Smell Never Lies

"Nine."

"Eight."

"Seven."

The masked woman looked at the staff-wielding man.

The dagger-wielding man looked at him as well.

A brief, silent exchange passed between the four of them.

Gan Ming did not miss a single subtle movement from any of them.

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

The staff-wielding man raised his right hand.

"Fine!"

His voice drowned out the "three" that Gan Ming was about to say.

"No need to keep counting, brother." The staff-wielding man spread his hands at Gan Ming. "We'll leave. Sorry for disturbing you."

He turned and tilted his head at the other three.

"Let's go. This brother is cautious and doesn't like being watched. There's no need to start a conflict over this."

The dagger-wielding man clicked his tongue, pressed his tongue against his cheek, and spat on the ground.

"Ungrateful bastard."

He released the hilt of his dagger, turned, and walked away.

The masked woman glared at Gan Ming as well before turning to follow.

The dual-sword wielder was the last to leave.

He released the hilts of his swords without saying anything.

Gan Ming did not move at all.

He watched the four figures disappear into the ruins to the northwest.

Gan Ming kept his gaze fixed in the direction they had left, still unmoving.

Within the perception range of [Beast Scent +8].

The warm scents of four living humans were gradually fading.

But they had not disappeared.

Gan Ming withdrew his gaze and turned toward the Elite Giant Scorpion before him.

Carapace Regeneration was still at work.

A fresh layer of hardened shell had already formed along the edges of the deepest gashes in its abdomen.

But he was in no hurry to attack.

It was not because he looked down on the Scorpion.

It was because the scents of those four people were still drifting over intermittently.

At the other end of the ruins.

Behind a collapsed building more than two hundred meters away from Gan Ming, the four stopped.

The staff-wielding man leaned against a broken wall and looked at the dagger-wielding man.

"Get ready to move. We can't let him have that Elite Scorpion."

The dagger-wielding man spat onto the ground, his face full of irritation.

"You should've said so earlier! We should've gone straight at him. I took all that crap for nothing, and that poor bastard even pointed a sword in my face."

He touched the dagger at his waist, his expression dark.

"Old Li, tell me. If I hit him with a Backstab, can I kill him outright?"

Old Li, the staff-wielding man, shook his head.

"Not sure. That's why you have to test him first."

The dagger-wielding man impatiently waved a hand.

"Fine, fine. I'll go over now. Watch me kill him in three moves. Then you can come collect the body."

"Wait!"

Old Li suddenly stopped him.

"Xiao Jing, you absolutely cannot let your guard down."

"That guy may be dressed in rags, but he managed to sever the tail of a level fifteen Elite Giant Scorpion by himself with a green-quality shortsword."

Xiao Jing had just opened his mouth when Old Li raised a hand to cut him off.

"Shut up and listen to me."

"That means he definitely has some trump card we don't know about."

"My guess is that it's most likely a talent. In any case, he's definitely not as simple as he looks."

"Once you get over there, your first strike must hit a vital point. If the first strike doesn't take him out, disengage immediately. Don't get drawn into a fight."

"Got it?"

This time, Xiao Jing dropped his playful grin and nodded.

"Don't worry, Old Li. Shadowmeld, Shadowstep, and Backstab—link all three together, and even a heavy-armored warrior at the same level won't be able to take it. Let alone that kid in that shabby leather armor."

He drew the dagger in his right hand and spun it once.

"It'll only take one strike."

Old Li watched the supremely confident Xiao Jing and sighed softly.

He turned to the dual-sword wielder and the masked woman.

"Old Wang, Xiao Tong."

The two looked over at the same time.

"The three of us will circle around behind those buildings on the eastern side."

"Once Xiao Jing succeeds, we'll move up and finish things."

"If he can't take him down in one strike... we'll support him at any time."

Old Wang, the dual-sword wielder, nodded first, then looked at Xiao Jing.

"Xiao Jing, when you activate Shadowmeld, I'll count silently. Don't make your move until I reach three hundred."

"Three hundred?" Xiao Jing frowned. "Do we need that long?"

"We do."

Old Wang said with a grave expression.

"You need to sneak over from two hundred meters away, and we'll need time to get into position. Five minutes is just right."

"When I reach three hundred, the three of us will have just circled to a point fifty meters east of him. The timing will line up."

After thinking it over, Xiao Jing nodded again.

"All right. I'll head over now."

He gripped his dagger in both hands.

Shadowmeld!

Whoosh!

Xiao Jing's figure rapidly turned transparent before the other three.

Half a second later, that spot was completely empty.

But Xiao Jing's voice remained.

"One."

Old Wang responded, "Two."

Then the four of them said nothing more.

An invisible figure silently left the broken wall.

Old Li signaled to Old Wang and Xiao Tong.

The three crouched low and circled behind the ruins of the buildings to the east.

Beside the Elite Scorpion.

Gan Ming stood where he was, gripping the Steel-Edge Sword tightly.

The looks in those four people's eyes still appeared clearly before him.

Especially the masked woman and the dagger-wielding man.

The former had looked at the Elite Scorpion with greed.

The latter had looked at him with contempt.

A group of people circling a dying fat sheep.

Saying, "We mean no harm."

While their feet automatically formed a combat formation.

How was that any different from the thugs in the Lower District who collected protection money?

The only difference was that those thugs carried iron clubs.

This bunch carried weapons.

Gan Ming recalled the Soul-Stealing Panels of the four people from earlier.

If I were that staff-wielding man, how would I arrange this?

The answer was simple.

Have the dagger-wielding man sneak over first.

While he was fighting the Elite Scorpion, stab a Backstab straight into his heart from behind.

If it succeeded, he would be dead or crippled.

Clean and efficient.

Gan Ming looked at the Elite Scorpion's slowly healing carapace and snorted inwardly.

"Come on."

"I'm waiting right here."

Thirty seconds passed.

Within the perception range of Beast Scent +8, the four human scents that had been moving farther away had faded to the point of nearly vanishing.

But a few seconds later.

A fresh living human scent entered Gan Ming's nostrils from the northwest.

The distance was roughly... over forty meters.

Gan Ming's expression did not change as he took a deep breath.

Hmm?

Only one scent?

And it smelled familiar.

If he had come alone, it should be the dagger-wielding man.

Without drawing attention to himself, Gan Ming turned his head and scanned the direction the scent was coming from.

Rubble piles, broken walls, half-collapsed floor slabs—there was no one there.

But his sense of smell would not be wrong.

That scent was getting closer, meter by meter.

Thirty-five meters.

Thirty meters.

Gan Ming withdrew his gaze, turned toward the Elite Scorpion, and clenched the sword hilt in his right hand.

So it really was that guy.

Thirty meters away from Gan Ming.

Xiao Jing held his dagger and crept forward alongside a fallen concrete pipe.

Under Shadowmeld, his body was completely transparent.

It was not merely visual invisibility; even his scent and sounds were greatly suppressed.

This was his innate talent, [Shadowmeld].

In this state, unless the opponent possessed a specific anti-stealth skill, it was impossible for them to discover him.

He was very confident.

When he counted to one hundred and sixty-three, Xiao Jing stopped.

He looked at the figure thirty meters ahead, its back facing him.

This thing that had crawled out of a garbage heap actually dared point a sword in his face?

I'll use your head as a chamber pot later.

Xiao Jing continued forward.

Once he reached thirty meters, he could activate Shadowstep.

He could directly...

But at that moment.

The figure ahead suddenly turned around.

Its gaze looked straight over.

Right in his direction.