17: Chapter 17 Black Snake Squad

"The first business deal has come knocking."

Lin Fan's voice drifted in the wind.

He didn't slow down; instead, he used the momentum of his run to leap fiercely. The war blade in his hand drew a perfect half-moon arc in the air, carrying the force of a thousand catties as it accurately cleaved toward the Iron-hide Pig's hard skull.

He wasn't looking for a weakness.

It was a head-on crushing blow.

Since he wanted to test the quality of a B-Rank Talent, he had to use the most violent method possible.

Clang!

A massive boom of metal clashing against metal exploded across the Rocky Beach, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Immediately following it was the crisp sound of bone shattering.

That Iron-hide Pig, capable of withstanding ordinary bullets, didn't even let out a grunt. Its massive head caved in like a smashed watermelon. Its huge body slid forward for over a dozen meters due to inertia before finally crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Instakill.

From the sudden burst to the kill, it took no more than three seconds.

The remaining two Iron-hide Pigs were stunned. Their simple brains couldn't comprehend why this skinny human before them could erupt with power even more terrifying than a Lord-class exotic beast.

They instinctively wanted to flee.

But Fatty had already arrived.

"Where do you think you're going! That's my renovation fee!"

Fatty gave a furious roar, and his skin instantly petrified. Like a moving small mountain, he crashed directly into the sow on the left that was trying to escape.

Bang!

Another muffled thud.

The C-Rank Talent [Hardened Skin] didn't just grant Fatty extreme defense; it also brought terrifying impact force. That several-hundred-catty Iron-hide Pig was actually sent flying by his raw strength, its spine snapped mid-air by a follow-up strike from his club.

The battle ended even faster than imagined.

A thick smell of blood permeated the air.

Lin Fan flicked the blood droplets off his blade and looked at the three corpses on the ground as the system interface popped up with a pleasant notification tone.

【Successfully hunted E-Rank exotic beast Iron-hide Pig *3.】

【Raw material integrity: 98%. Evaluation: Perfect.】

【Estimated production: Defense-type blind box (E-Rank) *3.】

"Awesome!"

Fatty plopped down on a pig corpse, panting heavily, but his face was filled with undisguised ecstasy. "Brother Fan, aren't these things too weak? I feel like they went down before I even used any strength."

"It's not that they're weak; it's that we've become stronger."

Lin Fan sheathed his blade but did not let down his guard.

He turned around, his gaze crossing the Rocky Beach to look at the deathly silent wasteland behind them.

There, several scavenging vultures were circling.

But on the edge of the system's radar, several red dots that did not belong to exotic beasts were silently closing in from three directions.

They were moving fast.

Their coordination was seamless.

That was a formation specifically designed for hunting humans.

"Fatty, stop smiling."

Lin Fan's voice instantly turned cold. He fished a cigarette out of his pocket but didn't light it, merely rolling it between his fingers.

"Pack up. The real guests... have arrived."

"Turn left, three steps. Crouch."

Lin Fan's voice was almost inaudible in the wind.

This was the famous Jagged Rock Forest on the outskirts of Rift Zone No. 1. Jagged rocks stood everywhere, and the wind whistling through the crevices made a shrill wailing sound, much like a ghost's cry.

Although Zhang Hao's legs were still trembling, his body instinctively executed Lin Fan's command.

Clutching that thick mace, he huddled behind a massive weathered rock like a frightened quail.

"Fan... Brother Fan, are they really coming?" Fatty's teeth chattered, his round face practically screaming 'I want to go home.'

"They're here."

Lin Fan leaned into the shadow of another stone pillar, three crimson countdowns flickering on the lenses of his tactical glasses.

【Distance to contact: 3 seconds.】

【Threat assessment: E-Rank mercenaries, skilled coordination, well-equipped.】

"Remember, no matter who hacks at you later, don't dodge."

"Your life is very tough right now; you won't die. But if you run, I'll break your legs."

"Huh?!" Fatty didn't even have time to protest.

A dark shadow surged without warning from a rock crevice to his rear flank.

Fast, accurate, and ruthless.

This was an experienced assassin. He made no sound, and the pitch-black dagger in his hand carried a faint blue poisoned luster as it went straight for Fatty's lower back.

If this strike landed solidly, let alone a Martial Apprentice First Grade, even a Second Grade would be crippled on the spot.

"Dead Fatty, be a bit smarter in your next life!" A flash of cruel pleasure crossed the assassin's eyes.

