Wood Style And Sharingan

"Smith, are you okay?!"

Yan Yue hurried over, her eyes darting between the lifeless body of Qingfeng on the ground and the unconscious Mingyue sprawled to the side. A look of disbelief spread across her face.

"How… how did you do that?"

A first-level psychic defeating two third-level psychics—both of whom specialized in far more dangerous abilities like space manipulation and illusion—was simply unthinkable. Elemental powers alone were already difficult to deal with at that level, but Smith had taken down two highly specialized and dangerous enemies.

She could hardly believe her eyes.

"There was a bit of luck involved," Smith said modestly, brushing it off as he walked over to where Mingyue lay unconscious.

Qingfeng was definitely dead, but Mingyue was still alive—only trapped within the Sharingan's illusion. If they were lucky, they might be able to extract some valuable information from him.

"This guy isn't dead. Let's see if we can get anything out of him."

It was the second time they had been ambushed by members of the Burning Fire Clan. Judging from Qingfeng and Mingyue's earlier conversation, it was clear their objective had been to eliminate both Smith and Yan Yue.

But why?

Was it because they were from Huaihai College? Or was the true target Smith, son of Jiang Lei—while Yan Yue had simply been caught in the crossfire?

Whatever the reason, they needed answers—and fast.

Smack!

Smith gave Mingyue a few sharp slaps across the face.

The illusionist groaned and slowly regained consciousness, blinking groggily at the two faces before him.

"It's you?!"

As soon as Mingyue saw Smith and Yan Yue standing over him, alert and very much alive, he snapped into full awareness.

Smith raised a dagger to his neck, voice ice-cold.

"Your comrades are dead. You're the only one left. Why did you try to kill us? Speak up, and I might spare your life."

Mingyue's gaze flickered. He spotted Qingfeng's lifeless body nearby, and a mix of shock and fury darkened his expression.

"We underestimated you," he muttered bitterly. "We never thought you'd be this strong—strong enough to kill Qingfeng."

"Answer my question."

Smith pressed the blade a little harder, slicing a shallow cut into Mingyue's neck.

But the young man just smiled bitterly and said, "Kill me if you want. Whatever you want to know… I won't tell you."

"That's fine," Smith said calmly. "I have other ways to find out."

His eyes sharpened—and the Sharingan awakened again.

Genjutsu: Illusion.

With just a single glance, Mingyue's pupils lost focus. He slumped into a trance.

"Who gave the order to kill us?" Smith asked, his voice low and steady.

Mingyue responded slowly, mechanically. "We received orders… to hunt you two down…"

"From whom?"

"The organization…"

"Who leads this organization? Are they behind the beast tides in Huaihai City and Xiahai City?"

"Our leader is… is…"

Suddenly, Mingyue's expression twisted in agony. His body tensed violently, veins bulging along his temples.

"AHHH—!"

He let out a guttural scream. His eyes rolled back. Then his body slumped forward, completely limp.

Dead.

Smith froze for a moment before muttering, "That was a self-destruct illusion. A mental trap placed in his subconscious. The moment his mind was compromised, it activated automatically and wiped his consciousness clean."

Yan Yue stepped back with a shiver. "That's terrifying… Someone in their organization went to such lengths to keep their secrets hidden?"

"To leave behind such a brutal mental failsafe… it shows how dangerous their group really is."

Smith sighed and shook his head. "We were so close to getting answers."

Even with the power of the Sharingan, his current level of pupil strength wasn't enough to remove or override the illusion trap in time.

He let Mingyue's body fall aside.

"But at least one thing is certain now," he said. "The Burning Fire Clan wasn't just after me. They were after both of us."

Yan Yue nodded grimly. "That's what confuses me. We've never had dealings with the Burning Fire Clan. Why would they target us specifically—and try to kill us?"

"That's the part that doesn't make sense. They're not from Huaihai City. They had no reason to even know who we were… unless someone told them."

"Could it be connected to the beast tide incident?" Yan Yue wondered aloud.

Smith didn't answer. Instead, he looked around the dark, foul-smelling chamber.

"Either way, we can't stay here. We don't know where we are, and reinforcements could be on the way."

Yan Yue nodded. "The exit's over here."

She led him to a rusted iron door at the far end of the room.

Smith pressed his palm against it and pushed.

Clang!

The door creaked open, revealing a long, dimly lit underground passage.

A sewer.

The stench of rotting waste and stagnant water struck them like a slap to the face.

Yan Yue gagged slightly and covered her nose. "Ugh… this smell… Is this the sewer system beneath the City of Sin?"

Smith nodded. "Bestone did mention the Burning Fire Clan had a base in the City of Sin. I guess this is where they do their dirty work."

Enduring the foul air, the two of them began walking down the narrow walkways flanking the sewage channel, heading against the current.

Despite the fact that the City of Sin was built in the desert, the sewer system was clearly extensive and very much active. Every few dozen meters, they passed small doors set into the concrete walls of the passage.

Smith paused and opened one of the doors, only to find a narrow space inside—barely large enough for two people.

"Why would they build these useless rooms?" he muttered. "Storage?"

But there was nothing in them. Not a single tool or piece of equipment.

He opened several more doors. Same result—empty.

Eventually, he gave up. "Let's just keep going."

The two continued forward in silence, their footsteps echoing softly.

After around ten minutes of walking, they heard something.

Low voices. Footsteps. Dozens of them.

They were approaching from the next turn.

"Someone's coming!" Yan Yue whispered urgently.

Smith's eyes narrowed.

The footsteps were getting louder. Closer. And there were a lot of them.

"Hide!" Smith hissed.

They couldn't risk a direct confrontation. They didn't know how strong the approaching group was.

The only options were the sewer water… or one of the mysterious doors.

There was no time to hesitate.

Smith yanked open the nearest door, grabbed Yan Yue by the wrist, and dragged her inside. They squeezed into the cramped space and quietly shut the door behind them.

The smell in the enclosed space was suffocating, but they held their breath and pressed themselves against the cold walls, praying the group would pass without noticing.

Thump… thump… thump…

Boots splashed in the shallow sewer water outside.

Smith didn't dare move.

He didn't even blink.

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