A Night of Desperation

Chapter 66: The Journey (4)

“You recognize me?” Xu Fan flexed his gloved hands with some surprise. “Looks like someone you know managed to escape from me before. Interesting.”

Inside his helmet, he grinned.

“I…” Xu Yang trembled all over, his hands shaking violently even as he gripped his gun. He had no idea how things had spiraled like this—how had a simple mission to capture a valuable tech expert turned into a confrontation with an opponent of this caliber?

If he had known they would be facing someone like Butcher, he would never have followed Captain Zhao here, no matter what.

His fear spread to the rest of the squad. Everyone tensed up as if facing a great enemy, sweat trickling down their foreheads. Their eyes were locked onto Xu Fan, gun barrels all trained on him.

Some had heard of the Butcher’s reputation, while others instinctively realized something was terribly wrong based on their leader’s reaction.

“I thought this mission would be difficult, but it turns out it’s just a bunch of kids.” Xu Fan glanced at the group, a hint of disappointment in his tone.

“Ten seconds,” he muttered.

BANG!

In an instant, his body lunged forward, turning into a black blur as he charged.

Like a raging rhinoceros, he crashed into the squad’s formation, smashing into their midsection with unstoppable force.

Before they could react, his arms spread wide. Two black chains lashed out like dark wings, slicing through the air.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

Four soldiers’ necks were instantly cut open, their windpipes exposed as blood gushed out.

Their expressions froze in shock—they hadn’t even seen what had struck them before their strength drained away and they collapsed to the ground.

After eliminating four, Xu Fan retracted his chains, pivoted, and dodged a burst of gunfire from Xu Yang’s pistol.

His body suddenly shrank, his towering two-meter frame compressing into a compact black sphere. Then, like a spring uncoiling, he shot upward into the air, launching himself into the gap between two more soldiers.

SWOOSH!

Xu Fan spread his arms wide, grabbing both men by their heads. Then, with terrifying momentum, he rammed them forward.

BOOM!

A thunderous impact echoed.

The two soldiers’ heads were smashed into the trunks of massive trees, bursting open like overripe melons. They were dead before they even knew what had happened.

Xu Fan leaped again, evading another volley of gunfire before pouncing on the remaining troops.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

Like an unstoppable beast, he plowed through them, his right shoulder striking each one with brutal precision.

In less than ten seconds.

The entire slope fell silent, leaving only Xu Yang and “Monkey,” the soldier holding explosives.

The two men trembled violently, their faces deathly pale, drenched in cold sweat. They stood frozen, too afraid to even breathe, staring at the black-clad figure that had suddenly stopped moving.

“You… what the hell are you!!?” Xu Yang managed to stammer. His gun was still aimed at Xu Fan, but it provided him with no sense of safety whatsoever.

Over ten men. A full half of the joint task force. These weren’t just some street thugs or gangsters.

Yet, so many trained, armed soldiers had been wiped out in a matter of seconds…

Xu Fan, however, ignored him. Instead, he glanced in another direction, listening to a transmission through the micro earpiece he wore.

“Hmm. Only two left,” he murmured. “Almost done.”

He looked back at Xu Yang and Monkey. The latter seemed to want to say something, but it was already too late.

A sudden flash of fire erupted from Xu Fan’s right hand—a concealed handgun fired.

The bullet hit the explosive pack in Monkey’s hands.

BOOM!!!

Flames exploded outward, expanding into a fireball that engulfed both men within moments.

The orange inferno spread rapidly, setting trees and dry leaves ablaze. When the explosion finally subsided, only scorched remains were left behind.

Xu Fan had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the faint click of movement deep in the forest.

*

*

* *

Yu Hong heard the shouting outside. Then, the explosion. Then, the roar of flames consuming the forest.

He decided to wait until everything fell silent before cautiously opening the barricade to check the situation.

Through the peephole, flickering firelight illuminated the surroundings, casting a reddish glow over everything. Waves of heat rolled outward, carrying with them bits of charred black ash.

“Fire?”

He could feel the rising heat spreading into his courtyard.

“Wait… My Luminous Grass won’t get burned, will it?”

At that thought, Yu Hong considered stepping outside to check. But the memory of the explosion held him back.

“If there’s still fighting outside, going out now would be suicide.”

He knew today was the day his hired expert was supposed to arrive—he’d already been briefed by Li Runshan.

“That explosion… it was probably a battle between my mercenary and the attackers’ forces. Those guys even used bombs!?”

A shiver ran through Yu Hong’s spine. His White Bear armor wouldn’t stand a chance against an explosion. He was suddenly grateful that he hadn’t overestimated himself and rushed into battle.

“Good thing I hired a professional instead of going in myself. Safety first.”

With that thought, he decided he wouldn’t step outside today.

If the attackers discovered him in his current weak state, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

Having made up his mind, Yu Hong dragged over a wooden stool, sat by the door, and occasionally peeked through the window.

Suddenly, his expression shifted. He quickly shut the barrier, leaving only a small gap to spy through.

In the forest outside the gate, several figures in dark green camouflage were silently approaching from a distance.

