Chapter 74: Luring the Tiger from the Mountain
Zhang Yuanqing's gaze followed the orange tabby cat as it darted toward the entrance of the villa, slipped through a gap in the iron gate, and vanished behind the enclosing wall.
A few seconds later, trees burst over the top of the wall, growing wildly until they reached the height of a two-storey building. Flowers bloomed along the wall's edges, dangling from branches and competing in brilliant color. In the blink of an eye, the villa and its courtyard had transformed into a lush, vibrant garden.
Guan Ya leaned in close and whispered, "Put the antidote pill in your mouth now. If you wait until we're inside, it'll be too late."
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his companions and found that everyone had already, in silent agreement, produced the specially-formulated pills from the Hundred Flowers Society and tucked them into their cheeks.
He looked back at Guan Ya. The open-minded lady had popped one in as well, and her left cheek was puffed out slightly, lending her alluring and sharp-featured face a touch of unexpected cuteness.
She still wore her usual outfit: white blouse, black stockings, and a fitted skirt, with two holsters strapped to her long, shapely thighs. The zipper along the skirt's hem was split all the way to the top of her leg for ease of movement. If she didn't mind the risk of flashing someone, pulling off a spinning kick would be no trouble at all.
Of course, Zhang Yuanqing suspected she was definitely wearing safety shorts underneath, but there was no evidence of it, and he couldn't exactly lift her skirt to verify.
"Can this thing actually block a Hex Master's poison?" he asked, rolling the fragrant pill around in his mouth.
"Definitely not," Guan Ya replied, her pretty face turning serious, the usual playful smile nowhere to be seen. "A Hex Master's poisons aren't that easy to counter. But it can weaken the toxicity enough to keep you alive."
She paused and added, "Nocturnal Specters are naturally resilient. You're probably the one who needs to worry least."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded and swept his gaze over the group. Aside from the five captains, himself, and the open-minded lady, there were eight others—two Water Ghosts, two Fire Sages, two Earth Wraiths, and two Wood Demons.
The class distribution was perfectly balanced, designed to leave no weaknesses. Moreover, every member was a Level 2 Walker. Level 1 Walkers had no business participating in an operation like this. A Level 1 Lawful-class facing a Level 3 Evil-class at his peak was about as useful as a baby chick.
At that moment, the flowers and trees ceased their growth, and Captain Green Vine's voice came low and firm. "Move out!"
Fifteen Spirit Realm Walkers filed through the silent, deserted neighborhood streets, advancing on the villa with swift, quiet precision.
As they neared the building, Green Vine, who was in the lead, slowed her pace. Big Muscle stepped forward with two burly Fire Sages, and they gripped the villa gate's lock, exerting their force in perfect silence.
There was a faint reddish glow, and bright droplets of molten iron splattered to the ground with soft hisses.
The three Fire Sages stepped back, and Tang Guoqiang moved up from behind with two Earth Wraiths, leading the way into the villa's courtyard.
Tanks are the vanguard, so warriors should be next. The thought popped up unbidden into Zhang Yuanqing's mind.
Sure enough, Big Muscle led his two Fire Sages in right behind the three Earth Wraiths.
After warriors come the mages, then the healers! he mused, as the Water Ghosts and Wood Demons filed in next.
Zhang Yuanqing turned to glance at the Squad Leader and Guan Ya. Scouts don't even rank as high as healers...
Sensing his subordinate's pointed look, Li Dongze leaned on his cane, maintaining his composure, and murmured, "We Scouts coordinate from the rear. We observe and strategize."
Squad Leader, you really don't need to try that hard to save face!
Still, Zhang Yuanqing decided to play along and replied in a solemn tone, "Understood. Vision wards are critical in team fights."
Li Dongze's expression stiffened, and the memory of this particular subordinate's earlier jibe resurfaced. He glanced at the thick vegetation growing along the wall. "I'm considering whether to plant you over there."
By then, the official Walkers had reached the villa's security door, pistols drawn.
Since the villa was already enclosed by a barrier, there was no need to split up and surround the building. Moreover, given that the enemy was a Level 3 Evil-class, splitting up would likely result in casualties. The agreement was to group up and breach the front entrance.
Tang Guoqiang pressed one hand against the door lock. The wall connected to the lock began to rapidly turn to sand, crumbling away with a soft rustle.
He didn't enter immediately. Instead, he turned and looked at Zhang Yuanqing.
Darkness was the Nocturnal Specter's home turf. In pitch-black environments, a Nocturnal Specter thrived like a fish in water.
Zhang Yuanqing understood at once. With the team's watchful eyes on him, he vanished.
