The sky was a dim grey, and Luo Feng moved like an agile ape through the suburbs of City No. 003, a sprawl of steel and concrete. This city, once the largest metropolitan area, boasted high-rises packed shoulder-to-shoulder even in its outskirts, maximizing land utilization.
Luo Feng would sprint at top speed, then suddenly halt, tucking himself into a wall's corner. Only after a dozen or so strange beasts searching for food had passed would he continue his advance.
With his mental energy scanning the surroundings intermittently, Luo Feng could clearly map out any dangers ahead or around the next corner.
“This one will do!” Luo Feng shot forward like a cannonball, leaping directly into the window of the third floor of a three-story terraced villa.
Uninhabited for decades, the interior was choked with dust, yet household appliances were still recognizable, though some had collapsed and shattered. Luo Feng quickly flipped the mattress on a bed; the underside was considerably cleaner. A little tidying up, and he could sleep.
Setting down his backpack, Luo Feng swiftly retrieved his binoculars and moved to the north-facing window.
The window glass was so grimy that the once-transparent pane looked like black slate. He pulled the window open slightly and aimed his binoculars toward the north, observing from within the Wanke Dream City residential complex. From this vantage point, he had a clear view of the Jinjiang Chain Hotel located to the north.
He could also easily see the street in front of the hotel. The distance between them was about two li. With Luo Feng’s eyesight, he could discern activity on the distant street even without the binoculars, but they offered perfect clarity.
“Jinjiang,” Luo Feng stood by the window, watching silently.
Five minutes later.
“Hmm?” A flicker of joy crossed Luo Feng’s face. “So it’s in that room!” Through the binoculars, Luo Feng clearly spotted two figures on a balcony of the sixth floor of the hotel, five li away, peering out with their own binoculars. These two were Zhang Zehu and the gunman Li Xiao.
“Opportunities are waited for,” Luo Feng lowered the binoculars and began his stakeout.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Jinjiang Chain Hotel across the way.
Captain Huya said coldly, “Huzi, Ah Xiao, you two watch closely! You must find the hiding spot of the Fire Hammer Squad! I estimate Chen Gu from their squad will use a sniper rifle, so they must be in a relatively high place! Keep scanning the upper floors of those high-rises.”
“Yes, Captain,” Zhang Zehu and Ah Xiao stood on the balcony, continuously sweeping the distant high-rises of Wanke Dream City with their binoculars.
“Pan Ya, are the intelligence reports you gave me on the Fire Hammer Squad reliable?” The gray-haired old man named Liu frowned.
Captain Huya quickly replied, “Absolutely reliable. The data on these six individuals is extremely accurate… The only variable is Luo Feng; he was recruited early by the Limit Martial Arts Gymnasium, possessing extremely high talent. His strength should have reached the level of Junior Warlord.”
“Hmm.”
The old man Liu nodded slightly. “In that case, Pan Ya, wait until your team locates the Fire Hammer Squad before you come to me.”
“Yes,” Captain Huya replied with a smile.
...
Unfortunately, the members of the Huya Squad couldn't spot a trace of the Fire Hammer Squad until nightfall. The next morning.
“Young Master, according to the training plan, this morning your target is a monster of the Junior Beast Warlord level, one that is stronger in power but weaker in speed. Karan and I will not intervene,” the old man Liu said with a gentle smile. The mixed-race youth laughed heartily. “Excellent. You and Karan can watch from the side; I will handle it myself.”
The sturdy white man also smiled slightly.
“Pan Ya,” the old man Liu turned and instructed, “the two of you from the Huya Squad who stayed on watch last night can rest. The rest of you will come with us.”
“Understood.” Captain Huya, ‘Pan Ya,’ grinned.
The Huya Squad currently consisted of two Mid-level Warlords and four Junior Warlords!
“Iron Head, Ah Dong. Since you two were on watch yesterday, you can rest here today,” Pan Ya instructed. Protecting the Young Master was the absolute priority, so they would leave behind the weakest two… and the weakest two of the Huya Squad were naturally selected from the four Junior Warlords.
Today it was Iron Head and Ah Dong; tomorrow it would be Huzi and Ah Xiao. They rotated.
“Understood,” the bald, sturdy man and Ah Dong, who was cleaning his firearm, replied with smiles.
“Let’s go,” the old man Liu commanded.
The mixed-race youth, the old man Liu, the sturdy white man, and four members of the Huya Squad—a total of seven people—left the hotel. Only the bald, sturdy man and Ah Dong remained in the empty room.
