Elimination

Huo Xuan's target was in a room on the ninth floor. Using the prepared key, he silently unlocked the door and slipped inside. The living area was empty, but the sound of running water came from the bathroom—his target was showering.

He closed the door softly and moved to the bathroom entrance, activating his X-ray vision. Under the spray stood a fair-skinned, blue-eyed blonde, her voluptuous figure glistening with water. Her breasts were full, stomach toned, and calves shapely.

Unlike most Western women whose skin bore visible pores or blemishes, hers was flawless—smooth as satin. Paired with delicate features and a near-perfect physique, she was undeniably alluring.

Yet Huo Xuan's eyes narrowed. His vision penetrated deeper, searching for anomalies. A genetically modified agent should have physical deviations.

What he discovered startled him: her tongue was conical, unnaturally elastic, and tinged green. Nestled within its tip was a retractable venomous stinger, its glands pulsing with toxins.

Her tongue can shoot out like lightning, he realized. That stinger could kill in an instant from a meter away. Without knowing this, I'd never dodge in time.

As he waited outside the bathroom, the long-faced operative stormed another room. Inside, a young Caucasian male instantly transformed upon detection—his body sprouting coarse black fur, claws extending from his fingertips, muscles bulging unnaturally, and eyes burning crimson.

The long-faced man scoffed, flipping a dagger into his grip as he lunged.

The beast dodged with preternatural speed, and a fierce battle ensued. Though the operative held the upper hand, severing the creature's left arm mid-leap, the wounded foe suddenly produced a remote-like device and slammed a button.

BOOM!

The entire Golden Dragon Tower shuddered violently. All lights extinguished, plunging the windowless hotel into absolute darkness.

The sudden blackout affected everyone except Huo Xuan.

Fighting in complete darkness drastically increased the difficulty. The moment the lights went out, the long-faced operative felt a gust of wind brush past his face and barely dodged in time—yet his chest still seared with pain as four deep gashes tore through his flesh, forcing a sharp hiss through his teeth.

Blood Fox fared no better. His opponent specialized in speed, moving soundlessly through the dark. Within moments, blood already streaked his body.

As the lights died, the shower's rush of water also ceased. The bathroom door swung open instantly, and the woman stepped out naked, her eyes glowing an eerie green in the darkness like ghostly flames.

But none of this hindered Huo Xuan. His vision remained crystal clear. The moment she emerged, he struck—no mercy for a genetically modified monster. His finger lashed out like a dagger, precise and ruthless, crushing her cervical spine with a single strike.

Crack!

A muffled grunt escaped her lips as her body stiffened. Yet, impossibly, her neck twisted 180 degrees, her mouth gaping to reveal that sinister green tongue. With a ​thwip, it shot toward Huo Xuan like a harpoon.

Shocked that she could still counterattack despite a shattered spine, Huo Xuan ducked. The tongue whistled over his head, extending over a meter before its needle-like tip ejected a spray of venom.

Whoosh—

As the tongue retracted, Huo Xuan clamped a hand under her jaw and wrenched violently with the other.

Snap!

This time, he twisted her head a full 360 degrees. Not even a deity could survive that. Her eyes bulged wide, blood streaming from all seven orifices, brimming with resentment and disbelief.

But Huo Xuan had no time to dwell on her. He bolted from the room to reinforce the others. The darkness that crippled his teammates meant nothing to him.

When Huo Xuan reached the second room, he found the young female operative from the Violent Squad severely injured—her legs fractured, one arm drenched in blood. Across from her, a hulking man over two meters tall sneered in the darkness, groping blindly to locate her.

The girl held her breath, making no sound to avoid detection.

Huo Xuan's arrival immediately drew the giant's attention. The man whirled around, locking onto his position with uncanny precision, then roared and charged like a bull.

At a glance, Huo Xuan discerned the giant's specialty: brute strength. His muscles appeared unnaturally reinforced, his bones denser, granting him inhuman durability.

Though the girl couldn't see Huo Xuan, she recognized his footsteps. A flicker of hope crossed her face.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The floor trembled as the giant closed the distance in seconds, his fist hurtling toward Huo Xuan with crushing force.

Huo Xuan sidestepped effortlessly, countering with a lightning-fast Tai Chi Sword Fingertip Strike. His fingers became blades, stabbing silently toward the man's eyes.

Amid the chaos of his own assault, the giant never sensed the attack—until searing pain erupted in both eyeballs. A bellow of agony tore from his throat.

Squelch.

Huo Xuan felt his fingers plunge into viscous flesh, instantly blinding the man. Before he could withdraw, the giant's elbow swung around with terrifying power.

In this abyssal darkness, blindness changed nothing—the man's lethality remained intact.

Huo Xuan's body relaxed. He deflected the elbow with a single palm, gliding back three meters like a leaf on wind. After sparring with multiple Hua Jin masters in prison, this brute's frenzied attacks barely registered.

Failing to connect, the giant spun wildly, his arms becoming wrecking balls that pulverized furniture and shook the floor like an earthquake.

Huo Xuan ghosted around him, waiting until the rampage subsided before striking. His fist lashed out—Tai Chi Steel Whip Technique—crashing into the giant's temple.

Already at Ming Jin level, Huo Xuan's strikes surpassed conventional force due to his refined body mechanics. This blow landed like a forged iron whip—CRACK!—directly on target.

The Tai Chi Whip's devastating power first brought excruciating pain, then instant unconsciousness. The giant's temple caved inward, brain matter pulverized beyond salvation.

With the threat eliminated, Huo Xuan approached the girl and whispered, "How bad are your injuries?"