Mutant

"Strange. Where did things go wrong? Could it have been that supernatural with enhanced smell earlier?"

Ji Xun ruled out every possibility and finally concluded that the flaw was most likely the scent.

He did not entertain any wishful thinking.

At a moment like this, the slightest carelessness would be fatal.

His thoughts immediately began racing through the possibilities.

That man's footsteps had been very light. He was probably an Assassin-type professional.

He had gone straight to Carriage 16, and his purpose was obvious: block the way and prevent anyone from jumping off the train.

Ji Xun was not surprised. If the pursuers did not have at least that much skill, they would never have found him.

But it also revealed something: the enemy had not identified him specifically. They had only narrowed the target down to a general range of carriages.

Their intelligence must have confirmed that the target was a Card Master Apprentice. In other words, under normal circumstances, a Spell Card Master would be enough to deal with it.

If they had confirmed that he was the one they were looking for, they should have attacked the moment they met.

Since they had not attacked, they clearly did not know who they were looking for.

That gave Ji Xun time to react.

But if he left the gambling table now, he would immediately be noticed.

Since someone was blocking the way in Carriage 16, there was undoubtedly someone in Carriage 14 as well.

His situation suddenly became critical.

Even knowing he had been discovered, Ji Xun did not panic. His expression remained unchanged as he continued betting and playing cards.

Because he had not spent the past few hours doing nothing.

While playing, he had quietly used wire to hook the pin of a flashbang grenade beneath the table onto a gas pipe.

This little mechanism would not hurt anyone, but it would make a lot of noise.

If chaos broke out, it would buy him a little time.

Meanwhile, he had been watching the direction of Carriage 14 from the corner of his eye.

Now, almost everyone entering Carriage 15 could be an enemy.

He did not see the hooded man from earlier. It seemed the enemy was being sufficiently cautious.

Soon, Ji Xun locked onto a woman in a leather jacket.

People rarely wandered around the rear carriages. Even if they did, they were familiar faces from the neighboring cars.

And over the past few hours, Ji Xun had memorized everyone sitting in every seat.

So the moment this woman appeared, he immediately realized she was not from any nearby carriage!

Ji Xun did not know what abilities the woman possessed, but when she entered, her gaze instinctively swept over the group playing cards.

That only further confirmed to Ji Xun that he had been exposed.

He gave her no chance to attack him at close range.

Now that he was certain he had been discovered, there was no point continuing the disguise. Sooner or later, they would find him.

"Looks like I can only jump off the train."

Ji Xun immediately stood up and squeezed out of the cluster of gamblers, mentally reviewing the plan he had rehearsed countless times.

Just as expected, the moment Ji Xun moved to leave, he immediately caught the Brown-haired woman's attention.

She no longer looked at the gamblers and instead directly signaled to her accomplice in Carriage 16.

Ji Xun lowered his head and headed forward, pretending to be in a frantic rush to use the toilet.

He was no longer afraid of being discovered.

Because he was also certain of one thing: the orders they had received were most likely to take him alive, so their attacks would not be lethal.

The train continued moving at a steady speed, occasionally striking something outside. Its outer armor clanged with strange noises.

Nothing could be seen outside. It seemed like they were in an underground tunnel, pitch-black enough to make anyone instinctively reject the thought of jumping down.

Jumping off the train was the worst option.

If he had a choice, he would try something else first.

However, the enemy was clearly more cunning than he had expected. They did not seem willing to give him a chance to jump.

Just a few steps after leaving his seat, Ji Xun suddenly felt his Mental Power blur for an instant.

It felt like the drowsiness of mild oxygen deprivation, something that would have been perfectly normal in this carriage.

But Ji Xun immediately realized what it was. "A Mental Type Spell Card Master?"

Revelation: "Mental Erosion Immunity"

He had spent so long around the Fallen Witch that he was already familiar with the sensation of Mental Pollution.

In other words, someone behind him had used a Mental Type spell on him.

Only because his Mental Power was exceptionally high had he noticed something slightly off. Otherwise, he might have fallen for it without even realizing it.

"At this rate, I probably won't make it to the planned location."

From the corner of his eye, Ji Xun spotted the assassin near the door of the carriage ahead, hiding among the crowd. He inwardly cursed. That man was also showing signs of closing in to attack.

But if he rashly initiated his plan to jump off the train from here, the risk of being caught would be far greater.