They moved with agility, and their leader wore a deep brown, form-fitting bulletproof vest, clearly more advanced and intricate than the others.

The moment Yu Hong saw this person, he recalled Zhao Zhenghong and Xu Yang—two people he had encountered before.

‘It seems like one of those two… Are they the ones behind this?!’ Yu Hong’s heart tightened, and he held his breath.

He watched as the group swiftly approached his courtyard and leaped over the wall. The few men at the front each carried a small silver box in their hands as they moved toward the wooden gate.

‘What is that?’

Yu Hong had a bad feeling about the small boxes, which were marked with black-and-white stripes and covered with black plastic labeled: DANGER.

No matter how he looked at it, something felt off.

‘Could it be some kind of lockpicking tool?’ He speculated, but seeing that each of them had one, he started to doubt that theory.

As they got closer, a creeping sense of unease washed over him.

Zhao Zhenghong furrowed his brows, carefully carrying a bomb as he approached the wooden door.

Hearing no movement inside, he recalled how he had split up with Xu Yang earlier to track tire tracks. Halfway through, he heard the explosion and rushed over.

But he found nothing—only raging flames consuming a stretch of forest, burning so fiercely that he couldn’t even get close.

With no choice, he led his men to the cave instead, planning to blast the door open, loot whatever was useful inside, and then regroup with Xu Yang.

But things weren’t going as planned. Xu Yang had likely found the culprit and was already fighting them—possibly even using portable bombs.

That meant Zhao Zhenghong had to wrap things up quickly. Once he breached the door and investigated, he needed to join Xu Yang immediately.

With this in mind, Zhao Zhenghong quickened his pace and pressed the bomb against the wooden door.

Suddenly, in the reflection of the bomb’s metallic surface, he caught a glimpse of a shadow flashing past.

A familiar and intense sense of danger surged from his left.

His face changed drastically as he threw himself backward.

Bang! Bang!

Two gunshots rang out, bullets slicing through the air where he had just been standing.

Zhao Zhenghong let go of the bomb, flipping backward like an agile monkey. He tumbled over ten meters, landing behind a thick tree.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The other team members realized something was wrong and immediately pulled out their guns, firing toward the direction of the gunshots.

Their bullets were soon spent. With low growls, they drew knives, short swords, and steel rods, surrounding the area where the gunfire originated.

The first man in the group moved in swiftly but suddenly froze—his body lifted off the ground.

A massive hand had seized his head and flung him upward.

Whoosh!

The man spun through the air for two meters before crashing down.

Splat!

Two enormous hands plunged into his abdomen like sharp blades.

With a brutal rip, the hands tore his body apart.

Blood rained down, splattering across tree trunks, wild grass, and black soil.

The raging flames mixed with the airborne blood mist, creating a surreal and terrifying scene.

For a moment, the other team members were completely stunned.

“F*** you!!!” Zhao Zhenghong had just regained his footing when he saw the horrifying sight. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

He drew a sharp short blade from his right arm, lowered his body, and charged forward like a sprinting black ape, covering over ten meters in an instant as he lunged at the shadow that had just torn his subordinate in half.

Clang!!

In midair, his short blade was caught by a metallic glove.

Before him stood a massive figure—over two meters tall, built like a bear, with arms as thick as his own thighs.

The giant was clad in full-body bulletproof armor. His helmet was adorned with blood-stained spikes, and beneath the red visor, faintly visible, were eyes filled with excitement.

“Not bad, you’ve got some strength,” the giant said in a low, mocking tone.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

The remaining team members roared in fury, swarming in from all directions. Using their knives and clubs, they rained down attacks on the giant.

A total of six men surrounded him, along with Zhao Zhenghong charging from the front—seven in total!

But—

“Retreat!!” Zhao Zhenghong’s face twisted in horror as he leaped backward, narrowly dodging a sweeping black-gloved hand.

However, his men lacked his reflexes.

Boom!

The giant’s hand shot out like lightning.

One man’s head exploded on impact.

The others attempted to scatter, but the giant grabbed two of them by their arms and flung them.

They spun through the air and crashed into two other fleeing teammates.

All four tumbled to the ground, unable to get up.

The last two who had managed to escape now watched in horror as the giant picked up a millstone-sized rock and hurled it.

Boom! Boom!

Two dull thuds.

The rock slammed into their bodies, crushing their chests and pinning them against a tree, leaving behind nothing but a mess of blood and flesh.

“Use the bombs!!” Zhao Zhenghong, now utterly furious, roared. In less than 30 seconds, half his men were dead.

His veins bulged with rage.

With the few men he had left, they scattered and flung their portable bombs forward.

But before the bombs could land, Zhao Zhenghong noticed something.

The giant had vanished.

He jerked his head around—only to see a massive black shadow less than three meters away.

The giant’s arms were spread wide as he leaped slightly, striking a bizarre stance that resembled a crane spreading its wings.

Seeing this posture, Zhao Zhenghong’s mind flashed to a single thought.

‘Singing Crane Fist!! Iron Wings Split the Sky?!’

(End of chapter)