Bandits

It was as though Xia Lun had been plunged into the deep sea. Every sound around him rapidly faded away.

As Heightened Focus activated, Xia Lun's senses sharpened. The darkness receded, and vivid colors washed over the world once more.

The enemies nearby seemed to separate from their surroundings, every detail of them suddenly clear.

Xia Lun could see the malice and mockery beneath the woman's helpless expression, the human remains clutched under the hand pressed to her stomach. He could even see her muscles and skin shift as she walked.

Behind a crumbling wall, three bandits with crossbows stood outlined in blood-red light. Their faces—one amused, one greedy, one sneering—were just as clear to him.

Xia Lun's dark eyes swept over the faintly glowing structural weak points on their bodies. Their brains, spines, hearts, spleens, and kidneys were all marked. He could even see the weak points in the ruined stone house where the crossbowmen hid.

As his perception and skill with the sword continued to improve, identifying an enemy's structural weaknesses grew easier and easier.

"He has—a gun!"

In the bullet time brought on by Heightened Focus, the woman's voice seemed to stretch out. Her helpless expression slowly twisted into a snarl. She pushed off the ground and hurled the human remains at Xia Lun with all her strength, sending blood and spinning bones flying toward him!

Xia Lun pulled the trigger.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Muzzle flashes flared. Xia Lun's calm black eyes, the woman's snarling face, the crossbowmen's contracting pupils, and Renee's tightly pressed lips all seemed frozen in that instant.

Then the still image shattered.

The bullets tore through the spray of blood, and the woman's head exploded. Almost simultaneously, the brick wall burst apart. The loaded Heavy Crossbows shattered amid a spray of sparks.