Chapter 100: The Arrogant Xiu Nan (4000 Words)

[Prompt: Among the five members of the Holy Flame Society, only two are Secret Ring Masters; the other three are support personnel.]
[Prompt: Battle location marked.]

Xiunan looked up, his eyes indifferent. He thrust his hands into his pockets and walked quickly toward the distance.

Four blocks away, a chase was unfolding through the gaps between towering buildings. A slender figure darted rapidly through the alleyway, sprinting toward the exit in the distance. The alley was dim, with sunlight only touching the area near the exit. Within the narrow space between the buildings, a series of clear footsteps echoed, growing fainter as they moved away.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Two figures lunged around the corner. One was large and burly, while the other was as thin as a reed. Their only commonality was the flame-like red patterns lining their collars and sleeves.

"There!"
"Don't let her get away!"

Seeing the figure vanish at the exit, they hurried in pursuit. Their running speed was immense, surpassing the limits of ordinary humans; both were Secret Ring Masters.

*Swish! Swish!*

The two burst onto the street. But at a glance, there was only the bustling crowd on the sidewalk and rows of lively storefronts. Scanning back and forth, their fierce, malevolent expressions frightened many passersby. People avoided them, and some even surreptitiously took photos with their phones.

"Damn it! Lost her..." The burly man spat.
"Baker, notify the other three. Tell them to keep an eye on every intersection. We’ll search slowly..." said his reed-thin companion.

Baker nodded, pulled out a phone, and began making calls as they walked.

Just ten meters away, at a shop selling ornaments, a man and a woman were tightly embraced beside a rectangular counter near the entrance. The man looked plain and was clearly flustered; his face was flushed, his posture stiff. The woman was quite beautiful, possessing a standard, stunning face with natural, narrow, and charming phoenix eyes. She wore ordinary, neutral clothing, yet her lithe figure and striking temperament made her exceptionally eye-catching.

They stood locked in an embrace, looking like a couple fooling around, which drew little attention from others. Only a few young men glanced over with envy, whispering, "A fine cabbage being trampled by a pig..."

A moment later, the girl looked down. She stared at the man and teased, "Yo, buddy, your 'vertical grip' is rising?"

"Ah... no... you..." The boy’s face turned even redder. He had just come to the ornament shop to buy a gift for his mother, only to have a beautiful girl rush in and hug him. Crucially, the girl had a wonderful figure, and the scent of her hair caused a natural physiological reaction in the boy.

"Seems you're still a pure virgin. Nothing to be shy about. It’s just a physiological reaction, perfectly normal..."

The boy didn't have time to defend himself before the girl spoke for him, appearing strangely knowledgeable. "Back in my day, I had a..."

Before the girl could finish, her eyes caught two figures patrolling the street. She immediately turned her head, resting it on the boy's shoulder. Her slender hands pressed firmly, as if pushing her soft body into his embrace. Before the boy could become even more distracted, he suddenly realized his feet were off the ground!

The boy was lifted up and rotated forty-five degrees to the right, facing the street, his expression one of utter bewilderment. The girl remained in a delicate, bird-like posture. Nearby, several guys looked over again, stealing glances at the girl’s pretty face.

"Cough... cough... Miss... could you... could you lighten up? I’m almost being squeezed out of breath..." The boy looked like he was suffering from kidney deficiency.

The girl carefully turned back, and only when she saw the two men had passed did she loosen her powerful grip. The boy shuddered, his feet finally touching the ground. The girl walked to the side of the shop and peeked outside again, scanning the area several times. She let out a sigh of relief and turned back. The boy looked at her with curiosity and confusion.

The girl offered a smile: "Bye-bye."

With that, she walked quickly out.

"Wait, what’s your name? Can I have your phone number..." the boy stammered.

"Qiu Lin. Also, I don't use a phone."

The girl didn't look back as she stepped out of the shop.

***

On the other side, there were only a few pedestrians on the street, with cars occasionally whizzing by from the distance. *Swish!* A gust of wind followed them. The road and sidewalk were clearly separated, lined with black street lamps that were not yet lit. Every so often, there was a trash can, with white plastic bags swirling around them.

Xiunan walked slowly along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. Although his pace was that of a normal person, his long legs covered much more ground. He was following the prompts to the marked location.

The street lamps moved backward one by one, the number of people on the road thinned, and the atmosphere became quiet. At a distant intersection, a man in a black hoodie was holding a phone, apparently in the middle of a call. He walked quickly, then hung up.

Suddenly, the man stopped. He pulled a silver necklace from his collar, holding a metal pendant that was now flashing red. The man with the necklace scanned his surroundings intensely. He immediately noticed the tall man walking toward him; aside from this suspicious figure, there were no other pedestrians on the street.

The man’s eyes flickered, and his right hand moved with a quick motion. A sharp dagger slipped from his sleeve, its blade etched with two sinister blood grooves. He hid his arm behind his back, lowered his eyelids, and walked forward, pretending to be a normal pedestrian.

*Tap, tap, tap... Tap, tap, tap...*

The distance between them closed. Their footsteps seemed to overlap, falling in perfect unison. Ten meters, five meters, three, two, one...

At the moment they brushed past each other, a ferocious light flashed in the necklace man's eyes. He swung his right hand from behind his back, the blade thrusting straight at Xiunan.

"Boom!"

A blurred black shadow flashed behind Xiunan. The necklace man froze on the spot, his body as rigid as wood. His head had vanished, blasted away like a cannonball. A sinister, armored arm remained suspended in mid-air, as if it had grown from Xiunan’s back. The fist was massive, nearly twice the size of a human head, with warm blood dripping from it.

*Clang.* The dagger fell straight to the ground.
*Thud.* The headless corpse collapsed backward, limp.

