550: Chapter 550 The Art of Death: A Stealthy Backstab

Chapter 550: Performance of the Art of Death, Stealth Backstab

The echo of the gunshot was quickly swallowed by the howling wind.

However, crimson blood rapidly bloomed across the concrete ground.

Only then did everyone realize in horror.

How could what just happened have been a normal bullet shooting?

It was clearly the scythe of the Grim Reaper!

[If you enjoy reading, please remember our website domain Taiwan Novel Network for smooth and pleasant reading.]

"Th-This... how is this possible? Bullets can curve?!"

The remaining Flying Crane Gang gunmen were frightened out of their wits, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; their tight encirclement instantly broke into total chaos.

However, the hunter lurking in the dark gave them no chance to catch their breath.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

There were three more highly rhythmic gunshots in rapid succession.

Every time the muzzle flashed, it was invariably accompanied by an incomparably eerie ballistic trajectory.

Those bullets wove a death net in the air, bypassing cover, slipping through cracks, and precisely drilling into the heads or hearts of target after target.

In less than five short seconds, before seeing the person, they only heard the gunshots.

The eleven Flying Crane Gang elites originally guarding the rooftop collapsed into pools of blood like harvested wheat, completely powerless to resist.

The entire process was suffocatingly fast, like a cruel performance of the art of death.

"Damn it! It's an Aberrant sniper!"

Black Mamba covered the wound on his face; at the very moment of the second gunshot, he had already activated his ability.

Strange water-like ripples appeared on his dark skin, and light began to distort and refract around him.

In the blink of an eye, he seemed to dissolve into the air, his silhouette fading rapidly until he completely vanished.

Huolong, serving as the firepower support, also displayed extremely high combat literacy.

With lightning-fast reactions, he rolled to the side and dived behind a massive water tank, then quickly climbed to the top to take the high ground.

Judging from the current situation, his action was definitely the wisest choice.

After all, even if the opponent could manipulate bullet trajectories, overcoming the effects of gravity was dozens of times harder than simply making a bullet turn.

The Masked Man, who had been watching coldly from the side, hadn't moved an inch from beginning to end.

Behind the mask, his eyes narrowed into slits as he observed the enemy hidden in the dark, making calculations in his mind.

This common-sense-defying Marksmanship and precise control over ballistics had to be some kind of mental-enhancement Aberrant ability.

Furthermore, they must also possess an ability akin to an omniscient view or X-ray vision.

Otherwise, the sniper hidden inside the doorway could never observe the Flying Crane Gang members scattered all over the rooftop.

The enemy took out the targets holding firearms first, clearly wary of the deadly threat posed by random gunfire.

This indicated that the visitor's physical defense was not high—in fact, it could even be said to be fragile.

"So..."

The Masked Man's mind spun at top speed, and in an instant, he arrived at a strategy to break the situation.

Seeing that the remaining few gunmen were also about to suffer, he didn't wait for the enemy to shoot again; he decisively raised his hand to point forward and shouted sternly:

"Daxiong! Charge over!"

"Roar—"

Daxiong, who had long been unable to suppress his bloodthirsty impulse, let out a deafening roar.

He burst up from the ground, his muscles bulging like rocks, and took heavy strides forward.

He was like a heavy tank, recklessly charging toward the dark doorway.

The Masked Man's eyes flickered, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

Since they couldn't dodge those eerie bullets, he would use this invulnerable body to tank them head-on and use immense power to crush them.

Snap!

Heavy steps stomped down, and the concrete floor cracked under the pressure.

Just as Daxiong's mountain-like body blocked the doorway—

Bang! Bang!

Muzzle flashes bloomed once more.

Two bullets flew out from the darkness back-to-back, seemingly endowed with life as they grazed past Daxiong's armpit and crotch.

They then carved out two tricky arcs, splitting left and right, rushing straight toward the rear.

"Ugh—"

The last four gunmen searching for cover froze, a blood hole appearing between their eyebrows almost simultaneously, before slumping softly to the ground.

With that, the Flying Crane Gang elites were completely wiped out!

"Roar!"

Right at that moment, the enraged Daxiong relied on his tyrannical momentum to force his way into the doorway.

His palm-leaf fan-sized hands whipped up wind that tore through the air, grabbing viciously toward the sniper hiding in the dark.

"Caught you! Rat!"

His mouth split wide in a grin as thick saliva dripped down, as if he had already tasted the flavor of fresh flesh and blood.

However, right at the instant Daxiong was about to capture the hidden target—

"Get lost!"

An equally rough and violent roar exploded from deep within the darkness.

Immediately following that, a burly, imposing figure emerged in the shadows.

Facing Daxiong's terrifying pounce, this person showed no intention of retreating whatsoever.

Instead, like a prehistoric giant beast, he used his rear shoulder as a shield and slammed head-on into him with an invincible Aura.

Thud—

A muffled impact echoed across the rooftop.

The commotion was so massive it was as if two giant blocks of granite had slammed together.

The terrifying shockwave caused a visible blast of air to ripple outward through the surrounding space.

