In Ku Xie Si City, it was afternoon. At the same time, on the southern coast of Indonesia, several small boats carrying over a hundred henchmen landed on a southern island.
Everything went smoothly. As the boats docked, the group disembarked under cover of night. Others awaited them on the island, guiding them deeper inland.
“See? I told you. Monrose may seem unreliable, but his arrangements are always solid,” said Kuxing, one of the minor gang leaders who’d been assigned to move together. As one of the taller men in the small, cramped boat, he led the way like a spearhead.
Crazy Sheep said nothing, since a foreign woman was slumped over his shoulder, and he didn’t want to talk.
Black Duck kept silent, as usual.
Ping Lian, however, couldn’t help but sigh, “Yeah, it’s just a shame about Shexi—she’s dead.”
They hadn’t encountered any resistance from Tiris’s people—only Shexi had met Xu Chuyao in the first operation and died; the others had all survived until now.
This was why Kuxing trusted Monrose. If the other hadn’t led them away from Twin Kun Town, Xu Chuyao would have wiped out the place. Hidden there were big shots from the Supreme Society; they would have all perished.
“Brother, Shexi was unlucky. She got assigned to the mission near Central City,” someone replied.
Hearing this, Crazy Sheep couldn’t help but speak: “If Shexi hadn’t died, we’d at least have a stronger gender balance. Now… sigh.”
He glanced down at the woman on his shoulder, “Who is this woman anyway?”
She was pretty good-looking.
“No idea, don’t ask. Just take her to the location.”
If Monrose were here, he would have recognized her immediately—she really was the girl he’d had a crush on for over ten years, Na Yun.
But he was almost here now.
There needed to be a way to break the deadlock, and most important was to ease the pressure on themselves.
That’s what Xu Chuyao thought as she grit her teeth, surveying her surroundings.
Yu Yan and Cheng Chen swapped opponents to better counter attributes, lessening the pressure. Bill and Professor Swina did the same.
Shen Ning was holding her own, her strength allowing her to press her two adversaries, though they were formidable—she couldn’t finish them off quickly.
Xu Chuyao quickly checked her skill list and had an idea.
“Shen Ning!”
Since the start of the fight, she’d been trying to activate Inspiration, but the trigger rate was too low, and this wasn’t a test dummy—there weren’t many chances to stand still and cast, so she’d failed to break through.
Suddenly, she heard her girlfriend call her, and Shen Ning ran over, back to back. Her soft voice vibrated through their contact:
“Use your Big Wind move—it can entangle everyone! Hurry!”
Big Wind?
“Chuyao says this must be Raging Grounds,” the reflection in her mind reminded her. “It’s an AOE wind-field skill.”
She had this skill, but Raging Grounds was more support than attack, useful against weak grunts, but it drained spiritual power quickly. Even Monrose had advised against using it against equally matched opponents.
She hesitated, but her body had already reacted. Wind spiritual power surged out, and suddenly, wild winds swept around, trapping all four enemies.
The fierce wind startled the four Third Rankers, but they soon realized that the wind only made it hard to move—it wasn’t very damaging.
Until Thunder Girl drew a bright arc of lightning through the storm.
“Thunder Infusion!”
An enchanting skill, attaching lightning to any outgoing attack.
Suddenly, lightning danced through the gusts. The four enemies didn’t react in time and were zapped several times. Then they discovered… they were still fine.
The added power from the wind field only gave a slight damage boost—not enough to pierce their defenses. They pressed forward anyway.
“One layer, two layers, three, four… That’s enough, Shen Ning,” Xu Chuyao said, seeing they were almost upon them. “Stop now.”
The wind died down. The intense gales dissipated into the gentlest breeze, vanishing above their heads.
“Such a letdown…”
The wind-type enemy laughed, always dissatisfied with Shen Ning’s aggressive style. He’d always thought gentle breezes were harmless; Shen Ning was an oddity among wind users.
Now she’d experienced it too.
But then he saw faint golden lines winding around his teammate’s body, crackling softly.
“What’s that on you?”
His teammate didn’t reply, just stared back at him, “I should ask you the same—what’s on you?”
On me?
“Ah, that’s my passive—left a mark,” came the teasing voice of Thunder Girl from ahead. She snapped her fingers.
[Thunder’s Echo (Mark x10)]
Golden lightning burst from within their bodies, spreading instantly through their unguarded forms. The four mid-stage Three Defenses users didn’t even have time to shout before they collapsed under a cacophony of thunder.
Defenseless and depleted of spiritual power, their bodies were no stronger than mortal flesh.
The commotion drew everyone’s attention. The other four men paused, watching the situation unfold. Seeing their enforcers fall, the two instructors realized the tide had turned and inched closer to the two girls.
Four against six had become four against two. Even if the two left were the strongest, they were not much stronger than the rest—at two versus two, a draw was the best they could hope for, let alone now.
Professor Swina retreated a few steps, signaling towards Bill, “No more tricks left.”
Caught off guard and completely unprepared, their men were instantly wiped out.
“Brother, such a shame, really. I never even got to know them. They bought me a lot of leaves and even pre-ordered more. Now I can’t deliver.” Bill pretended to mourn, then his expression twisted into a wild grin as he faced the group. “But you don’t really think that’s all it takes to win, do you?”
There were more waiting in ambush.
Yu Yan’s heart sank. She stepped in front of the two girls protectively.
At that moment, the previously noisy airport entrance suddenly rang out with the clear, crisp sound of footsteps.
Clack, clack, clack, clack.
In a place filled with the sounds of wind, thunder, fire, and steel, that clear cadence was strangely distinct, as if stepping on everyone’s hearts.
A figure slowly entered through the shattered doorway. She wore three layers of thick coats, bundling herself so tightly she seemed to struggle just to walk, her steps clumsy and awkward—she looked just like a…
“Lord Qihu,” Professor Swina immediately bowed. “You’ve arrived.”
The woman turned to face the five, revealing a beautiful but expressionless face.
She was the Deputy Director of the Conquest Department, early Fourth Rank, ice attribute—Wang Li.