Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun's gaze did not linger on him for long.

Because there was still a breath in the carriage.

It was pressed very low.

Cold, hard, and steady, like an iron block hidden under a cloth.

Second order.

Moreover, it's not a regular second-order one.

The black-covered carriage left the warehouse and headed east along the old street.

Xilun raised his hand.

All gunmen remained still.

You must not take action at the warehouse entrance.

It's too close to the Black Death Cult's stronghold. If there are any hidden forces inside, the battle will drag on indefinitely.

The carriage continued on its way.

Fifty steps.

Eighty steps.

One hundred and twenty steps.

Ahead was a bend in the road next to the abandoned execution ground, with piles of scrap wood and broken coal carts on both sides. The ground was low-lying, and a culvert ran under the street.

Xilun's finger fell.

boom!

The first gunshot ripped through the darkness.

The head of the person carrying the lantern at the very front suddenly jerked back, and his white mask burst open, revealing a patch of red.

Just as the other lantern bearer was about to rush to the roadside, a second lead bullet struck him in the chest, knocking him down in front of the horse's hooves.

The horses were startled and reared up.

The driver pulled hard on the reins.

Kusso growled, "Hit the legs! Don't hit the box!"

Gunfire erupted in rapid succession.

The four guards reacted extremely quickly, revealing short knives and muskets under their cloaks. One of them had black veins bulging on his skin instantly, and after taking a shot, he lunged towards the coal shed on the left.

Xilun raised his hand.

The sewage in the drainage ditch suddenly leaped up and turned into a thin thread that wrapped around his ankle.

The guard froze.

The next moment, two lead bullets pierced his knees.

He screamed and fell to his knees. Before he could even mutate, Kuso had already rushed out of the shadows, chopped off his wrist with an axe, and stuffed purification powder into the wound.

White smoke rose.

The guard emitted an inhuman hiss from his throat.

The other three guards were pinned down by the gunman, but they did not immediately break down. They remained calm with their backs to the carriage, clearly accustomed to surprise attacks.

One of them blew a bone whistle, the sharp sound piercing the eardrums.

Inside the carriage, that second-tier aura finally rose.

boom!

The black cloak exploded from the inside.

A figure crashed through the wooden planks and landed on top of the carriage.

He was a tall, thin man wearing a long black leather coat. He didn't have a bird-beak mask on his face, but only a round pair of silver-rimmed glasses.

Behind the lens, his left eye appeared cloudy and white, while his right eye was unusually clear.

He was holding a long, narrow bone knife in his hand.

The blade appears to have been carved from the leg bone of some large creature, its surface covered with fine black lines that open and close slightly with each breath.

The moment Xilun saw him, the black mark on his wrist felt a slight burning sensation.

The man also looked in the direction where Xilun was hiding.

It was as if they already knew there were people there.

"The Golden Knight".

His voice was hoarse, but calm.

"My sick father said you would come."

Xilun emerged from behind the coal shed.

Did he say that you would die?

The man was not angry.

He even smiled.

"Death is not the punishment; waste is."

He raised the bone knife.

"With a body like yours, with your vitality, with your level of awareness, you should be placed in a cleaner vessel, instead of mingling with gangs in the mud of the North District."

"I will take you back as a new vessel!"

Xilun drew his pistol and pulled the trigger.

boom!

The man tilted his head to the side.

The lead bullet grazed the silver-rimmed round mirror, leaving a bloody mark on his face.

His smile deepened.

"You really don't like hearing this."

The next instant, he disappeared from the roof of the car.

It's not invisible.

It's too fast.

Xilun's pupils contracted slightly, and he stomped his foot, shifting his body to the left.

The bone knife grazed his shoulder as it slashed down.

The air was cut open, producing a sharp whistling sound.

Xilun drew his short blade with a backhand motion and blocked the second blow with a clang.

A tremendous force pressed down.

The stone slab beneath his feet cracked and split.

Second-order extreme realm.

