Zhang Wen’s small device strapped around his wrist was actually a widely popular psionic energy detector within underground circles. This instrument could locate specific psionicists from a considerable distance. Its principle of operation was closely related to the abilities of psionicists themselves. To put it roughly, every psionicist undergoing psionic training would unconsciously radiate psionic energy outward from their body, similar to body heat.
By utilizing a special kind of inducer, the psionic energy unconsciously emitted by psionicists could be transformed into detectable energy signals readable by the psionic detector. When a psionic detector came within a certain proximity to a psionicist who had applied the inducer, it would sense the leaking psionic energy from the target and trigger an alarm.
This kind of “little toy” had already been popular in the Alliance for many years, while the Empire had only recently begun adopting it in recent years. Previously, the “perfume” that Zhang Wen had asked Melissa to apply on her hands mainly contained this inducer required for the psionic detector to function.
When Xie Luo’s group departed from Casares, Angela, the manager of Kemal Arena, fearing they might encounter danger, specially prepared some of these devices for them.
No one could have predicted that Xie Luo, a mighty Saint-ranked expert, would encounter a freak assassin like Vicki and be captured in the hotel without even putting up a proper resistance. Naturally, the equipment Angela had prepared for them never got a chance to be used.
However, these small devices, which Xie Luo and his group hadn’t had the chance to use, played a significant role in Zhang Wen’s plan.
Even though the precision of this psionic detector was quite limited—only reacting when Zhang Wen approached within thirty meters of Melissa—it was sufficient for Zhang Wen’s purposes.
In Zhang Wen’s plan, the most challenging problem was determining Melissa’s general location. Within the arena, surrounded by enemies on all sides, Zhang Wen obviously couldn’t conduct a widespread search. Even slightly conspicuous movements had to be done carefully to avoid detection. In such a harsh environment, he could only rely on the help of the psionic detector.
As for how to precisely locate Melissa after determining her general direction, that would depend on Zhang Wen’s own abilities. That forceful sniff he had taken near Melissa’s neck beforehand was certainly not just to take advantage of the female countess!
The perfume Melissa had applied on herself contained not only the inducer for the detector but also the famously renowned “Kaner Brand Perfume,” well-known throughout the Empire.
The reason Kaner Perfume had remained popular and stood the test of time for a thousand years in the Empire was because of its long-lasting fragrance. Any woman who sprayed Kaner Perfume on herself would carry a faint lingering scent. If the perfume was sprayed more heavily, even the places she had been would retain a faint fragrance.
In both the Federation and the Empire, there were plenty of playboys skilled in “recognizing beauties by scent.” Although Zhang Wen wasn’t a seasoned playboy, with his extraordinary sense of smell, detecting Melissa’s fragrance was more than feasible.
On the seventeenth floor of the Babylon City Arena, a match crucial for promotion to Planetary Gladiator had just concluded. Many spectators who had just watched the intense match simultaneously left their seats and flooded into the lobby.
In an instant, the seventeenth floor lobby of the arena was bustling with people. The Dragon and Tiger gang members, having just won a crucial victory, were especially elated, joyfully celebrating with their victorious comrade right in the middle of the lobby.
In the midst of this utter chaos, Zhang Wen, standing alone at the edge of the hall and casually pacing back and forth as if strolling, naturally drew no attention.
Silently walking along the edge of the hall for a few minutes, Zhang Wen suddenly stopped in front of a corridor leading eastward.
According to the rules of Kemal Arena, any bounty fighter ranked as an Elite Gladiator or higher could have a private rest room within the arena. The higher the rank of the bounty fighter, the more luxurious their room would be.
The seventeenth floor where Zhang Wen now stood was exactly the dividing line between Planetary Gladiators and Interstellar Gladiators. The rest rooms prepared by Kemal Arena for bounty fighters of this level were already so luxurious that they could rival the “Royal Suites” of ordinary hotels.
Without even mentioning the interior’s elegance and spaciousness, the doors and walls of the rooms were made of special materials that not only soundproofed but also blocked psionic energy. In other words, once the door was closed, the bounty fighter resting inside could completely avoid external disturbances and surveillance. Correspondingly, nothing happening inside the room could be detected from the outside.