Intelligence suggested these were just two students who didn't know the heights of the heavens. To kill such rookies, he didn't even need to use combat techniques.

Clang! A piercing sound of metal grinding rang out.

The expected muffled sound of a blade entering flesh didn't occur; instead, it triggered a shower of brilliant sparks.

"Mama!!!"

Fatty let out a scream like a slaughtered pig, clutching his head with both hands as he curled into a ball.

But he wasn't dead.

His skin wasn't even broken.

The moment the dagger touched his skin, the C-Rank Talent [Hardened Skin] was passively triggered.

A layer of grayish-black rocky callus instantly covered his lower back. That sharp E-Rank alloy dagger felt like it had hit granite; aside from leaving two white marks, it couldn't advance an inch.

The assassin froze.

His brain suffered a momentary stall.

This is a damn student?

Is this guy made of flesh?

His wrist was numbed by the recoil of that one strike. Is this guy an Ironclad Rhinoceros in human skin?

In that 0.1-second gap of dazed confusion...

"There!"

Lin Fan moved.

He didn't shout any hot-blooded slogans, nor did he release any world-shaking aura. He was like a long-dormant venomous snake, baring its fangs the moment its prey revealed a weakness.

One step forward.

B-Rank strength erupted.

The alloy war blade in his hand followed no fancy trajectory, just a simple, straightforward thrust.

Puchi.

The sound of a sharp blade slicing through cartilage was slight but clear.

The assassin, who was still questioning his life, only felt a chill at his neck before the world began to spin.

He clutched his throat as blood gushed from between his fingers, making gasping, wheezing sounds as he looked in terror at the youth who had suddenly appeared before him.

The youth wasn't looking at his face.

He was looking at his breastplate.

"E-Rank alloy dagger, intact, resale value eight thousand."

"F-Rank leather armor, damaged at the collar, value depreciated by twenty percent... Tsk, a loss."

Lin Fan even had the leisure to frown, seemingly dissatisfied that this strike had caused damage to the 'merchandise.'

He coldly pulled out the blade, wiped the blood on the assassin's cooling clothes, and then caught the assassin's collapsing body.

Handle with care.

After all, this was a 'blind box raw material' worth twenty thousand yuan.

"Third Brother!!!"

Not far away, two roars of shock and fury rang out simultaneously.

The remaining two members of the Black Snake Squad, Captain Black Snake and a burly man, had just closed in from both sides when they saw this scene that made their eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

The intelligence was wrong!

This was absolutely not the F-Rank Trash mentioned in the reports!

That fatty's defense surpassed even an ordinary Martial Apprentice Third Grade, and that skinny youth's attack speed was so fast they hadn't even seen it clearly!

"Tough target! Full-force elimination!"

Captain Black Snake's face was incredibly grim. He had originally thought he was just coming to harvest two little brats and make some extra cash from Young Master Wang. He hadn't expected to kick a steel plate.

"Kill!"

The burly man held a giant mountain-cleaving axe and roared as he charged at the still-shaking Fatty.

Since the sneak attack failed, they would go head-on. He didn't believe this fatty's turtle shell could withstand the impact of a heavy weapon.

"Fatty, nine o'clock direction, swing your club!" Lin Fan's voice rang out again, chillingly calm.

Although Fatty was scared to death and that previous strike had hurt like hell, seeing that the once-ferocious assassin had already been taken down by Brother Fan gave him a sudden boost of confidence.

"Fuck! You dare hack at your grandpa! I'll smash you to death!"

Fatty closed his eyes, not caring where the enemy was. Following Lin Fan's command, he swung the mace in his hands toward the left.

This swing followed no technique; it was pure brute force.

The blood and qi of a Martial Apprentice First Grade, combined with the power bonus of a C-Rank Talent, turned this several-dozen-catty mace into a launched cannonball.

Clang!

Another massive boom.

The charging burly man felt an overwhelming force transmit through the axe handle. His tiger's mouth instantly split open, and he was sent stumbling back, each step carving a deep pit into the ground.

"What kind of freakish strength is this?!" The man was horrified.

"Don't stop! Keep smashing!" Lin Fan said.

Hearing that it was working, Fatty got excited. The feeling of being able to hit someone without consequence—and even hear a satisfying 'thud'—sent his adrenaline soaring.

"Eighty! Eighty! Eighty!"

He swung the mace so fast it was airtight. Although it lacked any technical skill, that sheer 'force-over-finesse' arrogance actually prevented the experienced E-Rank mercenary from getting close.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan's figure vanished.