Free Web NovelChapter 424: Chapter 154: Consecutive Breakthroughs
The instant the gunshot rang out, Xiaosheng shuddered violently. He then saw Xian Quanfeng’s mangled body fall, and he involuntarily took two steps back.
Less than a minute had passed since they charged up the slope, yet three of their men were already down. They had lost half their team.
He glanced forward. Chen Chuan stood there, long blade in hand. A mask obscured his face, making it hard to see clearly, but a vertical, crimson mark between his brows was starkly visible. Part of his outer coat seemed to merge with the fog, and under the overhead lights, the bright edge of his diagonally-held blade glinted with a chilling aura.
At that moment, the thought of abandoning the mission involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Unfortunately, only the team leader had the authority to order a retreat.
His moment of hesitation was instantly noticed by Old Han, who was not far away. A sinister, hoarse voice drifted over. "Continue."
Xiaosheng immediately banished the thought. He knew that if he actually retreated, Old Han would kill him without a moment’s hesitation.
He took a deep breath and said, "I’ll take the lead."
There was no reply from the side, a clear sign of Old Han’s tacit approval.
He pulled out two custom-made short clubs from his lower back. To be honest, weapons like these stood little chance against Chen Chuan’s Long Blade. Moreover, he wasn’t known for his combat prowess. He could handle opponents below a certain threshold easily enough, but he was out of his depth against experts on the same level. Still, he believed Old Han would create an opportunity for him.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he had no tricks to save his own skin. He gave the short clubs a twirl, fixed his gaze on Chen Chuan, and cautiously shuffled toward him.
Seeing him approach, Chen Chuan raised his blade, about to unleash his Sword Stance. Just then, Old Han swung his long arm and flung three Long Spikes. Two sealed off the space in front and behind Chen Chuan, while the third shot straight for his face.
This was not just to disrupt his rhythm, but also to help Xiaosheng confirm whether he was actually still in the same spot. What had happened to Zhu Haidu earlier was bizarre—misjudging the enemy’s position, and more than once. That was something that should have been impossible for a man like him.
Chen Chuan flicked his blade, deflecting the spikes with a series of CLANGS. Xiaosheng didn’t miss the opportunity Old Han had created for him. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance in an instant. He thrust one short club at Chen Chuan’s chest and abdomen, while positioning the other to target the arm holding the blade.
Chen Chuan no longer had time to bring his blade back, but he had no intention of doing so. He shot his free arm up and, with a loud THUD, knocked the short club away, much to Xiaosheng’s astonishment. At the same time, his hand shot forward, clawing for Xiaosheng’s face.
Halfway there, however, his hand snapped back with a SMACK, catching a stone that was flying toward his ear. His blade, however, continued its upward thrust from below.
But a swiftly thrown stone accurately struck the body of the blade. The force behind it was immense, and with a sharp DING, it knocked the blade slightly off course. This gave Xiaosheng just enough time to twist his club around and narrowly parry the attack.
Chen Chuan crushed the stone in his hand. He was about to press the attack, but he had barely lifted his foot when he had to lean back slightly to dodge a curved blade. The throwing knife spun in a wide arc before returning to Old Han’s hand.
Xiaosheng retreated a few steps, looking at Chen Chuan with a flicker of fear in his heart. ’Horizontal Training... No wonder...’
Chen Chuan shot a glance at Old Han. This man’s information had been missing from the file, but based on an analysis of his physique and muscle structure, Chen Chuan had judged him to be a long-range specialist. It seemed his assessment was correct.
The man maintained a consistent distance, neither too close nor too far. This was to counter him, to pressure and threaten him. More importantly, it was likely to facilitate a quick escape. Chen Chuan was certain that if no opportunity arose, or if Xiaosheng was killed, this man would retreat without the slightest hesitation.
This time, he was prepared to eliminate the entire attacking team in one go to eradicate any future trouble. He had originally planned to use the Raccoon Cat Stone Token on Xu Xianwen, but now, it seemed like a good idea to use it on this man first.
As long as he took care of these two, the only one left to face would be Xu Xianwen. That would significantly reduce the difficulty.
With this thought, he decisively brushed his hand over the Raccoon Cat Stone Token. Then, ignoring the other man, he lunged toward Xiaosheng.
Old Han was pinching a throwing knife between his fingers. Seeing Chen Chuan launch another attack, he prepared to strike again. But suddenly, a heart-wrenching, tearing sensation erupted in his abdomen, as if something had abruptly appeared inside him and was clawing and biting at his internal organs.
This sudden development shocked him, and at the same time, he seemed to recall something.
The Viper Corps had split off from the Secret Snake Sect. Although he wasn’t one to perform religious rituals, he had heard of similar methods. Connecting this to the strange phenomena that had occurred around Chen Chuan earlier, he turned and walked away without hesitation.
Xiaosheng, completely focused on dealing with Chen Chuan, had no idea that something was wrong with Old Han. When he saw the flash of the blade, he hastily tried to parry with his two clubs. However, the Power seeping from the blade was too much for him. The impact sent both his clubs flying outward and left his arms numb and weak.
