Annihilation Bullet

As Ji Xun entered the Dark Rain Street black market, a team had already been waiting there for several days.

This was an elite squad from the Blackwater Mercenary Group, specializing in pursuit.

They had received a kill order to find the two Spell Card apprentices who had cleared Space 407.

There were many such pursuit teams in Sinless City, and almost everywhere there were crowds, the Governor's Mansion's Cao Family had arranged for people to be present.

However, this was already the fourth day.

It was impossible to distinguish their scent, and the only likeness they had was a portrait of someone wearing a gas mask. The only reliable physical characteristic currently was height, but that could change significantly with just a different pair of shoes.

With only this clue, finding these two people in the vast sea of people in Sinless City was almost impossible.

In a small shop in the Dark Rain Street black market, covered by a black cloth curtain, hung a sign that read "Harley Motorcycle Modification Shop."

At this moment, the atmosphere in the shop was somewhat gloomy, with five people discussing something.

There was a burly man of the Courage sequence, the [Ace of Hearts - Knight of Light]; a red-haired woman of the Element sequence, the [8 of Clubs - Elementalist]; a bespectacled man of the Healing sequence, the [3 of Hearts - Physician]; and a hooded man of the Fallen sequence, the [2 of Hearts - Ranger], who was skilled in mechanics and tracking.

One fighter, one mage, one doctor, one ranger – this was usually the standard for an elite mercenary squad.

And then there was a white-haired old woman in a black robe, who was idly flipping through a deck of poker cards.

They had been staking out the black market for several days.

Thinking that the targets had obtained some rare treasures in Space 407 and might appear in the black market to fence them, their squad had been assigned to wait here.

If they hadn't managed to catch them, it wouldn't have been their fault, just bad luck.

But this time, the Cao Family had issued a kill order.

If they failed to catch them, many people would die.

"This mission is impossible to handle. They didn't specify who exactly we're looking for, nor what we're looking for."

"Yeah. Can they at least give us a definite answer on what we're looking for! They just said find two people, how are we supposed to do that?"

"Stop complaining. Best to pray we find them. Otherwise... you know, the Deputy Commander of the regiment hasn't heard any news for days. It's said that Young Master Cao Si has been in a terrible temper since returning from the Demon Cross, and several of his personal maids have already been executed at his residence these past few days."

"..."

The more they waited, the more frustrated they became, yet they were helpless.

"Captain, do you think it's really good that our Blackwater Group has been incorporated as an external force of the Governor's Mansion? Although we were paid to do jobs before, at least we could choose which missions to accept and live freely. But now? Heh, we're just dogs of the Cao Family. They throw us a bone when we're useful, and when we're not, it's not a big deal if we die."

"Stop complaining. Since we chose this path, there's no turning back."

"That's right. The Captain's choice wasn't wrong. Now that the Old Continent has been discovered, the treasures in the ruins are coveted even by the nobles of the Federation. The major council families will gradually extend their reach, and you know their methods and strength. Sinless City will fall under Federation control sooner or later... The Captain also hopes we'll have a legitimate identity to go ashore in the future."

"Sigh..."

Hearing this, everyone in the room fell silent.

At this moment, the warrior captain turned to the old woman who was using tarot cards for divination and asked, "Miss Bai, how is the divination coming along?"

She was their only hope of finding the targets for this mission.

Physical tracking had yielded no clues, so they had to rely on the mysterious and extraordinary.

Upon hearing this, the old woman's eyes showed helplessness, and she shook her head.

She had a pair of clear and lustrous eyes, which contrasted sharply with her aged face.

She was a rare Spell Card Master of the Wisdom sequence, the [5 of Hearts - Prophetess]. Her Demon Mark pointed to the great demon god Lamo, which also gave her the ability to divine the future.

She was originally a vassal of the Governor's Cao Family, but now she was also arranged to help find the two people from Space 407.

The old woman continued, "The vaguer the clues to the target, the lower the probability of obtaining a result from divination."

She paused and gestured to the golden poker cards in her hand, saying, "Moreover, the cost of using this Level II relic is very high. My lifespan can only support me for five more divinations. After that, I won't be able to help you anymore."

"..."

Hearing this, the other people's expressions also darkened, and they didn't say much more.

Over these four days, they had watched this diviner transform from a black-haired girl into the white-haired old woman she was now.

In other words, using that relic had cost her decades of her lifespan.

But even so, she had to continue divining.

They knew very well that the Cao Family had likely lost something very important this time, and if they couldn't find it, no one would be able to live.

But the divination ability was also very limited.

Not only did it consume lifespan, but the relic could only lock onto targets within a one-kilometer radius.

