Chapter 5: The Night of Ruin

In the tavern, most people continued to drink and chat as if they had heard nothing. They paid no attention, even those in the expeditionary army uniforms. In this city, how many gunshots wouldn’t one hear on any given day?

Only a few frowned slightly, for they recognized the sound of a large-caliber sniper rifle. Although it was just a firearm, not many could wield a sniper rifle even in the army. The snipers of the expeditionary force, regardless of their battalion, held a high status; no one in the Dark Blood City dared to provoke them.

Under the cover of night, Qianye pulled the bolt and reloaded a large bullet into the chamber. Then, he adjusted his position and once again aimed at the headquarters of the Sky Serpent Gang.

The scope slowly swept across the rooftop, windows, and open spaces. Then, Qianye locked onto a figure cowering in a corner of the outer wall. The man, clearly terrified, tried to hide, but didn’t realize that from a high vantage point, it was a poor hiding spot, exposing half of his body.

Qianye calmly pulled the trigger. After a moment, through the scope, he saw the wall suddenly rupture with a large gap, nearly slicing the gang member behind it in two!

The entire Sky Serpent Gang was now in chaos. People in the courtyard were desperately running towards the building or searching for nearby cover. No one thought about tracing the source of the shots or finding the sniper.

Qianye pulled the bolt, methodically reloading, then stood up with his rifle. Like a ghost, he moved under the cover of night, leaping from one building to another. Soon, he found a new position. After the gunshot, a gang member who was hiding behind a window on the third floor of the headquarters lost his arm and half his shoulder.

The rifle in Qianye’s hands was almost as large as the Eagle Strike. This big fellow, named “Wind Chaser,” was a powder weapon, but its 15mm caliber ensured its power. This series of sniper rifles was a terrifying weapon capable of striking airships at low altitudes, representing the pinnacle of powder gun development.

As a powder weapon, it had irreplaceable advantages over origin force guns: range and ammunition. With enough skill, it could kill targets from two kilometers away, while the Eagle Strike’s maximum range was only one kilometer. Additionally, theoretically, it could fire as many times as there were bullets. This was another advantage the Eagle Strike couldn’t match. Now, with the Eagle Strike, Qianye could only fire one shot.

However, this somewhat monstrous sniper rifle had an enormous recoil, only manageable by a first-rank warrior. Qianye felt a bit regretful; the “Wind Chaser” in his hands was the initial model. In the Hunter’s Home warehouse, he hadn’t found any larger-caliber, more powerful upgrades. Red Scorpion had once specially customized a 25mm powder sniper rifle for veteran Black Scorpion warriors. Its power was immense, almost equivalent to a third-rank origin force gun, but only fifth-rank warriors could use it. Slightly weaker individuals would have their internal organs shattered by the recoil after a single shot.

At this moment, Qianye was like a lone wolf lurking in the darkness, patiently circling his prey, pouncing ferociously at the first opportunity, tearing off a chunk of flesh with each bite.

Gunshots echoed continuously, and with each shot, a Sky Serpent Gang member fell. Chaos had already engulfed the Sky Serpent Gang; even the outer walls provided no sense of security.

Each gunshot conveyed a message to the Sky Serpent Gang: “Release the hostage!”

If the Sky Serpent did not release the hostage, Qianye might pick off every member of the Sky Serpent Gang one by one tonight.

Some gang members, unable to withstand the pressure of Death’s hand inching closer, rushed out of the base in groups, seemingly to search for Qianye. However, none of them returned. While a few died under Qianye’s gunfire, the majority seemed to be taking the opportunity to escape.

Feniao hid in a blind spot behind a wall, panting heavily. His once handsome face contorted, making it hard to tell if he was excited or scared. Now, among the Sky Serpent Gang, besides the Sky Serpent himself, only Feniao remained of the so-called four great masters. Following Yeefeng, Greyhawk had also secretly left the Sky Serpent Gang.

A gang member rushed into the room, seeing Feniao, and was initially stunned, then ecstatic: “Brother Feniao! Thank goodness! The sniper outside is too formidable. Everyone is too scared to show their faces. If this continues, we’ll be trapped here! Please, take care of that arrogant guy!”

Feniao smirked, saying, “Me? Take care of it?”

The gang member, still not sensing the danger, said, “Yes! Of course you—”

Before he could finish, Feniao pointed his gun at the man’s head. A burst of origin force shot out, and the gang member’s head exploded into a bloody mist.

Feniao laughed hysterically, slowly standing up. It was only then that the bloodstain on the ground and the continuous bleeding from his waist and ribs became visible.

Feniao had also been sniped. At a range of over a kilometer, the sniper bullet came without warning, and Feniao was moving quickly. The bullet’s prediction was astonishing! If not for his instinctive move, he would have been hit in the spine. Even so, the bullet had ripped a large gash in his side.

Another close call with death!

Feniao, almost mad with fear, ran around frantically until he found a temporarily safe spot. Here, his heart rate never dropped below two hundred beats per minute.

For the first time, he realized how much he feared death. Every time he tortured his opponents, seeing their faces twisted with fear and pain, he felt immense pleasure, even more than during an orgasm. But now, he realized that the fear of death was overwhelmingly terrifying. It felt like the world was being devoured by a beast, and he could do nothing but run, though there was no light ahead.

