In the pitch-black night, between dense forest and thick bushes, a blinding light suddenly appeared.

The seemingly ordinary three-wheeled vehicle now looked as if it had cast off gravity itself, climbing impossibly fast against a steep slope and crushing loose soil under its wheels as it raced like the wind across hills.

The moment the sniper on the high ground noticed the strange scooter, hesitation crept in. He considered whether he should retreat. But before he could reach a conclusion, a shadow swept across the sky, caused by a bird spreading its wings.

In the jolting movement of the speeding vehicle, the cargo box of the scooter suddenly launched into the air. Gloria seized its handle with her claws, spread her wings, and effortlessly lifted a long, box-shaped case that was more than ten times her own size and weight. She took flight and dived rapidly toward Ji Jue’s position.

Xiao Jiu Express!

Shocked, the sniper’s expression changed drastically. He instinctively tried to raise his rifle to shoot down the bird cutting across the sky, but a buzzing sound pierced his ears, and a bone-chilling sensation crawled up his spine. On the battlefield of the Central Continent, whenever that sound resounded, a swarm of suicide drones was about to descend from the sky.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his gun, rolled away, and pulled a handgun from his waist, firing toward the source of the buzzing. When he saw that it was nothing more than a completely harmless drone wreck, a true sense of dread froze him solid.

Shit!

The moment he threw aside the handgun, crouched down, and raised his sniper rifle again toward the drainage ditch, he finally saw that the leather case that had been opened mid-air was tumbling down. The lever-action rifle that fell from it had already landed in a hand reaching out from the drainage ditch.

The tide of battle had completely reversed.

Ji Jue smiled.

“It’s good to see you,” he said with genuine admiration as he held his old friend in his hands. With a casual motion, the opened chamber caught the raining bullets spilling from the case mid-air.

With a clean, effortless rotation, it was loaded. Click.

Now, it was time for the joy of a straight-up sniper duel.

“Fire,” he said.

Within the resonance of Deus Ex Machina, reflexes surged like lightning. A thunderous mercury bullet shot out, crossing a distance of 970 meters. Mid-air, it collided with the bullet fired from the sniper rifle.

As metal struck metal, sparks burst. The mercury round effortlessly pierced through the center of the other bullet, continuing its flight. It corrected its trajectory mid-air, carving a silver arc before embedding itself into a tree beside the sniper.

A bone-deep chill overwhelmed the sniper. He didn’t even have time to check the dull pain on his face before instinctively cycling the bolt and firing again.

Through the scope, he saw Ji Jue’s rifle once again flipped in a smooth, flowing motion. Spent casings were ejected mid-spin as it reloaded seamlessly, like clouds drifting or water flowing. He raised his hand.

Another bullet shot through the air and once again shattered the incoming round. The scattered mercury light left lingering traces in the sky that refused to fade. Like a blade that had been drawn but not yet struck, it trembled in the air, pointing straight toward the sniper hidden within the forest.

A tidal wave of cold dread washed over him.

A lever-action rifle from over a hundred years ago? Seriously? Am I even still conscious? Or have I already fallen into a nightmare?

The sniper, drenched in sweat, fired again. He had no choice but to seize every possible moment to attack. He couldn’t stop, and he wasn’t allowed to stop. The moment he turned to flee, the bullets chasing from behind would turn his head into paste in an instant. He had already been dragged by Ji Jue into this life-and-death duel with no end in sight.

The only option left to him was to keep going, to endure, until every last bullet in his magazine was gone, and then wait to be slaughtered.

Boom after boom echoed across the mountains, like a noon duel under the blazing sun of the Old West. One after another, trails of evaporating mercury light appeared in the darkness of the mountains, slowly fading away. Every streak of silver light carried with it a piercing wind that seemed able to rip the sniper’s face apart.

Thick blood dripped slowly down his face, falling into his eyes and dyeing his world in a deep black and red, but he didn’t even dare to blink. He could only keep pulling the trigger instinctively until an empty echo came from the magazine.

He was out of bullets. The moment he realized that, what rose in his heart was not despair, but a kind of overwhelming relief.

Ah... finally...

Bang!

The sniper rifle in his hands suddenly exploded and twisted. A bullet pierced his arm, tearing a massive hole through his shoulder. Then a second and a third took his legs but not his life. It was deliberately cruel, leaving him alive only to wait in a pool of blood for death, or for something even more terrifying than death.

From the resonance of Deus Ex Machina, a deep, low voice finally came through. “Commander, firing complete.”

“Mission accomplished. Good work.” Ji Jue lowered the rifle and let out a long exhale.

Silence enveloped the area. The people hiding in the corners didn’t dare breathe loudly anymore. Even Chen Yubo was completely exhausted and had no strength left after crawling out of the drainage ditch. Only Ji Jue sat quietly on the hood of Kunpeng, looking up at the night sky. The stars were calm, the moonlight gentle.

“The night really is beautiful.”

He smiled softly and said nothing more.

It wasn’t long before the sound of approaching vehicles came again from afar. Chen Yubo’s phone finally rang. Overjoyed, he jumped and waved frantically toward the convoy.

The convoy stopped at a distance. A thin, white-haired man got out, followed by several younger people. He first checked Chen Yubo’s condition, then quickly assessed the situation at the scene. After that, the man known as Mr. Lin walked over to Ji Jue on his own initiative.

His spirit matter fluctuations were restrained and unexpressed. His steps were light yet steady. His gaze was sharp, but when it fell on Ji Jue, it became warm and calm, showing no trace of hostility.

