183: Another person dies

Yinzi felt weak all over, her arms hanging limp. Xu Jingzhe had taken a liking to her ninjutsu.

Trading her life for the technique.

But he did not know that in the way of the ninja, if an assassination failed and one was captured, there was only one path: death. It was impossible to trade ninjutsu for one's life.

Yinzi closed her eyes, her thick, long eyelashes trembling as she waited for the judgment of death.

Her silence was the best answer.

Xu Jingzhe pondered for a moment and decided to spare her life for now. He continued to hold Yinzi by the throat and walked slowly into the city.

On the walls of Tark City, no one dared to stop him. No one knew just how strong the combat power of the youth before them really was.

He was clearly covered in wounds, looking as though he might collapse at any moment.

Yet, his fighting spirit was soaring, radiating from his body, striking fear into everyone.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a bullet arrived with lightning speed from the walls of Tark City, aiming for Xu Jingzhe's head.

It came so strangely and abruptly, like the wave of Death's hand.

Xu Jingzhe could not muster a single shred of energy within his body to resist; he could only watch helplessly as he waited for the bullet to shatter his skull.

At such close range, not even a god could save him.

0.02 seconds.

Tang Ruyi let out a roar, using "Shift and Replace," manifesting his ability for the first time.

"Pfft!"

The bullet struck his right shoulder blade, flesh and blood splattering. The powerful kinetic energy sent him flying seven or eight meters away, where he collapsed to the ground, his life or death unknown.

Xu Jingzhe's pupils constricted sharply as he spat out a mouthful of blood and handed control of his body over to the system.

System: "Ding, the energy within your body is insufficient to support me."

"I don't care. I want the person who launched the sneak attack to die!" Xu Jingzhe's voice was terrifyingly cold, like a demon from hell.

Unless it was the final moment of his life, Xu Jingzhe would not hand over control of his body to the system.

For no other reason.

What is learned from books is ultimately shallow; one must practice it to truly understand.

Only through life-and-death battles, time and time again, could a powerful Xu Jingzhe be forged.

If he relied on the system for everything, developing a dependency, he wouldn't make it far.

Even if he became strong, he would not be an elite powerhouse.

The system took control of Xu Jingzhe's body, causing the golden pollution core to crack, forcing out energy for its own use.

A 'blood-stained man' leaped up and landed on the walls of Tark City; wherever he passed, people retreated.

Repeated sneak attacks—anyone would find that intolerable.

"Wang Family!"

Xu Jingzhe locked onto a person whose features bore a resemblance to Wang Teng.

He thought his attack had been undetectable, not knowing that Xu Jingzhe, with the system, could easily pinpoint him.

"No, it wasn't me."

The assailant turned pale with fright, stuttering and unable to speak.

How could this be?!

His attack had been coordinated with his ability; even the people right next to him hadn't felt anything. How did Lu Fei know?

"Lu Fei, what are you doing? Fighting is forbidden within Tark City. If you violate this, the Alliance leadership will definitely execute you!" Wang Yuan shouted sternly.

This demon god was charging straight at his Wang Family, and he was stunned.

He glanced covertly at Wang Qiao beside him, wondering if he had been the one to attack.

Xu Jingzhe exerted force with his legs, toes pushing off the ground, and leaped into the air, leaving a series of afterimages behind.

Wang Qiao was intimidated by Xu Jingzhe, yet he still held a sliver of hope.

He would never admit it; after all, no one saw him attack.

In public, he wouldn't choose to attack. Would Xu Jingzhe really dare to kill him?

The answer was: definitely kill!

"Pfft!"

Xu Jingzhe's knee slammed heavily into Wang Qiao's chest, shattering it in one blow and turning his internal organs into pulp.

Wang Qiao died with his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

Wang Yuan was furious, his teeth almost cracking. Another one dead again!

Was this Lu Fei deliberately targeting the Wang Family for slaughter?

This was unbearable!

But...

He endured it.

Swallowing his broken teeth, he knew that since Xu Jingzhe was killing people in Tark City, the Alliance leadership would certainly not sit idly by.

He was provoking the laws set by the Alliance; the law would punish him.

Xu Jingzhe turned and jumped off the city wall, looking like a lone wolf.

Qin Shuang stared blankly at his blood-soaked back. She suddenly understood: from this moment on, Xu Jingzhe would drift further and further away from her.

They were both from the same squad, teammates. Xu Jingzhe had risked his life for them.

Under the walls of Tark City, his teammates had 'abandoned' helping Xu Jingzhe because they valued their own lives.

Qin Shuang's delicate body trembled, her heart dead with despair.

Xu Jingzhe placed Tang Ruyi on his right shoulder and Yinzi on his left, then entered the city.

Inside the city, the Qin Zhan Wushuang Squad was already waiting.

Yang Shuang was dead, brutally killed by a contestant from Adam City.

Once inside the city, Xu Jingzhe's tightly coiled nerves finally relaxed, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

...

Nighttime.

Tark City grew lively, with people gathered in groups of three or five.

Bars and discos were packed, bathed in colorful spotlights, with men and women flirting and posturing.

The pressure of death and the fear of being forgotten were briefly cast aside, and their bodies found release.

In the end, they were only human, unable to escape the control of hormones and adrenaline; the pleasure of the flesh left them intoxicated.

Wang Yuan sat at the bar, his face grim, downing drink after drink, trying to extinguish his lust and rage.

Damn it.

Was the Wang Family easy to bully?

Just then, a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes walked up beside him. She had a hot body, with curves that were explosively irregular.

Especially her hips, which could hold a wine glass.

"One special cocktail," the woman said.

Resting her pointed chin on one hand, her left fingertips carelessly grazed Wang Yuan's bulging arm, making his heart tremble.

Wang Yuan was generous, pulling out a ten-year pollution core and placing it on the bar. "I'll cover the drinks tonight," he said.

The woman giggled, her bright red lips stretching into an exaggerated smile.

She had a big mouth—a feature said to bring good fortune.

She belonged to the type of big-mouthed beauty that people found fascinating.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere between the two became ambiguous; the air grew thick, and Wang Yuan and the woman began to grope each other.

"Which family are you from? Do you have a grudge against Lu Fei of the Qin Family squad?"

"Yeah, a blood feud!" Wang Yuan downed the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp.

The smile at the corners of the woman's eyes grew intense. She didn't say much more, slid off the round stool, and beckoned to Wang Yuan.

She licked her lips with a long tongue, looking incredibly sexy.

Wang Yuan, overcome with lust, slammed his glass down and followed the woman out of the bar.

The next day at noon, Xu Jingzhe woke up, his throat feeling like it was burning.

"Water..."

Qin Shuang had been guarding Xu Jingzhe's bedside and woke up immediately upon hearing the sound.

She hurriedly picked up the water glass on the table and poured a cup for Xu Jingzhe.

After the water went down, Xu Jingzhe's throat felt much better, and sensation slowly returned to his body.

Pain!

Heart-piercing, bone-aching pain!!

His body felt like it had been run over back and forth by a high-speed train traveling at eight hundred miles per hour.

Qin Shuang didn't dare to look into Xu Jingzhe's eyes and whispered, "I, I'm sorry. The supplies in Tark City—potions, food, equipment, water sources, and so on—have all been controlled by the teams from Adam City and Nüwa City."

"We, we only managed to get a little food and water; there were no potions or equipment."

"How is Tang Ruyi?" Xu Jingzhe asked weakly.

Qin Shuang was stunned; she hadn't expected that the first thing Xu Jingzhe would do upon waking up was not to care about himself, but to ask about the man who had come with them.