In the stillness of the apartment, not a soul was in sight. Li Yan, his left hand gripping the knife handle in reverse, and his right hand holding a gun, stepped silently along the deserted corridor.
The worn sofa, usually occupied by women sitting with crossed legs awaiting visitors, was now abandoned.
Used plastic covers littered the floor, and the usual hum of voices was conspicuously absent.
Suddenly, Li Yan dropped low and rolled, a loud thud ringing in his ears. The pale red sofa burst open violently, its springs and stuffing scattering everywhere.
Ah Yu, concealed behind the wall, gritted his teeth. Li Yan's animal-like keen senses made him a formidable opponent.
He exhaled and peeked out again, only to be met with a blinding flash and a thunderous roar. Darkness engulfed Li Yan's vision!
His brow furrowed at the chilling sound of metal shattering in the air, a sound that sent shivers down the spine.
Li Yan was far less confident in his gunplay than his swordsmanship. The fact that he hadn't even unlocked Firearms Expertise was telling; he was only marginally better than those who had never handled a gun.
"Missed, did I?"
From behind the wall, Ah Yu emerged with a dark expression. Without a second thought, Li Yan raised his hand and pulled the trigger. A burst of gunfire spat out, bullets with tremendous kinetic energy piercing into Ah Yu's body.
"Crack, crack..."
A shadowy figure, about three meters in length and as thick as an arm, with black vapor swirling around it, writhed around the man. Some bullets sparked off its smooth scales, while others, just before hitting the man, were caught in the gaping jaws of the Ba Snake, swallowed as easily as one would peanuts.
"You have confronted the power of the Ba Snake!"
"A Fleeting Glance, activate!"
"You have discovered Predator!"
Name: Li Jiangyu
Status: Gluttony!
Specialization: Biological Affinity 63%
Skills: 1. A Fleeting Glance
2. Yellow Turban Talisman (1/3)
3. ???
Heritage: Fang of the Ba Snake · Gluttony
Predator: Irreconcilable event contradiction with the activation of A Fleeting Glance, resolvable only through the departure or even death of one party. Killing the Predator will grant all Purchase Authority acquired in the current Yanfu Incident and a 30% settlement reward.
There is also a chance to devour their Heritage.
The Predator killing the hunted does not receive a reward, but there is a one hundred percent chance of devouring the opponent's Heritage.
Predator status can be obtained through certain special items.
"So that's how it is."
With the introduction of the Ba Snake Heritage before him, Li Yan had an epiphany.
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He holstered his gun and took a couple of steps forward, quickening his pace. In two or three swift strides, he moved like a specter, charging directly towards the Ba Snake!
"Courting death!"
Ah Yu was brimming with confidence in his Ba Snake, whose satiation had reached its peak. As Li Yan charged forward, Ah Yu's mind flicked, and the Ba Snake's head struck with the ferocity of lightning, aiming for Li Yan's neck.
Just as the serpent's fangs were about to graze the sprinting Li Yan, he relaxed his knees and thrust forward with his waist, sliding forward in an uncanny kneeling stance, narrowly evading Ba Snake's vicious bite.
Had he possessed He Andong's lightning-fast draw, he could have pulled his gun and shot at that moment. The Ba Snake wouldn't have had the time to turn back, allowing him to kill Li Jiangyu on the spot.
Unfortunately, Li Yan was incapable of such a feat, and if it were He Andong instead, he wouldn't have had Li Yan's surprising reflexes to dodge Ba Snake's bite.
Without a second thought, Li Yan flung his Dogleg Knife towards Li Jiangyu.
On the other side, Li Jiangyu, seeing Li Yan's aggressive approach, also raised his pistol.
The bright snow of the flying machete and the sparks of bullets tearing through the air followed one after another, their whistling sounds slicing the silence.
Perhaps it was an unlucky splinter flying into Li Yan's eyes or simply poor gunplay on Li Jiangyu's part, but of the three bullets fired, only one grazed Li Yan's elbow, while the Dogleg Machete struck true, embedding itself in Ah Yu's shoulder.
"Argh!"
Ah Yu couldn't help but cry out as his Browning, already heavy with recoil, clattered to the ground.
With his knee against the ground, Li Yan surged forward with a Tiger Leap towards the gun-dropping Ah Yu, but a chill crept up his spine, and Ah Yu's eyes flashed with a venomous light even as he cried out in pain.
"Hmph!"
Mid-leap, Li Yan barely twisted his body, using his waist to tilt to the side, but still felt a searing pain across his back.
Li Yan, who thudded against the wall, wasted no time. He swept his leg in a low arc, aiming for Li Jiangyu's ankles, while his right hand reached for the gun at his waist.
Li Jiangyu stumbled from the sweep, causing the twirling Ba Snake to falter momentarily, but it was only a breath's time before the Ba Snake twisted its head.
Its cold triangular eyes now obscured Li Yan's line of sight as he raised his gun to fire!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Li Yan emptied his pistol into the gaping maw of the Ba Snake, but the beast was unstoppable! It rammed Li Yan, who was at the edge of the corridor, into a cramped small room.
Li Yan, rolling back into a corner, was covered in dust and bloodstains. A large chunk of flesh had been scraped from the base of his left thumb, leaving a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
Ah Yu's shoulder bore the Dogleg Knife, which had pierced clean through bone, causing him such excruciating pain that he nearly lost consciousness. Trembling, he managed to pick up a handgun with his uninjured left hand, only to find it empty of bullets. In a fit of desperation, he tossed the gun aside and charged into the room where Li Yan was, now enveloped in a cloud of wall dust.
...
"Li, there are sounds below."
Judy swallowed hard and spoke to the weakened woman behind her.
Li's pale face gnawed at the thorny rope in Judy's hand with her teeth.
"Muddle through it, jump out the window, and get moving," she mumbled indistinctly.
"It might be Li Yan coming."
Li's lips and gums were pierced, drawing blood as she finally managed to nibble a small hole in the rope. She spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, her voice carrying a hint of ruthlessness as she said, "It's no use who comes; that Strange Serpent is simply unkillable."
Li had lived for twenty-eight years and had never witnessed such a bizarre and exaggerated scene—the Strange Serpent coiling around men, impervious to knives and guns. It completely overturned Li's understanding of the world.
"If that Ah Yu is so formidable, why did he insist on bringing Li Yan here?"
At first, those around her were bitten into sieves by the Strange Serpent, their warm blood spraying chaotically. One second, her confidant was talking and laughing with her; the next, their head was bitten off. Judy, accustomed to luxury and comfort, was terrified to the point of nearly wetting herself.
But gradually, Judy calmed down.
That man was clearly wary of Li Yan.
"Judy, it's useless to talk about this now. Jump out the window and let the people on the street call the police!"
Li, usually so imposing, now looked pale and much more haggard than usual.
Judy's lips trembled slightly. As Li bit through the rope, she immediately dashed out to pick up a gun from a corpse.
"Judy, don't be foolish!"
Li's eyes widened, and she yelled as she saw Judy reaching for the gun.
Judy skillfully disassembled the handgun, removed the shiny bullets, and slipped them into the cracks of the floorboards.
"These are useless against that Strange Serpent, but they can hurt us."
Judy glanced at the bright red wounds on Li's body, bent down to slip off her white high heels, and ran barefoot to the window. With reddened eyes, she took one last look at Li.
"Take care of yourself."
**********
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