Returning to the Mysterious Era

"L-Leader…" the man stumbled over his words, "all the assassins we stationed around the target have been killed." He glanced at Robert, the man in the suit, with eyes full of fear.

Robert let out a furious scoff. In an instant, he was in front of the man, gripping him by the collar, and lifting him off the ground. "Didn't I say that this target is no ordinary human? I told the assassins to be careful and to avoid exposing themselves!"

His feet dangling in the air, the man spoke tremulously, "Boss, you can't blame us. The target has an incredibly sharp perception. Several times, the assassins we sent out to tail him were taken out from a distance. We almost instantly lost contact with the ones we had monitoring the target; they didn't even have a chance to retreat. It looks like they were killed as soon as they were discovered." The team member swallowed hard.

"Useless! What use are you then?!" Robert's eyes flared with visible rage. He raised his hand abruptly, about to kill the subordinate out of anger.

Thud.

A large hand blocked Robert's hand blade. Blue glowing patterns spread across the palm as if the person's hand was gloved in a blue glow. Robert turned to see Wolf standing beside him.

"No need for that. We may have lost the traitor's exact location for the moment, but we know he's still in this city," Wolf said calmly. "It would only take a night's work to find him." He retracted his hand and continued, "The traitor was severely injured before, but since he can now sense and detect trained observers, he must have healed considerably. I think we must act tonight to prevent any unforeseen problems." As he said this, he glanced at Owl beside him. The two exchanged a nod.

Robert received crucial information from the Shadow Organization on June 10, at 8 p.m. The Black Ops Agency, the 13th Division of the Federal Special Service Bureau, had dispatched some agents to the six eastern counties. Some of these agents had already arrived in Beiliu City a few days ago for reasons unknown. In any case, Robert was advised to act cautiously and avoid drawing the attention of those Black Ops Agency bloodhounds.

Upon learning this, Wolf and Owl felt even more compelled to act that very night. Once they were within proximity, they would use special methods to take them right to the target; they'd likely only need a few hours.

This plan required the Shadow Organization's full cooperation, and after a brief discussion, they agreed to assist Wolf and Owl. The operation was set to begin at 8:30 p.m. that night.

Initially, they conducted a broad, city-wide search. Everyone carried a special stone powder with them that they would sprinkle the powder on the ground every so often to observe specific changes.

Around 9:30 p.m., a patch of the sprinkled powder in the southern district of Beiliu City began to glow. Nearby Shadow members immediately gathered around.

Using this spot as a starting point, they continued powdering along various streets. Sure enough, the powder glowed again on Dinan Main Street.

This substance, courtesy of Wolf and Owl, was called the Bloodhounds Stone Powder and originated from the Ten Thousand Mountains. The shamans created it to track the trails of totemic creatures. When sprinkled on a path a totemic creature or a shaman had traveled within a day, the powder would glow in response to totemic auras.

By 10 p.m., the Shadow Organization had confirmed that the target was in the southern district.

It was time for the two shamans, Wolf and Owl, to act. With great reluctance, they ground their precious totem stone into powder and sprinkled it lightly along their path.

The powder drifted bizarrely in a specific direction, and not even the wind could influence it. After following the trail for some dozen meters, the powder fell to the ground, losing its effect. Wolf continued sprinkling more into the air, while Owl followed behind. This tracking process lasted for about half an hour.

By then, the night had settled into a deeper stillness. Besides a few major streets, the roads were increasingly deserted. Passing vehicles turned on their large headlights, slowly driving past into the darkness.

The two shamans stopped in front of a white standalone house, peering over the wall. They saw a yellow glow coming from the second-floor window where the silhouette of a man writing at a desk was vaguely visible.

"Is it here?" Owl squinted his eyes.

Earlier, the powder had drifted toward the front gate of this house, suggesting that the target was inside.

Wolf said nothing. He simply took out another pinch of powder from his tightly clenched palm and gently sprinkled it into the air. The powder floated in the air like a wisp of smoke, swaying and circling at the front gate before drifting unexpectedly toward the right. 𐍂Ά₦ỌᛒË𐌔

Wolf shook his head. "No."

"Then let's keep following it," Owl said, moving forward.

The powder had already started drifting again, and they didn't want to waste their precious totem stone. As for why the powder had drifted toward this house earlier, they put that aside for now. The powder was supposed to follow the target. Since it had indicated the traitor was somewhere else, there was no need to waste any more time.

After the two left, a shadow moved near the window.

In the second-floor study, Toma stretched and stopped his work for the day. He opened the study door and walked into the living room. A few minutes later, he opened Cassius's bedroom door.

"Uncle still hasn't come back. He's working too late." Toma scratched his head, deciding to go to sleep.

10:45 p.m., Beiliu City, Central Street.

Wolf and Owl, wearing black cloaks, moved steadily down the street. Shadows flitted back and forth in the darkness on both sides of the road—the professional assassins dispatched by the Shadow Organization.

A tattered newspaper was blown around a street corner by the chilly wind. Next to a street lamp emitting a faint yellow glow, two stray cats rummaged through a trash can. A few pedestrians in coats hurried past, and occasionally a car drove by.

Wolf released another pinch of powder, which blew against the wind, and headed straight down the street. The two shamans followed, the hems of their black cloaks billowing like dark clouds.

Whoosh…

A bright car light illuminated the corner ahead. A flat car with large, goldfish-like headlights drove past.

Wolf raised his hand to shield his eyes, furrowing his brow. Next to him, Owl muttered a curse. The glaring headlights hindered their vision. If the powder was wasted because of this, Owl would tear that car apart. He turned his face away from the light.