The Black Viscount had hidden Xie Luo’s group in such a place. If it weren’t for the freakish combination of Melissa and Zhang Wen, it would have been absolutely foolproof. Even if Babylon City were turned upside down, no one would have been able to find their trail!
“This is it.” Following the corridor forward, strolling casually as if for leisure, after a few minutes Zhang Wen suddenly stopped in front of a room marked with the name “Sandaru” on its door. Then, he took a deep breath and wore a pleasant smile.
At the level of a Saint-ranked expert, fighters below the Champion Rank were no longer able to interfere, so the TK group hadn’t ostentatiously stationed numerous intimidating henchmen in the corridor. However, standing in front of that thick door that could even block psionic energy, Zhang Wen could still sense the chilling danger emanating from behind it.
Six Saint-ranked experts for real? It seems that guy wasn’t just bluffing to scare people. As thoughts raced through his mind, Zhang Wen’s actions didn’t falter. He activated all his combat energy, raised his leg, and delivered a full-powered kick to the heavy door.
The steel-core door was blown off its hinges by Zhang Wen’s full-strength kick! It flew backward through the entire room and slammed into the opposite wall with a loud “Boom!”
Woo! Immediately afterward, a piercing alarm echoed throughout the seventeenth-floor lobby of the arena.
Before the people in the lobby could even figure out why the alarm had suddenly gone off, Zhang Wen had already stepped into the dangerous room with a smile.
Sure enough, just as the Black Viscount had said, all six Saint-ranked experts Zhang Wen had previously seen were present, not a single one missing. They were scattered throughout the room, still maintaining their original poses, each engaged in their own activities.
The leader of the six, a golden-haired man, sat on a sofa on the left side of the room, his hands crossed over his knees, resembling a statue of a thinker. Another man, with silver hair and a well-proportioned physique, stood nearby, looking impatient as he flipped through channels on a remote control, changing the programs displayed on the large screen in the center of the lounge.
Another pair of identical-looking brothers were sitting on a sofa near the window, laughing and playing chess. The only girl among the six, Sayaka, stood by the window, entranced by the beautiful night view of Babylon City. And a muscular, bald giant of a man stood silently behind Sayaka, his face expressionless.
The six Saint-ranked experts paid no heed to the force with which Zhang Wen had blown the door off its hinges. Only when Zhang Wen entered the room did they simultaneously turn around, some with seriousness, others with curiosity, to examine him.
As the six Saint-ranked experts studied Zhang Wen, he, in turn, surveyed the situation inside the room. He quickly scanned the faces of the six Saint-ranked experts before his gaze settled on the only closed door in the living room.
“There’s no need to look further. The person you’re looking for is right here,” the golden-haired man stood up, took a step forward, and precisely blocked the path between Zhang Wen and the door.
As the golden-haired man moved, the other five individuals in the room also stood up, smiling as they walked up to join him.
At that moment, the previously blaring alarm suddenly stopped. The chaotic noises from the lobby echoed clearly down the corridor into everyone’s ears.
“You actually dared to come here alone. Your courage and sense of loyalty are admirable, but it’s very unwise,” the golden-haired man stared at Zhang Wen and said solemnly.
“I don’t have much time. Let’s skip the unnecessary talk. Whether it’s wise or not will naturally become clear soon enough,” Zhang Wen said with a smile, tearing off his inconvenient coat to reveal the black combat suit underneath.
As soon as Zhang Wen finished speaking, the silver-haired man, who had been fiddling with the remote control earlier, couldn’t help but laugh.
“Haha! You yourself seem to be at most Saint-ranked, right? Hmm… Wait, actually, you feel more like a Champion-ranked. Hey, aren’t you being a bit too arrogant? Don’t even think about taking on all of us—can you even handle just me alone? Don’t mistake us for trash like Edward and his bunch!”
As he spoke, the silver-haired man took a small step forward. His position had originally been near the center of the room, much closer to Zhang Wen compared to the others who had been standing around the room’s perimeter. After taking that small step, the distance between him and Zhang Wen became even shorter, revealing an unobstructed path.