The thought had barely formed in his mind when the man's knee slammed into his abdomen.

A great thunderous sound trembled within Xilun's body, and his abdominal muscles instantly tensed.

boom!

With a muffled thud, the two men each took a step back.

The man's right eye was slightly bright.

"Body tempering, chilling breath, thunderous sound, and the smell of water. You're more complete than the report says."

Xilun did not reply.

He flicked out the Soul-Suppressing Nail with his left hand.

With a flick of his bone knife, the man precisely knocked away the Soul-Suppressing Nail. But as the nail flew away, dirty water from the ground swirled up from behind, silently wrapping around his neck.

The man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; his body suddenly bent downwards, and he slid out almost touching the ground.

The water line brushed against his hair, cutting off a few strands of black hair.

Xilun's gaze grew even more somber.

This person is not only strong and fast.

They also have a wealth of combat experience.

Meanwhile, Kusso and his gunmen continued clearing out the guards. The man in the gray cloak tried to escape in the chaos, but Rena shot him in the calf from the alley entrance, and he screamed as he fell into the snowmelt.

Behind the carriage, half of a heavy iron box was visible.

A pale gray mist seeped from the seams of the box.

Xilun glanced at it and knew it was valuable.

The man also noticed his gaze.

"You want the sleeper's cerebrospinal fluid?"

The bone knife slashed down again.

"That's not for the living."

Xilen twisted to avoid it, his short blade gliding past the bone knife, sparks flying. The muscles in his left arm bulged, and a chilling aura surged from his wrist, attempting to freeze the opponent's blade.

With a flick of the man's wrist, the black patterns on the surface of the bone knife suddenly opened up, like countless tiny mouths, swallowing up a portion of the chill.

"Contaminated objects."

"Silen said in a low voice."

"A knife made from fragments of sacred bones."

The man's tone still suggested he was discussing a medicine formula.

"Not stable, but sharp enough."

He stomped forward, increasing his speed even further.

The bone knife transformed into a gray-white afterimage, pressing down simultaneously from the top, left, and right.

Xilun took a half step back and drew a golden spear from his waist.

哢.

The moment he got his hands on the gun, his entire demeanor changed.

Short blades are suitable for urban warfare, while short guns are suitable for surprise attacks.

But what truly allowed him to channel all his strength was the gun.

The man's eyes turned serious for the first time.

Siren did not give him a chance to readjust.

The spear swept across.

clang!

The bone knife blocked the spearhead, but the man's arm sank slightly.

The second shot followed immediately.

The spear tips fell like a sudden rain, their chilling breath clinging to them, each impact leaving a layer of white frost on the bone blade's surface. The man retreated continuously, his boots scraping deep grooves into the stone slab.

"Excellent marksmanship."

He gave a quiet compliment.

Then, his chest suddenly swelled up.

Beneath the long leather coat, it felt as if another heart was beginning to beat.

thump.

thump.

Boom!

As the third sound fell, his aura surged to the limit of the second tier, large patches of gray and white markings appeared on his skin, his right pupil shrank to a pinpoint, while black tears flowed from his left eye.

He sped up again.

The bone knife avoided the spearhead and slid along the shaft towards Xilun's wrist.

This strike was extremely vicious.

If struck, all five fingers will be severed.

Xilun released his right hand, the gun barrel rotating with his left palm, and his body stepped into his opponent's embrace. A great thunderous sound exploded deep within his chest, and his shoulder and elbow slammed out like iron hammers.

boom!

The man was thrown backward by the impact, smashing half of the broken wooden frame.

But he almost immediately got up.

There was blood at the corner of his mouth, but his smile was even more pronounced.

"You will be the best support."

"Too much nonsense."

Xiren held the gun with both hands.

At that moment, all the surrounding sounds fell silent.

Gunshots, screams, horse neighing, flowing sewage, and the rustling of wind through stubble all seemed to be muffled by a thick pane of glass.

