Proactive Strike!

Everyone familiar with the Phoenix knew that the calmer she sounded when she was unhappy, the more furious she actually was inside.

What kind of feeling is that?

It's like agreeing to grow old together, but then one of you secretly dyes their hair.

In the Phoenix's eyes, Tang Fei's actions were far worse than dyeing hair.

Dyeing hair changes hair, but harvesting heads is about cultivation.

Deception!

Yes, this was blatant deception!

"Explain?" Tang Fei looked at the Phoenix, asking with a blank expression, "Explain what? Oh, you mean deliberately revealing your Qi Control Realm cultivation? I figured if I didn't say anything, they'd know anyway. Shouting it out just makes us seem uncultured and ignorant."

"."

"Then they'll underestimate us refugees from Old Earth," Tang Fei said with a sincere smile. "There wasn't any other intention, it was just to make our response a little easier."

"With your strength, delaying them for a moment shouldn't be a problem. Once we take care of that Shadowless, we can go help you deal with that Wufeng. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

"I'm not talking about that."

"Then what are you talking about?"

"Killing him," the Phoenix pointed at Shadowless, who lay on the ground with his eyes wide open, his expression a mask of indignant grievance as if he had died with regrets.

The Phoenix had been busy dealing with Wufeng and hadn't seen the specifics of their fight, but she saw the short arrow on Shadowless's neck and the powerful crossbow the Old Man had been holding earlier.

She empathized with Shadowless's feelings.

"Didn't you do the same thing, killing the enemy who attacked us with our own talent and strength?" Tang Fei retorted.

Although he was dealing with Shadowless, his eyes were constantly on the Phoenix fighting Wufeng.

If she were to be killed, all the resources she had promised would be gone, and their efforts would have been in vain.

He didn't do business at a loss.

Then, he personally witnessed the Phoenix deceive Wufeng with her clumsy acting before stabbing him through the chest with a spear.

He just couldn't understand why these newcomers from New Star were all so easily fooled.

Assassins?

Bah, they weren't even as smart as the Red-Eyed Rabbit they had just roasted. Even a cunning rabbit knows to have multiple escape routes and to wiggle its hindquarters when fleeing.

"I'm a cultivator, I told you that before," the Phoenix looked at Tang Fei and said, "But aren't you a refugee from Old Earth? Aren't you the unremarkable top hunter from the Hate Mountain District? Aren't you the closed-door disciple of the Barbecue Master?"

"I'm not the closed-door disciple of the Barbecue Master, I am the Barbecue Master. My barbecuing skills are self-taught, I never had a master," Tang Fei said.

"You know that's not what I mean." The Phoenix felt her chest swell.

Bloated!

Painful!

Tang Fei knew he couldn't get around it. He sighed softly and looked at the Phoenix, saying, "You also know, I'm a man with very little security."

"."

"So, I don't wash my face to hide my handsomeness. I don't tell you I'm a cultivator to conceal my strength," Tang Fei explained.

"Besides, we've only known each other for a short time, and we haven't established a foundation of mutual trust yet. And you're from New Star... What if you wanted to harm us? What if you wanted to coerce us into being your servants? So I had to keep a backup plan, so that when you tried to plot against us, I would have a means to resist and struggle."

"Tang Fei, I thought we were friends," the Phoenix felt very hurt.

"Friends? Of course, we're friends," Tang Fei said, not even batting an eye, his expression serious and earnest. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have shown you my true self."

"This is your true self?"

"Not entirely. You haven't seen the side of me that's talented, profound, low-key, and full of substance," Tang Fei said. "There's plenty of time in the future, you'll get to know me slowly. The most important thing now is to discuss our next steps."

The Phoenix's expression also turned serious. "Are you worried their companions will find us?"

"Yes," Tang Fei nodded. "It's a bit strange that they found your tracks but didn't notify their companions."

"..." This time, it was the Phoenix's turn to feel guilty.

She knew the reason, but she couldn't say it.

"However, if they could find us, their companions can find us too... So, we need to figure out our next move."

Tang Fei glanced towards the inner room. The Old Man was snatching the last chicken foot from Little Fatty. He said impatiently, "Are you two full? Once you're done eating, come out and work."

