A Night of Desperation

At the forefront, in the leading jeep—

Zhao Zhenghong inspected his custom-made handgun with one hand. This weapon had been heavily modified, rendering it completely different from standard models. Its internal magazine was capable of loading multiple types of bullets to handle various situations.

For instance, Luminous bullets, tranquilizer rounds, explosive ammunition, and armor-piercing shells.

He had brought a mix of all these types for this mission. Custom bullets were costly, but they were essential when facing the unknown.

“White Python was skilled. His experience as a former courier made him adept at handling wilderness threats. Yet he still failed. That means we must be extra cautious,” Zhao Zhenghong muttered as he ejected the magazine, checking that it was fully loaded.

“Based on the latest intel, the post office near Baiqiu Village is still operational. That means people are still alive there. The Evil Shadow hasn’t completely wiped out the area,” Xu Yang, who sat beside him, said in a low voice.

“So it’s not the Evil Shadow… but human intervention?” Zhao Zhenghong’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses.

“Most likely. Either someone powerful is protecting that person, or they have their own plans for him. But something doesn’t add up—if an expert was involved, they wouldn’t just leave the target in place. They should have taken him away by now to avoid risks,” Xu Yang speculated.

“We’ll know soon enough.” Zhao Zhenghong swapped to another magazine, loading it with armor-piercing and explosive rounds.

“If this was man-made, we need to be even more careful. Even White Python didn’t make it,” Xu Yang started to say but was interrupted.

“How many men would you need to surround and kill White Python?” Zhao Zhenghong asked.

“Seven, maybe eight, at the minimum.” Xu Yang thought for a moment, then frowned.

“But we have twenty-four,” Zhao Zhenghong chuckled. “And I’m here. Couriers are formidable—I’ve fought them before. But White Python? A rejected, former courier? He’s long past his prime.”

He sighed. “Honestly, I didn’t want to get involved personally. But we’ve lost too many men, and there’s been no progress. If I don’t see for myself, I won’t be satisfied.”

“The captain is, of course, stronger. As soon as we sense anything wrong, we’ll withdraw immediately,” Xu Yang nodded.

Their convoy of four jeeps pressed forward along the main road toward Baiqiu Village.

By midday, they had reached the dense forest surrounding the village.

The road twisted and turned, flanked by towering trees whose thick canopies blocked most of the sunlight.

Xu Yang held a red-spectrum detector, carefully scanning the surroundings.

“We should be close. A vehicle moves much faster than someone on foot—it’s only taken us a few hours to get here.” He surveyed the area, his voice grave.

“There’s something wrong with this place.”

Suddenly, Zhao Zhenghong straightened up, ignoring the moving jeep as he stood and peered down at the ground.

On the old, cracked road, a set of fresh black tire tracks ran straight down the center.

They were distinct—matching those of military-grade, anti-puncture tires.

“There’s a military vehicle ahead,” Zhao Zhenghong said swiftly.

“Huh?” Xu Yang was stunned. “Why would a military vehicle be here now? Could the target have been exposed?”

“That makes sense. If we found him, others could too. But…” Zhao Zhenghong studied the tracks carefully. “These anti-puncture layers are an outdated model. This isn’t a vehicle from Baihe City’s current forces.”

He pondered for a moment.

“Here’s the plan—we split up. Xu Yang, you take half the team and go after the target. I’ll take the rest and check out this military vehicle.”

Something still didn’t sit right with him. If White Python’s disappearance was connected to this military vehicle, they needed to know.

“Understood.”

“If anything seems off, don’t waste time fighting—grab the target and get out. Be quick.”

“Yes, sir!”

The convoy split.

Two jeeps turned down a side road, while Xu Yang led eleven men straight toward the mountain cave safe house where Yu Hong was hiding.

This time, they had brought portable explosives, tranquilizer guns, and armor-piercing rounds. They were prepared for a direct assault.

Last time, that cave left a strong impression. If it truly belonged to the Great luminous stone craftsman, blasting it open might yield something valuable.

*

*

*

Inside the mountain cave safe house.

Yu Hong lifted a steaming pot of thick soup and downed it in one gulp.

Satisfied, he set the pot down, stretched, and stood up.

The seventh strand of internal energy had now solidified within him. His Heavy Leg Technique was proving far more effective than his previous training methods—it strengthened his legs, boosted his internal energy, and enhanced his overall strength through weighted exercises.

He could clearly feel the difference.

The most obvious sign was his ability to chop wood outside.

With firewood running low, he often searched for large, nearly dead trees, chopped them down, and dragged them back.

Before, he had to split a tree into over ten pieces to transport it.

Yesterday, however, he found he could move a tree in just five pieces.

