I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

Deep in the northwestern desert.

A black SUV drove out from beside an abandoned geological station that was half-buried in the sand.

It was not yet fully light.

The gray-blue sand dunes stretched to the horizon, the wind whipping up fine sand that lashed against the car windows, reducing visibility to less than two hundred meters.

The first field team of the Seventh Division has just completed the sealing of a magical artifact.

The five people stayed underground for nearly nine hours, and their superpowers and physical strength were mostly exhausted, but their formation remained intact when they withdrew.

Team leader Shen Zheng sat in the passenger seat, with a silver-gray storage box fixed to his feet.

Song Ling observed the road ahead, Cao Ye was in charge of driving, and Bai Zhi checked everyone's vital signs. Xu Ji closed his eyes, trying to relieve the headache caused by maintaining mental alertness for so long.

Less than a kilometer into the car, Song Ling suddenly raised her hand.

"parking."

Without asking any questions, Cao Ye immediately stepped on the brakes.

Two people stood amidst the sandstorm.

One male and one female.

The man was around forty years old, tall, and wearing a plain black coat.

The woman looked to be in her early thirties, with short hair, and was wearing only a dark gray jacket.

There are no vehicles.

There is no water.

They didn't even have the most basic sand protection equipment.

The nearest road is over 100 kilometers away, making it impossible for an ordinary person to walk here.

Song Ling pressed down on the gun handle.

There was no third target nearby.

There were no abnormalities underground.

Shen Zheng asked, "Communications?"

Cao Ye glanced at the terminal.

"Satellite signal is normal."

The next second, all the screens inside the car flickered simultaneously.

The signal instantly dropped to zero.

All that remained in the headphones was a piercing static sound.

Shen Zheng did not hesitate.

"Abandon the vehicles, form battle formation."

Five people got off the bus at the same time.

The moment the last person left the vehicle, the tall man in front raised his right hand and pressed it down.

boom!

The off-road vehicle suddenly sank into the sand.

All four tires burst at the same time, the frame twisted and deformed, and the windshield was covered with cracks.

The short-haired woman looked at the group that had quickly completed their formation and spoke calmly:

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Shen Zheng's eyes darkened.

The other person didn't just happen to be passing by.

This attack was directed at Group 1.

"The Candlelight Gathering".

The woman did not deny it.

Song Ling fired the first shot.

The specially made bullet pierced through the sandstorm and headed straight for her forehead.

The woman turned her head to avoid the bullet, which grazed her ear and left a trail of blood on her cheek.

Shen Zheng and Cao Ye had already spread out to the left and right respectively.

Gunshots rang out suddenly.

The tall man didn't try to tough it out.

He moved swiftly across the sand dune slope, his speed completely disproportionate to his size. Several bullets landed behind him, only one grazing his shoulder and tearing a small piece of flesh.

He staggered for a moment, but quickly regained his balance.

Cao Ye tightened his five fingers.

The sand beneath the man's feet suddenly solidified, locking his legs in place like cement.

Shen Zheng was already closing in on them.

He threw a punch, and an invisible shockwave struck the man's chest ahead of time.

The man's upper body suddenly leaned back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and his shirt dented inwards at the chest.

Shen Zheng's second punch followed immediately.

The man dodged the punch to the side, then seized the man's wrist and delivered an elbow strike to his ribs.

There were no abnormal energy fluctuations.

It's just the most basic close-quarters combat.

Shen Zheng, however, was struck head-on by an iron stake and slid sideways for several meters.

Bai Zhi raised her hand, and a warm force quickly surged into his body, suppressing the surging blood and qi in his chest.

"Minor rib fracture."

"The opponent's physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary superhumans."

On the other side, the short-haired woman had already approached Xu Ji.

Her gait was strange.

Each step was taken within the gaps in Song Ling's gun movement; the distance was not far, but he never provided a complete shooting angle.

Cao Ye quickly transferred control.

The sand beneath the woman's feet suddenly sank.

She paused for less than half a second.

Shen Zheng immediately shouted:

"Xu Ji!"

Xu Ji opened his eyes.

His ability is called "soul knocking".

Once locked on, it can directly attack the target's soul and spirit.

Caoye has fixed terrain.

Song Ling used gunfire to suppress their retreat.

Angelica dahurica acts as a mental barrier, blocking the woman's possible retaliation.

Xu Ji raised his hand, his five fingers closing in the air.

"knock."

There is no light.

There was no explosion.

The short-haired woman's body suddenly stiffened, and she knelt heavily into the sand.

Blood gushed from her mouth, nose, and ears at the same time.

My eyes lost focus for a moment.