“Is that so?” Before Zhang Wen even finished uttering those two words, his figure had already vanished from his original spot.
Although the six Saint-ranked experts in the room had all sensed that Zhang Wen might attack at any moment, none of them had expected that Zhang Wen, whose combat energy clearly felt like it belonged to a Champion-ranked fighter, could move so fast!
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Wen had already crossed the more than ten meters between himself and the silver-haired man, suddenly appearing beside him as if teleporting.
“You…” The silver-haired man managed to utter only half a word before seeing Zhang Wen’s face, now just inches away, and the cold gleam of the blade in his hand.
The silver-haired man was indeed a seasoned Saint-ranked expert. Even when ambushed by Zhang Wen, he didn’t panic. As the psionic steel sword in Zhang Wen’s hand thrust toward his chest, the silver-haired man’s astonished expression suddenly turned cold.
Realizing he couldn’t possibly evade Zhang Wen’s strike, the silver-haired man exerted all his strength to twist his body to the right, raising his left arm to meet Zhang Wen’s attack.
Clang! Zhang Wen’s sword struck the silver-haired man’s left arm, producing a crisp sound as if hitting stone! Immediately afterward, the combat energy Zhang Wen had poured into his sword erupted. Like the door Zhang Wen had kicked earlier, the silver-haired man was sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing into the golden-haired leader who was blocking the door.
With a cold snort, the golden-haired leader, unable to rescue his companion in time, instinctively dodged aside, allowing the silver-haired man to slam hard into the door behind him.
With a crisp “Crack!” sound, the silver-haired man smashed through the wooden door, flying into the small room amidst a shower of splinters.
“Damn it! You bastard!!!” The silver-haired man quickly stood up, spitting out some bloody wood chips from his mouth, glaring at Zhang Wen like an injured bull.
At this point, Zhang Wen had already engaged in battle with the other five Saint-ranked experts in the room. The sound of the silver-haired man crashing through the small room’s wooden door was like the starting bell ringing out on a boxing ring, marking the beginning of the chaotic melee.
Upon witnessing Zhang Wen’s speed, sufficient to leave even the silver-haired Saint-ranked expert unable to counterattack, the other five individuals in the room had already abandoned all their previous contempt. Zhang Wen, however, would never miss such a golden opportunity to exploit his opponent’s momentary confusion.
To be honest, Zhang Wen was well aware that, purely in terms of strength, he had no way of defeating six Saint-ranked experts alone. Even facing just one or two of them, winning would be extremely difficult!
However, in this battle, Zhang Wen had one huge advantage: he knew his opponents’ strengths very well, while they knew nothing about him!
Even if he counted in the mutated internal energy cultivated through his practice of the Spring Water Technique, Zhang Wen’s combat energy alone probably couldn’t surpass any of the six Saint-ranked experts facing him. However, just like Vicki, who had nearly cost Zhang Wen his life earlier, Zhang Wen’s secret to victory wasn’t overwhelming combat energy, but rather his sword techniques, completely different from those of other Empire fighters!
The sword techniques Zhang Wen had cultivated excelled most at using his opponents’ force against them. In the confined space of the room, engaging in melee with six opponents, Zhang Wen’s advantages could be maximized to the extreme, giving him a significant edge at the start of the battle!
Therefore, before rushing into the room, Zhang Wen had already made up his mind: this battle had to be swift and decisive! If he couldn’t eliminate at least four opponents in a very short time, then his only remaining option would be to flee for his life. Because as the battle progressed, his opponents would gradually understand his strength, becoming increasingly familiar with his sword techniques. Once they adapted to Zhang Wen’s swordplay, even if only three of them remained, it would be more than enough to end Zhang Wen’s life.
Thus, with his decision made, Zhang Wen immediately turned his attention to the nearest opponent—the two brothers standing on the right side of the room.
Focusing all his attention, the two brothers naturally wouldn’t be caught off guard like the silver-haired man had been moments ago. Although they sensed that Zhang Wen’s speed was beyond imagination, they still reacted with a trace of mocking smiles.
