Bullet Cutting

"Lao Ye, you really took me for a fool?" Lin Shen stared coldly at Lao Ye.

"Fifth Brother, I truly treated you like one of my own children..." Lao Ye had not finished speaking before Lin Shen cut him off.

"You think you deserve to?" Lin Shen's face was full of disgust.

"You're still young. You haven't reached my age, so you don't understand." Lao Ye sighed.

"Lao Ye, if you'd openly admit your betrayal, I might even think a little more highly of you. You want to be a whore and erect a chastity arch at the same time—don't fucking disgust me." With a cold expression, Lin Shen continued, "Cut the crap. What exactly do you want from me?"

"I only want the Black Bird. Other than that, I want nothing." Lao Ye said.

"I've said it countless times. I don't have the Black Bird." Lin Shen now understood that all of Lao Ye's previous probing had been to find out whether he truly had the Black Bird.

"Fifth Brother, there's no need to lie to me. The Lin Family must still have one Black Bird, and that Black Bird must be with you." Gripping his short blade, Lao Ye slowly advanced on Lin Shen as he spoke. "If it really were a Dead Egg, why would the Lin Family refuse to show it to anyone? As long as they brought out the Dead Egg, they could dispel the suspicions of the Qi and Wang families. Yet the Lin Family had never considered taking it out, not even when the Lineage stood at the brink of life and death. So it could not be a Dead Egg. It had to be the fourth Black Bird. The Black Birds had been passed down to your generation, and I know the temperaments of those three masters very well. If there truly were a Black Bird, they would certainly have left it to you. You had always been so fearless because you had the Black Bird as your trump card, hadn't you?"

"So that's what you thought?" Lin Shen finally realized why Lao Ye had been so certain that he possessed the Black Bird.

Lin Shen's confidence had given Lao Ye the wrong impression. Unfortunately, Lin Shen's confidence did not come from the Black Bird, but from the Fire Seed and Pet Dead Powder he had discovered by chance.

"Fifth Brother, you've never suffered hardship, nor do you know the bitterness of this world. Some things are not as simple as you imagine, and neither am I. The Black Bird is powerful, but that depends on whose hands it is in. Believe it or not, even if you held the Black Bird, if you truly fought me, you wouldn't even have a chance to make a move." Lao Ye's tone was sincere. "After all, I watched you grow up. Leave the Black Bird behind, and I guarantee I won't harm a single hair on your head. If I gain some benefit in Gourd Mountain, I can give you a share in the future. Don't force me to act. That is not what I wish for."

"Lao Ye, stop talking nonsense. It only makes me sick. I don't have the Black Bird. If you don't believe me, kill me and search me yourself." Sitting atop the Platinum Beast, Lin Shen looked coldly at Lao Ye.

"Fifth Brother, must you force me? If I make a move, I can no longer spare your life. You and I both know the tempers of Third Master and Fourth Master. Once I lay hands on you, there will be no turning back. So I can only silence you forever." Lao Ye's voice turned cold as well, and he tightened his grip on the short blade.

It was a weapon forged from alloy, shaped like a short sword rather than a dagger. Its blade was brass-colored, yet its edge gleamed a ghastly white.

"Why are you afraid of my Third Brother and Fourth Brother?" Lin Shen suddenly asked.

Lao Ye froze slightly, not expecting Lin Shen to abruptly ask such a question. After considering it briefly, he said, "Because Third Master and Fourth Master are both very strong—strong enough that anyone who has seen their power cannot help but feel fear. How should I put it? Calling them strong isn't entirely accurate, because they do not possess absolute crushing power. But if people of the same level as them, or even somewhat higher-level people, fought them to the death, I believe they would be the ones left alive. If Second Master were still here, that would be even more terrifying. The Lin Family truly has good fortune to have produced children like them. If they can survive, even if only one survives, the Lin Family will surely become a colossal power in the future."

"Lao Ye, have you forgotten that my surname is Lin too? I am their brother as well." Lin Shen spoke calmly.

Lao Ye laughed. "That's right, your surname is Lin too. I believe you may become as formidable as Third Master and Fourth Master in the future. But you aren't there yet. If you were an Alloy Gene Mutator now, I would never dare make an enemy of you. Unfortunately, you haven't even completed your gene mutation. Even if you possess the Black Bird, it would be useless. I can kill you before the Black Bird reaches me. You don't have the slightest chance."

"To kill you, I don't need a gene mutation." Lin Shen said flatly.

A chill flashed through Lao Ye's eyes. He said indifferently, "In that case, I'll give you the chance to summon the Black Bird."

Lin Shen reached out and took out a Pet Capsule, transforming it into the Superspeed Gunslinger and placing it beside him.

"Looks like you still refuse to give up." Seeing that Lin Shen had summoned not the Black Bird but the Superspeed Gunslinger he had won from Wang Tianer, Lao Ye narrowed his eyes.

Lin Shen ignored him and directly ordered the Superspeed Gunslinger to attack.

The Superspeed Gunslinger drew his gun with Quick Draw and pulled the trigger at Lao Ye.

Sparks burst from the muzzle, and the bullet shot forth at a speed the naked eye could barely track.

Clang! Lao Ye did not move. His short blade flashed, and the bullet aimed at his face split in two, flying past either side of his body and falling to the ground.

With the short blade in hand, Lao Ye walked expressionlessly toward Lin Shen.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The Superspeed Gunslinger fired without pause, but he could not stop Lao Ye's advance at all. Every bullet fired at him was cut down by his short blade.

Lin Shen frowned slightly. The Lao Ye he remembered had not been this strong. The Superspeed Gunslinger's speed was among the best of Alloy Creatures, yet Lao Ye was even faster—and he could accurately cut bullets apart. This was not something the abilities Lao Ye had displayed in the past could have accomplished.

His speed was no slower than the finger Lin Shen had used to strike the Superspeed Gunslinger's pressure point back then.

"Summon the Black Bird already. This is your last chance." Lao Ye had reached the Platinum Beast and slashed its neck, leaving a deep gash.

Despite the Platinum Beast's speed, it did not even have a chance to dodge. Its body immediately toppled to one side.

Lin Shen had no choice but to leap from the Platinum Beast's back and stand before Lao Ye.

Lao Ye continued toward Lin Shen, the short blade in his hand like a venomous snake's tongue, as though it might dart out at any moment and give Lin Shen a kiss of death.

Bang!

Rather than wait for Lao Ye to attack, Lin Shen had the Superspeed Gunslinger fire again.

But as the Superspeed Gunslinger fired, Lin Shen moved as well.

Seven Steps of Conflict could grant Lin Shen speed faster than a bullet, but it did not dictate that he had to use that speed to attack the one doing the shooting.

Lin Shen struck like lightning, thrusting a finger at the spot beneath Lao Ye's throat—an acupoint he could see.

"Just as I thought." Lao Ye seemed to have long anticipated that Lin Shen had such a move. As Lin Shen struck, his short blade struck as well, slashing toward Lin Shen's arm.

Lao Ye's speed was actually faster than Lin Shen's strike. No wonder he was so confident. Such speed had already surpassed Alloy Grade.

Clang!

Lao Ye's short blade had already struck Lin Shen's arm, while Lin Shen's finger was still some distance from Lao Ye.