Destruction!

Orange-red flames drifted on the wind like falling petals. Hot gusts carried glowing embers across the wild men's deformed, diseased faces.

Amid the flickering firelight, Xia Lun looked ahead. From the shadows of the streets and alleys, faces stared back at him—some hungry, some numb, some full of hate.

The crackle of burning wicker grew harsher, the air hotter, the atmosphere more oppressive. In the shifting light, the wild men's eyes glinted like wolves testing their prey. The white salt crusting their faces looked more grotesque with every flicker.

Suddenly, one wild man took the first step forward, into the firelight.

Bang!

A gunshot cracked. The wild man's skull burst, spraying blood behind him. But the shot was like a signal flare. The pent-up frenzy exploded, and the deathly silent city erupted in noise!

The headless corpse flew backward as a dozen wild men charged, howling like a white flood.

The leader wore an antler ornament, his bulging eyes as ghastly as a demon's. Another shot rang out. The bullet struck in an instant, scattering brain matter and bone. His spinning corpse plowed into those behind him like a millstone, knocking a whole group off their feet.

Amid the dazzling, scorching muzzle flash, a cold, muted blade came silently forward.

Xia Lun lowered his stance and lunged. He shifted his grip, and the blade flashed in an arc of firelight, silently slicing through a one-eyed wild man's throat.

Squelch!

Blood sprayed. The blade carried on through the wrist of a female wild man beside him. She shrieked and spread her arms to tackle Xia Lun, but his sword abruptly turned and plunged into her jaw!

With a flick of his wrist, the sword point punched out through the top of her head, carrying brain matter with it.

His fingers tightened