The man looked at Wenzhi like he was insane, still clutching his bloodied hand.

The closer Wenzhi looked at him, the more obvious it became that the man was just an ordinary human. But judging from his build and movements, he was a very trained ordinary human.

There were definitely more of them nearby.

A gunshot suddenly rang out.

Wenzhi gasped, the cigarette still hanging between his lips as the bullet barely missed his arm.

He snapped his head toward the direction of the shot.

A sniper. There was a goddamn sniper.

At the same time, the growls echoing through the ruined city suddenly grew louder and the ground trembled faintly beneath his feet.

The monsters were coming straight toward the sound of the gunshot.

Wenzhi had never met people this stupid in his entire existence. They were attacking him inside a red zone.

He immediately turned and ran, abandoning the fingerless man behind him, but before he could make it back to the mall outlet, he slammed into another Old Blood member.

The man instantly raised a gun toward him.

Wenzhi reacted first.

He slapped the gun upward just as the trigger was pulled, sending the blast into the cracked ceiling before launching himself at the man.

The fight was brutal and fast.

He grabbed the man’s wrist while slamming his knee into his stomach before dragging the knife across the side of his neck.

Blood sprayed. The body dropped.

A deafening roar suddenly exploded through the area, loud enough to shake the already unstable building.

Wenzhi’s eyes widened.

Craxisis.

Several of them burst through the haze at once, smashing through rubble and collapsed walls as they charged straight toward him.

"Oh fuck this!" Wenzhi bolted. "SHAO XINYUAN!"

There was no way he was outrunning those freaks of nature.

The Craxisis closed in fast, their jagged horns nearly reaching him before a familiar dark mist suddenly wrapped around his body and yanked him upward into the air.

The Craxisis rammed through the walls beneath him while the mist dragged him through a broken opening in the ceiling before another strand caught him midair and pulled him deeper inside just as the monsters smashed through the lower floor entirely.

Wenzhi stumbled forward the moment he landed, right in front of Shao Xinyuan.

Xinyuan already had their supply bags gathered beside him and looked completely awake now, his warm brown eyes fixed entirely on Wenzhi.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching up to touch Wenzhi’s face.

Wenzhi slapped his hand away.

"The Old Blood faction are here," he said sharply. "We need to leave now."

Xinyuan’s expression darkened. "I heard the gunshot."

Wenzhi lifted the gun he had stolen from the dead man. "Whose fault is that?"

"I’m pretty sure smoking inside a red zone is a terrible idea," Xinyuan said calmly.

Wenzhi gave him a dry look before taking one final drag from his cigarette.

Smoke escaped slowly from both his lips and nose before he tossed the cigarette aside and tapped Xinyuan’s shoulder. "Let’s go."

Xinyuan’s lips curled faintly before he followed after him.

Outside, the ruined city had become flooded with monsters.

While the Craxisis rampaged through the streets, Wenzhi and Xinyuan slipped away through the collapsing ruins, following the route leading back toward the city sector where Commander Jiang Zhaohe and Nuo had stayed behind.

Meanwhile, deep within another section of the ruined city, five large trucks remained hidden between broken buildings.

Men and women wearing the jackets of the Old Blood faction stood around the vehicles armed with advanced weapons capable of killing monsters, suppressing Espers and executing a certain guide.

One of the men finally returned carrying a sniper rifle.

Everyone immediately turned toward him.

Among them stood a golden-haired woman whose oppressive presence alone made it obvious she was in charge.

"Where are the others?" she asked sharply.

The sniper was breathing heavily. Another man quickly handed him an oxygen mask and he shoved it over his face before speaking.

"They’re dead," he said hoarsely. "I almost got killed too."

The woman’s expression darkened instantly. "What do you mean they’re dead? You said you found him separated from Shao Xinyuan. It should’ve been easy to drag his body back here."

"You don’t understand," the sniper snapped. "That guide fights like a trained killer. He moves like he’s constantly prepared for an attack. We are not dealing with someone helpless."

He swallowed hard. "That guide is dangerous."

The woman frowned deeply.

"Everyone, put your masks on before the corruption gets into your lungs." She turned toward the trucks. "I’ll send the updated information to Jingxin immediately."

Three others followed after her.

She paused, glancing back at the remaining members.

"Send reports to all nearby units. The monsters inside the red zone are evolving."

Her eyes hardened. "Team two, find Lin Wenzhi. And if you get the chance, shoot Shao Xinyuan enough times to slow him down."

"Yes, Commander Wu!"

The others echoed before splitting into groups and moving out to carry out their orders.

Commander Wu climbed into the truck with a visibly disturbed expression on her face.

She removed her fingerless gloves slowly before rolling up her sleeve, a deep frown settling between her brows.

The three men who had followed her stood nearby while one leaned casually against the side of the truck, watching her carefully.

"Do you really think it’s a good idea targeting that guide while Shao Xinyuan is present?" the man finally asked. "You know how Espers are with their guides."

He folded his arms. "You’re an Esper yourself. If we want Lin Wenzhi, we should strike when they are separated."

Commander Wu’s expression darkened.

"This entire operation is an experiment for the higher ups," she said coldly. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The men fell silent.

"They want to see how Shao Xinyuan reacts if his guide gets harmed directly in front of him. And whatever they intend to use that information for..." her lips pressed into a thin line, "I already know it won’t be anything good."

Commander Wu lowered her sleeve again.

"But we are not here to ask questions. We are here for the money and the service." she leaned back against the seat. "So do your damn jobs and stop thinking too much."

The man frowned but said nothing else.

Instead, he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the truck.

One after another, the remaining members entered the vehicles and slowly disappeared deeper into the ruined city beneath the red haze.