“Hey!” the two brothers shouted in unison, swinging their arms from opposite directions. Just as their arms reached mid-swing, a massive cleaver, wider than themselves, suddenly materialized in each of their hands!
The two cleavers, each several meters long, crackled with energy and hissed as they sliced through the air like the blades of a giant pair of scissors, trapping Zhang Wen between them!
If the opponent had been a martial artist unfamiliar with the brothers, even if he possessed the same speed and strength as Zhang Wen, he likely would have been cut into three pieces by this sudden “giant scissor” attack!
“Farewell!” The two brothers were clearly confident in their strike. Before the cleavers even appeared in their hands, they had already coldly muttered the lines they would say after killing Zhang Wen.
However, just as the cleavers appeared in the brothers’ hands, Zhang Wen suddenly leapt into the air! He soared just high enough to narrowly evade the deadly cross-cut of the two cleavers.
“Ahh!” Completely unprepared for their killing blow to miss, the brothers instinctively cried out in shock. Meanwhile, their massive cleavers continued forward due to inertia.
Yet, in their shock, the two brothers completely failed to notice that Zhang Wen’s jump was not merely to dodge their attack!
As he leapt, Zhang Wen had already positioned his body mid-air, slightly leaning forward with his legs slightly bent. When the two cleavers crossed beneath his feet, he suddenly pushed off with all his strength, channeling his full energy into a powerful downward kick onto the blades.
Propelled by the explosive collision of energies, Zhang Wen’s speed suddenly increased tenfold! Like a bolt of lightning, he shot toward the still-stunned brothers.
At that moment, Zhang Wen moved so fast that even the other Saint-level martial artists in the room couldn’t track his movements! They only saw a violent explosion as Zhang Wen’s foot struck the cleavers, tearing up nearly half the room’s carpet and furniture.
Countless pieces of shredded carpet swirled into the air, temporarily obscuring everyone’s vision. When they finally managed to locate Zhang Wen again, he had already passed the two brothers.
At the same time, the remaining three Saint-level fighters witnessed two jets of blood, several feet long, spraying from the brothers’ bodies as they collapsed to the ground.
Zhang Wen, however, had already twisted his body mid-air. Using the momentum from his previous charge, he crouched against the wall and then pushed off with full force, launching himself like a bomber straight toward Shay and the bald giant beside her.
The impact of Zhang Wen’s sudden change in direction caused another thunderous explosion within the room. Fortunately, the walls of the arena had been reinforced with the strongest sea urchin stone, or else the force of Zhang Wen’s push might have collapsed the entire wall.
“Shay! Watch out!” At the exact moment Zhang Wen launched himself, the blond leader shouted in alarm, realizing his intention.
And just as the blue-haired Shay seemed to still not understand what had happened, the bald giant behind her suddenly grabbed her collar and hurled her backward with all his might.
Zhang Wen’s attack arrived precisely at the moment the bald giant threw Shay. In an instant, their bodies had already crossed paths.
Puh! The bald giant’s body erupted in a spray of blood as his massive frame crashed heavily to the ground. However, Shay, thrown forcefully backward by the giant, had escaped Zhang Wen’s range of pursuit. Landing with his energy spent, Zhang Wen could only watch helplessly as Shay twisted mid-air and landed steadily in a corner of the room.
“Wil brothers, Murphy!” At this point, the blond leader finally had time to call out the names of the three fallen comrades.
“Damn it! I’m fine!” Not long after, the younger of the Wil brothers rose to his feet, covered in blood and with a savage expression.
A deep wound, nearly down to the bone, ran across the left side of his shoulder near his neck—the source of the blood that had sprayed earlier.
“Damn it! My brother looks bad!” The younger Wil spat out some blood before quickly glancing at his older brother, who had fallen at nearly the same time.
On the right shoulder of the older Wil, Zhang Wen had left a wound nearly identical to his younger brother’s. The only difference was that the older Wil’s injury was far worse—he had had his neck artery severed and was now desperately clutching at his bleeding throat, his face twisted in pain.
Such a severe wound would have been fatal to an ordinary person. However, if a Saint-level martial artist could be so easily killed, they wouldn’t deserve the title “Saint.”