Although his speed could barely keep up, the difference in their strength was simply too vast. When the gap reaches a certain point, no amount of skill can make up for it.
At this critical moment, Old Han should have provided suppressive fire to let him regroup, but this time, nothing came. Sensing something was wrong, he swayed and retreated with hair’s-breadth timing, his body almost leaving an afterimage on the spot.
But Chen Chuan pressed forward, blade first, his speed so great he was practically glued to Xiaosheng, also leaving an afterimage. He plunged his blade through the man’s heart. Before Xiaosheng could even let out a scream, Chen Chuan flicked out his palm, struck him on the neck, and withdrew it in a flash.
A gurgle escaped Xiaosheng’s throat. His head then slumped limply onto his chest, his entire body hanging lifelessly from the blade.
With a casual flick of his Long Blade, Chen Chuan sent Xiaosheng’s body flying more than ten meters away to an empty patch of ground. It rolled a few times before falling completely still.
He said aloud, "The fourth. And then there’s..." His gaze shifted to Old Han, who was stumbling down the mountain. He turned and gave chase.
As he ran, Old Han desperately tried to tap into his body’s potential, burning his Essence Blood, trying to restore the Mutated Organization and internal organs that were being torn apart and devoured.
But it was useless. As quickly as they regenerated, they were devoured. Even taking a drug to stimulate his potential had no effect. The thing inside him seemed ravenous, thrashing about wildly.
He realized he wouldn’t get far like this. He grabbed a tree for support and pulled a syringe from his clothes, intending to inject it into his neck. But just as he raised his hand, there was a CRACK—a thrown stone shattered the syringe.
Still, he didn’t give up. He continued to stumble forward, scooping up the remaining liquid and trying to press it to his mouth. But he suddenly heard a BOOM by his ear. He looked down and saw a massive hole in his chest. After taking a few more steps, he involuntarily collapsed to his knees.
He heard footsteps slowly approaching from behind. Then, a hand rested on top of his head and seemed to adjust its grip calmly. As if realizing something, a look of terror filled his bulging eyes.
Chen Chuan’s five fingers tightened. CRACK! The skull beneath his palm split open, and wisps of hot steam drifted from his fingertips.
"The fifth..."
In just a short while, he had eliminated all five of them, one by one.
He had used a combination of folklore, the Esoteric Ritual, and his own martial prowess to swiftly dismantle a team—one that was extremely difficult to deal with and nearly impossible for a single person to defeat—all within a matter of minutes.
Now, aside from these men, only the team’s leader, Xu Xianwen, remained.
「Meanwhile, inside the Processing Bureau.」
Just before the Viper Team launched their attack, the Ferris Wheel Company suddenly made a move. Several of the closely monitored Outer Ocean Fighters disappeared from surveillance for a time. This prompted the Processing Bureau to immediately divert some of their forces to respond, as they couldn’t rule out the possibility that these individuals intended to cause trouble.
Captain Guan stared at the light screen. The area on Motie Mountain was still depicted as a blur. He paced for a couple of steps before asking a few of the Resonator team members, "Is it back up yet?"
It was just a habitual prod, as only three or four minutes had actually passed since the incident began. Based on his experience, it shouldn’t be this easy to restore the connection.
But one of the team members gave him a pleasant surprise. "Almost! We’re about to break through and establish contact!"
Captain Guan’s spirits lifted, but he couldn’t help but ask in confusion, "How is it so fast this time?"
"It’s the Resonator that Mr. Chen recommended. He had the Resonator team inside the manor prepare an independent domain-enhancing biological organism beforehand. While it can’t break through the overall shield, we should be able to establish a direct link in three minutes, tops."
"Excellent." Captain Guan breathed a sigh of relief. "This way, we can send a signal directly to the security system on Motie Mountain."
The Motie Mountain security team could be extremely rigid, all to protect the manor owner’s privacy and stay within regulations. In theory, once you entered the manor grounds, you were on the owner’s private property.
As long as they didn’t receive a notice from the owner, an indirect alarm, or an invitation, they would absolutely not take a single step inside—no matter how big the commotion was, provided it didn’t disturb other residents.
But now, not only was the Biological Domain being shielded, but the radio channels were also jammed. So, naturally, they wouldn’t move. Even if it went to the Judgement Court, they would bear no legal responsibility.
Down the mountain from Meng Manor, a team of armed personnel waited by the armored convoy. Their main responsibility was communications, as well as providing support and cover for the assault team.
Just then, a man ran hurriedly to the side of a vehicle and said to the middle-aged man inside, "Boss, it looks like there’s an enhanced Domain signal from inside. The external security might find out what’s happening here soon. We haven’t heard back from Boss Han. What do we do now?"
The middle-aged man glanced at the ever-thickening fog and the unceasing sound of gunshots from above. "Don’t panic. Wait a little longer. I trust Old Han and his men to get the job done."
Just then, someone at the front of the convoy suddenly saw a blurry figure emerging from the fog in the distance, walking toward them. He froze for a second. ’Did they succeed?’
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