Chapter 101: Ambush

Huff! Huff, huff!

Not long after entering the mountains, Liang Jing relied on his unparalleled familiarity with the wilderness to weave rapidly through the bushes, grass, and forests where ancient trees rose more than a dozen meters high. His keen senses allowed him to avoid all kinds of mutated monsters before they could detect him. His home lay in the southern mountains, and he carried the blood of the southern tribes. Since childhood, he had dealt constantly with the mountains and forests, so moving through them came naturally and effortlessly to him. Before long, he had thrown the pursuers far behind, until they vanished from sight.

At the same time, he did his best to keep the blood from his wounds from dripping away. Being gravely injured and covered in blood was far too dangerous in the mountains as they were now—not only because the pursuers could follow his trail, but also because the scent of blood was extraordinarily attractive to mutated monsters. For Liang Jing, both were deadly threats.

Now that he had shaken off the pursuers and the pressure had eased, Liang Jing could no longer endure the weakness spreading through his body. His lungs heaved violently, pumping like bellows.

Thud!

Liang Jing reached a bamboo grove, but at last his weakened legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground. Since awakening, he had never felt his body so powerless. Even at Clear Water Bay, the problem had merely been the unbearable discomfort caused by his awakening. It had never been like this. After falling, even moving a finger became extraordinarily difficult.

Huff, huff! Huff, huff!

Liang Jing breathed heavily. He did not know whether his body was truly exhausted beyond measure or whether breathing this way was simply the only means of easing the excruciating pain caused by his injuries. At present, even moving a finger was almost impossible. His mind was utterly fatigued.

Seeing that he had temporarily escaped the pursuers, Liang Jing could no longer keep his eyes open. They slowly narrowed, and his entire body seemed to have died. Only the unconscious rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive. He needed to rest quickly, recover some strength, and then decide what to do.

This time, he was truly grievously wounded. The vertebrae in his back had already been shattered by armor-piercing rounds. Yet Liang Jing’s resilience was extraordinary, and with the powerful vitality surging through his body, he had managed to endure it. He needed only a little time to recover. With the life force within him, combined with the effects of the life potion he had just consumed, he believed he would soon be restored once more.

…

“What happened?”

“Follow me! He’s just ahead. He couldn’t have gone far.”

Yu Supu followed behind Dai Wu. Relying on Dai Wu’s superb tracking abilities, they quickly found the traces Liang Jing had left behind after entering the mountains. Although Liang Jing had been extremely careful, the blood that occasionally dripped from his body was soon discovered by Dai Wu.

As befitted a supreme assassin who had received such training before the apocalypse, Dai Wu was exceptionally skilled at tracking. His ability was particularly useful now, when pursuing a severely wounded man like Liang Jing.

…

“He’s just ahead. Draw his attention. I’ll deliver the fatal blow.”

Dai Wu suddenly stopped. He pinched the blood on a leaf between his fingers, sniffed it, and gave his instructions to Yu Supu behind him. Then his entire figure vanished.

His wounds had not fully healed, but he had recovered considerably. Besides, an assassin did not necessarily need to kill with his own hands.

Yu Supu knew what Dai Wu was capable of and immediately lightened his steps as he moved forward.

At that moment, Liang Jing lay propped against a bamboo stalk. As time passed, the rise and fall of his chest grew slower and calmer, until he seemed to have no breath at all. Only the wounds on his back were visibly healing, flesh growing back at a rate that could be seen by the naked eye. The injuries were even expelling the fragments and impurities lodged within them on their own.

He remained completely unaware that danger was approaching.

Damn it!

Liang Jing, who had been lying utterly motionless, suddenly opened his eyes. When he saw Yu Supu approaching in the distance with cautious, silent steps, his pupils contracted.

This was bad.

An idea flashed through his mind, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes. He was about to kill the man. His left hand remained hidden, clutching four eight-millimeter steel pellets.

Liang Jing was severely injured now. His vertebrae were shattered, and he could not move or exert himself properly. If Yu Supu sent out a signal and summoned a horde of people, Liang Jing’s fate would be disastrous.

Yu Supu advanced quietly. Suddenly, he saw Liang Jing lying against a bamboo stalk in the distance. A pool of bright red blood stained the ground beside him, and Liang Jing lay as still as a corpse.

Yu Supu’s high cheekbones and pointed goatee gave his delighted expression an especially sinister look.

So even this demon had fallen into such a state. He had never imagined that fortune would favor him so greatly today. This was an enormous prize.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

As Yu Supu continued to approach, Liang Jing, leaning against the bamboo, suddenly opened his eyes. Astonishingly cold light shot from them and pierced straight toward Yu Supu.

“Ah!”