The unfamiliar Chosen One extended his hand with a friendly smile.

“Mr. Ji, I’m very sorry. There were too many complications tonight, and our boss couldn’t make it in time to personally thank you.”

He carefully took out a seemingly ordinary business card from his pocket and offered it with both hands.

“Before I got here, he specifically instructed me to express his gratitude for your help tonight. This kind of goodwill is truly rare. He will definitely come to thank you in person another day. He also hopes you won’t mind these unexpected incidents. If you ever have time, please do us the honor of coming by for a cup of tea.”

Ji Jue smiled and accepted the card, placing it away solemnly. “No problem, no problem.”

With that, the formal social etiquette was complete.

Chen Xingzhou had acknowledged this life-saving favor from his younger brother and given his promise in return. As for how much that favor could eventually be cashed in, that was another matter. For now, Ji Jue didn’t have much interaction with the Wasteland Assembly anyway.

But why refuse free rewards that came knocking at the door?

After all, that thin, ordinary-looking business card could be, for many desperate people, the very gateway to the upper world.

“Don’t forget, there’s still a sniper on that mountain.” He pointed toward the high ground. “Likely from a military background. Be careful of any booby traps around. If we move fast enough, he should still be alive.”

Mr. Lin’s expression turned serious. “I’ll go myself.”

The old man’s figure seemed almost illusory in the dim light, drifting unpredictably. With just a few leaps, he had already reached the high ground without showing the slightest sign of strain.

A faint explosion could be heard, but soon after, he returned carrying a corpse. He sighed and dropped it to the ground.

“He’s already dead. He took poison. Judging by the tattoos, he’s probably from the Empire. People like this aren’t common in Cliff City, so it’ll be easy to investigate.”

The young men who had left the group also returned, dragging along Mu Jiang with a defeated, ashen expression. They politely escorted him into a car. One of them approached Mr. Lin and reported, “The woman is gone.”

Mr. Lin nodded without saying anything.

Before leaving, Chen Yubo pushed aside the person helping him and walked over. He gave Ji Jue a tight hug and patted his back.

“Thanks for today, Mr. Ji. If you’ve got time later, why not come to my place? I’ll let you pet my cat!”

Honestly speaking, Ji Jue didn’t like trouble, and he wasn’t particularly interested in cats, even if they could do backflips. But looking at Chen Yubo’s expression, and that faint trace of humble pleading in his eyes...

Ultimately, he sighed helplessly.

Ji Jue had no choice. Mr. Chen paid him, and he was a decent guy. Ji Jue had already accepted his brother’s business card, so what harm was there in petting the younger brother’s cats a couple of times?

“Alright,” he said. “When it’s time for maintenance, I’ll come over and fix your car for you.”

Chen Yubo smiled, as if nothing that had happened tonight mattered more than this moment of happiness. He waved goodbye and left.

Ji Jue was left alone on Horsey, feeling the night wind and looking up at the starry sky. Suddenly, he felt a faint sense of melancholy, like that strange emotional distance that comes from quietly forming a private relationship with a client outside of work hours.

Putting in extra time without extra pay was one thing. But now he was even being tricked into going to his house to see cats.

Something about this felt very wrong.

***

Half an hour later, at a late-night food stall, Wen Wen hung up her phone, curled her lips, and downed a whole draft beer in one go. She shook her head and sighed.

“Tell me, every time something happens, are us cops always the last ones to know?”

“Who called?” Tong Hua asked curiously.

Wen Wen casually tossed a piece of edamame into her mouth. “Your brother. The guys from First Division notified us patrol officers. Things have been messy in Cliff City lately. They told us to be more careful on the job.”

“Ah, that idiot Tong Shan!” Tong Hua slammed the table in anger. “When we were kids, he broke Uncle’s jar, and I took the blame for him! Now, he doesn’t even treat me like family?! Don’t worry, Ms. Wen, I’ll go back and give him some attitude.”

Wen Wen laughed, shaking her head. “Giving him attitude won’t help. An hour ago, the men under Lei Yaoxing made a move on Chen Xingzhou’s younger brother. Luckily, that kid had good fortune. He had already hired a... part-time bodyguard looking to earn some fast cash and barely escaped with his life.”

When she said the second half, her expression became especially strange, like a cop on a vice raid suddenly recognizing someone familiar among a row of squatting suspects. It held a genuine mix of curiosity and disbelief.

Why the hell are you everywhere?!

“Chen Xingzhou is not someone to mess with either. Less than five minutes after that happened, Lei Yaoxing’s private accountant and driver were thrown off the tallest building in Gracefield District. They became a pile of pulp in Lunar Square. Now both sides are already calling in their men. Tension is rising fast. If things go wrong, they might actually start fighting.”

“Huh?” Tong Hua was stunned. “Lei Wuye isn’t stepping in?”

As the local leader and main authority of the Wasteland Assembly, Lei Wuye’s name had, for forty years, hung over Cliff City’s underworld like a dark cloud. Like a predator at the top of the food chain, he controlled countless subordinates and had turned the entire city’s underground world into an impenetrable fortress, monopolizing all the profits from Cliff City’s smuggling network.

Now his godson and his most trusted aides were about to clash, and he wasn’t reacting at all? That was seriously abnormal.

Wen Wen sighed. “That’s exactly the biggest problem. Old Man Lei Wuye is about to kick the bucket.”