Free Web NovelChapter 1121: Chapter 1092: Annihilating the Shadowy Figure (Part 1)
Xiao Lin held his breath as he reached the deck, with twice as many people running around compared to before. The visibility was extremely low under the smoke. "Where’s the fire?" he grabbed a man who looked like a sailor and asked.
"Engine room at the stern!" Without another word, Xiao Lin followed the sailor towards the stern; D Zone was also in this direction.
"Have all the goods in D Zone been unloaded?" Renado’s loud voice could be heard from afar, the agitated tone revealing the old captain’s dismay at this sudden disaster.
"Only partially!"
Xiao Lin had no intention of listening further; he turned toward the engine room. This fire erupted suddenly, and with such intrigue! Could it be the person who entered the captain’s office before him?
People were running back and forth on the corridor leading to the engine room, the smoke from inside carrying the smell of accelerants; although not heavy, in an environment already laden with many oil stains, even a little would have a substantial effect. Xiao Mu accompanied the captain to his right, and Xiao Lin changed positions again. If the arsonist was indeed the person who entered the captain’s room earlier, then he wouldn’t leave easily. But what was the purpose of this fire? There were Shao Weihua’s military supplies in D Zone, and the motive was quite apparent: to destroy or steal? A batch had been transported out earlier, so the likelihood of theft seemed low.
Back to D Zone! A figure flickered in the peripheral direction of his gaze, and a strong smell of gasoline wafted over with the wind. Xiao Lin swiftly unfolded his body technique and moved toward the direction of the figure.
The ground was slippery beneath his feet, but the amount of gasoline wasn’t large enough to cause a massive fire, yet it was more than sufficient to burn something.
In the smoke, the resolution of the figure was nearly zero, and the shadows that Xiao Lin pursued came in and out of view, making it difficult to seize the first opportunity. His hands gripped a container, and he leapt up into the air; only from above did the visibility diminish even further. With a few jumps, he landed at the boundary between D Zone and C Zone, where the sounds of combat arose from the right side.
Yelu shouted angrily, leaping up. The steel rod in his hand came down with a terrifying, piercing gale towards his left. Though there was no shadow there, he had somewhat grasped the opponent’s movements and was confident in his judgment. In his fury, the surging rod shadows came crashing down like a stormy sea!
A huge sound exploded from the smoke, and a shadow like a black mist bizarrely appeared in that empty left side. But the shadow’s speed was shockingly fast and unbelievable, with reflexes surpassing imagination. As Yelu’s steel rod was about to strike the shadow’s head, the silver steel claw in the shadow’s hand suddenly launched, fiercely and precisely meeting Yelu’s steel rod.
Xiao Lin was crouched above them, observing the weapon in this person’s hand. This speed, this reflex ability was rare at present—not the best but certainly most distinctive. More importantly, this person’s body technique had appeared in Sicily for the first time, quickly excluding identities from Shao Weihua or Mu Rongyun, and making it even less likely to be ’Black Crow.’
The collision was deafening! The shadow grunted, but the rotating claw deftly dissipated the force from the steel rod, the numbing sensation in his arm causing a momentary lapse.
A touch of a strike, except for the head, the entire body was cloaked within the black robe, the figure slightly swayed, seemingly drifting yet swiftly darting out, carrying trails of dark shadows, suddenly appearing behind Yelu, the silver steel claw hidden under the robe abruptly reaching out, aiming at Yelu’s back with thunderous and terrifying speed, silently darting forward.
Roar!! A muffled shout from his throat, the steel rod in hand abruptly thrust backward, the shadow’s terrifying speed posed a challenge, yet Yelu prided in his own speed! Having suffered from the shadow’s devastating speed before, Yelu was already prepared for the next stage of defense even before clashing with the shadow. Though the speed that tested human psychological endurance slightly stunned Yelu, his swift reflexes enabled him to narrowly strike the opponent’s claw center before further parrying. Not waiting for the opponent to strike again, Yelu roared and lunged once more, taking advantage of the backward force exerted by the steel rod’s recoil, his hands fiercely drew back toward the rear.
Both were well-versed in each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Regarding Yelu’s brute strength, the shadow dared not underestimate, though in desperate resistance, he managed to stop Yelu’s rod and with a swift left claw could severely injure him; however, such a life-for-life fighting style was not his choice right now.
Cursing inwardly, the shadow withdrew the right claw he had initially thrust and floated back entirely. Once an attack was launched, especially a full attack, it was exceedingly difficult to retract, which was a potential flaw of offensive assaults. Yet this frightening fellow who perched above, filling Xiao Lin with some dread, seemed unrestricted in this regard.
