Chapter Three: Desperation

The massive paw of the Ironback Grizzly swept down like a gust of fierce wind. Xia Yan’s figure flickered; with a slash of the ever-changing blade in his hand, he struck the gigantic paw, which felt as if he had hit solid steel.

“Hm?” Lan Xin, who had rushed over, sensed something was wrong. The target of her and Xia Yan’s mission was not this level-3 mutant, but another one entirely.

What was going on?

Was there something wrong with the mission?

There was no time to think about it now. They would have to deal with this level-3 mutant first.

However, though they moved together, Lan Xin had no intention of fighting shoulder to shoulder with Xia Yan. Since he was already engaged, she would serve as little more than backup—unless he was truly outmatched, she would not take action.

Li Quan and Liao Qing were both stunned. They saw two young people about their own age, but apparently not members of their organization.

They had planned to keep running, but seeing the white-robed girl standing her ground, they gritted their teeth and stopped as well.

Turning their heads, they froze in astonishment.

Were their eyes playing tricks on them?

Otherwise, how could they be seeing such a bizarre scene?

This boy, who was even younger than they were, was actually fighting the Ironback Grizzly—and not at a disadvantage?

No, he had the upper hand. It was just that the Ironback Grizzly’s defense was too formidable, and the advantage wasn’t immediately apparent.

They were shocked. What kind of strength was this?

Surely this was the top-tier combat power of the organization’s leadership.

Xia Yan exchanged blows with the Ironback Grizzly seven or eight times in quick succession. Though he struck the beast, he could only barely carve bloody grooves into it, never managing to cut deeply.

Xia Yan frowned; the Ironback Grizzly’s defense was truly terrifying.

A flash of fire ran along the ever-changing blade in his hand—it was as if his weapon had become an enchanted sword wreathed in flame. The attack’s power surged, and finally, he was able to draw real blood from the Ironback Grizzly.

The wounds grew deeper, and blood streamed down like water, pooling on the ground.

“My attack power is still too low,” Xia Yan thought with a wry smile. If he had Lan Xin’s offensive strength, the battle would have ended by now.

Without using her ability, her physical strength was inferior to his—but that technique of hers, the “Condensed Qi Slash,” could erupt with force beyond even his own at full power. He could hardly comprehend it.

Could ancient martial techniques really achieve such incredible feats?

By now, Liao Qing and Li Quan were utterly stupefied.

“What the hell? Facing an elite among level-3 mutants—the Ironback Grizzly—and he’s winning?”

“The Ironback Grizzly is getting thrashed. Give it three or four more minutes and it’ll be dead from exhaustion.”

“He really is about our age. Unless he just looks young but is actually ancient!”

They could barely believe what they were seeing. Was this youth too strong?

Top three in the organization? No, not even the top three were this powerful!

Perhaps second place? That was possible; the second-ranked’s abilities did fit this level of combat.

First place! Highly likely—unless some heaven-defying genius had appeared, this one was over seventy percent likely to be the organization’s number one.

Still, they were puzzled. Members of the leadership rarely undertook field missions, especially those with managerial responsibilities. For someone this strong—first or second in the organization—to appear on a mission was unheard of.

They could see it clearly: Xia Yan’s strength completely overwhelmed the Ironback Grizzly. Only its immense defense kept him from breaking through; otherwise, the fight would have ended already.

In truth, they were underestimating Xia Yan’s combat power. He was limited now only by the lack of a good firearm. If he had a grade-C weapon, his overall strength would increase further; such weapons could break through the defenses of a level-3 mutant.

Seeing the Ironback Grizzly’s paw coming again, Xia Yan leapt up, using the paw as a springboard to vault into the air, and drove his ever-changing blade into the creature’s left shoulder, finally piercing deep into the flesh.

Immediately, fire surged out, forming a stream that poured into the Ironback Grizzly’s body, making it howl in agony.

“This is too slow—something’s wrong here,” Lan Xin thought, and finally stepped in.

With a single stride, she activated her power, her body flashing forward to join the fight in an instant.

“Condensed Qi Slash!”

Drawing her sword and focusing her mind, she unleashed her full power. In a flash of sword light, as sudden and terrifying as a thunderbolt from a clear sky, her blade struck the Ironback Grizzly’s head.

An incredible sight unfolded. The Ironback Grizzly’s entire head was severed in a single stroke—it died instantly.

Liao Qing and Li Quan were dumbfounded, doubting their own senses.

What was this? An Ironback Grizzly, killed in one blow by a girl their age—perhaps even younger?

They stared at Lan Xin as if she were a ghost.

This was not simply the strength of a member of the leadership—unless she was one of those super-geniuses, ranked number one.

Just who were these two? One was already at the level of the organization’s number one or two, and the other was even more monstrous—her power was enough to make one’s heart tremble.

The two exchanged glances. How had they, on a routine outing, encountered such mighty figures—whose names they’d never even heard? Were they really from the leadership?

Xia Yan watched Lan Xin, envy flickering in his eyes. Her mastery of ancient martial arts surpassed even Tang Yun’s; if he had such techniques, how much stronger would he become?

Li Quan and Liao Qing quickly recovered and hurried forward, speaking in unison: “Thank you both for saving us.”

“This place is dangerous—you should leave at once,” Xia Yan said with a frown.

