Kill!

The killing intent in his heart made Qin Ran stop hesitating.

However, when he reached the warehouse door and pushed open the creaking metal gate, Qin Ran's expression changed at once. A domineering, arrogant look similar to that of the armed thugs appeared on his face.

"What now? Damn it, why am I the one guarding this place again today? Those bastards get to drink, play cards, and sleep? This is already the third time this week!"

The grating noise drew an armed thug out from a room to the side of the warehouse entrance. He kept muttering under his breath as he walked over.

When he clearly saw that Qin Ran was a stranger, he immediately raised his gun warily.

"Who are you?"

The armed thug asked.

"Hey, buddy, I'm one of us! Delai introduced me, and Boss Hook already agreed!"

Qin Ran raised both hands to show that he meant no harm.

At the same time, he gave the name of the armed thug they had captured earlier, along with the leader's name.

Qin Ran named two people in succession, causing the armed thug before him to relax slightly. However, he still did not lower his gun.

"Delai introduced you? Then why didn't he come in with you?"

The man asked.

"Don't you know about Delai's and Boss Hook's mission?"

Qin Ran looked at the armed thug before him with a puzzled expression.

"Of course I know! Delai went with Boss Hook to find that pair of bastards who dared offend us! If I weren't stuck guarding this place, I'd be taking part in this mission too!"

Perhaps feeling that Qin Ran had looked down on him, this low-ranking thug craned his neck and began boasting.

"Is that so?"

A hint of doubt appeared on Qin Ran's face. The armed thug grew irritated, but Qin Ran's next words completely drew his attention.

"That's right! That bitch and bastard deserve to die! But the man's already dead, and only the woman is left... She's been brought back now! Everyone's lining up!"

As he spoke, Qin Ran wore an expression that said he understood.

"Really?!"

The armed thug's eyes lit up.

"Of course it's true! Boss Hook sent me down to find Brother Dart and bring him up!"

Qin Ran lied through his teeth.

Yet the armed thug before him believed him more and more.

After all, Brother Dart was also a trusted subordinate of "Jackal" Hook!

If "Jackal" Hook had not believed that the people he brought were enough to deal with Qin Ran and Colin, those two would certainly have been part of the earlier group of thugs.

"Hey, buddy, can I go find Brother Dart now?"

Qin Ran asked as he watched the changes in the man's expression.

He already knew what the answer would be.

According to the captured thug, although "Vulture" traded the women he had seized to the rebels, he valued those women greatly.

Other than "Vulture" himself and "Jackal" Hook, only a few capable subordinates could receive such rewards.

Someone like the thug before him, who held no status even among the armed thugs, naturally could not even dream of touching them.

Of course, there were exceptions!

Women who were not considered "goods."

Clearly, Colin, who had helped kill two of "Vulture's" men, was one of them.

Thus, everything went without saying.

"Go on! Go on!"

The armed thug waved him away repeatedly, paying Qin Ran no more attention. His eyes stared hungrily beyond the warehouse door, and his body even began moving outside on its own.

The desire rising in his heart had long made the armed thug forget everything else.

He did not realize something was wrong until a powerful hand covered his mouth!

However,

It was already too late!

The dagger's sharp edge slit open his throat!

As his life rapidly drained away, he could do nothing.

[Thrust: Vital attack, dealt 100 damage to the opponent's Health (50 Cold Weapons (Dagger) X2). Opponent dead...]

Qin Ran swiftly dragged the corpse into the room the thug had come from.

Other than a chair, there was nothing in the room.

In truth, the place serving as the final line of defense for the entire Lair was this crude.

After tossing the corpse onto the chair, Qin Ran carefully checked his clothes. Only after confirming that no blood had splashed onto them did he walk deeper into the warehouse.

Qin Ran walked at an unhurried pace, ignoring the clamor of the armed thugs coming from the rooms to the side and the roar of the diesel generator before him. He focused all his attention on the far end of the warehouse.

"Vulture" was in the room at the end of the warehouse.

He was Qin Ran's ultimate target on this trip!

As long as he killed him, the tree would fall and the monkeys would scatter. No matter how many armed thugs remained, without sufficient supplies to sustain themselves, they would amount to nothing.

As for one of the remaining armed thugs taking over "Vulture's" business?

Not to mention that "Vulture" would never reveal secrets tied to his own status, wealth, and life to his subordinates, the greed among the armed thugs for such an opportunity to rise in one leap and become the boss would be enough to trigger an internal struggle.

