Chapter 50 Black Armor Reappears!?

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Black Armor Reappears!?

Late at night.

Outside the Death Madness Tower.

Feng Yin watched as Xiao Yu, Xie Jingyuan, and the others left in a sightseeing cart. They were all heading back to the cruise ship to rest. Today’s dinner was merely a casual networking event. Although Xiao Yu was the representative of the Xuan Guang Group, she wasn’t here to negotiate business; she was simply here to send a signal to the outside world—Xuan Guang was going to collaborate with Zero Point. Naturally, the actual negotiations would be steered by the top executives of both sides.

Feng Yin had made an excuse, saying he needed to return to the Tongzi Building to pack up before officially rejoining the team the day after tomorrow. This was a perfectly valid reason and received immediate approval from Xie Jingyuan. Xiao Yu had originally wanted to tag along with Feng Yin to explore the sights of Sin City. Obviously, this unreliable request was instantly rejected by Xie Jingyuan. After watching them leave, Feng Yin wasted no more time. He quickened his pace and headed straight for the Tongzi Building.

The reason he suddenly changed his itinerary and left the group tonight was simple. After the dinner ended, he had seen Ya Lie asking the branch president for permission to leave. Paying close attention, Feng Yin caught a glimpse through the tower’s glass windows of Ya Lie rushing away from the Death Madness Tower below.

Feng Yin had never forgotten the words Kondo Makoto spoke before being killed that night. Combined with the predatory look Ya Lie had given Hong Yuan and Xie Yanran two days ago, intuition told him that Ya Lie was planning to attack Hong Yuan and his senior sister. In truth, Hong Yuan and Xie Yanran had also noticed Ya Lie’s strange behavior when they boarded the ship that day. When Feng Yin later approached them to issue a subtle warning, the two had indeed taken it seriously. However, they both ultimately reasoned that someone merely glancing at them didn’t guarantee an attack; assuming so would be overly paranoid. Since nothing happened over the following two days, the matter was eventually dropped. Feng Yin certainly hoped he was just being too sensitive, but regardless, it wouldn’t hurt to go and check.

Lost in thought, Feng Yin turned into an alleyway under the cover of night. If his suspicions proved true, Ya Lie had a ten-minute head start. He needed to speed up. Three seconds later, the Black Armor Swordsman leaped onto the roof from the alley like a wolf, bounding toward the Tongzi Building at astonishing speed.

The moonlight was like frost.

The Tongzi Building was bathed in blood. A tall figure clad in black armor and an Evil Ghost Helmet stepped on a groaning, burly man, pulling a sharp katana from his back. Gushing blood flowed out, quickly drowning out the man’s grunts of pain.

The next second, the Black Armor Blade Master tilted his body slightly, dodging a poorly made spear that thrust past him. Without pausing, the katana in his hand slashed horizontally, slicing open the throat of the man charging at him. The man collapsed instantly, falling onto a spot where two mutilated corpses already lay.

"Ants rushing to your deaths, your courage is commendable." A hoarse voice echoed from beneath the Evil Ghost Helmet. Looking up at the upper floors of the Tongzi Building, he slowly walked toward the stairs. "Ghost-faced Fox, you won’t be able to escape with your one-armed lover..."

His figure disappeared around the corner of the stairwell. Left behind in the courtyard were severed limbs, broken torsos, spilled organs... and dozens of corpses wearing expressions of terrified despair. It was a scene straight out of hell.

On the top floor of the Tongzi Building.

Hong Yuan’s right arm was nearly severed all the way to the shoulder. Pale-faced, he watched Xie Yanran as she bandaged his wound to stop the bleeding. "Old Xie," he whispered, "I’ll stall that Black Armor Swordsman later. You go first."

Xie Yanran also bore several hideous wounds that were continuously leaking blood. With a cold expression, she tied an ugly but secure knot in the bandage around Hong Yuan’s shoulder. "Consider yourself lucky that the supplies the Zero Point Consortium gave us last time included a pack of hemostatic gel."

Hong Yuan smiled bitterly. "Did you even hear what I just said...?"

Xie Yanran’s face suddenly contorted with fury. "Don’t give me that macho crap! What I say goes. Get up and follow me to the roof! We’re making a run for it!"

With that, she hauled Hong Yuan up and supported him as they burst through the door and ran toward the roof. Deeply moved, Hong Yuan still stubbornly muttered, "If we keep this up, we’re both going to die..."

The two quickly rushed up to the roof. Along the way, they heard the CLOMP CLOMP of footsteps ascending the stairs below, accompanied by the CLINK of a katana deliberately tapping against the steps. Then came the enemy’s hoarse voice, humming an eerie tune.

