40: Chapter 40 The Battle to Retrieve the Corpse

Yan Zheng threw the short blade in his hand toward the second ninja.

It wasn't to wound; the accuracy was far off, but it was enough to force the opponent to turn their head to dodge, buying a 0.5-second window to breathe.

Yan Zheng used this half-second to retreat three steps, backing up to the side of the dying Mutant.

The Mutant had completely collapsed onto the ground, and beneath its translucent skin, the golden fluorescence was reduced to only the last faint pulse at the location of its heart.

Two minutes.

No, one and a half minutes.

The ground was shaking.

"It's here."

Yan Zheng: (ꉺ ᗜ ꉺ)

The ground on the left side of the alley exploded.

The concrete slabs shattered, and the cast-iron cover of the drainage pipe was thrust upward and sent flying, smashing into the opposite wall and leaving a half-meter-deep crater.

The Stitched Brute crawled out from underground.

Its 2.2-meter petrified body squeezed through the gap in the broken ground, dark red veins pulsing with an eerie light in the night, and dual-colored phosphorus fire flared up, burning in alternating ink-green and dark red.

The Brute's shoulders scraped white marks against the walls on both sides of the alley, leaving broken bricks scattered everywhere.

Both Shadow Eyes ninjas jumped back simultaneously, opening up a distance of five meters.

"Brute, stand in front of the Mutant. Don't let anyone near him."

The Stitched Brute stepped forward, standing in front of Yan Zheng and the Mutant like a breathing city wall.

Yan Zheng retreated behind the Brute, crouched down, and pressed his hand onto the Mutant's cold wrist.

There was no pulse.

The system panel popped up a gray notification.

[Target deceased. Collection can be executed. Estimated time: 6 seconds.]

"Six seconds."

Yan Zheng looked up at the two black shadows moving at high speed behind the Brute.

"Give me six seconds."

Yan Zheng: (ꐦ ˘ ͈ ꒳ ˘ ͈)

The first ninja did not choose to charge the Brute head-on; he stepped against the wall for leverage, leaping over the Brute's head from a height of three meters, with his short blade pointed directly at Yan Zheng, who was crouching behind.

The Brute raised its right fist to smash upward, the massive fist grazing the soles of the ninja's feet, missing by less than five centimeters.

The ninja landed behind the Brute, only two meters away from Yan Zheng.

The dark red blade aura was fully charged.

"Collect."

At the same time Yan Zheng shouted the collection command, he threw himself flat onto the ground, his face pressed against the cold concrete.

The short blade slashed three centimeters above the back of his head, taking a few strands of hair with it.

Dark green black mist surged from Yan Zheng's palm, wrapping around the Mutant's corpse.

One second. Two seconds.

The ninja's second strike came down.

The Stitched Brute's left hand reached over from behind, slapping the ninja on the back as if swatting a fly.

The ninja's body was sent flying, crashing into the trash can at the end of the alley; the sound of the metal deforming was deafening.

Three seconds. Four seconds.

The second ninja did not take a detour; he chose to attack the Brute head-on.

The short blade slashed three times in succession against the scales on the Brute's right leg, each strike carrying Dark Energy light that was thirty percent more intense than that of an ordinary ninja, the blade aura emitting a piercing sizzling sound the moment it touched the scales.

First strike, a white mark.

Second strike, a shallow crack.

Third strike, a hair-thin crack appeared on the surface of the scales.

The Brute glanced down at him.

Then it stomped down with its right foot.

The ninja rolled to the side to dodge, barely avoiding it, but the Brute's sole slammed into the ground, and the Impact sent him staggering back two steps.

Five seconds. Six seconds.

[Collection complete. Photon Absorption and Release Gene Material × 1 (Quality: Rare), Reinforced Bone Material × 1 (Quality: Excellent), Photon Energy Residue × 1, added to inventory.]

Yan Zheng: (✧ ω ✧)

"Got it."

He scrambled up from the ground, his knees and palms scraped raw, his hoodie covered in dust and some unknown liquid, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

"Brute, full output, finish them."

The Stitched Brute received the command, and the dark red veins across its entire body lit up simultaneously, like a lit fuse.

The first ninja, who had been sent flying, had just crawled out of the trash heap; there was an abnormal protrusion beneath the black fabric on his chest, and at least three ribs were broken.

The Brute charged over.

The alley was only three meters wide; the Brute's body occupied two-thirds of it, leaving less than one meter of space for the ninja to dodge.

The ninja dodged to the left.

The Brute's left fist sealed off the left side in advance.

The fist crushed into the ninja's right shoulder, the sound of the scapula shattering echoing through the alley, and the person was pinned to the wall like a rag.

The Brute didn't give a second chance; it grabbed the ninja's neck with its right hand, lifted him up, and slammed him onto the ground.

Once.

The ninja's mask cracked.

Twice.

The back of his head struck the concrete, and blood splattered.

Three times.

He stopped moving.

Yan Zheng: (ˊ ᗜ ˋ)

"One."

The second ninja saw his companion smashed into pulp within three seconds and did not choose to continue fighting.

He jumped back two steps, landed on the edge of the shadows at the alley entrance, sheathed his short blade, and formed a hand seal with both hands.

Then he spoke.

Japanese, but the system's automatic translation floated on the panel.

["Necromancer, you have been marked by My Lord Nogami."]

["From today on, every step you take will be within the sight of the Shadow Eyes."]

["No matter where you hide, Master will find you."]

Yan Zheng stood behind the Brute, watching the retreating black shadow from a distance of over ten meters, his expression beneath his hood indistinguishable.

"Thank Mr. Nogami for his attention on my behalf."

His voice carried from deep within the alley; it wasn't loud, but every word was enunciated clearly.

"However, please pass on a message to him."

The ninja's figure had already vanished into the darkness of the alley entrance.

Yan Zheng spoke toward the empty alley entrance, his tone excessively gentle.

"Those who are marked usually do not outlive the person who marked them."