A Night of Desperation

Hiss!!

A massive tree trunk bore six deep claw marks, nearly severing it in half. Losing balance, the tree tilted sideways and collapsed.

Boom!

The tree fell.

On either side of the fallen trunk stood two figures.

On the left was a towering figure clad in black—a heavily armored man in an undamaged bulletproof suit. He was none other than the Butcher, Xu Fan, who had just completed his ambush. Standing still, he clenched his alloy gloves, shook off the blood from the spiked knuckles, and let out a satisfied chuckle.

On the right, Zhao Zhenghong was kneeling on one knee.

One of his arms hung limply at his side, completely immobilized. Three deep, bloody gashes ran across his cheek and mouth.

Blood dripped steadily from his chin.

That wasn’t all—beside him, on the ground, lay the dismembered corpses of two of his squad members, their bodies sliced into several pieces. Pools of blood spread around them, staining the forest floor red.

Boom!

A thrown explosive detonated with a deafening roar, igniting an even larger forest fire.

“Butcher… If I surrender now, will you let me go?” Zhao Zhenghong slowly stood up, blinking blood out of his eyes as he stared at his opponent.

“That depends on what my employer says.” Xu Fan rubbed his chin and turned his gaze toward a nearby cave.

In that instant, Zhao Zhenghong’s hand moved like lightning, producing a pistol and firing a shot.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out. A fiery explosion erupted from Xu Fan’s chest, causing him to stagger slightly as flames momentarily obscured his vision.

Bang!

A second shot followed.

Xu Fan instinctively raised his arms to shield himself but underestimated the bullet’s power.

The second round was an armor-piercing bullet!

It tore through the outer metal layer of his gloves, striking the alloy plate in his chest and denting it inward.

But that was all.

Lowering his hands, Xu Fan scanned ahead. Zhao Zhenghong had already vanished from sight.

“Anna!” He frowned, his deep voice calling through his earpiece.

“Ten o’clock direction,” a soft female voice responded.

Xu Fan was about to give chase when—

“Wait, don’t bother.” Anna’s voice came again.

“What?”

“Someone else has intercepted him.”

*

*

* *

At the edge of the wildfire, flames flickered, and thick smoke billowed into the sky.

Zhao Zhenghong staggered forward, fleeing as fast as he could. His facial wounds had stopped bleeding for now, but his fractured right arm and dislocated shoulder severely hampered him. ȐάƝȱᛒÊś

The brief window created by his sneak attack on Xu Fan had finally given him a chance to escape.

As he ran, flashes of his fallen subordinates’ mangled corpses played in his mind, fueling his rage to a boiling point.

“Xu Fan… I will kill you!! I will tear you apart!!!”

“Aaaaargh!!!” His bloodshot eyes burned with madness as he sprinted forward, using every ounce of strength left in his battered body.

Swish!

His foot suddenly halted, dodging left with a rolling motion to absorb the impact before springing back up.

Ahead, a massive shadow loomed among the trees.

The figure wore a full-body, jet-black armored suit resembling a battle-ready knight. His legs were as thick as tree trunks, and his frame, though slightly smaller than Xu Fan’s, appeared just as imposing due to the bulky armor.

“You look badly injured,” the man said. “You’ve lost a lot of blood. You must be getting weak.”

“…Who are you?” Zhao Zhenghong gritted his teeth, fighting the pain and growing fatigue. His sharp gaze locked onto the stranger.

“I am a poet,” the man answered casually. “I happened to pass by and saw you were hurt. Thought you might need some help.”

“…” Zhao Zhenghong shut his mouth, realizing he was dealing with a lunatic.

Yet, something about the man’s voice and build felt oddly familiar. His sharp memory worked quickly—then, it clicked.

“It’s you!?”

“Hmm?” The armored man, Yu Hong, hadn’t expected to be recognized. He was about to speak when—

A blur.

In a flash, Zhao Zhenghong dashed forward, closing several meters in the blink of an eye.

Swish!

A silver blade stabbed fiercely at Yu Hong’s abdomen. But the knife’s tip skidded off the inner alloy plating, deflecting left. The miscalculated angle twisted Zhao Zhenghong’s wrist, throwing him off balance.

At that moment, Yu Hong swung a spiked mace from his back, smashing downward.

His strike missed as Zhao Zhenghong swiftly dodged, rolling away. Yu Hong wasn’t surprised—he expected that much from a skilled fighter.

But he immediately changed his attack from a downward smash to a sweeping strike.

Whoosh!

The air howled as the spiked mace carved a wide arc through the space ahead.

Zhao Zhenghong hunched low, curling his body into a tight ball.

The mace whooshed past him, slicing through branches instead.

Using his arms for support, Zhao Zhenghong flipped into a handstand, kicking both legs toward Yu Hong’s head.

