Chapter 129: The Mutt
"One, two, three, four..."
Lin QiYe's mental energy swept through the surroundings. On his left and right, two figures were rapidly closing in. They wore white camouflage helmets, with earpieces attached, and their bodies were packed with weapons.
Though they were dressed in snow camouflage, they were completely exposed to Lin QiYe's mental perception, making them easy targets.
Creak... creak...
Their footsteps crunched through the thick snow, making faint sounds as they moved. With a flip of their palms, they drew several guns from their backs.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
The guns had been equipped with suppressors, and in the sound-absorbing effect of the falling snow, no noise escaped, leaving only the flickering tongues of flames as deadly shots were fired, hidden within the drifting snowflakes, whizzing through the air!
Bullets came from all directions. Lin QiYe's eyes darkened as night fell, and the pure darkness expanded from him like an ink stain on the white snow, making him incredibly noticeable.
With the added darkness, Lin QiYe's speed increased by several times. His body blurred as he dodged the dense barrage of bullets, using his momentum to slide half a circle on the snow. With a flick of his wrist, the black boxes in his hands simultaneously spun open!
Click—!
A soft sound, and two straight blades shot out.
Standing still, the darkness in Lin QiYe's eyes deepened, and he traced a line through the air with his fingers!
Clang—!
In midair, the twin blades unsheathed!
Their faint blue edges sliced through the sparkling snowflakes. The blades reflected the figures of the Crazy Scorpion mercenaries clearly as they spun midair, aiming directly for Scorpion Four, the closest target.
Lin QiYe's "Dark God's Abyss" had a range of only 20 meters, meaning he could only control his Starry Blades within this range. Though not a long distance, it wasn't short either.
Seeing the two Starry Blades coming his way, Scorpion Four decisively discarded his gun, pulling two short knives from his thigh.
Clang—!
The mercenaries, hardened by battle, reacted swiftly. Scorpion Four's short knives blocked one of the Starry Blades' attacks. After a roll, he narrowly avoided the second blade's strike.
He sneered and tossed one of his short knives directly at Lin QiYe's face.
Lin QiYe, as quick as a shadow, dodged the incoming knife while simultaneously pulling his hand back. The short knife in midair was swallowed by the darkness and returned with greater speed, shooting back toward Scorpion Four.
At the same time, the two Starry Blades that had just been blocked by Scorpion Four turned around and flew back!
Three blades surrounded him!
Scorpion Four's pupils shrank, and he quickly swung another short knife to block one of the returning blades. But before he could react, the second Starry Blade, which had been approaching from behind, pierced through his chest with ease!
Scorpion Four grunted and collapsed to the ground.
Although Lin QiYe had just killed one of them using two Starry Blades, his situation was still perilous. The remaining three mercenaries seemed to have realized that firearms weren't effective against him. They decided to close the distance and engage him in hand-to-hand combat.
Scorpions Five and Six gripped their short knives with reverse holds and charged at Lin QiYe, battling him up close. Their blades, fists, elbows, knees, and shoulders—all their body parts became terrifying weapons in the fierce, close-quarters combat.
These were experienced mercenaries, and close combat was their forte. They fought viciously, with every move designed to kill.
Lin QiYe, barehanded, was forced to retreat under the storm of attacks from both Scorpions Five and Six.
Although Lin QiYe was not weak in close-quarters combat, he had only trained for six months. Against these two battle-hardened mercenaries who had fought through life and death, he was struggling.
Had it not been for the speed enhancement of the "Starry Night Dancer" and the terrifying dynamic vision brought by the "Mortal God Domain," he would have been overwhelmed by now.
At that moment, the two Starry Blades returned to his hands.
With the blades in hand, Lin QiYe's momentum instantly changed. The Starry Blades danced in his hands, and their shadows blurred as they easily blocked Scorpions Five and Six's attacks, even gaining the upper hand.
Since finding his path, Lin QiYe had put considerable effort into mastering the dual-blade style. It was clear that he had a natural talent for it. Now, though he couldn't yet compare to the top martial artists from the prestigious families, his skills in cold weapon combat were no longer lacking.
Lin QiYe's blades trembled and pushed back Scorpions Five and Six. At that moment, two more figures rushed in from behind, joining the fight.
By now, the Crazy Scorpion team of nine had lost four men—two by Cold Xuan's hand, two by Lin QiYe's. One member was still unaccounted for, but the remaining four—Scorpions Two, Five, Six, and Seven—kept Lin QiYe tightly surrounded.
Lin QiYe had figured out their plan. They were relying on their numbers to wear him down, but unfortunately for them… they were destined to be disappointed.
With the "Starry Night Dancer" boosting his endurance, Lin QiYe could fight all four of them alone.
The only uncertain factor now was the last remaining member who had yet to show up—Scorpion One.
While Lin QiYe was single-handedly battling the Crazy Scorpion team, no one noticed a blurry figure silently drifting across the snow-covered battlefield. The figure landed in the hallway of the low-rise building.
As the light faded, the figure of a middle-aged man appeared.
He stood by the window of the hallway, lighting a cigarette as he observed the distant battlefield, sneering.
"A bunch of idiots… With this level of skill, they dare to be followers of Miss [Snake Woman]? Embarrassing."
He took a deep drag and exhaled a smoke ring, flicking the ash off his cigarette. "To subdue that guy, all we need to do is capture the woman and child. It's such a simple task, yet they've already lost so many men… Hmph."
He dropped his cigarette on the ground, stamping it out with his foot. With his hands in his pockets, he turned and began climbing the worn-out stairs.
He was Lü Liang, the Sixteenth Seat of the Followers—a powerful figure from the Chuan Realm, just a step away from reaching the Sea Realm.
He was strong, but above all, he was cautious.
Having risen from nothing, Lü Liang had always relied on strategy and caution, never on brute strength. If he could avoid direct combat, he always did. Even though his opponent was only a youngster in the Pool Realm, Lü Liang knew exactly how to handle it.
As he climbed the stairs, his mind imagined the scene of the young boy's family kneeling before him, begging for mercy after he captured them...
He loved such scenes.
A smile crept across his lips. As he was just one flight of stairs away from the top, he suddenly paused, a slight frown on his face.
On the stairwell above him, a small, black mutt was lying there, eyes half-closed in laziness.
The mutt yawned when it saw Lü Liang.
Lü Liang raised an eyebrow and studied the ugly dog for a moment before laughing heartily.
"This dog... looks so ugly..."