He moved quickly through the foyer. As a precaution against ambushes, he deliberately spun and leaped as he entered, striking an incredibly cool pose. After all, in Night Wandering mode, he could mask all sound.
He stopped at the junction between the foyer and the living room, his gaze—capable of piercing all darkness—sweeping slowly across the space. The living room was spacious, with sofas and a coffee table in the center for entertaining guests, an open kitchen and dining area to the left, and a staircase leading to the second floor on the right.
The ceiling soared overhead. The villa's interior had a square loop layout, with railings all along the second floor that overlooked the ground floor living room below.
After advancing to Level 2, the duration of his Night Wandering ability had been extended to thirty seconds, but it still wasn't enough for a thorough inspection. After a preliminary assessment that the area was clear, Zhang Yuanqing exited the living room and reappeared before the official Walkers.
"Nobody on the first floor. I can't speak for the second," he said quietly.
Tang Guoqiang made an instant decision. "Move in!"
With that, he led the way into the living room. The others followed in a disciplined and orderly fashion.
The moment they entered the pitch-black living room, a sharp click echoed through the space. The crystal chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling blazed to life, flooding the interior with light, illuminating the interior of the villa and every one of the Walkers who had crept inside.
A chill ran through the group.
"I've been expecting you, ladies and gentlemen!" a voice boomed.
A figure appeared along the second-floor railing. He had a medium build, a gaunt face, upturned eyes and sharp brows. It was Rampaging Recklessly.
The Hex Master leaned against the railing with both hands, looking down at the official Walkers on the ground floor, a mocking smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Fifteen Lawful Walkers," he commented with a click of his tongue. "You really do think highly of me. All this trouble just to catch one man. But you know, the line between prey and predator... who can really say where it lies?"
Before he could finish, Guan Ya, with her dual pistols already raised, opened fire.
The first bullet carved a deep crater into the wall on the second floor. Having anticipated Rampaging Recklessly's rolling dodge, the second bullet found its mark, striking him with a crisp metallic clang.
Pressed flat against the wall, the Hex Master stubbornly finished his speech. He threw back his head and laughed.
"I love taking risks. I love trampling over the rules. The prestige of hunting down fifteen Lawful-class Walkers is worth the gamble. So enjoy the slaughter I've prepared for you!"
The ceiling above exploded on cue, and glass shards rained down upon them like a storm.
The spacious living room was plunged back into darkness.
Amid the crackling shower of falling glass, Zhang Yuanqing caught a faint buzzing, soft but dense, as if countless mosquitoes were beating their wings all at once.
Then came Li Dongze's sharp warning. "Above you!"
Big Muscle and the two Fire Sages sucked in deep breaths, puffing out their cheeks, then tilted their heads back and expelled jets of air. With a great whoosh, roaring flames ballooned outward, illuminating the darkened living room.
Countless sparks drifted down like falling snow, and the pungent, acrid stench of charred flesh filled the air.
The blackened specks raining down were the bodies of some kind of venomous insect, and their burning remains reeked badly. Zhang Yuanqing accidentally inhaled a few lungfuls and immediately felt dizzy.
The squad descended into a brief moment of chaos. Not everyone could see in the dark. The flames roared higher as all three Fire Sages ignited blazing fires across the surface of their bodies, driving back the darkness and restoring visibility.
The group looked around the living room, and what they saw made their scalps tingle. The floor was crawling with grotesque insects that had appeared without anyone noticing. Worms with vicious, gaping mouthparts, locusts, palm-sized spiders, and others that defied identification entirely. They all shared one common trait: a vivid, garish coloring.
The leaping flames brought light but also cast shadows that flickered unpredictably, and their light only reached so far. Under those conditions, there was no guarantee the venomous insects wouldn't find an opening to attack.
An idea struck Zhang Yuanqing. He ducked low and dashed for the open kitchen, slapping a switch. Light flooded that side of the room.
A living room this large couldn't possibly rely on a single chandelier for illumination.
"Nice work!" White Dragon exhaled in relief, the black longsword strapped to her back catching the light. "Smash the faucet! We need water!"
Zhang Yuanqing didn't hesitate. He punched the faucet apart. To his surprise, no violent spray emerged. Instead, great surging streams of clear water poured out from the broken pipes and flowed through the air as though they were alive.
The stream of water swept across the floor like a wave, crashing over the sofas and flooding through every corner of the living room, collecting the swarms of venomous insects as it went. Finally, it gathered in midair, coalescing into a sphere the size of a water tank. Countless insects were trapped inside, bobbing about and struggling.
