181: Clashes under the Smoke Screen

Inside the room, two peripheral members of "Prometheus" were focused on their "cleanup" work.

The Short Man stuffed the last few small gold bars into a specially made shockproof bag, while the Tall Man carefully examined several encrypted documents retrieved from a hidden compartment.

Spread out on the table were cash, jewelry, and several passports with different identities, unearthed from the depths of the safe. The flashlight beam swept over them, reflecting an alluring yet cold luster.

"Almost done," the Short Man zipped up the bag and weighed it in his hand. "These hard assets should plug quite a few holes. The rest..."

He didn't finish his sentence; his voice abruptly cut off.

A cold, unmistakably lethal sensation pressed against the back of his and his companion's heads simultaneously, without any warning. The sensation was hard and smooth—no joke.

Both men's bodies instantly stiffened, their blood seeming to freeze. They hadn't even heard any footsteps or the door opening!

A voice, calm to the point of indifference, whispered close behind them, as if right at their ears:

"Good evening. I believe you two now have time to answer a few small questions about your 'organization.'"

It was Shen Mingyuan. In his Shadow Form, like a true ghost, he had taken advantage of their focus on the valuables and conversation to infiltrate the room with speed and silence far beyond ordinary humans. Now, he held a "twin stars" in each hand, the dark muzzles steadily pressed against the two men's vital spots.

Sweat instantly beaded on the Short Man's forehead. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he forced out a hoarse voice: "You... who are you? Do you know who you're messing with? We won't tell you anything!"

The Tall Man's eyes were gloomy, his muscles tense as he tried to gauge the position and number of opponents from the gun's touch and the voice. But the presence behind him felt like an abyss, making him dare not move recklessly.

"Friend, you've come to the wrong place. You can take all the money here and pretend you never saw us," he tried to distract with the valuables, buying time.

"Money?" Shen Mingyuan's voice showed no fluctuation. "I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in the 'Experimental Table,' the 'Materials,' and the 'Prometheus' behind you.

Now, tell me, how did Sun Qian die? Besides cleaning up here, what else are you responsible for? Who is your superior? Where is your base?"

Each question hammered at their nerves. The other party not only knew the organization's name but was also familiar with internal terms like 'Experimental Table' and 'Materials'! This was no ordinary thief or enemy who had stumbled in by chance!

"No way!" the Short Man suddenly growled. Under extreme fear, he erupted with the ferocity of a desperado!

Instead of diving forward or crouching, he relied on some training or instinct, jerking his head sharply to the left to avoid the muzzle while his right elbow, like a scorpion's tail, slammed backward toward Shen Mingyuan's gun-wielding wrist.

However, he was fast, but Shen Mingyuan was faster!

The moment the other's shoulder muscles twitched, Shen Mingyuan's gun muzzle at the back of his head slid away from its position as if foreseeing it.

That fierce elbow strike only hit air.

At the same time, Shen Mingyuan flipped his left wrist, using the gun body as a fist, delivering a heavy and precise butt-strike upward, smashing into the junction of the Short Man's jaw and throat!

"Ugh!" the Short Man let out a short cry of pain. All follow-up movements were interrupted as his vision darkened. He staggered sideways, falling, hands clutching his neck in agony, coughing and retching violently, temporarily incapacitated.

In the split second Shen Mingyuan dealt with the Short Man, the Tall Man also moved!

He didn't choose to assist his companion but took advantage of Shen Mingyuan's diverted attention to lunge forward and sideways, reaching for an old-fashioned paper cutter beside the bundle of cash on the table!

His movements showed more training, with a clear goal—not to counterattack, but to create chaos or obtain even a small weapon!

The Tall Man's lunge toward the paper cutter was swift, clearly indicating some combat training. However, Shen Mingyuan's reaction was quicker.

Just as the Tall Man's fingertips were about to touch the handle, Shen Mingyuan flicked his right wrist, firing a faint shot.

"Hmph!" The Tall Man's entire right arm instantly went numb and stinging, as if lightly grazed by a high-voltage wire. His movement deformed and stiffened, and the paper cutter clattered back onto the table.

Almost simultaneously, a sudden change occurred!

The Short Man, knocked down by the gun butt and curled up retching on the floor, seized the moment Shen Mingyuan's attention was drawn to his companion, a flash of ruthlessness and resolve crossing his face.

Enduring the severe pain in his jaw and throat, his left hand trembled but moved with unusual speed into his chest, pulling out a cylinder slightly larger than an egg. With all his strength, he hurled it toward the ground between Shen Mingyuan and the Tall Man! At the same time, he rolled fiercely behind the nearby sofa.

"Hiss—!"

A sharp hissing sound erupted as dense, choking gray-white smoke instantly exploded from the impact point, expanding and spreading at an astonishing rate. In the blink of an eye, it filled over half the room! Vision was completely obscured, and a pungent odor assaulted their noses.

This was a high-efficiency smoke grenade, common in military, police, or underground channels—not a supernatural creation—but its effect in an enclosed space was extremely deadly.

"Cough! Cough!" The Tall Man, tears streaming from the smoke, relied on survival instinct. Amid the sudden chaos, he remembered and slammed into the window behind him—which was already slightly ajar for ventilation!

He pushed open the window sash, scrambling out without regard. Outside was a dark back alley and a maze of low building rooftops.

Shen Mingyuan had held his breath the moment the smoke exploded. In his thermal vision, two orange-red humanoid outlines remained clearly distinguishable against the gray-white smoke background: one rolling behind the sofa, the other crashing toward the window. Without hesitation, he fired two brief, precise shots with his left "twin stars"!

"Thud! Thud!"

"Ah—!" The Short Man's scream rang out. The first shot hit the side of his right knee as he tried to stand up, a shattering blow that sent him crashing to the floor again with a cry.

The second shot followed almost simultaneously, piercing through his left wrist as he reached for another dagger behind his waist!

Meanwhile, the thermal outline of the Tall Man, after scrambling out the window, quickly blended into the complex environmental heat sources below. After a few undulations, he disappeared at the edge of perception range—he had escaped.

Shen Mingyuan did not pursue. His primary goal was not elimination but gathering information and handling the scene.

Holding his breath, he quickly moved through the gradually settling smoke to the groaning Short Man on the floor. He kicked away the fallen dagger and swiftly searched the man, removing another compact pistol hidden under the ribs and two spare magazines.

At the same time, he retrieved the man's phone.

He didn't use his own phone—that would leave unnecessary traces too easily.

Using the captive's fingerprint to unlock the phone, Shen Mingyuan quickly walked to the window where the smoke was thinner. In a distorted but clear voice, he dialed the emergency number.

"Hello, 110? I want to report a crime... Hongli Comprehensive Market, the old mixed-use building on the east side, third floor... Yes, many dead, just discovered... The murderer?

I encountered two, injured one, captured one alive, the other jumped out the window and ran... Me?

I was passing by and noticed something wrong... Hmm, they had knives and guns. I've trained, so I had to act... Okay, come quickly. There's still smoke grenade residue at the scene, be careful."