"Kagome, Kagome...

"The bird in the cage wants to escape every moment...

"In the night before the dawn...

"The crane and the turtle slipped...

"Who stands right behind you?"

Xie Yanran backhanded the door shut and dragged the stumbling Hong Yuan onto the roof, pointing to a small building ten meters away on the other side. "Old Hong, a severed hand won’t stop you from jumping over, right?"

Hong Yuan chuckled. "Of course not. This little distance is a piece of cake..."

Xie Yanran nodded calmly and pulled him back several steps. The two of them sprinted forward to gain momentum, quickly reaching the edge of the roof together. "Jump—"

Xie Yanran shouted, leaping fiercely through the air toward the low building. The next moment, she snapped her head back, her voice filled with panic. "Old Hong, you lied to me!?" The tall, muscular bald man who had spent years surviving the hardships of this island with her hadn’t jumped!

"Haha, Old Xie, you have to live..." On the roof of the Tongzi Building, Hong Yuan skidded to a halt and panted heavily, watching with relief as Xie Yanran landed on the opposite building. He broke into a hearty smile. "For an outcast of the Five Tigers Sect to score a female swordsman from the Gangrou Sect, I’ve made enough profit in this life." He turned around, picked up a wooden stick from the ground with his left hand, and stared at the roof door. "If we both run, he’ll definitely catch up, and we’ll both die. If I buy some time, Old Xie can live..."

The hoarse song had stopped. BANG! In the silence, the roof door was kicked flying. The Black Armor Ghost-faced Blade Master walked out unhurriedly from behind the frame. Seeing the scene before him, he paused slightly and chuckled. "Oh? Is this... every man for himself when disaster strikes?"

Hong Yuan gritted his teeth and sneered, "What the hell do you know? This is fucking called—Love!!!" Roaring, he charged furiously at the Ghost-faced Blade Master. The blade master callously raised his katana. The blade glinted under the moonlight, slashing down with merciless momentum! On the other side, Xie Yanran’s eyes widened in sheer despair as she witnessed the scene.

TWANG! In a split second, the powerful snap of a mechanism rang out. The Ghost-faced Blade Master suddenly shifted his downward slash upward. CLANG! With a sharp screech, a crossbow arrow shot from the shadows was deflected by his blade!

At that exact moment, Hong Yuan’s stick struck heavily against the ribs of the Ghost-faced Blade Master’s armor. THUD! It failed to break through his defenses!

In the next instant, the Ghost-faced Blade Master unleashed a heavy kick, sending Hong Yuan flying several meters away. Hong Yuan slid across the ground to the edge of the roof, nearly plummeting over the side. The blade master didn’t pursue him. Instead, he unhurriedly gripped his katana with both hands and assumed a stance, a hoarse laugh echoing from beneath his faceplate. "Gutter rat, come out and let me get a look at you."

An eerie silence ensued.

A few seconds later.

SWISH... Under the moonlight, a black-armored figure vaulted over the opposite edge of the roof, landing squarely in front of the Ghost-faced Blade Master. The menacing black armor was sharply contoured, the red patterns around the eyes of the wolf-like helmet gleaming brightly as a tattered cape fluttered and snapped without any wind.

"Haha..." the Ghost-faced Blade Master let out a laugh of pleasant surprise. "I actually managed to wait you out—Black Armor Swordsman!" With that, he slowly shifted into a stance, crossing his hands to hold the katana beside his face. "Come! Let’s have a thrilling fight to the death!"

Off to the side, Hong Yuan had already scrambled to his feet. He happened to see Feng Yin slowly draw the Canfeng Sword from his back, assuming a stance identical to the Ghost-faced Blade Master opposite him. Hong Yuan looked to the left, then to the right, utterly bewildered for a moment. He wondered, "Which one is the real Black Armor Swordsman? Whatever, I’ll help whoever helps me!" Coughing, Hong Yuan was just about to offer his assistance.

The next moment, he caught sight of the crimson eye patterns on the Black Armor Swordsman, radiating a silent, piercing cold. Hong Yuan froze. Then, a self-deprecating smile touched his lips. He backed up a few paces, broke into a sprint, and leaped over to the low building where Xie Yanran was. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he was slapped hard across the face. "Hong Yuan, you really tried to pull that crap on me!?" Hong Yuan offered an apologetic smile and didn’t resist.

Then, both of them couldn’t help but look up at the roof of the Tongzi Building. Two tall figures in black armor were silently facing off. One wore a ghost face and wielded a blade. The other wore a wolf face and held a sword.

In the sky above... Dark clouds obscured the moon!