Chapter 3 Countdown Three
[He thrusts a hidden sword at your lower back from the shadows.]
[He slashes at your spine from the shadow.]
[He from the shadows…]
As if losing control, foreboding thoughts flashed wildly through Lu Yibei’s mind, nearly drowning her normal thoughts.
With the faint light filtering in from the psychiatric hospital’s building, Lu Yibei’s golden-red eyes scanned her surroundings warily.
Her gaze swept over the vast, dark shadows; a faint flame flickered at the edges of her sight, as if spreading out to reduce the items in view to ashes.
Seconds later…
The unwanted visitors finally appeared before her.
They were a group of individuals clad in gray-black outfits, with at least five of them upon closer inspection.
Their lowered hoods and masks made of some special metal concealed most of their faces, leaving only their pair of eyes, dark with a hint of white, glowing eerily like beasts.
On the leather bracers on their arms, there were special emblems stitched in red thread.
They traversed through the thick shadows, which seemed to flow like water, moving in a strange manner, while they were like fish swimming effortlessly and swiftly.
Is it the nameless assassin group of the Assassins?! Noticing the emblems on their bracers, Lu Yibei’s eyes trembled.
A few days prior, when the Void left, he had already handed her the relevant information about the potential Spirit Energy Organization members that may attack her.
Concerning her safety, Lu Yibei had only skimmed through the information but had committed it all to her extraordinary memory.
The nameless assassin group skilled in assassination, primarily female members; the Spring Day Great Society, which has the ability to tame urban legends; the White God Group, blessed by deities and somewhat similar to the Miracle Cult; APTYA, with various strange abilities and expertise in curses…
Various Spirit Energy Organizations with different backgrounds and ideologies added up to at least a dozen.
To be honest, among those Spirit Energy Organizations that wanted her dead, she was most concerned about the nameless assassin group of the Assassins, never expecting these guys to be the first to show up.
There was about two minutes left; she had to shake off these entanglements within that time… Lu Yibei thought.
Although interrupted, which made her feel a spontaneous urge to k*ll, reason told her not to linger too long.
Silently, one of the members of the nameless assassin group transformed into a cloud of black mist that almost blended with the surrounding shadows and shot towards her.
In the next moment, the premonition flashed again.
[He swings a scythe at your neck.]
In an instant, the bone-white scythe ominously closed in on her.
Lu Yibei instinctively wanted to summon [Ling Tai Purification]; in the blink of an eye, she contemplated that the spirit energy fluctuation created by [Ling Tai Purification] might accelerate the detection spell circuits around her, locking onto her whereabouts. She quickly utilized the body techniques from *Taihe Gentleman Sword Illustration* to respond.
However, just as she maneuvered her agile form out of the scythe’s attack range and created sufficient distance for a response, an unexpected scene unfolded.
The member of the nameless assassin group actually gave up the attack, quickly retreating back into the dark shadows.
Lu Yibei, “???”
What the hell? Why did they retreat suddenly? Were they not there to assassinate me, but to scare me?
As the so-called king of urban legends in Huacheng, a prime suspect among major Spirit Energy Organizations, she would not be intimidated. After a brief perplexity, she swiftly grasped the key.
Unlike the assassins in games or movies who immediately go into berserk mode after a failed assassination, the members of this nameless assassin group seemed to always act with the belief of making a lethal strike when the moment was right.
This showed their keen judgment; if they sensed they could not achieve a one-hit k*ll, they would rather retreat than expose themselves to the enemy’s counterattack range.
However…
All of this relied on their assumption that their target could not see through their camouflage formed by intertwining shadows or detect their presence.
If she could master a way to capture their movements without them knowing, the roles of hunter and prey would be completely reversed.
Their trained assassination skills and almost instinctive judgment of timing would, instead, become their liabilities.
Just like how, as described in Void’s intel, a member of the nameless assassin group was captured by the Shaman Queen as they attempted to attack her on Sanlongsha, ultimately failing the assassination and being retaliated against.
Now, having spotted her enemies’ movements with her special eye abilities, Lu Yibei gained an absolute advantage, just like the Shaman Queen had.
“…”
While she felt a certain kinship with the silver coins, for her safety, she could only say a word of apology this time!
Next, they would learn just how terrifying it could be when a power becomes a habit!
With this thought in mind, Lu Yibei turned around, found the direction she came from, and suddenly invoked the full extent of the body technique from *Taihe Gentleman Sword Illustration*, leaping forward.