For the older Wil, the wound only temporarily incapacitated him. He had more than enough energy to control his body, forcibly reconnect the artery Zhang Wen had severed, and keep his blood flowing.
In fact, when Zhang Wen attacked the Wil brothers, his original intention had been to eliminate both of them in one strike. Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected the brothers’ energy reserves to be so immense! After pushing off the cleavers with full force, the explosive speed he gained was so intense that even his senses—sharper than an ordinary person’s by several times—struggled to keep up.
As a result, when he passed by the two brothers, he barely managed to swing his sword at neck height. As to whether it hit them, or where exactly it struck, Zhang Wen himself had no control.
“I’m fine too.” Almost as soon as the younger Wil spoke, the bald giant, also struck down by Zhang Wen, slowly rose to his feet. His voice carried both coldness and a trace of pain.
During the earlier explosive clash of energies with Zhang Wen, countless wounds had torn across the bald giant’s massive body. However, those seemingly terrifying minor wounds weren’t the source of his pain. A closer look revealed that the lower half of his left elbow had vanished entirely.
“Damn it! How the hell did this happen? He barely has enough energy to qualify as a Saint, and yet… he took us all down like this…” Seeing the giant’s injuries, the younger Wil placed his massive cleaver in front of him. His face paled, and his voice trembled slightly.
Hearing his younger brother’s trembling voice, the blond leader frowned deeply, his expression instantly turning cold.
At that moment, the silver-haired man had just drawn his mind-steel from his waist, transforming it into a slender crystal blade.
“You two idiots! This guy has met that woman who just arrived! She’s seen all your moves in action before! Did you really think someone who knows everything about you would be unprepared? Using flashy moves in such a small room against an opponent who knows your every trick—you’re practically asking to die! You should be thanking your lucky stars you’re still alive!” The silver-haired man sneered coldly at the younger Wil, showing no mercy.
“You bastard! I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you!” The mockery enraged the younger Wil, who muttered furiously, his eyes quickly filling with bloodshot rage as he glared at Zhang Wen.
“Haha, you useless lot! You got yourselves beaten into such a pathetic state. So pathetic!” Shay, who had been thrown behind by the bald giant, was still laughing. She licked her lips, each hand now holding a delicate dagger.
“Hmph! What are you so proud of? Stupid woman, do you realize why Murphy lost half his arm? If he hadn’t sacrificed half his arm to save you, you’d already have been pierced through the heart!” The silver-haired man immediately threw her mockery right back at her.
“Olefis, you bastard…” As soon as the silver-haired man finished speaking, Shay’s expression twisted in rage, her once-delicate face contorting.
Though the remaining five uninjured Saint-level fighters mercilessly mocked and cursed each other, their hatred seemingly even greater than that toward Zhang Wen himself, their actions revealed that their attention remained fixed on Zhang Wen the entire time. The moment Zhang Wen, standing in the center of the room, made even the slightest move, they would react instantly.
This seems a bit troublesome… Zhang Wen stood silently, watching the five remaining Saint-level fighters surround him, his expression calm, though inwardly he sighed.
In the first attack of their engagement, Zhang Wen had inflicted serious injuries on three of the six arrogant Saint-level fighters—an astonishing blow. On the surface, it seemed like a near-perfect performance by Zhang Wen. However, despite this apparent advantage, Zhang Wen’s expression did not relax at all—it grew even more solemn.
In that single strike, Zhang Wen had used his most proficient Ghost Step technique, and to maximize the surprise effect, he had also unleashed the most powerful move in his Spring Water Technique—Extreme.
Before this, Zhang Wen had never used Extreme in actual combat, which led to a miscalculation. He hadn’t expected the move’s power or the amount of energy it consumed to be far beyond his expectations.
With just one attack, Zhang Wen had expended more than half of his energy reserves! His original goal had been to eliminate all four targeted opponents in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, he only managed a small portion of that.
The energy Zhang Wen had left was no longer enough to support another attack of that magnitude. Worse, his opponents would certainly not offer him such a perfect opportunity again…
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