He glanced at his handgun, still undergoing enhancement.

He had requested modifications: enhanced aiming, concealed installation in his bulletproof suit’s sleeve, and silencing capabilities to reduce noise.

He had also wanted to increase the ammo capacity, but the Black Mark system had given an “insufficient integrity” warning, allowing only refinements to existing features.

So he had opted to strengthen the bullet impact and explosion force, as well as infuse them with Luminous stones—making them effective against both heavily armored enemies and shadow creatures.

Since he had added multiple upgrades, the enhancement process had been extended to over two days.

“Still two more hours. Seems like enhancing a handgun isn’t very cost-effective. Next time, I should focus on something else—this thing is more of an emergency-use item.”

Yu Hong picked up the half-finished gun and inspected it.

He had realized that as long as he didn’t break or scatter an item too far apart, it wouldn’t disrupt the enhancement process.

Just as he was fiddling with the weapon, a distant jingling sound echoed from outside.

His expression changed.

He grabbed the gun and walked to the entrance, pulling back a wooden cover to peer outside.

Bright sunlight bathed the forest in a serene glow.

The trees stood silent, their withered leaves rustling slightly in the wind.

To the right, near an empty patch of ground, were the remnants of his firewood pile.

But beyond that—nothing.

“Was it just the wind? Or did a branch fall on the bell?” Yu Hong watched for a while but saw no movement.

Frowning, he stepped back inside and donned his newly reinforced White Bear Suit.

Its defensive capabilities were exceptional, and it gave him a strong sense of security.

He sat down inside the cave, waiting for the handgun enhancement to finish.

Meanwhile—

Just a hundred meters away, on a sloped forest path, Xu Yang’s team had regrouped.

A scout returned, reporting swiftly:

“No abnormalities. The cave shows signs of habitation. The target is still inside.”

“Good.” Xu Yang nodded.

“Ah Hong, take two men and place R7 charges near the entrance. We’ll blow the door off.”

“We’re using explosives? What if we injure the target?” a teammate questioned, frowning.

“Just control the blast radius. Our priority is to secure the target—now hurry up, Monkey, calculate the detonation points.”

“Got it.”

“Good. Check your equipment. Count down.”

Three fingers raised.

Three.

Two.

One.

Move!

Crack.

A sudden crunching sound interrupted the group’s action signal.

Xu Yang’s heart lurched. His eyes instantly locked onto the direction of the noise. He quietly disengaged the safety on his pistol, raising the muzzle and aiming at the source.

From the top of the slope, the sound of footsteps crushing fallen branches continued, heavy and powerful, carrying an inexplicable rhythm.

Before long, a towering, muscular humanoid figure—over two meters tall—slowly emerged from the depths of the forest.

The figure was entirely clad in black, resembling a walking mountain, its sheer size equivalent to two or three men combined.

It wore a thick, reinforced bulletproof suit. The helmet was equally heavy and grotesque, adorned with rows of sharp spikes.

But none of that was the most striking feature.

The hands.

Those massive hands were coated in dark red, congealed blood. The thick alloy gloves bore traces of a viscous, brain-like substance wedged between the joints.

As the breeze swept past, an overwhelming stench of blood filled the air. At the same time, an immense, suffocating pressure radiated from the figure, striking terror into all who stood before it.

“Successfully intercepted.” A deep, resonant voice echoed from beneath the spiked helmet. “What a lucky day.”

At first, the team was on guard, but soon, recognition dawned upon some of them—especially Xu Yang.

His initial reaction was mere confusion and tension, but as more details of the figure aligned with a name buried in his mind, his expression began to change.

“You… you’re the Butcher!!!” Xu Yang’s face twisted in horror, and his voice trembled. “…The Butcher, Xu Fan!!!”

Cold sweat poured down his body. He was surrounded by over a dozen teammates, yet in this moment, he felt utterly isolated. A chill climbed up his spine, paralyzing him with fear.

The Butcher, Xu Fan.

A top-tier black market mercenary, whose danger level ranked two full tiers above the White Python. A monster who had slaughtered over a thousand men—his kill count beyond four digits.

To killers like him, taking a life was easier than eating or drinking. These were pure, unrelenting death machines. Without an equal adversary or an entire army to take them down, ordinary fighters had no chance of stopping them.

How could such a monster be here, in this place?! How was this even possible?!

Xu Yang’s mind was in chaos. His pulse pounded furiously, every nerve screaming in alarm.

He wanted to believe this was a deception—a fraud impersonating the infamous killer.

But the sheer weight of terror—the tangible, suffocating presence—made it painfully clear.

That man.

That man… was real.

(End of Chapter)

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