He absolutely did not want to face Qianye again, never again!

On the top floor of the headquarters, the Sky Serpent stood in a spacious, luxurious room, his face grim. Occasionally, he cautiously approached the window, hiding behind thick curtains to peek outside. Despite the fact that such a powder weapon posed little threat to him, each gunshot made his heart race, involuntarily recalling the time he was hit by the Eagle Strike.

The Sky Serpent strode to the door, flung it open, and barked, “Any news from the expeditionary army?”

The gang member outside, his voice trembling, replied, “No, nothing! We haven’t even seen a patrol team. It’s been almost an hour!”

Bang! The Sky Serpent slammed the door shut.

An hour!

In the expeditionary army’s defensive deployment, patrols in the east and south were less frequent than in the west and north, but still every half hour. Not to mention the regular patrol teams, the gunfire had been thunderous for a long time. Even if the army’s camp was in the north, the powerful officers would have to be deaf not to hear it!

Outside, the gunshots were relentless, and the Sky Serpent Gang members were shooting blindly, not knowing what they were hitting. Qianye’s weapon, whatever it was, was more powerful than standard expeditionary army weapons. Yet, not a single patrol or law enforcement officer had shown up. This was highly unusual.

It could only mean one thing: the expeditionary army had decided to stay out of it tonight.

Bang! The Sky Serpent smashed a vase. He spat a torrent of curses at the men who took his monthly tribute.

“Are you afraid?” Yuying sneered.

She was tied to a chair, her hands and feet bound to the back and legs of the chair. Her tactical jacket was still on, barely covering her chest.

The Sky Serpent strode over, slapped her hard, knocking both her and the chair to the ground!

Yuying’s face immediately swelled, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Sky Serpent grabbed her hair, yanked her up, and sat her back down. He gritted his teeth, saying, “You’d better not provoke me. Otherwise, I’ll rape you now, and then I’ll find a bunch of guys to take turns with you!”

“Go ahead, if you’re interested in a corpse. But I can tell you, you’ll die a worse death than I will,” Yuying showed no fear.

The Sky Serpent narrowed his eyes, coldly saying, “I can still control myself, but don’t push me. If I get pushed too far, it won’t be good for anyone. Even if you’re a corpse, I won’t let you go!”

He took out a syringe, tore off the packaging, and forcefully injected the clear liquid into Yuying’s upper arm. This drug suppressed origin force, a necessary tool to imprison an origin force master.

Yuying calmed down, no longer provoking the Sky Serpent. She said quietly, “Don’t waste your efforts. I’ve known Qianye for only a short time. Do you think he would be threatened by you for someone he barely knows? Listen to the gunshots outside. You know exactly how much I mean to him.”

“Shut up!” The Sky Serpent roared, backhanding her again. This time, Yuying smirked, spitting out blood and a broken tooth, closing her eyes, ignoring the Sky Serpent.

Outside, the gunfire was as dense as rain, with the Sky Serpent Gang members firing blindly. Unable to locate Qianye, they disregarded the city’s ban, occasionally strafing civilian homes. Fortunately, most civilians had fled the area when the fighting began, and the stray bullets only damaged empty buildings.

In the rain of smoke and gunfire, the sniper shots sounded like rolling thunder, each one bringing down a Sky Serpent Gang member. Realizing that sticking their heads out meant death, the intense gunfire stopped.

At that moment, the door was kicked open, and the remaining elder of the Sky Serpent Gang entered. He glanced at Yuying, then said to the Sky Serpent, “Brother Three! Stop this! Release the woman! Killing her will bring trouble, and that boy shows no signs of stopping. He’s been killing our people all along! Do you really want to see the Sky Serpent Gang destroyed?”

The Sky Serpent grinned wickedly, “I don’t believe he doesn’t care about this woman! I’m taking her to the rooftop now. If that kid dares to shoot again, I’ll cut off her limbs!”

The elder was shocked, shouting, “You’re crazy! This will kill us all! I think you’re no longer fit to be the leader!”

The Sky Serpent suddenly drew a dagger and stabbed it into the elder’s chest!

The elder stared in disbelief, his trembling hand pointing at the Sky Serpent, saying, “You… kill me? I always considered you… my brother.”

The Sky Serpent pulled out the dagger and stabbed it in again, repeatedly, his teeth clenched, “I’ve had enough of you! Brother? What kind of brother are you, a second-rank waste? You dare call me brother? You’ve never treated me as the leader! Go join your brothers downstairs!”

The Sky Serpent cursed as he stabbed, blood splattering on his body and face, transforming his already cruel face into a demonic visage. After stabbing over a hundred times, he finally felt satisfied, rising from the mutilated corpse.

He cut the straps binding Yuying, clasped her tightly, and dragged her towards the rooftop. Yuying remained silent, powerless against the Sky Serpent’s strength without her origin force.

Just then, the sniper shots outside ceased, but the Sky Serpent Gang members sucked in their breaths.

The Sky Serpent’s face darkened as he rushed to the window. He saw Qianye, holding his massive sniper rifle, walking right through the main gate of the Sky Serpent Gang’s compound!