Night. Stars twinkled, and the twilight was like still water.

A silver sedan was speeding along the mountain road.

Inside the car.

"The Zhao Long brothers have failed."

"Don't worry. Since I've taken your money, I will personally clean up your loose ends. I'll make sure there's no evidence left behind."

"As for those other two fools, I've made sure they can't leave the police station."

"We of the Blood Rat Mercenary Corps always keep our word."

A mobile phone was thrown out the window as the vehicle sped up, heading toward the mountain's peak.

Several villas stood atop the mountain. The one in the middle, flanked by two others, blazed with light. A man in a suit stood at the door, seemingly waiting for someone.

The silver sedan stopped. The car door opened, and a pair of shiny leather shoes appeared first, followed by a tall figure. This person had his back to the light, so his features were unclear. But from him emanated a faint scent of blood, suggesting he was no ordinary man.

"Lord Zhu, you've arrived." The waiting men approached, led by a hunched old man.

"Hmph. Is everything ready?" the man's voice was hoarse and distinctive.

"It's all been prepared, and it's all top-notch," the old man said, his face sporting a professional smile.

"I'll be the judge of that," the man said, dismissing the flattery as he walked straight into the villa.

Two men in suits looked displeased and were about to protest.

PFFT! PFFT!

Two muffled sounds echoed. THUD! THUD! The two men fell to the ground. Their eyes showed terror, but they were already breathless. In the center of each of their foreheads was a tiny hole from which red blood and white brain matter oozed.

This single move instantly subdued the rest of the men in suits, who now dared not move a muscle.

Because no one had seen how he'd done it.

"Lord Zhu, please!"

The old man, ignoring the deaths of his two subordinates, respectfully invited the man into the main hall.

At the hall's entrance, a row of men in black stood with their backs to the interior, keeping a vigilant watch outside. The hunched old man accompanied Lord Zhu, inspecting the various firearms on the coffee table.

The R1895 handgun: high damage, long-range, capable of a one-shot kill with a headshot, comparable to a 98K.

The AWM sniper rifle: one of the world's top ten sniper rifles, adored by countless mercenaries.

The VSS: known as a divine artifact of marksmanship, it came with a built-in silencer and a four-times scope, and it could be fired automatically. It was suitable gear for dense parachute jumping.

In addition, there were various grenades and combat knives.

The man's gaze swept over the table, his expression unchanging. But then, his eyes lit up slightly.

He plunged a large hand into the pile of guns and pulled out a heavy sniper rifle.

The Barrett M82A1!

The man's jaw shifted slightly, showing he was quite satisfied with this weapon.

"Not bad. I'll take this one."

The old man's expression changed subtly.

Though the rifle was powerful, with a long range and terrifying lethality, its weight was astounding. An ordinary person would not only struggle to use it but would find it incredibly difficult to even carry.

However, the man seemed unconcerned. The heavy Barrett was like a feather in his hand as he toyed with it effortlessly.

"Clean up and get out of here. Remember, don't leave anything behind."

After speaking, the man walked out with the rifle in hand. As he reached the doorway, he turned slightly, revealing a white rat mask.

"Go back and tell your master to transfer the remaining payment to my designated account."

Then, the man got in his car and drove away.

"Elder Tan, who in the world is that man?"

The old man glared, his voice cold. "Don't ask what you shouldn't. Clean this place up and leave!"

"Yes, sir!"

「...」

The man drove along the mountain road, his mind on the mission's target.

Name: Lin Mu.

Gender: Male.

Age: 27.

Confirmed as a Martial Artist, strength unknown.

Combat Record: Has killed dozens of members of the Blood Rat Mercenary Corps and the Azure Hawk, including someone codenamed "Ground Rat".

Danger Level: A!

Just a mere Martial Artist, and he wiped out an entire base. It seems these guys have gotten more and more useless over the years. What a bunch of trash!

Bai Shu let out a cold laugh. The thought that his target was such a person ignited a flicker of excitement in his heart.

Looking at the photo taped to his dashboard, Bai Shu's lips curled into an icy smirk.

I hope you don't disappoint me.

「River City.」

Lin Mu didn't practice his Cultivation tonight. Instead, he took a lap around the Qin Zhu Courtyard. He wasn't exercising, of course, but laying a Formation around the perimeter. People had been disturbing his home frequently of late, and Lin Mu was getting tired of it. With this protective Formation in place, no one whose strength was beneath his could even dream of breaking in.

Of course, even for Martial Artists stronger than him, breaking this Formation would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens. After all, this was the eternal and profound array laid by the Heavenly Shepherd Venerable, Lin Wudi himself.

After completing the Formation, Lin Mu nodded in satisfaction.

But just as he was about to head back inside, he suddenly felt that something was amiss. It felt as if something was about to happen, yet it didn't stir any sense of unease in him.

Cultivators are extremely sensitive to any shifts in the heavenly machinations and to their own intuition. Lin Mu was no exception. This intuition had saved him countless times.

With this in mind, Lin Mu acted as if nothing was wrong. He didn't enter the villa but instead chose a direction and started walking away.

After he left the villa grounds, the feeling that something was wrong grew even stronger.

Obviously, something had been following him the entire time.

A slight smile touched Lin Mu's lips. He immediately picked up his pace, heading toward a small, nearby hill. He had already used his Divine Soul to detect that someone was tracking him. Their objective was clearly him.

Who could it be? The Dark Web? The Martial Alliance? Or perhaps someone from the Celestial Master Mansion? I just exposed the Dark Web's plan today, so they're the most likely culprits. I haven't even come looking for you, yet you've shown up at my doorstep. In that case, let's have some fun.

Lin Mu quickened his pace again and plunged into the forest.

Several minutes after he entered, a few figures followed, stopping at the edge of the woods. In the darkness, the figures, all clad in black, exchanged glances. They made a hand signal to disperse and encircle, then split up.

The starlight vanished, plunging the woods into darkness. Even the chirping of insects gradually faded into silence.

A man in black, dagger in hand, moved cautiously through the forest, his eyes darting around vigilantly.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a shadow flashed past. The man turned in surprise, but the shadow had already vanished.

However, the man in black didn't let his guard down. He immediately sent out an alert, confident his companions would arrive as quickly as possible.

Sure enough, only a few breaths later, footsteps could be heard rushing in his direction.

The man in black relaxed, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes.

Today, this place will be your grave!

However, just as the thought flashed through his mind, he felt the world spin. His vision lifted higher and higher before his head suddenly crashed to the ground.

As it landed, he saw a headless body spurting hot, fresh blood.

That was his body.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.