His breathing became extremely slow.

The cold breath subsided.

The thunderous sound was restrained.

A dark red light silently appeared at the tip of the spear.

The man's expression finally changed.

Instead of rushing forward, he suddenly turned around and lunged towards the iron box.

He wasn't afraid of death.

He wanted to destroy the box.

Xilun's eyes turned cold.

Step out.

Red star.

A dark red light flashed in the fog.

There was no loud noise.

There was only a very faint piercing sound.

The man stood frozen three steps in front of the iron box.

He looked down and saw a tiny hole in his chest.

There were no large areas of tearing around the opening, only charred edges and flesh collapsing inward.

The bone knife slipped from his hand.

He turned around, and for the first time, a look of bewilderment appeared in his right eye.

"Natan..."

Xilun holstered his gun, his breathing slightly erratic.

The second Red Star is already charged within my body, but there's no need to fire it.

The man knelt down on the ground.

Xilun walked up to him, the Soul-Suppressing Nail from his sleeve slid into his palm, and pierced directly into his brow.

The gray and white markings suddenly contracted.

The man's body twitched twice, then remained completely still.

The battle ended quickly.

But the streets looked like they had been plowed over.

Three of the four guards were dead, and the remaining one was pinned to the head by Kuso, who had stepped on his back.

The man in the gray cloak was shot in the calf, his hands were bound, and his mouth was gagged. He looked at Xilun with terror in his eyes.

Kusso walked over, panting heavily.

"Young master, one brother is dead and two are injured. The box is undamaged."

Xilun nodded.

"Open."

The iron box has three locks.

Rena searched the man in the gray cloak for the key, sprinkled purifying powder on the keyhole, and then slowly opened it.

When the lid was lifted, a cold, gray mist flowed out.

Inside were six silver-white glass tubes, each immersed in a transparent liquid.

Inside the glass tube, a thin, pale gray liquid, as fine as a hair, slowly undulated, like a sleeping worm, or perhaps like some kind of human spinal fluid.

There was also a moisture-proof leather bag next to it.

With Rhodes absent, Rena put on gloves and carefully opened the box.

Inside were account books, transit vouchers, several secret letters, and three unsigned wax prints of nobles.

One of them has the short sword pattern commonly used by the Tussor family's collateral branches engraved on its edge.

Kusso cursed.

"It really has something to do with the nobility."

There were no surprises in Xilun.

He picked up a secret letter and scanned a few lines.

The letter did not mention Tusol or Oin directly.

However, it mentions that before the autumn hunt, the number of armed personnel deployed in the northern district increased, and the samples from the dormant samples were temporarily suspended from being sent to the lower level of the hospital. Instead, they were first transferred to the outer ring of the old armory, where they would be confirmed by the "Grey Ravens" before being distributed.

Gray crow.

A crow with its eyes closed.

Old armory.

Autumn hunting.

The line is connected.

Xilun carefully put the letter away.

"Take the belongings. Burn the bodies and stage an internal Black Death cult conflict at the scene."

Rena whispered, "That apothecary?"

Xiren looked at the man in the gray cloak.

The man shuddered, shook his head frantically, and made a whimpering sound in his throat.

"Take it back."

"He's still useful," said Xilun.

The gunmen acted swiftly.

Purifying powder was sprinkled down, and lamp oil was poured onto the corpse, and flames quickly ignited.

Black cigarette smoke billowed into the night fog, releasing a pungent odor.

Xilun stood by the firelight, looking down as the corpse of the second-tier extreme realm man was swallowed up.

This man never begged for mercy until he died.

Because he also has his own beliefs.

In his eyes, the Black Death cult was not a cult, but a group of people who tried to give order to death.

They turn patients into samples, the poor into materials, and suffering into records, then believe they are on the path to some higher form of compassion.

These kinds of people are harder to eradicate than the greedy.

Because greed makes people afraid of losing.

Belief only demands more sacrifice.