For the first time, the previously stable circulation of spiritual energy within her body became violently disrupted.

"efficient!"

Song Ling immediately adjusted the muzzle of his gun.

Cao Ye strengthened control.

Shen Zheng turned and rushed toward the kneeling woman.

The tall man then forcefully took a step forward.

The solidified sand cracked at his feet.

His skin and muscles were torn open by the sand and gravel, and blood quickly stained his trouser legs, but he did not stop.

The man rammed into the firing line at an angle, using his shoulder and back to block Song Ling's two shots.

One shot hit his shoulder blade, and another grazed his side.

He swayed violently, but still stood in front of the woman.

Shen Zheng punched him so hard that he fell to his knees.

"Spirit-Sealing Nail!"

Cao Ye raised his hand and threw out two long, silver-gray nails.

One dart pierced the man's thigh, and the other pierced his shoulder.

The fluctuations of spiritual energy within his body immediately weakened.

Song Ling looked for an angle from the side.

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the tall man, the woman kneeling on the sand slowly raised her head.

Her face was deathly pale, her left eye was bloodshot, and blood was still flowing from her nose.

However, consciousness has been restored.

Xu Ji's pupils suddenly contracted.

"She's awake."

The woman took a breath.

"That was a good shot."

As soon as she finished speaking, she lunged at Xu Ji.

The movement was slower than before, and there was a slight deviation when landing.

Knocking on the soul is not without effect.

However, its power was somewhat insufficient, and it failed to shatter her soul.

Bai Zhi immediately deployed a barrier, standing in front of Xu Ji.

The woman slammed her fist into the barrier.

The green light curtain shook violently.

Xu Ji suppressed the backlash and raised his hand again.

Before the second soul-knocking was completed, the tall man, despite the shock from Shen Zheng, broke through the blockade and kicked Cao Ye.

Cao Ye was forced to suspend control.

The sandy land has loosened again.

The barrier of Angelica dahurica also fluctuated for a moment.

Seizing the moment, the woman sidestepped and crashed through the light barrier, her palm slicing into the inside of Xu Ji's arm.

His arm suddenly went numb.

The next strike was aimed straight at the throat.

Xu Ji dodged to the side and drew his gun, pressing it against the woman's abdomen.

boom!

The bullet pierced her jacket, leaving a bloody hole in her side.

The woman's body trembled, but she did not back down.

She pressed down on the gun, her shoulder slamming into Xu Ji's chest.

Xu Ji was knocked off balance.

The woman grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him hard onto the sand.

A muffled thud.

Xu Ji's body twitched slightly, then remained still.

"Xu Ji!"

Bai Zhi rushed to his side.

The vital signs on my watch are rapidly declining.

She poured all her healing power into Xu Ji's chest, but there was no response.

Heart stopped beating.

The mental fluctuations also completely disappeared.

Xu Ji is dead.

Bai Zhi's voice was hoarse.

Shen Zheng had no time to look back.

Despite the tall man bleeding from his shoulders, back, and waist, and with a spirit-sealing nail embedded in his thigh, he did not stop his close-quarters combat.

Fist, elbow, knee, shoulder.

Each attack was clean and direct, with almost no unnecessary movements.

Shen Zheng activated the field shockwave again.

This time, all the power was concentrated on the man's chest.

boom!

A clear sound of bone cracking was heard.

The man was knocked back several steps, knelt on one knee, and coughed up blood.

Shen Zheng's face also turned pale quickly.

After using his powers continuously, the strength within him was nearly exhausted.

However, the data captured by the watch shows that there is still a slow flow of spiritual energy within the man's body.

It wasn't a violent outburst when activating superpowers.

It is a continuous and stable cycle.

The spiritual energy was stabilizing the internal organs and suppressing the injuries.

Shen Zheng understood instantly.

What's most terrifying about these two people isn't their superpowers.

The woman never used her powers from beginning to end.

The man only crushed the SUV at the beginning.

They have always fought with their bare hands.

Worse still, they clearly control the abilities and positions of everyone in the group.

Soul attack, healing, reconnaissance, control.

Every attack is aimed at the most crucial person.

This hunt had been in preparation for a long time.

Shen Zheng quickly gave the order:

"Switch to evacuation plan."

"Song Ling took the emergency launcher to the high slope on the east side."

"Angelica dahurica as cover."

"Cao Ye will cover my retreat."

No one asked if they could still walk.

Song Ling took out a disposable narrowband transmitter from her field bag and retreated to the eastern sand dune at the same time as Bai Zhi.

Cao Ye pressed his hands to the ground.

A large area of ​​sand suddenly collapsed, forming several deep trenches that temporarily separated the two enemies.

