The night air was slightly cool. An invisible pressure washed over him like a tide, making Fu Juemin’s skin prickle as if jabbed by fine needles.

A Tongxuan Martial Artist.

Their Vitality manifested on its own, capable of stopping ordinary bullets.

A rumor he had once heard was now being verified firsthand.

Fu Juemin stared at the burly figure standing in the lamplight. He unconsciously caressed the grip of his revolver as the sharp, serpentine scales on the edges of his gloves extended on their own, letting out a series of soft, anxious metallic chimes.

He had only just begun Blood Refining. Although he had killed a Blood Barrier Realm Martial Artist before, Fu Juemin could find no way to contend with a Tongxuan Martial Family member, whose strength was a full realm higher than the Blood Barrier.

The only option was to flee.

But behind the Tongxuan Martial Artist, more than a dozen gun barrels were aimed at him. At this moment, even escape seemed like a pipe dream.

’The Snake Demon Vest, plus my Soft Bone Talent... if I go all out, it’s not entirely hopeless...’

As long as he wasn’t hit in a vital spot like the head and killed instantly.

They were right outside the County Government Office and the Hu Family Residence. Gunshots had been ringing out for five minutes; even if the people inside were slow, they should have reacted by now.

’I just need to stall for time, hold on for a little while longer...’

But with less than ten paces separating him from the Tongxuan powerhouse... could he really last until help arrived?

Fu Juemin’s thoughts raced, and his heart began to pound.

For some reason, he recalled scenes from a nature documentary he had watched in his past life: a hunting tiger lying in wait in the grass, its prey, a deer, trembling with anxiety. Before it all began, the air tightened inch by inch, like a bowstring....

Now, he was like that prey, firmly locked in the predator’s sights.

BANG!

A muffled thud shattered Fu Juemin’s chaotic thoughts.

Glancing to the side, he saw that the fierce battle nearby had been abruptly decided.

Su Hui’s middle-aged maidservant-guard flew backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily against a wall on the side of the street. She opened her mouth and vomited a large mouthful of blood.

Her opponent, however, leaped high into the air, landing like a hawk on the corner of an eave, casting down a cold, scrutinizing gaze.

"The previous dynasty’s imperial court’s Profound Sleeve Skill...

What is your relationship with the Su Erjia Luo Clan?"

The injured middle-aged woman propped herself up against the wall. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but a scornful, mocking sneer spread across her face.

Naturally, the gazes of the people opposite them all converged on the pale-faced Su Hui behind her.

Fu Juemin keenly seized this fleeting opportunity. With a shift of his feet, he pushed off his toes and shot backward.

The taut, invisible string in the air snapped. Under the glaring lamplight, the iron-tower-like Tongxuan brute instantly snapped back to attention. He let out a short, savage laugh and lunged at Fu Juemin.

In that instant, Fu Juemin felt a shadow swell rapidly before his eyes, completely swallowing the two orange beams of light that illuminated the long street.

The terrifying pressure of a Tongxuan Realm Martial Artist, mixed with the night, painted his vision a suffocating black.

Fu Juemin took a deep breath and quickly raised his pistol, the barrel of the revolver aimed squarely at the inky blackness surging toward him.

His finger tightened on the trigger, the revolver’s hammer slowly pressing down....

BANG—

The gunshot shattered the silence.

The dark figure before him let out a muffled grunt. His body froze, and he unconsciously took half a step back, as if he had been struck in the chest.

Fu Juemin, however, was stunned. He subconsciously glanced at his own revolver’s trigger, which he hadn’t fully pulled.

The next second.

BANG!

A second shot followed immediately, and the dark figure retreated again.

Only then did Fu Juemin hear the crisp sound of a bolt being rapidly worked, followed by the sound of leather boots striding down the long street.

BANG! BANG! BANG!—

One shot after another rang out, methodical and orderly, punctuated by the clatter of spent casings hitting the ground and the sound of a bolt chambering a new round.

The Tongxuan brute retreated again and again, continuously making evasive maneuvers, step by step, until he was forced all the way back into the bright orange light.

The figures behind the light also seemed stunned by this calm and piercing volley of gunfire. All of them froze.

Fu Juemin took the opportunity to put distance between himself and his opponent, retreating to a completely safe position.

He looked in the direction of the gunshots. A lit cigar flew out of the darkness, hit the ground, and was immediately crushed under a large boot.

Amidst the curling blue smoke, Fu Guoping, holding a Han-made Rifle, broke through the night. His face was set in a fierce and cold expression that seemed impossible to dispel.

"Second Uncle!"

Fu Juemin called out softly. Seeing the large group of people following Fu Guoping, the heart that had been caught in his throat finally settled.

"Get behind me."

Fu Guoping said, his eyes cold as he raised his rifle to aim, making no effort to conceal his murderous intent.

The men from the Civil Affairs Bureau that Fu Guoping had brought, along with uniformed Patrol Police from the police department, quickly moved forward. They fanned out to his sides, all raising their guns and aiming straight ahead.

"Young Master, are you all right?"

Qian Fei and Ma Dakui, both drenched in sweat, pushed their way forward and asked anxiously.

Fu Juemin shook his head and gave them a quiet instruction. The two men quickly ran to help the gunshot-wounded Cao Tian, who was not far away.

Su Hui was also brought to safety. She had been quite frightened, and her pretty face was deathly pale.

Sensing Fu Juemin’s concerned gaze, Su Hui shook her head to indicate she was fine.

A large group had arrived this time. The one in the lead was none other than Hu Fulai himself, and beside him stood Zhou He, the deputy chief of the police department, dressed in plain clothes.

Hu Fulai’s face was ashen. It was understandable; the banquet he had meticulously planned had been suddenly disrupted.

Moreover, people were brazenly shooting and killing right outside his door. How was this any different from grinding County Magistrate Hu’s face into the dirt?

Seven or eight Hu Family servants surrounded Hu Fulai, holding their torches and lanterns high above their heads as they strode to the front of the group.

Hu Fulai didn’t dare get too close. Half-hiding behind a tall, sturdy Patrol Police officer, he pointed ahead and cursed through gritted teeth, "Lawless! Utterly audacious!"

"I’d like to see just who dares to cause trouble in my Luan River County..."

Before he could finish, the expression on his face suddenly froze.

In the light of the torches, the two opposing orange beams of light gradually faded out—

A young man in a snow-white military uniform, inexplicably wearing a pair of round, dark sunglasses at night, was leaning lazily against a massive military jeep.

He casually toyed with a gleaming, eagle-marked golden pistol, a faint, unreadable smile on his face as he watched the crowd.

In front of him, to his left and right, stood the tower-like brute clad in Soft Armor with Profound Iron Bracelets on his wrists, and an old man with gray hair and a green robe, his expression cold and detached.

Surrounding them were a dozen or so soldiers in uniform deep-blue military attire, with brown leather Sam Browne belts and black thigh-high boots.

The eyes of this group were all terrifyingly calm, giving off an air of indifference that could only be forged by fighting through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

CLANG—

The uniformed youth suddenly stomped his foot hard on the hood of the jeep, creating a loud clang.

He slowly took off his sunglasses, revealing a pale, handsome face.

"First, allow me to introduce myself."

The youth leaned forward. His voice wasn’t loud, but it landed on the silent street with a chilling impact.

"My name is Song Lin, the special commissioner for the disaster relief affairs of Yangping Province..."

He scanned the crowd, a brilliant, cold smile suddenly blooming on his face as he spoke slowly, "Now... who was it that just opened fire on this commissioner?"