It was an acrobatic move, but with his steel-reinforced boot heels and the raw power of a leg strike, a direct hit could easily shatter bones.

Whoosh.

Yu Hong didn’t dodge. He stood still.

The boot connected—

At the same time, Yu Hong’s leg lashed out like a whip.

A low sweeping kick.

Boom!!!

Both strikes landed simultaneously.

Zhao Zhenghong was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree before tumbling to the ground, spitting blood.

Yu Hong, having taken a direct kick to the head, merely shook his head to steady himself. His visor had gained two cracks, but otherwise, he was unharmed.

Bang!

A gunshot erupted at close range.

Yu Hong flinched as flames burst from his chest—an explosive round!

Then, another shot followed.

Bang.

An armor-piercing round struck Yu Hong’s helmet—but against his 25mm-thick alloy visor, it only left a dent.

Yu Hong was startled but quickly realized he was unscathed. His shock turned to fury.

He charged forward.

This time, he didn’t hold back.

Boom!!

His kick landed on Zhao Zhenghong’s gun-wielding arm.

Crack!

The arm snapped like a twig, blood splattering against the tree trunk.

Zhao Zhenghong, now drained of strength and bleeding out, had nothing left.

“If I weren’t injured—” he gasped weakly, his fury still burning.

“If you weren’t injured, do you think you’d even get to see me?” Yu Hong interrupted smugly, landing another brutal kick—this time on Zhao Zhenghong’s already broken arm.

Defenseless and near unconsciousness, Zhao Zhenghong slumped against the tree, unable to move.

But Yu Hong wasn’t done.

He kicked him again. And again.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A merciless beating followed, hammering every exposed part of Zhao Zhenghong’s battered body.

All the pent-up frustration—every ambush, every trap, every near-miss—Yu Hong finally let it all out.

After a savage pummeling—

“Alright, that’s enough. If you kill him, we won’t get any answers.”

A voice came from the trees—Li Runshan.

Yu Hong exhaled, stepping back to admire his handiwork: Zhao Zhenghong, now a motionless, bloody mess.

“Fine. I’ll take a break.”

Li Runshan was speechless. He had been called in as insurance for this kid, to back him up while he fought the fleeing target. He hadn’t expected the fight to be over so quickly—just a few exchanges, and the opponent was already defeated.

Putting away his slingshot, Li Runshan glanced at Yu Hong’s gear.

“Alright, the guy’s dealt with. I’ll interrogate him and see if there are any loose ends.”

“Fine.” Yu Hong crouched down, grabbed Zhao Zhenghong’s head, and shook it a little. Confirming that the man was barely hanging on, he tossed him aside and stepped back to let Li Runshan do his work.

Compared to him, Old Li had far more effective methods.

Yu Hong moved to the side, checking himself for injuries before leaning against a tree and waiting.

Not long after, Li Runshan clapped his hands and walked over.

“Done. Got everything out of him.” He grinned. “This guy is Zhao Zhenghong. He’s been trying to capture you for your Great Luminous Stone technology. The last three attacks were all his doing. He used to be a joint military captain from a nearby town and had a squad under his command.”

“So, this is all settled?” Yu Hong blinked.

“Yeah, he’s dead—problem solved. It was a simple case of a small-time leader eyeing your tech and trying to kidnap you. That’s why none of his men went for the kill.” Li Runshan explained. “If you think about it, it makes sense. The big factions can get a decent quota of Luminous Stone products from Aurora City, but smaller groups, like us, have to scramble for whatever we can get.”

“I see… Does that mean I’ll keep running into trouble like this?” Yu Hong asked. He knew he couldn’t avoid revealing some of his technology in exchange for resources. But once he did, if he didn’t demonstrate enough strength and backing, attacks were inevitable.

“That’s why you need some allies,” Li Runshan chuckled. “Now, let’s talk payment. You promised to cover my travel expenses and upgrade my Blue Whale gear.”

“Just give me the materials first. I’ll check them and then coordinate with my contacts on the upgrade.” Yu Hong exhaled, relieved that the ordeal was over.

Now it was time for cleanup.

Half an hour later—

Li Runshan, Yu Hong, and the Butcher Xu Fan gathered in front of the post office stone house.

“This is the client?” Xu Fan scrutinized the bulky figure before him.

On closer inspection, the man wasn’t actually that big—his armor was just exceptionally thick. With the heavy helmet and layers of plating, he only appeared massive.

Xu Fan also noticed the bullet marks and scorch marks on the helmet and chest, but despite that, the suit had barely any real damage.

This armor… The defense is insane.

Xu Fan now had a better grasp of the situation.

The fact that this guy knew he was wearing Blue Whale armor and still dared to hire him meant he clearly had some serious skills. More importantly, his unknown gear looked no worse than a brand-new Blue Whale suit.

(End of chapter)

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