“Damn, having a powerful father is truly a blessing,” the bald man couldn't help but say. “We get to accumulate combat experience against monsters, have two High-level Warlords as bodyguards, and even have our entire squad for protection. Tsk, tsk… Back when I was scrambling around, we had to risk our necks constantly.”
Ah Dong scoffed. “How can we compare? Didn't you hear? That Senior Liu—he spoke like a butler—saying, ‘This morning the Young Master’s target is a Junior Beast Warlord, stronger in power but weaker in speed.’ Damn, even their training sequence is planned out! Which monster to fight first, which one second!”
The wilderness was rife with danger.
Did martial artists have a choice?
If you encountered a powerful monster, could you just shout, ‘I’m not fighting this thing’? Impossible! If you didn't fight, the monster would hunt you down, forcing your hand.
“The Young Master is different. When they meet a strong monster, Senior Liu takes care of it. They specifically wait for a Junior Beast Warlord to practice on,” the bald man shook his head with a sneer.
※※
Luo Feng, who had woken early and maintained his stakeout, soon noticed seven members of the Thunder Squad leaving the hotel.
“Seven people? Weren’t there nine in total?”
Luo Feng’s mind stirred. “The remaining two must still be in the hotel!”
Luo Feng was clear about his own strength. He could definitely sweep aside a ‘Mid-level Warlord,’ but dealing with a ‘High-level Warlord’ was uncertain. If he managed a sneak attack, he might kill the opponent instantly. But if the sneak attack failed… it would become complicated. A direct confrontation meant dodging sniper fire, which even a High-level Warlord could do in an instant.
A High-level Warlord’s reaction speed was far superior to his own.
“Among the nine in the Thunder Squad, the sturdy white man and the old man Liu are almost certainly High-level Warlord martial artists. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so arrogant back then, demanding the Two-Headed Black Line Snake carcass.”
“If I went alone against all nine of them! With a sneak attack and luck, I might succeed. However… if just one of them manages to send word through their watch that I am the killer before they die, I’ll be in massive trouble.” Luo Feng understood from the deference shown by the old man Liu and the sturdy white man toward the mixed-race youth.
That mixed-race youth had a terrifying background!
Being able to afford two High-level Warlords as bodyguards suggested that the powerful figure behind the youth was, at minimum, a War God! Perhaps even someone with higher status and authority than a War God!
“Right now, there are only two people in the hotel. Should I kill them?”
Luo Feng hesitated briefly, then dismissed the thought.
“No killing. If I kill these two, the remaining seven living members will surely become vigilant, making it much harder for me to target Captain Huya or Zhang Zehu.”
Patience!
“I refuse to believe I won’t get an opportunity!”
...
Days passed. The Thunder Squad found no trace of the Fire Hammer Squad, and Luo Feng found no optimal moment to strike! Every time the Thunder Squad left the hotel, they left the two who weren't on watch resting inside. The first day it was Iron Head and Ah Dong; the second day, Huzi and Ah Xiao.
Rotation...
Luo Feng endured for a full nine days!
“Damn it!”
“This is too methodical!” Luo Feng looked frustrated. “This Thunder Squad is nothing more than a nanny team for that Young Master!” During these days, Luo Feng hadn't just watched the hotel; he had also secretly observed the seven hunting outside, hoping to find a moment when the Huya Squad and the old man Liu separated from the rest.
But he found no such opportunity!
The Thunder Squad remained tightly bound to the mixed-race youth, never venturing far, leaving Luo Feng zero chance.
The tenth day!
“If I keep enduring like this, they might return to Base City before I get a shot. I can't wait any longer!” Luo Feng gritted his teeth, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “Today is the tenth day, which means Zhang Zehu and that gunman Li Xiao should be left behind at the hotel... Zhang Zehu, hmph. Today, I’ll take down both of you!”
...
At the Jinjiang Chain Hotel.
“Huzi, Ah Xiao, you two didn't sleep all night; get some good rest,” Captain Huya said with a pleasant smile.
“Understood, Captain.”
Zhang Zehu and Li Xiao both responded cheerfully.
“Let’s go.”
The old man Liu gave the order. Captain Huya and the others, totaling seven people, followed the old man Liu out of the hotel. As Luo Feng observed the seven departing from his distant vantage point, he quietly left his stronghold and advanced toward the hotel using a different route.