“What? But isn’t the level-3 mutant dead?” Li Quan asked, confused.

“Where is your transport? We’ll take you there,” Lan Xin cut in, not wanting to waste time.

“Uh?” Li Quan and Liao Qing hesitated but answered quickly: “About ten miles southwest from here, quite far. We were afraid being too close would attract mutants.”

“Then let’s move quickly,” Lan Xin said. “We’ll go with you.”

“But why…” Liao Qing began.

“Because our mission target isn’t this level-3 mutant,” Xia Yan replied, frowning. “I can’t go into details, but something’s gone wrong—seriously wrong.”

“Damn it—how could this happen!” Liao Qing and Li Quan exchanged a look, their faces turning pale. They understood how urgent the situation was.

“Thank you again; we’ll return right away,” Li Quan said, hurrying southwest without delay, knowing the danger was grave.

At that moment, Gong Kui contacted Xia Yan and Lan Xin.

“Lan Xin, Xia Yan, withdraw immediately—there’s been an accident,” Gong Kui said seriously.

“An accident?” Lan Xin was puzzled. “Gong Kui, you issued this mission—how could there be an accident?”

“No time for questions. The intelligence system may have failed,” Gong Kui replied gravely. “A level-4 mutant has appeared. Specifically, it seems a level-3 mutant evolved into a level-4, attracting other level-3 mutants nearby.”

“What should we do?” Xia Yan’s expression changed dramatically.

A level-4 mutant’s strength was no trivial matter; even with Lan Xin’s powers, it was a fight with little hope of survival. At least a full Guardian squad—equipped with diverse abilities—would be needed to stand a chance.

The difference in power between mutant levels was vast. Level-1 mutants could be dealt with by capable criminals or organization members. Level-2 mutants, however, could overwhelm ordinary members—only those with abilities could handle them.

Level-3 mutants were even more formidable. Even lower-ranking members of the leadership would struggle to survive, and if they did win, it would be a pyrrhic victory, bought at great cost.

Once a mutant reached level-4, the increase in power was exponential. No ordinary leadership member could stand against it; even one or two Guardians could be slain by such a creature.

Even two Lan Xins would not necessarily prevail against a level-4 mutant.

After all, a level-4 mutant’s body was developed over forty percent. Although such creatures lacked intelligence, and their huge size limited their skill, their raw power was not to be underestimated.

Lan Xin’s expression darkened. She urged Li Quan and Liao Qing, “Hurry! There’s a level-4 mutant nearby!”

“Level-4?” Li Quan and Liao Qing were nearly driven mad with terror. A level-3 mutant could kill them in a heartbeat; a level-4 mutant would kill them instantly.

How could this be? How could a level-4 mutant appear here?

They felt cursed by their luck. After countless missions without seeing a level-3 mutant, they now faced four at once.

If any of those four caught up, they would die instantly. No matter how strong Xia Yan and Lan Xin were, they could not stand against a level-4 mutant.

Just then, a flying mutant attacked from above—a level-3 “Thunderbird.”

“Together,” Lan Xin said, glancing at Xia Yan. Both knew every second counted; any delay could spell disaster. Swords and blade in hand, they charged.

Xia Yan, wreathed in flames, leapt up, bringing his blade down with full force.

Lan Xin advanced swiftly, focusing her energy for a “Condensed Qi Slash.”

The blade descended, sword energy danced, and the mutant suffered a double blow, shrieking as it crashed to earth, grievously wounded.

“So strong… terrifying,” Li Quan thought, shaken to his core. A level-3 mutant, nearly killed in seconds—one more blow and the Thunderbird would be dead.

“Let’s go—we can’t waste time on these mutants. The danger is closing in,” Lan Xin said, not even bothering to finish off the Thunderbird, unwilling to linger a moment longer.

“Agreed,” Xia Yan replied, hurrying along.

“It’s here—within five hundred meters,” Gong Kui reported urgently. “It’s a level-4 mutant: a Shadow Leopard. Its stealth and assassination abilities are terrifying. Be extremely careful.”

Gong Kui was watching their every move, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Xia Yan, you can’t run. Fight head-on. Did you think I set this trap for no reason?

If you can’t endure, whether you die now or in a year makes no difference.

You have only one chance. If you abandon them and let Lan Xin face the level-4 mutant alone, you lose. You’ll never get another chance.

If you can seize even the slightest hope, you may live another year.

If not, you might as well die now—an extra year means nothing.

Gong Kui fixed her gaze on Xia Yan, waiting to see what he would do.

He was weak—terribly weak. Against a level-4 mutant, even surviving a single blow was unlikely. Yet he had to find a way out; otherwise, survival was impossible.

Three conditions—one of them was this difficult. Without Lan Xin’s recognition, it would be unattainable.

Hard—so very hard.

To surpass Ai You, the former director, within a year—how could it possibly be easy?

It was no exaggeration to say it was as hard as reaching the heavens.

Less than four hundred meters behind Xia Yan’s group, a panther-like mutant, jet black and three meters long, streaked forward with terrifying speed. Each bound covered dozens of meters; in just a few breaths, it had traversed three or four hundred meters.

Its distance from the “prey” ahead shrank rapidly.

For it was the true hunter, and the four humans ahead were nothing but prey.