180: Chapter 179 Robbery
The Ghost-Masked Man raised his right hand, and a layer of dark red light emerged on his arm. The light quickly condensed, transforming into a dark red spear in his palm.
Lin Fan didn't have time to think and grabbed Xu Ziyan's shoulder.
"Steer left!"
Xu Ziyan instinctively jerked the steering wheel. The off-road vehicle let out a piercing screech of tires as the body slammed to the left.
Almost at the same instant, that dark red spear tore through the night sky, grazing the right side of the off-road vehicle as it flew past.
"Boom!"
The spear struck the road surface, exploding into a large crater two meters in diameter. Gravel and mud splashed everywhere, hitting the car body with a dense 'bang-bang' sound.
Xu Ziyan's face was deathly pale, and his lips were trembling.
"They... they're playing for keeps?"
Lin Fan didn't answer; his mind was racing.
The opponent's Qi fluctuations were similar to his own. If they fought head-on, he wasn't without a chance of winning.
But Xu Ziyan was still in the car.
Although this kid was also a Beast Armor Master, he was only Rank 39.
If a real fight broke out, he wouldn't just be unable to help; he would become a burden instead.
More importantly, there were two opponents. One was Rank 47, and the other was Rank 49.
Against two, he wasn't without confidence, but considering Xu Ziyan...
"Accelerate, don't stop."
Xu Ziyan gritted his teeth and floored the accelerator.
The off-road vehicle's engine let out a roar that was almost a howl as the car's speed soared to 160 miles per hour.
But the black off-road vehicle behind them had better performance; the distance didn't widen, but instead grew closer and closer.
Eighty meters. Sixty meters. Fifty meters.
A second dark red spear came whistling through the air.
This time, Xu Ziyan didn't have time to dodge.
"Xiao Kun!"
Lin Fan shouted low, and the Xuan-Kong Realm Shield instantly deployed, as a transparent barrier of distorted space opened at the rear of the car.
The dark red spear shot into the barrier, its trajectory was distorted and its direction deflected, grazing the roof of the car as it flew past.
"Boom!"
The spear hit a withered tree by the roadside. The thick trunk was blown into two pieces and collapsed with a crash.
Xu Ziyan saw this scene through the rearview mirror, and cold sweat dripped down his cheeks.
"Lin Fan, ahead... there's a roadblock ahead!"
Lin Fan looked up.
Two hundred meters ahead, a black sedan was parked across the middle of the road. Its lights were all off, blocking the way like a giant black boulder.
This was no accident.
The opponent had arranged this long ago.
Lin Fan took a deep breath and made a decision.
"Ziyan, pull over and stop."
"What?"
Xu Ziyan thought he had misheard.
"Pull over and stop."
Lin Fan's voice was very calm.
"They want the goods, not lives. You stay in the car, don't get out."
"But..."
"Listen to me."
Xu Ziyan looked into Lin Fan's eyes; there was no fear, no panic, only a composure that was calm to the point of being almost indifferent.
He gritted his teeth and stopped the car by the roadside.
Lin Fan pulled open the car door and got out, carrying his backpack.
Moonlight spilled onto the empty road, stretching his shadow very long.
The black off-road vehicle behind them also stopped.
The car door opened, and two people stepped out.
Both wore ghost masks and black cloaks.
One was taller, one was shorter.
The taller one's Qi fluctuation was Rank 49, and the shorter one's was Rank 47.
The tall one should be the person who just threw the dark red spear.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, walked toward Lin Fan.
Their steps were neither hurried nor slow, like hunters walking toward prey that had already fallen into a trap.
Lin Fan stood in place and didn't move.
"Little brother."
The Tall Ghost-Faced Man spoke, his voice raspy. "We don't want to hurt anyone. Leave the items, and you can go."
Lin Fan looked at him, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"And if I don't?"
The Tall Ghost-Faced Man seemed to smile, the corner of his mouth under the mask twitching.
"Then we'll just have to take it ourselves."
A biting sense of oppression instantly enveloped the entire empty highway, their killing intent undisguised.
The tall Rank 49 Ghost-Masked Man had a domineering and fierce aura. His left arm was covered in thick, tight, dark crimson scales. The scales had sharp edges, stacked layer by layer along the muscle lines of his arm, with patterns spreading out in the shape of sharp spearheads.
His legs, from the thighs to the ankles, were entirely encased in thick, dark crimson battle armor, with sharp barbs protruding from the knees.
The original right arm Armorization remained, with thick scales and a full sense of stored power.
Meanwhile, the short Rank 47 Ghost-Masked Man had a strange and agile figure, his movement technique fully evident.
His left hand was wrapped in thin, sharp, dark crimson armor, with three-inch long, cold-glinting blade-claws extending from his fingertips.
A sharp, horn-shaped shoulder pauldron rose from his right shoulder, with faint Qi swirling over the armor's surface.
His left leg was covered in tight, light, dark crimson greaves with clean and smooth lines.
A pair of semi-circular elytra unfolded from his back; the outer layer was hard, red-patterned elytra, with dark black circular spot markings scattered across the surface.
The two stood under the moonlight, one in front and one behind, locking onto Lin Fan like two Vicious Beasts ready to pounce.
A flash passed through Lin Fan's left eye.
[Name]: Tall Ghost-Faced Man
[Rank]: Rank 49
[Armor Spirit]:
1. Scarlet-Scaled Blood Anaconda, Rank 49 heaven spirit inferior, Armorization part: left arm.
Armor Skills: Blood Spear Instant Strike, Scarlet Scale Entanglement, Toxic Scale Erosion, Anaconda Armor Body Protection, Calamity of the Blood Anaconda.
2. Bloodthirsty Thorny Lizard, Rank 39 earth spirit medium.
Armorization part: right arm.
Armor Skills: Thorny Spear, Blood-Scaled Armor, Bloodthirsty Bite, Brute Force Tail Swipe.
3. Colossal Strength Rhinoceros Beetle, Rank 39 earth spirit inferior, Armorization part: legs.
Armor Skills: Heavy Stomp Shockwave, Hard Shell Guard, Explosive Kick, Mountain-Steady Stance.
Lin Fan scanned them and roughly understood the opponent's combat style.
The overall fighting style leaned toward a head-on charge, balanced in offense and defense, relying on thick armor for error tolerance, and using brute force and piercing damage to crush opponents. Their weakness was low mobility and a reliance on positional warfare.
Then there was the short one.
[Name]: Short Ghost-Faced Man
[Rank]: Rank 47
[Armor Spirit]:
1. Shadow-Blade Insect King, Rank 39 earth spirit inferior, Armorization part: left arm.
Armor Skills: Shadow-Blade Slash, Hidden Ambush, Armor-Rending Blade, Rapid Slash Combo
2. Black-Rock Horned Beast, Rank 39 earth spirit superior, Armorization part: right shoulder.
Armor Skills: Pointed Horn Ram, Rock Armor Defense, Crushing Horn Strike, Hard Horn Block
3. Swift-Footed Marauding Locust, Rank 39 earth spirit medium, Armorization part: left leg.
Armor Skills: Pounce From Above, Sky-Leaping Kick, Swift Walk, Shadow Glimpse
4. Dark-Spotted Ladybug, Rank 45 heaven spirit inferior, Armorization part: back.
Armor Skills: Elytra Shield Protection, Wing-Blade Whirlwind, Explosive Wing Assault, Shadow Meteor Shower
He excelled at flanking harassment, side-wing sneak attacks, and hit-and-run tactics—a typical roaming assassin and a hunter specialized in countering fragile targets.