Shen Zheng then pressed down on the tall man head-on, preventing him from pursuing.

The short-haired woman glanced at the direction of retreat and immediately went around the sand ditch.

She was injured, and her speed had obviously decreased.

Song Ling still couldn't shake her off.

Gunshots rang out continuously.

The first shot hit the sand.

The second shot grazed the woman's calf.

The third shot hit her shoulder, causing her entire right arm to droop.

The woman's steps faltered.

Song Ling turned and rushed towards the high slope.

The transmitter was less than ten meters away from the optimal sending position.

The woman caught up with him again.

Song Ling threw down the gun that had missed its target, drew her short knife, and charged forward.

The blade sliced ​​across the woman's neck, leaving a deep, bloody gash.

The woman turned her head to avoid vital areas and grabbed Song Ling's wrist with her left hand.

The two fought repeatedly on the sand dune.

Song Ling blocked the first attack and dodged the second.

During the third collision, her wrist, which was holding the knife, was broken.

The dagger fell into the sand.

The woman kneed her in the chest.

Song Ling rolled down the sand slope, and the life signal on her wristwatch quickly went out.

Angelica dahurica did not stop.

She lunged forward, grabbed the rolling launcher, and continued running toward higher ground.

The short-haired woman had caught up with them.

Bai Zhi suddenly turned around and opened the last layer of barrier.

A green light curtain stood between the woman and the transmitter.

The first punch landed.

Cracks appeared in the barrier.

The second punch.

The cracks spread rapidly.

Bai Zhi did not retreat.

She pushed the launcher forcefully towards the top of the hill.

The third punch landed.

The light curtain shattered completely.

Angelica dahurica fell onto the sandy ground.

The launcher continued to slide up the slope for several meters and got stuck next to a half-rock.

The red indicator light has not yet lit up.

On the other side, Cao Ye had already pushed his abilities to the limit.

The tall man's entire lower body was locked up by sand and gravel.

The Spirit-Sealing Nail still suppressed his spiritual energy.

Cao Ye's face was completely bloodless.

"team leader."

"Eight seconds."

Shen Zheng glanced at the transmitter at the top of the slope.

That's enough.

He turned and rushed toward the sand dunes to the east.

The tall man looked down at the sand layer that had locked him in, and raised his right fist.

The first punch landed.

Cracks appeared on the solidified sand surface.

The second punch.

The cracks spread outwards.

Blood gushed from Cao Ye's mouth, but his hands remained firmly pressed against the ground.

"Four seconds left."

The third punch landed.

The sand layer suddenly collapsed.

The tall man pulled the spirit-sealing nail from his shoulder and threw it backhand.

A long, silver-gray nail pierced through the sandstorm and into Cao Ye's chest.

His body stiffened for a moment.

The hands remained in a controlled position.

Shen Zheng only slowly collapsed after rushing up the high slope.

Shen Zheng did not turn around.

He grabbed the emergency launcher and quickly connected it to his watch.

All team members' combat footage, life data, and on-site aura waveforms have been automatically collected and sent to the captain's terminal.

The number of times the two attackers used their superpowers.

The reaction after the soul is knocked on.

Close-quarters combat data.

The waveform of spiritual energy continuously circulating within the body.

The file has begun to compress.

The short-haired woman chased after them from below.

She could no longer lift her right arm, her left eye was bleeding continuously, and her side waist and neck were also bleeding.

The tall man approached from the other side.

His sternum was broken, his right leg was covered in blood, and every breath he took was incredibly heavy.

One group was almost able to kill them.

But in the end, it was just a little short.

Shen Zheng pressed the send button.

The indicator light turns on.

three.

Both enemies accelerated simultaneously.

two.

The transmitter began to heat up.

One.

A sharp crackling sound of electricity rang out.

Combat data transmission complete.

Shen Zheng pressed the last voice button.

"Headquarters, a team has been attacked by the Candle Shadow Society."

"Two enemies."

"They have a complete set of information on all employees."

"He hardly used his supernatural abilities during the battle."

"Soul knocking is effective, but it cannot penetrate the target's soul."

"The spiritual energy within them is constantly circulating."

The short-haired woman had entered within ten meters.

Shen Zheng pulled out the last magazine and continued:

"Find out how they retain spiritual energy in their bodies."

Voice message sent successfully.

White smoke billowed from inside the transmitter.

Shen Zheng threw it into the sand and fired his gun.

The figure of the short-haired woman suddenly blurred.

This was the first time she had used her superpower during the entire battle.

His body seemed to fold into a shadow, instantly covering several meters and appearing to Shen Zheng's side.

Shen Zheng was prepared.

