16: Chapter 16 The Assassination of the Li Family

The bell signaling the end of the group stage rang, and the stadium, which had been boiling with excitement all day, gradually returned to calm.

The crowd dispersed like a tide, though a feverish atmosphere still lingered in the air.

What everyone was talking about with great interest was the dark horse who had created a miracle with an E-Rank Talent.

Jiang Xun.

This name was destined to spread to every corner of Jiang City tonight.

However, the person at the center of the storm had already left early.

Jiang Xun ignored anyone who tried to approach him for conversation; he pulled his hoodie tight, blended into the exiting crowd, and vanished into the city's night.

Meanwhile, in the luxury VIP room on the top floor of the stadium.

Dean of Students Director Li Fu was kneeling on the floor, his body shaking like a leaf.

In front of him, a holographic communication screen was lit, displaying Director Li Jianguo's expressionless face.

"A piece of trash, and you let him step on our Li Family's face to get this far."

Director Li Jianguo's voice was calm, but it was precisely this calmness that made Director Li Fu feel a fear that seeped into his very marrow.

"Director Li... I... I didn't know he..."

"I don't want to hear explanations," Director Li Jianguo interrupted him. "Since he can't be beaten in a game within the rules, then we'll change the way we play."

He raised his hand and gave an order to someone off-screen.

"Black Snake, Blood Python. You go."

In the shadows, two figures dressed in black with cold, somber auras silently knelt on one knee.

"Target: Jiang Xun. I want you to bring back his Divine Fire to me before dawn."

"Yes."

The single word seemed to drift out from the Nine Netherworld.

The communication cut off.

Director Li Fu slumped to the ground; he knew that when Director Li Jianguo deployed these two Family death-sworn he trusted most, there was no longer any room for turning back.

That kid named Jiang Xun was dead for sure.

Cold strands of rain began to fall from the gray, overcast sky.

Jiang Xun was walking along the necessary path back to his rented room.

This was an old alleyway where the residential buildings on both sides blocked most of the light, leaving only the neon lights of the distant commercial street to cast fragmented shadows on the wet ground.

The air was thick with the damp smell rising from the sewers.

When he reached the middle of the alley, Jiang Xun's footsteps suddenly stopped.

In front of him, at the alley's entrance, stood a man in black, like a lifeless statue.

A sharp sense of crisis made the hairs on Jiang Xun's neck stand up instantly.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran back.

But behind him, at some unknown point, another identical man in black had appeared, blocking all paths of retreat.

Not a single word was wasted.

The two assassins moved at the same time.

Their movements were as fast as ghosts, cooperating with the seamless precision of a killing machine.

One held a poisoned short dagger, thrusting straight for Jiang Xun's heart.

The other circled to the flank, the muzzle of a silent pistol glowing with a faint blue energy light, sealing off every possible angle Jiang Xun could use to dodge.

This was the fighting style of professional assassins.

One strike to kill, leaving no room for error.

"Rock Armor!"

Jiang Xun's thoughts raced, and the Rock Civilization Law he had just plundered activated instantly.

A thick layer of Rock Armor appeared out of thin air, covering his chest.

Clang!

With a crisp sound, the poisoned dagger scraped a trail of sparks against the Rock Armor but failed to penetrate.

However, the immense force still jolted Jiang Xun back a step.

It was this single step that exposed him to the other assassin's gun.

"Phantom Mist!"

Jiang Xun once again channeled his Divine Kingdom's power, and a pale purple mist instantly spread out, attempting to obscure the opponent's vision.

However, the gunman didn't even look; relying on a terrifying combat instinct, he pulled the trigger.

Swoosh!

A beam of energy grazed Jiang Xun's shoulder, the scorching energy instantly burning through his clothes and leaving a charred wound.

Intense pain followed.

Jiang Xun's face turned pale; he knew he was in big trouble.

The academic techniques he had plundered from the matches were full of openings in front of these professional assassins who had truly climbed out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Every step the opponent took was calculated, every move a killing blow.

The primary assassin missed his strike but twisted his body, sweeping the dagger toward Jiang Xun's throat.

The gunman on the flank raised his muzzle again, this time aiming right between Jiang Xun's brows.

A desperate situation.

Just then, at the end of the alley, came an old, drunken cough.

A limping figure wearing a worn-out security guard uniform, carrying a broom, came wobbling over while humming an unknown tune.

It was Lame Zhang.

He seemed completely oblivious to the death match in the alley, just minding his own business as he walked forward.

The assassins' eyes didn't flicker at all; to them, a passing drunkard was no different from an ant.

However, at the very moment Lame Zhang brushed past the primary assassin,

He seemed to trip, his body tilting as the broom in his hand flew out.

That ordinary broom drew a bizarre arc in the air.

Uncannily, it slammed right into the ankle supporting the assassin's weight.

Crack!

The crisp sound of a bone fracturing rang out in the rainy night.

The assassin's movement suddenly stalled, and his originally flawless attack revealed a once-in-a-lifetime, fatal opening.

Jiang Xun's eyes lit up instantly.

He didn't stop to think about why Lame Zhang was there or whether it was a coincidence.

As a former graduate student, his brain's speed in capturing and analyzing information far exceeded that of ordinary people.

There was only one chance!

"Die!"

Jiang Xun charged forward instead of retreating, slamming his body into the assassin's embrace and using his own shoulder to forcibly endure the dagger thrusting at his throat.

Pfft!

The dagger sank into his flesh.

Jiang Xun didn't even flinch; all his strength was concentrated in his right hand as his fingers formed a claw and gripped the opponent's crown.

"Civilization Plunder!"

Boom!

The assassin's body shook violently, the deathly stillness in his eyes rapidly replaced by endless terror, before he collapsed like a pile of mud.

[Successfully plundered the black iron rank Peak 'Shadow Kill' civilization.]

[Acquired target memory fragments: Li Clan Ancestral Hall, Director Li Jianguo, Divine Fire...]

At the same time, the other gunman's expression changed drastically, and he unhesitatingly turned his muzzle toward Lame Zhang at the alley entrance.

But he didn't get the chance.

Jiang Xun's figure was as fast as lightning.

After plundering the Shadow Kill civilization, his speed and skill had been greatly enhanced.

Like a ghost, he closed in on the gunman instantly.

Under the gunman's horrified gaze, Jiang Xun used a technique he had just learned from the man's partner—a hand-blade strike that precisely cut into his neck.

The battle was over.

From start to finish, it had only been a dozen or so seconds.

The rain began to fall even harder.

Jiang Xun clutched the wound on his shoulder, gasping for breath as blood and rainwater mixed together.

Lame Zhang limped over, picked up his broom from the ground, and patted off the dust.

He glanced at the two corpses on the ground, then at Jiang Xun.

"A total mess."

He spat out those four words, his voice raspy.

"Tactics, movement, energy application—it's all that showy academic crap they teach in schools. When you run into someone truly risking their life, you won't even know how you died."

Jiang Xun remained silent, offering no rebuttal.

Because everything he said was the truth.

"Kid, you're somewhat interesting," Lame Zhang said, shouldering his broom and turning to leave. "Come to the school's back mountain tomorrow morning. I'll teach you something that can actually keep you alive."

He limped away, his figure quickly vanishing into the curtain of rain.

Jiang Xun stood where he was, watching the direction he left in, then looked down at the corpses on the ground.

In his mind, the image of Director Li Jianguo giving the order surfaced clearly.

"Who exactly is he? To be able to see through my combat system at a single glance."