The Old Man, seizing the moment Little Fatty was distracted, snatched the chicken claw from his hand, popped it into his mouth, and chewed vigorously. "Coming."

He walked out from the inner room and looked at Tang Fei and the Phoenix. "Are you done arguing?"

"Arguing? We were just having a friendly discussion about some issues," Tang Fei said.

"It seems your feelings aren't quite there yet. When the feelings are right, women can't stand deception," the Old Man said, smacking his lips. "Never mind, let's discuss business. What do you two think?"

Tang Fei looked at the Phoenix, and the Phoenix looked back at Tang Fei.

Tang Fei knew she had no ideas, so he spoke up, "Quite a few people saw me when I brought her back. The name 'Shadowless Wufeng Combination' is really ominous. No wonder they disappeared without a trace so quickly."

Tang Fei couldn't help but complain about the name of the Shadowless Wufeng Combination, completely forgetting that he was the one who had given them that name.

Tang Fei looked at Phoenix and the Old Man and said, "If they can find us by questioning witnesses, their companions can do the same. Our small courtyard is too cramped to set up properly. Once they arrive, we'll be surrounded like dumplings in a pot. We'll end up wiped out."

"You mean lure them out?" the Old Man looked at Tang Fei, already understanding his idea.

"Yes," Tang Fei nodded. "Instead of hiding in this small courtyard waiting to be found and surrounded, why don't we actively escape into Hate Mountain? What is Hate Mountain? It's our backyard, our playground with Little Fatty."

"Who knows the treacherous waters and beast packs better than us? Who knows where to set traps better than us? Conversely, these assassins are from New Star. They look down on Old Earth and lack brains. If we lure them into Hate Mountain, it'll be like walking dogs, dealing with them one by one. What do you all think?"

"I'll listen to Big Brother," Little Fatty was the first to voice his opinion.

"Don't you have any ideas of your own? This is a discussion, a debate, not a dictatorship," the Old Man scolded, frustrated.

"No. Big Brother is smarter than me, and Big Brother is never wrong," Little Fatty said with a smile.

"I agree too," Phoenix nodded.

Although she felt the danger of actively exposing themselves by leaving the courtyard, just as Tang Fei said, taking the initiative was better than being surrounded.

If those people found their exact location, a single micro-bee bomb detonated precisely could blow them to smithereens.

Then, all eyes turned to the Old Man's face, waiting for him to share his thoughts.

"I agree," the Old Man stated decisively, even beginning to issue orders. "Everyone pack up, bring important items, and hide anything you can't take. Prepare to go to work."

.

So, the old guy didn't have any ideas either? Then what was the point of discussing?

"I'll go hide the meat," Little Fatty said worriedly.

He didn't have anything valuable. In his eyes, the most valuable things were the meats.

Tang Fei and Phoenix had hunted a lot of prey today, and he only brought out half a rabbit and a pheasant. The rest he had hidden away.

He was afraid that if they left the courtyard, the bad guys looking for them would steal the meat.

"Don't worry," Tang Fei said to comfort him. "These assassins from New Star, they won't eat our meat, fearing residual radiation."

"They're so picky," Little Fatty said with a look of reproach.

He couldn't help but grin again. Picky eaters were good; no one would steal his meat.

.

—

Mr. Shanhe surveyed the small courtyard before him, as well as the hastily set up barbecue grill. He reached out to touch the charcoal ashes inside the grill and said, "They left less than an hour ago. Haven't they found them yet?"

"Found them," Clown walked out from the inner room, carrying a corpse in each hand, and said with a chuckle. "No wonder they call themselves Shadowless and Wufeng. They like playing hide-and-seek. Hahaha, too bad, I found them anyway."

"I won. Victory."

"Clown, they are our teammates," Mr. Shanhe reminded him.

Shadowless and Wufeng were dead, and Clown was still humiliating their corpses.

They were assassins, not scum.

Oh, assassins were probably worse than scum.

Scum wouldn't do things assassins would.

"Teammates? I don't have any dead teammates," Clown dismissed Mr. Shanhe's words with disdain. "Dead people can't help our mission, nor do they offer any emotional value."

