Chapter 13 Ambush

 "Brother, are you really sure about this? There are three of them, and anyone who's survived this long is probably no pushover." 

"What are you afraid of? Have you forgotten what my profession is? Rare professions aren't just for show, and with this thing..." 

In the darkness, two men—one tall and one short—carefully followed Zhao Kuo and his group. 

The shorter man was the older brother, and he exuded confidence. 

The taller man, his younger brother, trailed behind, showing signs of nervousness. 

"Brother, they've turned a corner," the younger brother said. 

His profession was Scout, a common class but with some night vision abilities. Thanks to his skills, the brothers had avoided many dangers along the way. 

"Let's go. Follow them. Remember the plan if a fight breaks out, got it?" the older brother instructed, handing his brother a round object. 

"Got it, got it," the younger brother replied, taking the item. 

Earlier, the two had ambushed a lone survivor, relying on the older brother's unique profession to eliminate the target swiftly. 

Unfortunately, the guy had been hiding the whole time and didn't have anything valuable on him. 

But when the brothers turned the corner, the younger brother's expression changed. 

"Brother, they're gone!" 

"Damn it!" The older brother reacted quickly, realizing the group had noticed them and set up a counter-ambush. 

*How did they find us?* 

Just then, a bright light flashed, and two glowing energy projectiles shot through the darkness, speeding toward them. 

"Brother, dodge!" 

The older brother reacted swiftly, diving forward to avoid the attack. 

He wasn't too worried, as his younger brother's Scout class had a speed-boosting skill. 

Sure enough, the younger brother's body shimmered with a faint light, narrowly dodging the magic missile. However, the explosion still left them injured, costing them some health. 

"Friends, it's a misunderstanding! We're on the same side!" the older brother quickly said, realizing the trio wasn't to be trifled with. 

But there was no response from the darkness. After the explosion, everything fell silent, as if nothing had happened. 

*Where are they? Where are they hiding?* 

The older brother gritted his teeth and released strands of black threads from his body, spreading them out in all directions. 

"Found them!" The older brother's eyes lit up. "Brother, four o'clock direction!" 

The younger brother, no stranger to teamwork, quickly activated a bright light from the object he'd been given—a high-powered flashlight. 

Not far away, Zhao Kuo immediately covered his eyes. 

*Too bright, way too bright.* 

At the same time, he retreated, puzzled as to how his well-hidden position had been discovered. 

*It must be their class skills.* 

But just then, a chilling sensation ran down his spine. 

From the shadows cast by the light, a figure emerged, holding a dagger and lunging at Zhao Kuo's back with incredible speed! 

*Shadows!* 

Zhao Kuo was shocked. The opponent's class skill was bizarre, allowing them to teleport through shadows. 

Potential Focus 

Without hesitation, Zhao Kuo activated Potential Focus the moment he sensed danger. 

This saved his life. Zhao Kuo drew his poisoned dagger and slashed at the attacker's hand. 

There was no denying that Potential Focus was an excellent skill—it had saved him several times already. 

But the next second, the sound of metal clashing against stone left Zhao Kuo stunned. 

At the same time, Wan Xiaotian, the older brother of the duo, was equally shocked. 

*How did he react before I even finished teleporting? And what's with that strange awareness? This is unheard of!* 

*This is bad.* 

"Brother, run!" Wan Xiaotian didn't hesitate, immediately using his shadow teleportation to escape. 

But as he turned, he saw his younger brother standing motionless. 

Behind him, a crude doll had plunged its hand into his brother's heart. 

The flashlight fell to the ground, rolling a few times. 

"Brother!" Wan Xiaotian's eyes burned with rage. 

The two weren't blood brothers—the younger brother's mother was his stepmother. 

But they had grown up together and shared a deep bond. 

"Trying to run?" Zhao Kuo, seeing Wan Xiaotian reappear in a distant shadow, didn't hesitate to fire the Evil Revolver. 

With a gunshot, the bullet left the chamber.

"I'll be back!" Wan Xiaotian knew he was no longer in a position to fight back. Though his heart was filled with grief, he activated his skill and fled toward a more distant shadow.

But to his surprise, the bullet didn't hit the ground—it chased after him at incredible speed! 

"After him!" Zhao Kuo didn't let up, using his night vision potion to pursue. 

At that moment, Gu Shan, who had been absent until now, blocked Wan Xiaotian's path. 

"You're asking for death!" Wan Xiaotian's eyes gleamed with bloodlust as he swung his dagger at Gu Shan. 

But Gu Shan's face showed a look of disdain. With a muttered "Unmovable as a Mountain," his skin turned a stone-like grayish-brown, and his defense reached an astonishing level! 

Wan Xiaotian's dagger struck Gu Shan's body as if hitting metal. Though it dealt some damage, it was minimal. 

Just then, a whistling sound came from behind. The bullet from the Evil Revolver arrived in an instant, piercing Wan Xiaotian's skull. 

His body collapsed heavily to the ground, his fading eyes filled with regret and resentment! 

"Not bad class skills. He must've had at least a rare profession," Zhao Kuo said as he walked over. 

Tang Yingying, meanwhile, immediately started looting the bodies—a pastime she enjoyed. 

But after a while, she made a face of disgust. "They're all broke. Ugh." 

She then revealed two pieces of equipment. 

Hedgehog Armor (Tier 2) 

When the user takes physical damage, deals 20% of the damage back to the attacker. 

Come on, hit me! 

"Not bad. It suits Brother Gu Shan well," Zhao Kuo said. With this equipment, Gu Shan would have some offensive capabilities. 

Gu Shan didn't hesitate to take it. It was for the team, after all. 

The second item was also a ring. 

Basic Space Ring 

Provides 10 storage slots. 

A storage-type item, somewhat practical, but it was empty. Likely, its contents were erased after being looted. 

*Did Yole take it?* 

"This ring is mine!" Tang Yingying declared. 

Zhao Kuo rolled his eyes. "It's not that useful. We all have storage space anyway." 

Indeed, with storage space available, the ring seemed rather redundant. 

But Tang Yingying put it on anyway, muttering, "What do you know? Do you even have hair?" 

"Careful, or I'll show you if I have hair..." Zhao Kuo sighed, glancing into the distance. He wondered if that guy would cause more trouble. With just the magic missile and the Evil Revolver, his offensive options were still limited. 

The next safe zone was still closed, and the road ahead would only get harder.