Under the shocked gazes of Huolong and Black Mamba, the muscle monster Daxiong—renowned for his strength and defense—was actually forced back two steps by this single impact.

It was evident that the opponent's strength was equally terrifying, enough to go toe-to-toe with this humanoid beast without being outmatched in the slightest.

"Daxiong, retreat for now!"

Seeing this, the Masked Man immediately called the monster blocking the door back to his side out of caution.

Daxiong growled with some reluctance and took heavy steps back to the iron cage.

Like an evil ghost guarding treasure, his eyes glared fiercely at the entrance, guarding against any intruder.

And the burly figure that appeared in the doorway then quickly retreated back into the deep, dark stairwell.

The rooftop fell into a brief, dead silence once more.

The biting wind continued to howl, causing the massive metal LOGO to creak continuously.

The stark, blinding LED light illuminated the corpses and blood covering the floor.

Ignoring these scenes of slaughter, those heart-pounding few seconds felt as though they had never happened.

Huolong squatted atop the water tank, two balls of orange-red flames flaring up in his palms, ready to counterattack at any moment.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the nearby corner, the air exhibited an eerie, water-like ripple effect.

That was Black Mamba in his stealth state; the cold light reflected from the dagger in his hand flickered along with the ripples.

"Friend."

The Masked Man placed his hands behind his back and stared through his mask at the pitch-black rooftop entrance:

"Since you're here, why hide your head and show your tail?"

He spoke first, breaking the silence.

However, the stairwell remained quiet, with only the wailing echo of the wind blowing into it.

Seeing that the other party had no intention of responding, the Masked Man was not angered; he paused before continuing:

"If you want to save someone, acting like a cowardly turtle hiding inside won't work."

"You should know that the military helicopter sent to pick us up is arriving shortly."

His tone carried a hint of nonchalance, yet was filled with threat.

"If you can't defeat us before our reinforcements arrive, I'll have no choice but to ship away these cages of goods right in front of your eyes."

"Or perhaps, you'll have to stay behind along with them."

This tactic clearly worked.

After a long pause, a rogue-like chuckle suddenly rang out from the darkness:

"Heh, when the host invites, it would be impolite to decline."

Accompanying the voice, four figures walked unhurriedly out from the dark stairwell entrance, exposing themselves under the harsh rooftop light.

They all wore bandit-style nylon masks over their faces, exposing only eyeholes, looking quite tough and fierce.

Walking at the front was a bald, burly man whose build was only slightly smaller than Daxiong's. He wore a black tank top stretched to bursting by his muscles, with a thick gold chain hanging around his neck.

To the right was a tall, slender young man wearing a baseball cap with his hands in his pockets, exuding a careless, lax demeanor.

Beside these two was an average-built man in an old black jacket, looking somewhat unremarkable by comparison.

The last person was a guy exuding a cold and stern Aura all over.

In his hands was a heavily modified large-caliber sniper rifle; the barrel was still glowing faint red, curling with thin wisps of blue smoke.

They were none other than four new members of the Illuminati: Panghu, Feiying, Lao Chen, and Hawkeye.

The moment these four appeared, the originally chilly and murderous atmosphere instantly turned somewhat subtle.

Feiying swept his gaze across the corpses lying all over the ground and blew a loud whistle:

"Ho, you don't know until you see it, and seeing it gives you quite a shock! Hawkeye, your Marksmanship is truly miraculous—you speared a whole big string of candied haws!"

Judging by the accent, the person who responded to the Masked Man inside earlier was him.

Panghu shrugged and followed up with his opinion:

"Mainly, Lao Chen and Hawkeye coordinated so well! It's practically a 360-degree, all-weather reconnaissance radar with no blind spots—labeling these bastards' positions right through the wall. Amazing!"

Lao Chen gave a somewhat reserved smile and humbly replied:

"A trivial trick, that's all. Brother Panghu's bash earlier was the real deal—forcing that big mutated monster back head-on! Watching from behind got my blood boiling."

Panghu grinned widely, a proud look on his face.

As he spoke, he kept rubbing his shoulder muscles with his right hand.

It seemed that head-on collision earlier had left half his body somewhat sore and numb, and he hadn't fully recovered yet.

Hawkeye didn't participate in their mutual flattery.

He was like a cold rock, his hand holding the sniper rifle motionless.

The sharp gaze through his mask's eyeholes swept across and instantly locked onto the "goods" inside the iron cage in the middle of the rooftop.

When he saw the old man who, though looking battered, still showed signs of life, he breathed a small sigh of relief and softly reminded his companions:

"Target confirmed. He's still alive."

The rest of the group had also seen Shen Wei imprisoned in the cage; his appearance and age perfectly matched the description in the intelligence files.

"As long as he's alive. If he were dead, our very first mission would be a failure, and we wouldn't have the face to meet the veterans back in the association."

Panghu gave a cheeky grin, put his hands on his hips, and took a swaggering step forward, raising his chin toward the Masked Man:

"Hey, you mask-wearing freak playing the ghost, listen up!"