Goodbye, I’m off!
Although her absolute advantage would allow her to finish off the nameless assassin group without releasing spirit energy, the time required would far exceed two minutes.
Thus, she devised a better plan, utilizing the habits of the nameless assassin group to shake off their entanglement. If successful, they might even be unable to bother her again in a short time…
“Sasa, Sasa!”
The faint and dense sound of footsteps echoed in the dimly lit corridor of the psychiatric hospital at midnight.
Lu Yibei hurried forward, a flood of foreboding thoughts racing through her mind, like an ever-pursuing shadow of d*ath trailing behind her.
Then, when a relatively slender figure quickly approached her side, suddenly leaping from below to stab at her throat with a short kn*fe, she unexpectedly accelerated, darting a short distance away, and turned to look back, her fierce gaze sweeping through the vast shadows.
In the next moment, the members of the nameless assassin group she spotted all stopped in place.
After waiting for two seconds, Lu Yibei turned again and ran forward.
Then, looked back, then stopped.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded in this eerie corridor of the psychiatric hospital—a one-armed beauty in a clean white nurse’s outfit was running back and forth, while a group of black shadows chased behind her, moving in synchronicity, sometimes pausing, sometimes advancing.
It was like playing a ghostly version of “Red Light, Green Light.”
After this cycle repeated several times, the members of the nameless assassin group finally sensed something was off, and Lu Yibei reached the edge of the wall; only less than twenty meters remained to escape, marking the success of her plan.
Taking a deep breath, she ignored the nameless assassin group members rushing toward her from behind, directly summoning [Ling Tai Purification] to cover herself, and suddenly charged forward at full speed.
The members of the nameless assassin group, realizing what was happening, decided against pursuing a lethal strike anymore, and she too would not pretend any longer.
She intended to rely on [Ling Tai Purification] to absorb all attacks and break through the final distance.
With only twenty meters left, there was no need to worry about the spirit energy from [Ling Tai Purification] triggering any alarms prematurely.
The next moment, dense blades of light came rushing at her.
Hidden swords, short hammers, short knives, bone-white scythes… Various weapons struck from cunning and lethal angles, scraping across the heavy armor’s surface with a harsh metallic clang, creating a shower of sparks.
They wanted to leave a calamity, but Lu Yibei, fueled by her astonishing physical strength, burst forth in her heavy armor like a speeding, indestructible war chariot, even knocking away a nameless assassin coming at her head-on.
Seconds later.
By the time the members of the nameless assassin group realized what was happening, Lu Yibei had already scaled the wall.
At the moment she reached the top, covered in the heavy armor formed by Ling Tai Purification, Lu Yibei spread her arms, shrugging at the retreating shadows and their companions as if to say, “I let you strike me, but you couldn’t harm me. I’m in quite a predicament here!”
Then, looking back at the members of the nameless assassin group chasing her, she quietly took out a paper cicada from her pocket and threw it toward them.
The paper cicada traced a parabolic arc, landing almost simultaneously as Lu Yibei leaped off the wall.
One went in, the other went out.
“Enemy attack! There’s an enemy attack!”
Once outside the psychiatric hospital’s jurisdiction, Lu Yibei shouted without fear, raising her voice.
“???”
Enemy attack? Are you referring to yourself? The members of the nameless assassin group exchanged glances among themselves as the paper cicada exploded dramatically!
“Boom—!”
A huge sound erupted, the earth trembled, and shockwaves of spirit energy spread in all directions, illuminating numerous spirit energy detection devices.
In the next moment, alarms rang throughout the Three Gorges Psychiatric Hospital.
Amidst the blaring alarms, numerous confinement-type solidification spells activated, dazzling spell circuits emerging from the thick walls, casting a terrifying suppression.
Several seconds later, a group of members from the Southwest Region Supervisor’s Special Action Team, clad in white and wielding alchemical firearms, arrived at the scene, enclosing the nameless assassin group members who had just escaped the aftermath of the paper cicada explosion, with dark g*n barrels aimed at their heads.
“Drop your weapons and squat down with your hands on your head!”
The members of the nameless assassin group, “…”
————
[“Countdown to ‘Calamity’s d*ath’: 108H13M5S”]
About two hundred kilometers away from the Three Gorges Psychiatric Hospital, on the rocky expressway, a white figure sped along the road.