After dealing with the armed thugs and experiencing their disregard for life, arrogance, and hollow conceit, Qin Ran firmly believed in his own judgment.

Therefore, "Vulture" had to die!

Not merely to eliminate future trouble, but because he would affect Qin Ran's final evaluation and rewards.

At the end of the warehouse.

Unlike the rooms originally located on either side of the corridor, there was only one room here, directly facing the warehouse gate. From the outside, it looked no different from the rooms along the corridor, but its interior was several times larger than the surrounding rooms. After it became "Vulture's" bedroom, more than eighty percent of the entire Lair's supplies had been stockpiled inside.

Moreover, according to the captured thug, "Vulture" was an extremely suspicious and possessive man.

That was because "Vulture's" room contained not only abundant supplies, but also firearms and special "goods"!

Qin Ran stood before the door, held his breath, and listened carefully.

However, the room was well soundproofed, and he heard nothing.

Knock, knock knock!

After confirming that he could obtain no information from outside, Qin Ran rhythmically knocked on the door with his left hand while tightly gripping the dagger in his right.

"Who is it!"

A shrill, impatient voice rang out.

"Boss Vulture, Boss Hook is back!"

Qin Ran followed the plan and deceived him.

Faced with such a lie, "Vulture" did not doubt him in the slightest.

Because he had confidence in Hook, his capable subordinate, and confidence in the three layers of defense he had arranged!

Or perhaps he believed his own reputation was enough to intimidate everyone!

The next moment, "Vulture" opened the door directly.

A tall, skinny man wearing nothing but what looked like beach shorts and baring his upper body appeared before Qin Ran. His cheeks were gaunt, his eye sockets deeply sunken, the tip of his nose slightly hooked, and his hair sparse enough to reveal his scalp. Standing there, he looked exactly like a living vulture at first glance.

After looking around and discovering that Qin Ran was alone, he stared at him and asked, "Where's Hook? What about that damned pair?"

"The man's dead! The woman was brought back and is upstairs with Boss Hook..."

As he spoke, a smile that only men understood appeared on Qin Ran's face.

At the same time, Qin Ran discreetly sized up the infamous "Vulture," whose name was known among both survivors and thugs.

He was nowhere near as strong as Qin Ran had imagined!

His bare upper body was so thin that every rib was plainly visible. His two withered arms had barely any flesh beneath the skin—if the captive had not described "Vulture's" appearance, and Colin had not described him in detail as well, Qin Ran would never have believed that the man before him was "Vulture." He would only have taken him for an addict.

"That Hook!"

Hearing Qin Ran's description, "Vulture" grinned, revealing blackened teeth.

He did not care in the slightest about what Hook had done. He only cared whether Hook had completed the mission and restored his reputation.

"He did well. I'll reward him properly!"

After leaving those words behind, "Vulture" prepared to close the door.

As for Qin Ran?

Although he looked somewhat unfamiliar, "Vulture" had recently accepted a group of new recruits, so he did not pay much attention to it.

More importantly, "Vulture" simply did not believe that a stranger could break into his impregnable Lair.

So when Qin Ran raised the right hand he had kept behind his back and drove the dagger into his throat, "Vulture" did not even have time to react.

"Urgh!"

Clutching the dagger embedded in his throat, "Vulture" staggered backward, moving away from the doorway. Qin Ran took the opportunity to enter the room, pressed his left hand against the door, and gently shut it.

Bang!

The instant Qin Ran closed the door, "Vulture" collapsed to the floor.

His widened eyes were still filled with shock, and his face was utterly disbelieving.

Until his death, "Vulture" did not understand why Qin Ran had attacked him.

He did not even know that Qin Ran was one of the targets he had ordered killed.

[Thrust: Vital attack, dealt 100 damage to the opponent's Health (50 Cold Weapons (Dagger) X2). Opponent dead...]

Splat!

Qin Ran bent down, pulled out the dagger, and avoided the spray of blood.

Then, he looked around the room.

The first thing that caught his eye was a large bed. On it, a girl whose limbs were bound and whose mouth was gagged stared at him with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, I mean no harm!"

Faced with the girl's glare, Qin Ran instinctively explained.

However, before Qin Ran could say anything more, a ringing phone completely drew his attention.

Ring, ring ring!

Following the sound, Qin Ran saw a somewhat old-fashioned but exceptionally sturdy-looking phone.

It was on the bedside table.

Qin Ran walked over and picked up the phone.

The white screen displayed the caller: Major!