His thoughts spun rapidly.

After taking another two steps, Ji Xun suddenly caught sight of the person in Seat 11 of Carriage 16. His mind shifted.

This was the hunter he had previously suspected of having his spell power go out of control.

If this man really was the ruthless killer and robber the hunters had been discussing, then he was also part of Ji Xun's plan.

"Looks like I'll have to use plan B after all."

The incident had come suddenly, and a backup plan flashed through Ji Xun's mind in an instant.

He had not reached the intended location, but this man was closer.

If he guessed wrong, he would be caught on the spot.

If he guessed right, things would become much simpler!

The thought formed, and Ji Xun walked straight past the toilet before stopping beside Seat 11.

But the instant he stopped, both the Brown-haired woman watching him and the assassin became alert and halted as well.

And not just those two.

Ji Xun sharply sensed that the moment he stopped, the spell power around the supposedly sleeping middle-aged man abruptly leaked out for an instant, as though it had gone out of control.

This guy was pretending to sleep too!

He had most likely guessed right.

With several pairs of eyes on him, Ji Xun quietly tapped the table twice with his fingers, as though sending some secret signal.

Though the movement was subtle, everyone who needed to see it saw it.

That tiny gesture made several people's expressions change at once.

A code?

It had to be a code!

The gesture was highly misleading.

The man pretending to sleep was already suspicious by nature, so he would definitely suspect that the tapping was a signal to someone.

Meanwhile, the members of the Blackwater Mercenary Group who had tracked him here would also think Ji Xun was signaling an accomplice.

But even after noticing it, both sides would hesitate at first, wondering what if they had guessed wrong?

Ji Xun seized that momentary hesitation. Right after tapping, he drew the revolver at his waist with lightning speed.

He did not aim at anyone. Instead, he fired at the gas pipe he had already observed. Bang!

Advanced Firearms Specialization allowed him to hit the target precisely.

The carriage lights were all Gas Lamps. This shot struck the critical point, and flames burst in an instant before Carriages 15 and 16 were immediately plunged into darkness.

"What's going on?"

"Who the hell fired a gun?"

"..."

Fighting was forbidden on the train. That was a rule established by the Hunter's Guild.

Sinless City had no laws, and the Hunter's Guild was one of the most authoritative organizations.

Anyone who broke the rules and caused serious consequences would be sent to the execution platform if caught.

That was also the main reason the members of the Blackwater Mercenary Group had hesitated to act earlier.

But Ji Xun neither knew nor intended to follow that rule!

At the sound of the gunshot, the confused hunters began shouting and causing a commotion. But in that instant of chaos, as several gamblers rose to their feet, Bang! Bang! Two more explosions rang out as the flashbang grenades he had set up earlier were triggered.

The sealed carriage was like an iron can. The shockwaves from those two blasts swept through the rear cars, making everyone feel as if they had been struck over the head with a club. Curses erupted everywhere.

Concussion grenades were not lethal to ordinary people, much less these supernatural hunters.

But they strongly interfered with sensory organs and the nervous system.

Now, any means of detection would have an even harder time locking onto a target.

And the chain reaction caused by that gunshot was not over yet!

Seeing this, the members of the Blackwater Mercenary Group immediately sensed that something was wrong and lunged toward Ji Xun's position.

How could they not guess that their target was trying to escape amid the chaos?

Darkness might truly blind an ordinary person's vision.

But that was not necessarily the case for formal Spell Card Masters!

Especially for Assassin-type professionals who were like ghosts, seeing in darkness was one of their essential specialized skills!

Trying to run?

Hmph.

Naive!

The assassin named Xiao Wu watched Ji Xun shoot apart the gas pipe and sneered inwardly.

Even flashbang grenades would not disrupt his ability to lock onto the target by much.

He immediately burst forward, intending to seize that man.

Yet something bizarre happened.

Xiao Wu missed!

The shadow he had clearly locked onto in his vision had vanished from his senses as though into thin air!

There was only darkness inside the carriage.

Where was he?

Xiao Wu's expression changed sharply. Only then did he realize he had underestimated that Card Master Apprentice.

However, before he could figure out what had happened, a large hand from Seat 11 seized his arm like lightning. The enormous force was like iron pincers, as though it would crush his bones.

A sharp pain struck him, and Xiao Wu's features twisted instantly.

What was going on?!

No.

That guy really did have other accomplices!

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