Yu Supu was startled when the apparently half-dead Liang Jing suddenly opened his eyes and stared at him with such terrifying intensity. But he was, after all, a gang leader. Years of traveling from place to place, cheating and swindling, forcing people into purchases, and conducting all manner of shady dealings had given him a thick skin. He quickly calmed himself.

In his hand was a curved, kukri-like blade, and a ferocious smile appeared on his lips.

“Hahaha, Liang Jing, I never thought I’d see you like this. You’ve made me suffer terribly, so I won’t let you die comfortably.”

Seeing that the man was acting arrogantly but had not immediately sent out a signal to summon the others, Liang Jing relaxed inwardly. His hand, however, remained ready to strike at any moment. If anything seemed wrong, he would erupt instantly.

The man swaggered toward him, yet his footsteps drew closer only little by little. Liang Jing wanted to see what trick he was planning. The closer the man came, the better. Once he was within reach, he would have no chance to dodge.

With Battle Mode active, Liang Jing was prepared to unleash an instantaneous burst and kill him. As long as he could move, Battle Mode allowed him to exert the maximum force of his attacks.

Even so, Liang Jing cooperated perfectly, allowing a trace of panic to flicker across his eyes. He wanted to see what the man intended to do.

“Speaking of which, you really are impressive. One man facing so many forces, yet you’ve turned everything upside down. You were hit by artillery shells again and again, but somehow you survived with nothing more than injuries. Even with your spine shattered, you still managed to run this far like a possessed ghost. If not for… well, I might really not have caught up with you.”

…

Listening to the man’s somewhat insincere taunts, Liang Jing’s eyelid twitched.

Something was wrong.

His current Spirit value was twenty-seven points—twenty-seven times that of an ordinary person. He seemed to have sensed something. He had the vague feeling that danger was slowly drawing near. The other man’s words appeared to be concealing something, which only made the unease stronger.

Behind Liang Jing, slightly to the left, Dai Wu stood invisible, holding a broken blade. Had anyone been able to see it, they would have noticed the blue sheen clinging to its edge—the sign of poison.

His cheeks bulged slightly. He was ready to spit the poison coating the blade at any moment.

This time, Dai Wu was leaving nothing to chance. He had even poisoned the broken blade with a toxin so lethal that a single touch of blood would seal a person’s fate. It was clear how much pressure Liang Jing had placed on him over the past several days.

Yes. After everything that had happened during the last two days, Dai Wu had come to regard Liang Jing as his greatest enemy. For a man as arrogant and disdainful as Dai Wu, such behavior was extremely rare.

Even Tu Guiwu and Gao Yaotai of the military meant little to him. Though both were formidable, Dai Wu specialized in assassination. He had no reason to fear them.

This showed how much weight Liang Jing carried in his heart.

Dai Wu continuously drew in his aura, lowering his bodily functions and slowing his heartbeat until they reached their minimum levels. He avoided the fragments, dust, and leaves on the ground and concealed his killing intent. Years of training had brought his assassination skills to perfection. Now that his invisibility technique was combined with his assassination arts, their power had multiplied.

He was confident that he could kill Liang Jing this time. Liang Jing would absolutely not detect him again. The previous occasion had merely been a mistake.

Liang Jing closed his eyes. To Yu Supu, it looked as though he had shut his eyes and was waiting for death. Yu Supu was delighted; it seemed his opponent had abandoned all resistance and no longer possessed the strength to fight back.

But he quickly composed himself and followed the plan he and Dai Wu had devised.

After all, what Liang Jing had done during the past two days and the strength he had displayed were simply too terrifying. Whether it was his ability to recruit followers, the long-range attack with which he had ambushed and killed Jing Hui, or his own defensive power—artillery shells could not kill him. In close combat, he could kill two or three Awakened in an instant. None of the others could withstand even a single exchange with him.

Yu Supu had no idea that Liang Jing had closed his eyes to calm himself completely and sense his surroundings with his soul and spiritual power.

After breaking through his shackles, Liang Jing’s soul had been purified. It had become purer and clearer, allowing him to perceive the approach of danger more effectively.

Very soon, he sensed a transparent figure to his rear left, slowly drawing closer.

Dai Wu!

Liang Jing’s heart tightened, and he immediately understood.

The man in front of him was merely drawing his attention while creating an opportunity for Dai Wu to launch a sneak attack.

Suddenly, Liang Jing opened his eyes again. Seeing the man who looked like Maimaiti holding a gleaming kukri, he remembered him.

This man was the leader of one of the forces that had been hunting him. Earlier, when Liang Jing had been trying to kill Tu Wugui, he had suffered a minor setback, and this man had been one of those who attacked him.

The man’s innate ability was mental assault. Because Liang Jing had been unprepared, he had fallen victim to it instantly and been left dazed for a moment. If his defenses had not been strong—and if the machine gun had not failed to fire at that instant—he would probably have been gravely injured, or even doomed beyond redemption.

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