This meant they could only wait in the Dark Rain Street black market.

If the targets didn't come to this area, it would be impossible to divine their location.

It was purely like a blind cat waiting for a dead mouse.

They had already waited for four days, and initially, none of them had held out any hope.

Despair was spreading across the faces of the team members.

But suddenly, a turning point appeared!

The old woman flipped over a few new cards, and a sequence of 10, J, Q, K, A of Hearts appeared.

A straight flush!

In poker divination, this represented a "miracle."

This meant the target was within a kilometer radius.

The old woman was stunned by the sequence at first, then her expression lit up with joy. "Found him! The person is nearby!"

Upon hearing this, the few people inside the shop jolted and rushed out of the store.

Ji Xun knew that the eldest young master of the Cao family would never give up looking for him.

Therefore, he remained sufficiently vigilant no matter where he was.

If it were a normal search based on clues, Ji Xun felt he had hidden himself very well, making it almost impossible for anyone to find him.

But this was a world with supernatural abilities.

Ji Xun already knew that among the fifty-two Spell Card Master sequences, several possessed metaphysical abilities, such as the [5 of Hearts - Prophetess].

Although Spell Card Masters proficient in divination were extremely rare, he believed that with the Cao family's resources, they should be able to find a few.

So, whenever possible, Ji Xun would use the [Clown Mask].

The mask had an exemption ability for mysterious arts.

It was precisely because of this caution that he once again detected a crisis in advance.

Just now, while he was chatting with the owner of the "Silver Star Mysterious Shop" about breathing techniques, he suddenly saw the prompt "Mysterious Art Exemption."

This meant someone nearby might be divining him.

And perhaps they had already locked onto his location through some means!

The shop owner also keenly caught the sudden sharpness in his customer's expression, his eyes narrowing slightly, wondering what had happened.

In his opinion, no one would be foolish enough to rob someone in the black market.

Ji Xun's first reaction was that he might have fallen into a trap set by someone, starting from when he met that woman before, to this point.

But then, he dismissed that thought.

Ji Xun was certain that the mysterious art just now had nothing to do with the shop owner.

Glancing at the dimly lit street outside the door, he thought of something. Instead of fleeing immediately, he asked, "Boss, do you have any [Annihilation Demon-Breaking Bullets]?"

This was a high-level cursed bullet mentioned by Hunters, extremely complex to craft, with potent anti-magic effects that could inflict fatal damage even on Formal Spell Card Masters.

They cost over ten thousand each.

However, ordinary shops couldn't get them.

At least, Ji Xun hadn't seen them in any gun shops he'd visited before.

And this black market shop likely had them.

Hearing this, the owner scrutinized Ji Xun for the third time.

He wasn't just any black market boss; he was an executive of Hong Lou, the largest syndicate in Sinless City.

He had seen countless people over the years. What hadn't he seen?

But in that instant, he felt as if the customer before him had transformed, suddenly exuding a formidable aura.

The person Miss introduced is quite interesting.

The owner murmured to himself, then said to Ji Xun, "Yes."

He didn't know what Ji Xun wanted the bullets for, but the killing intent he had inadvertently revealed earlier had already explained everything.

That killing intent wasn't directed at him, but at the street outside.

He asked with interest, "How many do you need?"

Ji Xun replied, "I need... six."

The owner didn't waste any words. With a wave of his hand, six special bullets, as black as ink, appeared on the table, without even mentioning the price.

Ji Xun looked at them. The bullets were covered in profound and complex incantations, giving the impression of six viper fangs – cold and deadly.

He directly loaded the bullets into his revolvers. For one gun, he loaded an Annihilation Bullet every other chamber. For the other, he loaded three consecutive shots after skipping two chambers.

The owner watched with interest, thinking, With that kind of loading technique, someone's going to be unlucky.

He didn't say anything, not even slightly worried that Ji Xun would run off with the goods.

Six [Annihilation Bullets] cost one hundred and twenty thousand. Ji Xun didn't have the cash on him.

He could naturally see that the owner was no ordinary person. "I don't have cash on me. Can I use these as collateral?"

As he spoke, he took out a stack of cards that 407 had brought out earlier.

The owner didn't even glance at the cards, readily agreeing, "Of course. Actually, just mentioning that name you said earlier is enough."

"Thank you."

Ji Xun didn't linger and turned to leave the shop.

He had been exposed now, so the cards didn't matter anymore.

Watching the retreating figure, the middle-aged man wore a thoughtful expression.

Sometimes, judging a person wasn't just about their current strength; the subtle details revealed in moments of crisis were more accurate.

His intuition told him that the young man just now was very different.