Instead of turning the gun, he released the last shockwave around his body.

boom!

The woman was thrown head-on and crashed down the sand dune.

Shen Zheng also knelt on the ground, blood seeping from his ears and nose at the same time.

The tall man has arrived.

Shen Zheng threw away the empty gun and threw a punch at the attacker.

The two fists collided head-on.

His right arm was fractured on the spot.

Shen Zheng did not back down.

With his left hand gripping the man's shoulder, he slammed his knee into the man's broken sternum.

The man groaned and bent over.

Shen Zheng drew his short knife and stabbed it into his throat.

The tip of the knife was less than an inch from the skin.

A shadow folded past from the side.

The short-haired woman kicked his wrist away.

The dagger fell into the sand.

The tall man grabbed Shen Zheng by the collar and slammed him down.

Shen Zheng's vision began to darken.

He still reached for the knife.

The woman stepped on his wrist.

"The data has been transmitted."

This is not a question.

Shen Zheng did not answer.

A slight smile slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The tall man glanced at the sky.

The faint roar of an engine could already be heard in the distance.

Air support from seven locations is approaching.

"It's time to go."

The woman looked at the sealed boxes in the distance.

"Where are the things?"

"Take it with you."

The two did not linger.

Despite their injuries, they quickly disappeared into the increasingly fierce sandstorm.

On the sand, only five life signals remained, gradually fading away.

6:40 a.m.

The second group's car had just left the capital city.

Tang Zhi was sitting in the back seat, readjusting her wrist strap.

Qin Zhao kept his eyes closed.

Xu Mian lowered her head to check the equipment.

Lin Ye sat by the window, reading the newly released mission briefing.

An abandoned freight warehouse was emitting a series of unusual noises.

The two patrol officers went missing after entering the area.

It is tentatively classified as Grade C.

After experiencing the West Suburbs Folk Customs Exhibition Hall, no one regards "Class C" as a guarantee of safety anymore.

Just as Lin Ye was about to turn to the next page, all five encrypted terminals in the car simultaneously sounded an alarm.

The sound was sharp and rapid.

The highest level of casualty report.

Cheng Fang's expression changed drastically, and he immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road.

A line of red text popped up on the screen.

All members of the first field team lost their life signals.

Northwest Desert Mission Area.

Based on the data transmitted from the scene, it was confirmed that all five members had perished.

The car fell silent instantly.

Tang Zhi's hand was still on her wristband, and she didn't move for a long time.

Xu Mian stared at the screen, her face gradually turning pale.

Qin Zhao opened his eyes.

Cheng Fang opened the internal summary.

His finger stopped on the screen.

"Two."

Tang Zhi suddenly looked up.

"two?"

Cheng Fang did not repeat himself.

Lin Ye looked at the report.

Seven locations per group.

It is the oldest and most experienced field team, and also the strongest combat-ready team in the Seventh Division.

Group Two has only just been qualified to perform low-risk field missions.

One team was wiped out by two people.

A few seconds later, a restored audio message played inside the car.

The sounds of wind and electricity were very loud.

The man's voice was intermittent, yet still steady.

"Two enemies..."

"He almost never uses his superpowers..."

"The soul-tapping technique is effective, but it cannot penetrate..."

"The spiritual energy within them is constantly circulating..."

The voice abruptly stopped.

No one speaks.

Cheng Fang stared at the road ahead, his gaze frighteningly deep.

After a moment, Tang Zhi asked in a low voice:

"Captain Cheng, do you know them?"

"know."

Cheng Fang gripped the steering wheel.

"My first time going to a field site was led by Captain Shen."

The tone was very flat.

The veins on the back of his hand remained prominent.

The terminal vibrated again.

Headquarters issued a temporary order:

All teams not yet on-site must immediately cease operations and await intelligence verification.

Ten minutes later, Group Two received a new notification.

The anomaly at the freight warehouse is spreading outwards; the two missing patrolmen may still be alive, and the mission continues.

However, the second group is not allowed to enter alone.

Two official field teams have been rerouted to the scene. The two teams must wait to rendezvous before the on-site commander decides whether to participate.

Cheng Fang did not start the car immediately.

He turned to look at the four people.

"It's normal to be afraid."

"It's normal to feel uncomfortable."

"But when we got to the scene, we suppressed them all."

"We can't replace one group."

There's only one thing I can do.

"Bring your own people back."

Nobody's joking.

Nobody said they weren't afraid.

Cheng Fang restarted the car.

The black minivan slowly drove onto the highway.

The sky outside the window was already fully bright.

The car was quieter than when we set off.

This time, no one took the "Class C" label on the file as a reassuring term.