Clown threw the bodies of Shadowless and Wufeng to the ground and pointed at the masks on their faces. "Look, what did I say before? Kill people, and no one will see your face. If someone kills you, they can look however they want, and you can't stop them. What's the use of wearing this mask?"

Clown squatted down and unceremoniously ripped off the masks from Shadowless and Wufeng's faces, revealing two ordinary, unremarkable square faces. One was pale, the other sallow, the kind of people easily overlooked in a crowd.

"Pah!"

"Pah!"

Clown spat on their faces, mocking, "That's all? They don't even look as good as me."

"Exactly, not memorable at all. Vulgar men," Snake Woman said with a playful smile, fiddling with a small, emerald green snake in her hand.

"Enough!" Mr. Shanhe shouted sternly. "Although we come from different organizations, we are a team executing the same mission. If you always bicker and scheme, harboring hidden intentions, our fate might be the same as theirs. Don't forget what consequences we will face."

"Who's harboring intentions?" Clown pointed to Shadowless and Wufeng on the ground. "They were the first to find the target, and what happened? They didn't even give a heads-up, didn't send the target's location, and ran off to do it alone."

"Fine, let them go alone, but they failed and got themselves killed instead. Hehehe, it's hilarious. Don't we understand what their intentions were? They just wanted the biggest slice of the pie."

"Therefore, let this be a lesson. I don't want to see this happen again," Mr. Shanhe said.

He walked over to examine the bodies of Shadowless and Wufeng. "Wufeng was wounded by a sharp weapon, and his heart was pierced by a single shot..."

"The entry wound is smooth, and the skin around it shows signs of burning. It seems the opponent used one of New Star's most advanced energy weapons."

"Ordinary people can't equip such weapons. It seems our target is responsible."

After examining the hole in Wufeng's neck and the torn flesh when the arrowhead was pulled out, he looked thoughtful. "He was wounded by a sharp arrow. This is a bit strange. He was wearing a full set of nano-armor, impervious to blades and arrows. How could an ordinary arrowhead penetrate his defense?"

"Carelessness, someone exploited a loophole?" a bald man interjected with his "unique" insight.

Mr. Shanhe shook his head. "He might have been careless, but the armor wouldn't be. As long as you're wearing it, the armor protects you at all times. They must have used a special weapon, one with far greater lethality than ordinary blades and arrows."

Mr. Shanhe stood up and said, "Everyone, here's the problem: Wufeng and Shadowless found this place at the same time, so they naturally fought side-by-side to eliminate the enemy. But why were they both killed simultaneously? And by two completely different weapon systems?"

"Is that woman protected by an expert?" the bald man once again offered his "insight."

"Impossible," Mr. Shanhe shook his head again. "The employer was very clear. She escaped alone in the escape pod. And that model of escape pod can only hold one person."

"Were they protected by a master on Old Earth?"

"That's not realistic." Mr. Shanhe's tone became a little uncertain. "Masters on Old Earth are as rare as phoenix feathers. How could she possibly run into one?"

"This doesn't make sense, and that doesn't make sense either. What exactly is going on?"

Mr. Shanhe glanced at the quiet young man behind him and said, "Little Knife, go ask around and see who lives in this courtyard."

"Yes." The young man responded, turned, and left.

Mr. Shanhe then looked at the Snake Woman and said, "They left not long ago. They should have gone into the mountains. Your pet could be useful."

"No problem." The Snake Woman placed the small, emerald-green snake in her palm. After stroking its body for a bit, she extended a finger and gently pressed a small raised button on its head.

Click, click.

The small, emerald-green snake began to transform. Two small wings extended from its sides, and then it took to the air, flying towards the distant mountains.

It was actually a mechanical snake.

(ps: This chapter is also 4200 words.

Thanks to reader 20230101002423448 for becoming a new patron of our Star River. I checked these numbers several times, afraid of making a mistake and missing one, which would mean it wasn't you.

This name doesn't reveal preferences and can't distinguish gender. Look at you, being so rich and ostentatiously flaunting it.

But I like it!

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