Freely wielding moves, advancing and retreating at will. Possibly, before touching the opponent’s body, if perceiving anything amiss, he could immediately cancel the attack and vanish in the blink of an eye.
Indeed, in terms of speed, this person had completely overturned Xiao Lin’s perception. This kind of speed, often only found in books, was unmistakably demonstrated on him.
The thrill and fear can only be felt when encountering it.
Panting heavily, Yelü Shou’s bloodshot eyes were fixed on that face ahead that sent chills down his spine, gradually filled with a wary expression. Even when sparring with Xiao Lin, he never showed such a heavy expression, but facing this figure, Yelü Shou had to put away all his arrogance and pride. It’s not that this figure’s strength surpassed Xiao Lin, but his body technique... truly made one not dare to underestimate him.
If Yelü Shou were to spar with strong opponents like Consort Ling or Troy, this battle maniac would undoubtedly be full of frenzy, all his skills unleashed freely. But facing this figure, he felt no excitement at all.
Yelü Shou couldn’t understand why such a person existed on this ship, which he had boarded following Xiao Lin.
Yelü Shou’s forte wasn’t brute force attacks, although he had learned external martial arts, his strength and technique were indeed terrifying. However, what truly showcased Yelü Shou’s prowess were his tricky hand and foot techniques. He wasn’t a power-type fighter, but in terms of speed, he was one of the strongest, a habit slowly nurtured through battles with Xiao Lin. Yet facing this figure, who seemed to embody the philosophy of "In the world, nothing breaks but speed, only speed prevails" to the extreme, Yelü Shou often felt his strength had nowhere to be exerted.
Moreover, you had to keep your nerves on edge at all times; otherwise, with even the slightest negligence, this guy might disappear from your sight and, in the next moment before you could react, might already be beside you, perhaps with those sharp silver steel claws already plunged into your chest.
"You’ve really annoyed me to the extreme!" Yelü Shou’s lips curled up slightly, turning his handsome face into something sinisterly ferocious, perhaps due to his trembling crimson eyes swelling instantaneously, exuding an endless sense of oppression.
Xiao Lin only saw his face clearly when the figure was on the move, that face almost devoid of any features, numb with no emotional fluctuation, with narrow, dark eyes equally emotionless. Yet, the invisible killing intent lingering around the black robe revealed that this sharp sword had not yet been sheathed, and the cold breath was still locking onto the wild beast that was Yelü Shou.
Xiao Lin could assert that it was a human skin mask, for no one could achieve such a degree of stoicism; even the coldest, most ruthless person would have some nerve reflexes. Patients with high-level paraplegia couldn’t match this guy’s level.
In the brief moment right after Yelü Shou’s words fell, the figure didn’t utter a sound, but his form suddenly grew illusory, sweeping into the heated battleground behind with glimpses of phantom shadows in this lamp-lit scene and vanishing from Yelü Shou’s locked-in aura in the blink of an eye.
"That trick again!" Yelü Shou cursed, his expression turning grave once more. With red light flashing in his eyes, his entire body sank, left foot as a pivot, right foot pressing hard, his whole body swiftly spun on the spot, and with a swing of his steel rod, he viciously vented his terror into the surrounding air.
Though this defensive technique of Yelü Shou was very conservative, evidently exchanging stamina for his own safety, it was also the only safe method under the circumstances. Once the figure melted into the crowd, he would surely become a viper in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike with terrifying speed, allowing no time for resistance.
Whoosh... Just as Yelü Shou’s lean figure was violently spinning, a barely discernible abnormal swoosh suddenly appeared above his head, with a sharp killing intent shooting straight at him.
Above! A slight tremor in his heart, Yelü Shou’s right foot stomped abruptly to the ground, halting his rapidly spinning form, while his steel rod drew a distinct arc fiercely smashing toward the figure’s head.
Nevertheless, as Yelü Shou swung the steel rod upward, his right leg just stopped also swiftly raised, sweeping hard toward the open ground ahead.
Bam! A dull thud of body collision echoed from the front, the figure’s dark silhouette emerging with it! Another precise judgment, the attack to the head was a feint! With a beautiful single-handed maneuver of the steel rod, Yelü Shou sneered, stepping forward aggressively, choosing to attack after having enough of ceaseless defending.
Exploding without reservations, Yelü Shou unleashed his ultimate speed, performing a mid-air spin, the steel rod imbued with powerful force rapidly switching between the techniques of "sweep, smash, chop, and pierce," weaving a storm of rod shadows like thunder, engulfing the figure ahead.
Full strength unleashed, power soaring! Ultimate body technique! Shattering rapid descent! (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