"Your grandpa here is the Dongcheng Association's star enforcer! If you know what's good for you, let him go, then get on your knees and kowtow three times. If I'm pleased, I might even leave you intact corpses!"

These words were arrogant in the extreme, thoroughly implementing Fang Cheng's instructions prior to the operation: keep the Aura high, and make as big a scene as possible.

"Dongcheng Association?"

Before the Masked Man could answer, a sharp sneer came from the air.

"Just you trash and nobodies? If the Dongcheng Association actually had this kind of skill, they wouldn't have been slaughtered like pigs and dogs by us."

"Baldy, if you don't want that bragging tongue of yours, I can cut it off for you."

Stealthed in the corner, Black Mamba was enraged by Panghu's arrogant words, his voice floating out unpredictably.

"Yo-ho? Who's talking?"

Panghu exaggeratedly picked his ear, looking left and right with a baffled face as he asked Feiying beside him:

"Did someone just let out a fart? How come I don't see anyone?"

Feiying understood tacitly, pursing his lips into a smile as he played along:

"Brother Hu, you're ignorant! This is the legendary Cowardly Turtle Divine Skill."

"Those who Cultivate this skill are probably too ugly and afraid of scaring the flowers and grass, so they can only hide in the air, afraid to show their faces."

"I also heard that in the Blood Thorn Mercenary Group, there's an ultimate wimp with the codename 'Black Mamba.' From the looks of it, 80% chance the guy speaking just now was him."

"Black Mamba?"

Panghu scratched his bald head and pretended to be puzzled:

"Are you sure that name isn't wrong? I feel calling him 'Black Dick' sounds way more imposing."

Saying so, he raised his chin and shouted toward the direction of the voice:

"Hey, Black Dick, if you wanna cut off grandpa's tongue, why don't you reveal yourself and let's see? Don't tell me you're scared of getting squished to death by grandpa's ass if you come out?"

"Seeking death!"

The air in the corner suddenly produced a transparent wave, carrying sharp murderous intent.

Evidently, Black Mamba had been utterly infuriated by their combined verbal beating, unable to stop himself from striking out.

"Enough!"

The Masked Man coldly interrupted this useless banter.

He could tell that although these guys talked nonsense, their positioning was extremely meticulous.

The bald, burly man stood right at the front, while the young man in the baseball cap hovered on the flank.

The two shielded the jacketed man with extraordinary sensory abilities in the middle.

As for the sniper, he occupied the best firing position on the reverse slope.

This could definitely be called an Aberrant combat team with tacit cooperation.

"Since this battle cannot be avoided, let's cut the talk."

The Masked Man snorted coldly, slowly raising his right hand and crooking his fingers:

"You want to save him? Sure, let's see what you've got."

As he spoke, an invisible mental wave seemed to be gathering.

The sound of the wind around them grew heavy, and the atmospheric pressure dropped abruptly.

The Illuminati members turned solemn, their bodies tensing up.

On the opposite side, the Blood Thorn Mercenary Group members took advantageous positions, ready for battle.

Killing Intent silently surged between the two groups, on the verge of breaking out.

"Then bring it on! Let me see just how much skill a so-called top mercenary group really has!"

Panghu grinned, lacing his fingers together and cracking his knuckles loudly.

Right at the moment he prepared to strike, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of some abnormal movement outside the railing on the east side of the rooftop.

A familiar dark shadow poked its head out like a ghost, then swiftly vanished into the backdrop of the night sky.

Panghu's eyes rolled, immediately understanding the hint.

He whipped his head around, pointed at the muscle monster guarding the iron cage, and roared:

"Hey, big gorilla! Earlier you hit me so hard my bones rattled. Tonight, I'm gonna dismantle you into spare parts!"

"Come on, let's have a proper spar tonight and see who's got more raw power!"

Saying so, he took large strides, taking the initiative to charge toward Daxiong.

"Watch your left! Seven o'clock direction!"

Lao Chen suddenly barked in a low voice, issuing a warning at rapid speed.

Before his words even finished falling, the air half a meter to Panghu's left suddenly warped, producing ripples barely perceptible to the naked eye.

Immediately after, a dark, scarred face dimly surfaced.

"Die!"

Accompanying a venomous low growl, Black Mamba reversed his grip on the dagger, driving it straight toward Panghu's heart from behind like a venomous snake flicking its tongue with a sharp whistling sound.

This strike was fast as lightning and completely unpredictable—his signature killer move, Stealth Backstab.

With the blade gleaming coldly, about to slice across Panghu's thick neck and cut his carotid artery—

Clang—

A harsh metallic clashing sound abruptly burst forth.

A string of brilliant sparks exploded in the darkness.

Another butterfly knife gleaming with cold light shot out out of nowhere, blocking Black Mamba's fatal blow with precision.

"Hey, Black Dick, your opponent is me!"

Feiying had appeared beside Panghu at an unknown moment, parrying the dagger strike with one hand while looking at him with a mischievous smirk.