Veteran

Xie Yuling lowered her center of gravity, crouching as she used several scrapped stamping machines for cover to creep forward.

The factory building was dimly lit and unventilated year-round. The smell of rust mixed with dust drilled straight into the nose, making one's throat itch.

"Follow me. I can't sense the people over there yet. Wait for my signal!"

The telepathic voice transmission was sent directly into Jiang Yunlu's mind.

Jiang Yunlu didn't make a sound. She lightened her footsteps and suppressed her breathing to the absolute minimum, moving close behind Xie Yuling.

These abandoned pieces of equipment were massive, more than enough to serve as cover for the two of them.

With her divine sense scouting ahead, Xie Yuling held the absolute initiative. Instead of retreating, she advanced, leading her companion in circles through the iron husks, inching closer bit by bit.

"They have guns. You must wait for my signal," Xie Yuling's voice continued to echo in Jiang Yunlu's mind.

Jiang Yunlu nodded.

Since the enemy had guns, she had to kill them in a single strike. However, her true qi was running low, so she had to measure her output perfectly.

The best-case scenario would be snatching their weapons.

At this thought, Jiang Yunlu's heart rate began to accelerate.

"Stay calm. I will guide your path."

Xie Yuling held several talismans between her fingers.

She had Five-Lightning Talismans and Rejuvenation Talismans. Unfortunately, she hadn't brought higher-utility ones like Invisibility Talismans today. In fact, she was now down to her very last Five-Lightning Talisman.

A miscalculation.

Next time, even if it meant stuffing her bag to the brim, she had to pack them all.

Regret was useless; the trouble in front of her still needed to be resolved.

Over by the factory staircase.

A charred body lay across the steps, flesh split and curled, still emitting pungent tendrils of blue smoke.

The bald man hadn't even had time to leave any last words before being struck into a human-shaped piece of charcoal.

Li Huan kept his finger tight on his pistol's trigger. His palms were so sweaty the grip was nearly slipping from his grasp.

What the hell.

Li Huan gripped his pistol tightly.

How could they run into this kind of monster domestically? Summoning lightning out of thin air—could it be those guys from the Yanhuang Awakening?

He was just taking money to do a job and put food on the table; he wasn't here to be a martyr.

Surrender? He would never go to prison and step on a sewing machine for the rest of his life.

He had to run.

Before running, he needed to find some scapegoats to cover his back.

"What are you all standing around for?! Surround them!" Li Huan roared at the top of his lungs.

It was dead silent behind him; no one answered.

He turned his head to look. Several men were huddled behind the staircase corner, their eyes glued to the bald man's charred remains, their calves trembling violently.

Normally they might dare to charge, but now, facing a living immortal who could shoot lightning, they had all turned into cowards hiding in their shells.

Go up and die? Whoever wants to can go.

To make matters worse, the driver who led the way had already been shot dead by Li Huan.

Without a car, Xie Yuling and Jiang Yunlu were trapped in the factory and couldn't get out. Meanwhile, Li Huan's gang was terrified by the lightning strikes; unable to gauge the enemy's true strength, they dared not approach.

The only sound left in the factory was the dripping of a leaky water pipe. Separated by a pile of scrap metal, the two sides were locked in a complete stalemate.

At this moment, only one thought remained in Li Huan's mind: retreat.

The lightning alone proved the enemy was no joke. Although their numbers were unknown, if he dragged this out until their backup arrived, his life would be forfeited right here.

No matter how much money there was, you needed to be alive to spend it.

He holstered his gun, turned around, and took the stairs two at a time.

The moment he reached the second-floor landing, he saw a few dark figures huddled at the base of the wall. It was the small gang responsible for the kidnapping. They were squatting with their hands on their heads, shivering in unison.

"Are you squatting here trying to hatch eggs? Run, are you waiting to die?"

Li Huan tossed out these words without breaking his stride. He was a mercenary who worked for money, not a living bodhisattva here to save all beings. Giving them a warning was purely an overflow of professional ethics.

He ran headlong into Zhou Nianqian; the employer was hurrying down with two bodyguards.

"What's the situation down there? You just fired a shot!" Zhou Nianqian knew Li Huan had a gun, so he couldn't help but ask.

Li Huan stopped in his tracks. His muzzle was pointed down, but his finger still rested outside the trigger guard.

"Yeah, I fired. In my experience, you've provoked people you can't afford to provoke. If I were you, I'd run right now."

But Zhou Nianqian didn't think that way. Gritting his teeth, he raised his right hand and waved it forward.

The two bodyguards understood the signal and stepped forward to seize him.

The muzzle immediately rose, pointing straight at the center of Zhou Nianqian's brow.

The charging bodyguards slammed on the brakes and raised their hands above their shoulders. Zhou Nianqian also froze in place, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"I gave you my advice; whether you listen is up to you. I don't want the final payment. Even if you manage to make it out alive, keep the money for yourself. Good luck."

With that said, he panned his muzzle, forcing the bodyguards back, and turned to walk toward the other end of the corridor.

The factory's layout was complex, full of ventilation ducts and fire escapes. As long as he found the right path, escaping wouldn't be hard.

Leaving this place was the right move.

Zhou Nianqian stared in the direction Li Huan had vanished. Only when he could no longer hear the footsteps did he unclench his tightly wound fists.

"Take out your pieces."

He reached into his trench coat pocket and pulled out a pistol. The two bodyguards also drew loaded sidearms from their waists.

They all carried guns bought from the black market. Zhou Nianqian often played with firearms while traveling abroad, so he was no stranger to them.

It was just that if they really exchanged fire with a professional killing machine like Li Huan earlier, it was hard to say who would die first. It wasn't worth throwing his life away over a fit of pique.

Chaotic footsteps echoed from the stairs again.

The few members of the small gang scrambled up the stairs, stumbling and crawling.

As soon as they looked up, three gun muzzles were pointed right at them.

Just then, the few people from the small gang also ran up.

In unison, they saw the handguns held by Zhou Nianqian and his two men.

The leader gulped, his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees again.

"What are you coming up here for? Get the hell down!" Zhou Nianqian pressed his gun barrel against the forehead of the man in front. "You deal with the people downstairs. Don't say I never gave you a chance to make money. Take out any one of them, and I'll give you half a million."

The few men gaped, unable to spit out a single word. With bullets in front of them and pursuers behind them, this muddy water was ultimately going to drown them.

Half a million... but you had to be alive to spend it.

The small gang was instantly rendered speechless. Clearly, they had no right to choose.

Zhou Nianqian also looked at the other bodyguard beside him.

"You, flank them from the other side. Don't hesitate—if there's any danger, shoot!"

The bodyguard nodded, turned around, and headed toward the other side.

Meanwhile, Zhou Nianqian raised his muzzle, pointing it at the small gang below.

"Get down there!"

Staring at the dark, hollow gun barrels, the group could only grit their teeth and charge down the stairs.

"We have to run! That might be our only chance to survive!"

The woman in the middle shouted in a hushed voice.

"Alright, meet at the usual place!"

With that said, they all rushed headlong down the stairs.

Zhou Nianqian and his remaining man followed behind, though they didn't dare pursue too closely.

They were also startled when they saw the charred corpse at the corner.

Li Huan's warning instantly came to mind.

But since the decision had been made, there was no backing down.

Gripping his gun, Zhou Nianqian descended the stairs.

In an instant, he saw the car parked at the entrance.