Give It Everything We've Got

A dense mass of figures appeared soundlessly at the far end of the street ahead. Behind Zhang Yao, the bodyguards who had been following Toka earlier also emerged, sealing off his retreat.

"Damn it! This was a trap from beginning to end!" By now, how could Zhang Yao fail to understand? Everything, from the very beginning to this moment, had been a trap! Even their earlier performance with Toka had probably been meant to lull him into complacency! Toka himself had long since been abandoned, all to lure Zhang Yao out. The ridiculous thing was that he had noticed nothing, yet had shamelessly mocked their trap as laughably childish!

The laughably childish one was me!

As he silently cursed himself for being so childish and careless that he had failed to notice he was being followed, Zhang Yao was also shocked by the Ironblood Brotherhood's ruthlessness. They had sacrificed Toka just like that, merely to lure him out! Their "generosity" really was extraordinary!

Zhang Yao looked around for a way to escape. Otherwise, once they attacked from both front and rear, he would die without even a place to be buried. Houses lined both sides of the straight street, and apart from their rooftops, there was no terrain he could exploit.

Should I escape over the rooftops? Zhang Yao glanced at the houses on either side. He estimated that, with his current physical abilities, he could vault up to that height with just a running start.

No! If the Ironblood Brotherhood came to trap me, they couldn't possibly leave such an obvious escape route!

The thought had barely surfaced before Zhang Yao rejected it. After this lesson, he no longer dared treat the Ironblood Brotherhood's members as fools. They already had him completely surrounded, so why would they leave such a glaring opening? A trap-it had to be another trap!

In the brief time Zhang Yao spent hesitating, the men blocking him from both directions had closed to within ten meters. He swept his gaze over them. There were definitely more than fifty men ahead, each wielding a sharp blade, while the four behind him were unarmed.

No more hesitation. All or nothing! Zhang Yao gritted his teeth and immediately began circulating his True Qi. It surged from his dantian and coursed through his entire body. At the same time, the Mutant Battle Aura within his heart followed its movement, flowing out of his heart and flooding his body. As both energies circulated through him, his strength and speed underwent a qualitative leap.

With a dagger in hand, Zhang Yao took another glance at the Ironblood Brotherhood members blocking his path ahead, then drove both feet against the ground and shot forward like an arrow released from its bow.

Normally, he should have charged toward the smaller group, but Zhang Yao had his reasons for doing the opposite. There were fewer men behind him, yet their steady bearing and nimble footwork made it clear that all four were highly skilled! Facing those four alone, Zhang Yao could not claim he would kill them, but he could at least protect himself! They were not the only enemies here, however. More than fifty armed thugs stood ahead, watching him like tigers eyeing their prey! If those four tied him down in a fight and allowed the other fifty-odd men to surround him, he would not escape even if he sprouted wings!

By contrast, although the men ahead were numerous and all carried sharp blades, they were certainly only ordinary men who were somewhat stronger than average! Zhang Yao was confident he could take them down one per strike. Once he plunged into their ranks, he could also use them to block the four experts behind him. If he could delay those four even briefly, he was confident he could get away! That was why he charged toward the larger group ahead.

Seeing Zhang Yao charging toward them, a man who appeared to be leading the blockade shouted, "Get him, brothers! Cripple him!" Then he swung his short sword and led the charge toward Zhang Yao.

"Raaagh!"

The men ahead roared and followed their leader, converging on Zhang Yao as he rushed toward them.

Less than ten meters separated Zhang Yao from the men blocking him. With both sides charging toward each other, they collided violently in the blink of an eye. But Zhang Yao was alone, while there were fifty of them, so the instant they clashed, he seemed to vanish beneath their ranks. If not for the screams rising from the crowd now and then, anyone watching might have thought he was already finished.

Within the crowd, Zhang Yao held his dagger in one hand and slipped back and forth like a fish darting through water. Every sweep of his dagger brought someone down screaming. He kept moving as he wielded it, trying to break out of the encirclement as quickly as possible. But how could the Ironblood Brotherhood's men let him have his way? Although someone fell every moment, the crowd stayed doggedly on him, constantly swinging their weapons in attack! Unfortunately for them, most of those attacks simply could not land. A short sword would appear to stab straight at Zhang Yao, only to skim past his side when it reached him.

Once or twice, they could dismiss it as their own mistake. But five times, six times-almost every time-the Ironblood Brotherhood's men began to realize something was wrong!

"Damn it! I refuse to believe this!" The leader cursed at the sight and swung his short sword even harder. Several nearby Brotherhood members shared his attitude and attacked Zhang Yao like madmen. Unfortunately, their attacks still failed to hit him. A few even struck their own companions when they put too much force into their blows. This development left the Ironblood Brotherhood's men at a loss, and their attacks became timid and hesitant.

The Ironblood Brotherhood's men hesitated, but Zhang Yao did not! To break out even faster, he deliberately increased the force of his attacks, and his previously empty left hand closed around another dagger. It was one of the two ordinary daggers recovered from the Plachy Brothers that Doreze had given him earlier.

With a dagger in each hand, Zhang Yao spun through the crowd like a top. Anyone he touched was either killed or wounded. For a time, the Ironblood Brotherhood's wails filled the area, and corpses littered the ground.

I really have to thank Shopkeeper Sun for choosing this Phantom Cloak for me! How is this merely blue equipment? In a group fight, it's even more incredible than gold equipment! Zhang Yao casually finished off another Brotherhood member. Looking at the thinning ranks ahead, he silently felt grateful for Shopkeeper Sun's recommendation.

Almost there! I'm about to break out! Zhang Yao kept charging forward. Just another four or five meters, and he would leave the crowd behind and escape the encirclement.

But just then, a figure descended from above and abruptly blocked Zhang Yao's path.