Hot blood sprayed out like it was endless, flowing silently and rapidly across the pavement. The arm protruding from Xiunan's back moved, slowly reaching down to pick up the necklace. The palm moved in front of Xiunan and opened; the metal pendant was flashing at a high frequency.

"Heh, small fry of the Holy Flame Society..."
"Is this how you track the Fire Seed?"

Xiunan shook his head and suddenly squeezed his hand. His massive fingers crushed the pendant into scrap metal, inch by inch. With a flick, the mangled iron ball was driven straight into the corpse's chest like a cannonball. The headless body shuddered, the clothes tore, and a black wallet tumbled out from the inner pocket of the hoodie.

"A bit thirsty. Time to buy some alcohol..."

A hand grabbed the wallet and pulled out three banknotes. After folding them, he tucked them into his pocket. The Pale Knight’s arm retracted back into his body. He walked away, heading toward the target area.

***

*Crunch!*

A massive hand descended, blotting out all of the man's vision with darkness. His entire head was instantly enveloped by the palm. Five fingers closed slightly, squeezing inward like a vice, crushing the skull inch by inch. After a series of teeth-gritting sounds of grinding bone, blood spurted from between the fingers, followed by a flow of white, semi-solid matter.

The Pale Knight released his grip, and the man knelt to the ground. His skull had been crushed flat, twisted like a pretzel. The diameter of his head had been reduced by more than half.

"All ordinary people. Must be a subordinate branch of the Holy Flame Society. At best, they count as assassins..."

In the shadows, Xiunan lifted his feet to step onto the street. Suddenly, the phone on the corpse began to ring. He knelt, took the phone, unlocked it, and answered. A duck-like voice came from the other side.

"Ryan, what’s going on with Bort?! Why isn't he answering his phone? You and Link go check on his situation. I've already notified Link, and he’s on his way to you. Remember, keep an eye on the passing pedestrians..."

Xiunan’s lips curled into a slight arc.

"Did you hear me?"
"Why aren't you answering?"
"Speak up... are you a mute?"

On the street, the thin man was dialing the phone. His burly companion watched him with a frown. Suddenly, a voice came from the other end of the line.

"He's not a mute..."
"It's just that dead men don't talk."

*Beep, beep, beep.* Then came the sound of a disconnected line.

The two looked at each other, their expressions grave.

"Gary, it seems the situation has changed..."
"Ryan and Bort have been taken out."

The thin man named Gary muttered to himself. He realized something and picked up his phone again, quickly dialing a number.

"Beep, beep... beep, beep..."
"Hello?" Link's voice came through.

Gary breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, "Ryan and Bort have been taken out! Get over here and meet up with us; we’re at 3 Golden Orange Street..."

*Boom!* Before he could finish, an explosion sounded on the other end, followed by a scream that was cut short. *Click.* It sounded like the phone had fallen to the ground.

A moment later, a series of footsteps grew clear and approached. Someone had picked up the phone. A strange voice spoke for the second time.

"Golden Orange Street? I'm coming..."

*Crunch.* The phone was crushed by a powerful force.

Gary’s features twisted in rage: "How arrogant! They’ve wiped out three of our people!"

"It must be someone from the Golden Spiral organization..." The companion, Baker, remained calm. He analyzed the situation rationally: "Should we request support from above? There are only two of us left..."

"Support? Heh, no need. I’m an elite member of the Holy Flame Society; can’t I handle this little matter? They’re just acting cocky because they killed a few ordinary people. We’ll stay here and wait for him to come to his death..."

Gary pinched his earlobe. His tone was strangely calm, less irritable than before. But his partner, Baker, knew this was a sign of extreme rage—a desire to tear the enemy into pieces.

"Whatever, you're the team leader. I’ll listen to you." Baker shrugged; he didn't feel much apprehension. The target's helper had only killed three ordinary assassins, something any Secret Ring Master could do. They were official members of the Holy Flame Society, both skilled Secret Ring Masters. Team leader Gary was even an advanced elite member whose runes were specialized for combat. Even if the opponent was an elite member of the Golden Spiral, the two of them had a good chance of suppressing and defeating him.

On the other side, in a liquor store, Xiunan pulled a banknote from his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper. The owner quickly took a bottle of chilled White Coconut Wine from the fridge and popped the cap. A thin wisp of white mist rose from the bottle.

Xiunan took it, tilted his head back, and took a drink. A cool sensation flowed down his throat into his stomach, and instantly, he felt much better. He hadn't used to drink much, but during the ten-plus days on the ship, he had constantly been drinking and boasting with two college students from Corfallen University. He had experienced a sensation he’d never known before and developed a habit. Now, if he didn't have a bottle a day, he felt slightly uncomfortable.

Drinking wasn't good for the body, but Xiunan's physique had long since surpassed that of ordinary humans. Even if he drank alcohol like water, it wouldn't be an issue; he would never get drunk.

*Gulp, gulp.* His Adam's apple bobbed. He gave a satisfied burp, set the bottle on the table, and walked slowly toward Golden Orange Street.

From start to finish, Xiunan had never taken this sudden side-mission to intercept the Holy Flame Society to heart. Because this was a pre-quest for the main storyline, it wouldn't be difficult. It was simply a tutorial-style task. It couldn't possibly be like the Bone Island Soul-Killing, where he was chased by dozens of fierce Pale-Eyed Vultures the moment he arrived.

Tutorial tasks were generally simple and easy. All he needed to do was ensure the target being chased didn't get hurt within the hour, which was easy. Of course, Xiunan wasn't satisfied with just meeting the basic conditions; he could handle the advanced requirements as well.

Two members of the Holy Flame Society left. Let's slaughter them together...