Xilun withdrew his gaze.

"withdraw."

Shortly after they left Old Gallows Street, someone lowered a telescope on a dilapidated clock tower in the distance.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a dark brown coat with a small Tussor family brass button on his collar.

He looked in the direction where Xilun and the others had disappeared, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded slightly.

"Is it confirmed?"

Someone behind me asked.

The middle-aged man said, "It's confirmed. The Golden Knights attacked the Black Death Cult's transport team and stole the iron box. Their target was clear, their actions were decisive, and they didn't pursue any other directions."

"Should we repay the Third Elder?"

"Go back now."

The middle-aged man glanced again at the burning street.

"One more thing, he's stronger than the intelligence reports suggest. A second-tier extreme realm cultivator died at his hands, not lasting long."

The two quickly disappeared into the night.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was also standing quietly on the higher roof ridge on the other side.

Lund was wearing an old overcoat, a long gun slung across his shoulder, and his face was obscured by shadows.

He watched the entire battle.

From the first gunshot, to the Crimson Star piercing through the Black Death Cult's second-tier extreme realm, to the Tusor scout nodding and leaving.

The cold wind blew the hem of his clothes.

He looked down at his left arm and remained motionless for a long time.

"It can already kill these things on its own."

He said softly.

There was neither relief nor relief in his tone.

Only deeper silence.

In the early hours of the morning, Siron returned to his residence.

Rhodes was already waiting in the basement.

The iron box was placed in the center of the purification array, with six silver-white glass tubes lined up in a row.

After initial cleaning, the ledgers and secret letters were laid out on the long table. The man in the gray cloak was bound in the adjacent interrogation room, guarded by Kusso himself.

"Sleep fluid of the dormant".

Rod's voice was low, but it couldn't hide the shock in it.

"Six, is that enough?"

"enough."

Xilun did not touch the glass tube.

This substance requires stringent storage conditions and carries an unknown risk of contamination, necessitating secondary confirmation from someone knowledgeable in pharmaceuticals.

He was more interested in the papers.

Rod handed over a transcribed excerpt.

"The ledger records three months of transfers. They appeared in the lower level of the Third Charitable Hospital, the old noose street, the drainage station, and the outer ring of the old armory. There are three types of noble wax seals, one of which is suspected to be from the Tussor branch, but there is no direct trace of Oin himself."

Xilun accepted it.

"Of course not."

A person like Oin wouldn't let his name appear in such a ledger.

"There's another codename, Gray Raven."

Rod said, "They appear very frequently, like intermediaries."

Xilun tapped his fingertip on the paper.

"check."

"Yes."

Footsteps came from outside the door.

Kusso pushed open the door and came in, saying in a low voice, "Young Master, Mr. Lund has arrived."

Xilun looked up.

Lund walked into the basement, carrying with him the chill of the wind and the night.

He glanced at the iron box, then looked at Xilun.

"How's the injury?"

"Minor injury."

Lund sneered.

"Every time you say it's a minor injury, it's enough to keep an ordinary person bedridden for at least half a month."

Xilun did not refute.

Lund walked to the table, picked up a secret letter, glanced at it, and then put it down.

"The Tusol family is watching you."

Rhodes's expression changed.

Xilun, however, remained calm.

"You saw it?"

"On the ruined clock tower, there are two people. One has a Tussor brass buckle, and judging from his movements, he seems like an old spy, not a temporary informant."

Rendela pulled out a chair and sat down.

"They watched from the moment you made your move until the very end. When that second-tier Extreme Realm cultivator died, one of them nodded in approval."

Rod frowned.

"Are they confirming whether the young master acted according to the clues given by Oin?"

"It's not about whether it exists or not."

Xilun slowly asked, "How do we proceed?"

He looked at the Sleeper's spinal fluid and the secret letter on the table, and Oin's face reappeared in his mind.

mild.

patience.

Sitting under the side hall light, he looked like a willing partner who was willing to pay a price.