White Dragon spread her palms wide, then slammed them together.
Boom!
The water sphere exploded, and both droplets and insect carcasses splattered across every surface in the living room.
Incredible! Zhang Yuanqing marveled in genuine admiration. No wonder she's a mage class. She has flashy skills for days. If it were me facing this situation, my only play would be the thirty-sixth stratagem of the Art of War: Retreat!
After all, the role of a Transcendent-tier Nocturnal Specter was that of an assassin, not a front-line fighter!
At that moment, Li Dongze, fulfilling his role as Scout, snapped his head up. He sensed dangerous power surging rapidly on the second floor and immediately raised the alarm.
"There's danger on the second floor. I sense four sources of power."
The official Walkers' hearts sank. With their wealth of experience, that last bit of information finally confirmed what they had been fearing: they had walked straight into an ambush.
Rampaging Recklessly's words, attitude, and composure all pointed to the fact that he had been prepared for this raid.
So we walked right into his trap. Zhang Yuanqing might have lacked experience, but he wasn't stupid.
He glanced at his companions, their faces grim and silent, and swallowed the doubts rising in his chest. This was not the time.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the silence, and a towering humanoid monstrosity appeared along the railing.
It was grotesquely ugly, with razor sharp insectoid mandibles, a flat nose, and amber eyes with pupils like vertical slits. It stood two meters tall, its dark brown body covered in scale-like keratin plates, as though encased in a layer of impenetrable armor. Its fingernails were black and razor sharp, effortlessly carving claw marks into the railing.
"My poor little bugs, martyred so bravely," the monstrous figure spoke in Rampaging Recklessly's voice. "They didn't die in vain. They bought me all the time I needed. Come out, my friends."
From the other three sides of the square loop corridor, three more monsters slowly emerged.
The first was a woman with a spider's abdomen. Her upper half was a delicate, porcelain skinned beauty, completely bare, her voluptuous curves on full display. Below her navel, however, swelled a bloated arachnid body, eight iron spike legs punching effortlessly into floor tiles and walls.
The second was a muscular humanoid insect, standing upright like a man, with chiseled abdominal and pectoral muscles. Its knee joints bent the opposite way from a human's, and its legs were thick with powerful sinew that promised a terrifying leap. Across its back was spread a pair of hard, blue-green elytra[1].
The third was a serpentine creature nearly ten meters long with a human head. Its body was coiled in tight loops and covered in dark, greenish-black scales. It stretched over the railing, flicking a forked tongue at the people below.
All three shared one common trait: their eyes were filled with savage brutality, utterly devoid of human reason.
"These are all servants of Ghost Eye Judge," Rampaging Recklessly announced with a grin. "The power of the Fallen Holy Grail has been tormenting them. To survive, they have willingly let me reshape them. They'll hunt you down in exchange for merit."
Servants of Ghost Eye Judge? The same kind of servant as Ou Xiangrong? The only word left in Zhang Yuanqing's mind was a very emphatic expletive.
Green Vine, Tang Guoqiang, and the others went pale.
Rampaging Recklessly spread his grotesque mandibles wide. "I love the looks on your faces. Today, every last one of you dies. Nobody leaves here alive. So have I spoken!"
***
An abandoned factory in the Fenghua District.
Fu Qingyang stood on the second floor of the administrative building in his crisp white suit, gazing down at the convoy of vehicles surrounding the factory grounds with a frown. "This factory has been abandoned for years. There's no sign of human activity. Are you sure Black Wuchang was spotted here?"
Behind him stood Ling Jun, dressed in a loose, rumpled shirt with messy hair, and beside the Flowery Young Master was a square-jawed, middle-aged man in a white judo gi.
The middle aged man furrowed his brow, looking somewhat bewildered. "The Hundred Flowers Society's informants picked up the lead. To be safe, I pulled surveillance footage from the surrounding area, and we confirmed that Black Wuchang was here—"
Fu Qingyang shot him an icy sidelong glance. "Would Black Wuchang let himself be caught on surveillance cameras?"
The man's expression grew uncertain.
Ling Jun lazily scratched his head and shrugged. "We've been played. Black Wuchang deliberately lured us here. Well, whether it was actually Black Wuchang is another question. But what's the point of drawing us out?"
Fu Qingyang was silent for a few seconds, then his cold, composed expression changed abruptly. "Ling Jun, come with me. Now."
He leaped straight down from the second floor.
Ling Jun blinked. He had rarely seen the centurion this rattled or this urgent.
1. An elytron (plural elytra) is a modified, hardened forewing possessed by certain beetles. ☜
