin from above, while the Mafia members on the ground slowly closed in on him.

Just as Zhuang Xiaolin's situation became increasingly dire, a beautiful blue-haired figure appeared nearby. In a single exchange, she slaughtered every caster and massive crossbowman on the ruins.

"You all right? We meet again." Chen ignored the gazes of the surrounding Mafia members and jumped directly down from the platforms, landing near Zhuang Xiaolin.

"Welcome, Chen. I've been waiting for you so desperately." Zhuang Xiaolin spoke with a miserable expression, but inwardly, he was ecstatic.

With Chen's help, no matter how many Mafia members there were, they could be wiped out.