The wind roared in her ears; Bai Kai’s voice cut through the wind, reaching Lu Yibei.
“Xiao Bei, what was that all about? Clearly, there was ample time; why did the alarm suddenly go off?”
“Ran into a little trouble,” Lu Yibei replied.
Bai Kai was startled and quickly asked, “Did you run into anyone from the Three Gorges Psychiatric Hospital?”
“No!” Lu Yibei replied expressionlessly, “Just the nameless assassin group of the Assassins.”
“Oh!” Bai Kai nodded, “Then… wait, what?”
“Xiao Bei, you’ve really changed; you’re making me feel like I don’t know you anymore!”
After encountering an assassination attempt from the world’s top assassin organization, she remained this calm. He suddenly worried that Lu Yibei might end up dead like her father…
“Hey, didn’t I shake them off?” Lu Yibei pouted, “I estimate that with the ‘gift’ I left them, they should be enjoying government hospitality now and won’t bother me for a while.”
“…” Bai Kai was silent for a moment before seriously saying, “Xiao Bei, they will not give up easily.”
“Yeah, I know,” Lu Yibei nodded.
The nameless assassin group was a huge organization, and simply resolving the pursuit of five people wouldn’t mean they’d let it go.
“By the way, Shui Ge, there’s something that feels odd to me.”
“What?”
“When they attacked me, for some reason, they didn’t use spells, toxins, or any other assassination techniques except for body techniques.”
“Um…” Bai Kai replied, “Perhaps because they’re afraid to? After all, attempting to assassinate you at this time would violate the prior agreement with the old man in the mountains and the Black Emperor. If caught, it wouldn’t be easy to explain.”
“Is that so? If I’d known, I would have played it bigger…” Lu Yibei muttered softly.
“What?” Bai Kai frowned.
“Nothing! Really!”
—————
[“Countdown to ‘Calamity’s d*ath’: 107H20M57S”]
After Bai Kai’s talking at Lu Yibei for nearly half an hour, he finally quieted down. With some time left before reaching Shizhou City’s Dachunyang Palace, the briefly quiet Lu Yibei finally had a chance to think calmly.
“…”
Though she hadn’t witnessed the full extent of the leader’s departure, she had at least confirmed that Fang Ji’s words held true…
Should she go to the address Fang Ji gave her next? So many days have passed; would the leader still be there?
Another strange point, if she had left voluntarily, why had she not contacted her?
Lu Yibei pondered endlessly until Bai Kai’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Xiao Bei, we’ve arrived!”
Hearing the voice, she looked up, and there it was, the dilapidated and crumbling Nameless Taoist Temple nestled among the mountains.
This was the place where Lu Yibei had agreed to meet Zhang Hainan…
————
[“Countdown to ‘Calamity’s d*ath’: 104H20M57S”]
In the office of the Southwest Region Supervisor of Siye Association in Jin Guan City.
Xing Yuan sat in front of the computer, reviewing the investigation application while holding the Gray Owl Badge, communicating with someone.
“I’ve seen the application… Are you sure you want to proceed? I’ve heard your mother has been found. Is there still significance in continuing to pursue this? The clues are very slim, and you probably have little idea now, right?”
“Absolutely, it matters!” Jiang Li’s voice came through the Gray Owl Badge, “Although the case originated with my mother, after further understanding, I found that it involves a wide network. Each year, more than twelve thousand members of their organization pass through…”
“If this stops now, in the future, more people like my mother may suffer harm!”
“…” Xing Yuan pondered for two seconds and sighed silently, “Alright, since you insist! However, I must advise you in advance that cross-border investigations have many troubles, and the Siye Association may not be able to provide you with timely support.”
“I know; I will be careful!” Jiang Li replied.
Is it really a matter of being careful? It’s about worrying you might d*e and didn’t have an explanation for that guy! Xing Yuan rolled her eyes in frustration, “By the way, have you contacted that guy?”
Hearing Xing Yuan’s words, Jiang Li realized the reason for her repeated warnings, and after a brief silence, she spoke, “Thanks for the reminder! I couldn’t reach him earlier due to effects from God Realm Yumen, but once I get there, I will inform him of my safety as soon as possible.”
“Alright, let’s leave it at that then…” Xing Yuan said, terminating the spirit energy supply and cutting off the communication from the Gray Owl Badge.
(Feeling unsatisfied after finishing, I modified it once, my apologies for being a bit late!)
