Chapter Seven: The Reunion

With the unspoken coordination between Xia Yan and Ding Li, the three criminals were toyed with until they died. They even tried to escape, but the area was too open—there was no way to outrun the range of a sniper rifle.

By the time Xia Yan and Su Zhu came down, the two finally met face to face.

Night had fallen.

“Hahaha, kid, you really are tough to kill.” Ding Li, though covered in wounds, looked much better after treatment and being bandaged up.

“If we’re comparing luck, I’d say you’re the luckier one. You’ve been on the run for days, Matthew’s group of twelve chased you, and you managed to take out six of them,” Xia Yan replied, a smile on his lips, though his emotions were always more subdued.

“Please, there’s no way to win in a head-on fight with them. I just got lucky and found a timed bomb—used myself as bait and blew them up in one go,” Ding Li said with a wry smile.

“Your friends are lucky too. I’d wager there aren’t more than ten people alive now,” Su Zhu interjected, watching them from the side.

Ding Li glanced at Su Zhu. He knew this woman, and she was no stranger to scandal, but in front of Xia Yan, he said nothing more. In truth, he couldn’t understand why someone like Xia Yan would choose to work with a woman like her.

“After midnight, the GPS watches will activate. That’s when the final battle begins,” Xia Yan observed, noting the sky was already pitch black, probably around eight or nine in the evening.

“By the way, you’ve fought Brook before. How strong is he?” Ding Li asked.

“Incredibly strong. There’s no chance of winning—not even sure I could take him down with me if I tried,” Xia Yan admitted with a sigh. “I’ve never seen a criminal of his caliber. Based on our physical stats, body development shouldn’t exceed ten percent, but that guy must have had some fortuitous encounter.”

The so-called grade-one mutants were generally considered to have developed their bodies to about ten percent of their potential. In other words, a human who has developed more than ten percent is stronger and more agile than a grade-one mutant; with weapons and skills, killing a grade-one mutant is as easy as slaughtering a chicken.

But by Xia Yan’s estimation, Brook’s body development capacity likely exceeded ten percent, or was at least at the threshold. Coupled with his speed, the odds of winning a direct confrontation were extremely slim.

“So troublesome… I’ve heard of him too. He’s a lone wolf—kills any target he sees, nearly unbeatable, wipes out entire teams with ease,” Ding Li said with a bitter smile. “If that’s the case, even teaming up, we might not stand a chance. You’re always the smart one—any plans?”

“If Antoine’s group dies and Brook survives, then we’re next,” Xia Yan said calmly. “Unless they take each other out, there’s no opportunity. Even if Brook is injured, if he spends the final days playing cat and mouse with us, he’ll still come out on top.”

His meaning was clear: if Brook took first place, then all their struggles would be pointless. Only the first place winner could receive the gene serum.

“What are you suggesting?” Ding Li asked.

“Kill Brook first, then deal with Antoine,” Xia Yan replied coldly. “We need to find Antoine’s group as soon as possible and join forces with them. Set a trap for Brook and try to eliminate the most dangerous enemy.”

He added, “It would be best if we could find them before midnight tonight.”

“You’re insane—moving at night is far riskier than during the day,” Su Zhu protested, anxious.

“This is the only way to keep the situation in our hands. If we do nothing tonight, and Antoine is killed before we make contact, we’ll only face the worst outcome,” Xia Yan retorted coolly. “I’ve fought Brook—I know the odds of surviving a direct encounter. That’s why I’m considering the strategy with the highest chance of success.”

“So you’re saying, we should try to contact Antoine tonight and persuade him to cooperate?” Ding Li pressed.

“Yes. I don’t know Antoine’s temperament, nor the strength of his team. If they’re arrogant, they might attack us on sight,” Xia Yan explained. “But that doesn’t matter. If we don’t display enough strength, they won’t even consider cooperation.”

True cooperation only happens when both sides are evenly matched and a more formidable enemy exists. Everyone wants to survive, so naturally, the unbeatable opponent must be taken out first.

“But that’s too risky. I’ve heard Antoine is extremely arrogant—he might just try to kill you outright,” Su Zhu said, worried.

Xia Yan countered, “Among the three main groups—Antoine’s, Brook’s, and ours—we are not the strongest. We’re likely the weakest or at best second. If we want to win, we have to take a gamble. In my view, this is the only way with a real chance at victory.”

Ding Li knew that his brother liked to keep things under his own control, never betting on slim chances. If they did nothing and Brook and Antoine eliminated each other, they’d win by default. But Xia Yan would never rely on such uncertainty—he refused to leave their fate to chance.

“I agree with this plan,” Ding Li nodded. “But how do we lure out Antoine’s group?”

A flicker passed through Su Zhu’s eyes—she was clearly reluctant, but voiced no objection.

“Su Zhu and I found a flare gun while scouting earlier. It can provide continuous illumination at night and make the surrounding area visible,” Xia Yan said.

Such a flare gun, when fired at night, could cover a vast distance. In this ancient city, where there was no artificial light, it could illuminate nearly half of Zone A.

If fired from a central location in Zone A, Antoine’s group would almost certainly see it.

First, establish contact, then negotiate for cooperation.

However, with Ding Li injured, he couldn’t help with the plan, and with Su Zhu’s limited combat ability, she didn’t count as much of a fighter. In the end, it fell to Xia Yan alone to carry it out.

...

Night. The street was pitch black, a shrill, piercing cry echoing across the sky, reverberating throughout Zone A.

This was the launch site of the flare, but no one was foolish enough to stand here waiting to be ambushed in the dark.

Whether or not anyone was lying in wait was another matter.

Xia Yan was always patient. He arrived at the central area of Zone A around eleven o’clock, fired the flare, and began waiting.

At midnight, the GPS watches would activate. If Antoine’s group was lurking nearby, they could move in quickly.

He expected Antoine wouldn’t foolishly show himself, exposing his body to the desolate night sky.

Time ticked by, second by second. Nothing changed.

He kept waiting.

Ding-ding-ding!

His GPS watch suddenly emitted a mechanical beep. Xia Yan knew it was midnight.

He activated the GPS, checking the number of survivors. Each person appeared as a “dot” on the map.

“What? Only seven people left,” Xia Yan muttered, surprised. Besides his own group of three, only four others remained alive.

Brook was far off—about twenty kilometers away—while the other three “dots” were much closer, only four or five kilometers from here.

“They’re nearby—maybe they just live close, or maybe they came to investigate and are keeping their distance, planning to strike after midnight,” Xia Yan mused. “No matter what, I have to make contact with Antoine’s group first.”

He’d also devised an escape plan for Ding Li and Su Zhu: if Brook’s position appeared close to theirs on the GPS, they were to flee immediately.

If escape was impossible and Brook drew closer, they’d scatter—even sever their left hands if necessary...

He pinpointed the location of Antoine’s group and set off. At the same moment, Antoine’s team began to move as well—their positions shifting on the GPS map.