Whoosh…

The car drove by at a moderate speed.

Suddenly, the driver jumped out of the window on the passenger's side. He swiftly rolled across the ground for several meters.

Their view was still obstructed, so Wolf and Owl could only hear the sound of someone tumbling to the ground. When they turned their heads in confusion—

BOOM!

A bright, roaring fireball filled their vision as the car exploded. The fuel tank first emitted a muffled sound, followed by a massive blast. A fiery, golden-red blaze rapidly expanded outward, ballooning like a cloud.

Within the billowing firecloud, metal parts shot out like bullets. Wolf and Owl, standing less than half a meter apart, were caught in the initial blast. They tried to retreat, but they were engulfed by flames. A series of dull, crashing sounds were heard as objects collided. Intense flames shot into the sky, and a shockwave rippled outward.

Assassins from the Shadow Organization, who had been closely watching the situation from the shadows, were stunned. The incident happened so quickly that they didn't have time to react. The two targets they were supposed to protect were instantly swallowed by fire. Golden-red light licked across the assassins' faces.

Someone muttered a curse under their breath in the dark. Immediately, over a dozen assassins rushed toward the burning car. Two assassins hidden in the alley to the car's right moved quickly toward the alley entrance only to have their path blocked. With a swoosh, a tall figure stood before them, its shadow stretching long from the firelight.

"What the—?"

Before the words could leave their mouths, a black arm shot out and grabbed one of the assassins by the head, slamming it into the sidewall like a sledgehammer.

Thud! Thud!

The second assassin met the same fate. Bloodstains were left on the wall, and two bodies with crushed faces slumped in the corner, their limbs still twitching.

"Ah!"

"Watch out!"

"Be careful! There's an enemy!"

In the darkness, Cassius moved like a tiger among sheep, effortlessly dispatching the trained assassins. In mere seconds, he had eliminated around nine assassins with his bare hands.

How ironic. The Shadow Organization couldn't even locate Cassius and yet these shadows were being killed by an enemy within the shadows.

Finally, an assassin spotted Cassius and shouted, "Found him! Over here! Look at me!"

In an instant, several assassins turned their guns toward Cassius and squeezed the triggers desperately.

Thud!

The ground shattered abruptly, revealing a deep footprint. Cassius shot forward ten meters, punching through the chest of the assassin who had just shouted. Using the assassin's body as a human shield, he charged forward.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Pistol bullets hit the human shield, with most embedding inside the flesh. Those that pierced through had insufficient force to deal any real harm to Cassius.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind blew past.

Cassius, still holding the shield, leaped another dozen meters, appearing among the Shadow Organization assassins. He discarded the now perforated body, his blood-soaked hands spread wide like wings.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

The sound of bodies being torn apart rang out in quick succession. Amid six or seven blooming sprays of blood, Cassius emerged. Behind him, assassin bodies continued to fall.

He glanced toward a shadowy alleyway in the distance, sensing eyes on him. Just as he prepared to dash over—

BAM!

The burning car wreckage exploded.

Whoosh!

The car spun wildly across the road, careening toward Cassius like a fiery spinning top.

Boom!

The oncoming car was split in two equal sections. The wreckage crashed into the wall on both sides with a deafening explosion.

Cassius emerged from the flames. With a powerful tear, he ripped apart his burning shirt, revealing a muscular, statuesque body.

In an instant, he entered a state of full power, his form increasing to nearly two meters tall. His body's taut muscles gleamed with a faint black hue, pushing forward like an unyielding wall.

The remains of his shirt on his neck were still aflame. Intense red flames rose from Cassius's back, surging up to his head and rolling like a high-temperature mushroom cloud before finally dissipating.

"Pity I couldn't blow you up." Cassius patted the back of his head before his hair could catch fire.

About ten meters away, two men, almost charred black, stood at the junction of the road and the sidewalk. Their clothes were aflame, and they practically looked naked.

From a distance, Cassius could see the totems on their chests. The one in front bore a blue, spear-shaped glow. The one behind had a red, shield-shaped emblem resembling a tortoise shell. The light flickered in sync with their breathing.

From Cassius's viewpoint, the flickering was rapid. The car and explosive blast may not have killed these two shamans from the Ten Thousand Mountains, but they didn't escape unscathed.

"Cough, cough…" Wolf, the one with the spear totem on his chest, coughed violently. His mouth was filled with the taste of blood, and his chest and abdomen burned painfully.

He glowered at Cassius. "I never expected you had such a trick up your sleeve. Why didn't you use it earlier?"

Cassius paused, recalling that the Ten Thousand Mountains' isolated environment meant they likely didn't know what a car was.

That had just been a way for him to get what he wanted and fast. Besides, a car could only be used on city streets. Even with his immense strength, Cassius couldn't carry a car or a steamroller around with him.

He shook his head, quickly examining the two shamans. They were significantly injured, which would impact their combat effectiveness. Today was the best opportunity to take care of Li Wei's problem!

At Cassius's look, Wolf snarled, "You think our injuries give you an advantage? Ignorant traitor, I'll pierce you with my Holy Fetters Spear!" His right hand swept through the air. Other parts of his body began to glow as charging energy spread to his arm. Soon, a blue spear with metallic inlays appeared in his grip.

"You want to end it all here? Works for me!"

Owl placed his right hand on his chest. When he removed it, he was holding the red shield tattoo that had been on his chest. In the blink of an eye, a heavy, half-human-sized tortoise shell shield appeared in his hand, glowing cracks running through it like molten lava.

A powerful wind howled through the alley. The three men stood apart from each other.

A fierce battle was about to begin.

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