Yue Hengyi counted the people present, realizing there were only ten. Aside from Chang Haojie, who was incapacitated in the vehicle, there was the leader and eight other mercenaries. Their numbers were not overwhelming, but Yue Hengyi's primary concern was the leader. His intuition told him this man was no ordinary individual, while the other mercenaries were of little consequence.
"First, we deal with these minor nuisances, then we take on the leader!" Yue Hengyi formulated his plan and prepared to execute it.
Upon seeing that everyone had finished packing, Mu Tong immediately initiated their move, leading his men south. The urban areas south of the Yangtze River were vast; traveling a few kilometers would make them difficult to locate. The place they chose to relocate to had been pre-arranged.
"Alright, gag this guy to prevent him from shouting and attracting attention. Prepare to move!" Mu Tong commanded the mercenaries, then took the lead.
Chang Haojie's mouth was promptly stuffed with a rag, torn from a mercenary's person. It reeked of body odor, nearly nauseating Chang Haojie. He could only resign himself to silence, unable to utter a sound. The pain in his heart was far more intense than the pain in his body.
"Whoosh," at that moment, a dark shadow suddenly emerged from the darkness. This shadow was incredibly agile, flashing past in an instant, leaving behind a gust of wind. Then, a mercenary slowly collapsed.
Everyone was stunned by this turn of events, especially the mercenaries. They shone their flashlights over, only to discover their fallen comrade was dead. A gaping hole marred his head, revealing a gruesome mix of red, white, and yellow matter, with brain matter splattered out.
"Enemy! Be careful, be extremely careful!" The mercenaries, witnessing this development, became instantly vigilant, scanning the surrounding darkness and constantly sweeping their flashlights.
One mercenary crouched down beside his fallen comrade and said, "Old Six, Old Six, how are you? Did you see the enemy's face?"
This mercenary clearly couldn't accept his friend's death. Mercenaries who teamed up in the apocalypse shared deep bonds. Now, their comrade had been killed by a hidden enemy, something they found utterly unacceptable.
"Get up, be wary of the enemy, and make sure to kill the enemy to avenge Old Six!" The others shouted urgently. The enemy hiding in the shadows was too terrifying, having taken one of their own in mere moments. There was no time to mourn their comrade's death.
Mu Tong also furrowed his brow in thought and walked over to the deceased. Looking at the fallen mercenary, he said, "He died from a blunt force trauma, seemingly from a club-like object. It was likely a weapon like a steel pipe that struck him. The fact that it was a fatal blow in one hit clearly indicates this is no ordinary attacker!"
Mu Tong began to suspect whether the hidden enemy was an evolved human or a superpowered individual. If it were merely a sneak attack by an evolved human, they could still handle it. However, if the enemy was a superpowered individual, they would be at a disadvantage in a real fight.
"Swish," at that moment, another shadow darted out from the darkness on the other side. Mu Tong quickly looked in the direction of the sound, only to see the figure holding a dark, club-like object, which looked very much like a fire poker. He swung the club, directly snapping one man's cervical spine. The man collapsed and died on the spot.
This time, the mercenaries became even more enraged. With two comrades killed consecutively, they could no longer restrain themselves. They all raised their rifles and roared into the dark expanse, "What are you hiding as? If you have the guts, stop skulking and come out for a fair fight!"
"If you acted honorably, I would naturally come out and fight you head-on. But your actions have angered me. You commit despicable deeds, yet demand honor from others? How laughable! I will kill you one by one!" Yue Hengyi, hidden in the shadows, shouted back.
The mercenaries didn't truly expect the enemy to reveal themselves. Their words were merely to pinpoint the enemy's location. Upon detecting signs of life, they immediately raised their rifles and opened fire. "Da da da..." Bullets poured out, directed towards the source of the sound, muzzle flashes continuously appearing. In the blink of an eye, a magazine was emptied.
Mu Tong also pulled out his pistol, vigilantly scanning his surroundings, ready to face the enemy in the darkness at any moment.
The gunfire erupted, turning the previously silent urban area into a cacophony. The sound of wild gunfire filled the air, but the darkness made it impossible to discern where the battle was taking place.
Coincidentally, Qi Lingshan, leading over twenty people, was operating in the southern urban district. In fact, Qi Lingshan had prioritized the southern urban district for their search. The city had been searched more than once, yet the two children remained unfound. This led them to believe the children were likely hidden outside the city, and the southern urban district was the most probable place for people to hide.
However, despite knowing the enemy was most likely hiding in this area, Qi Lingshan found the investigation difficult. After all, this region was incredibly vast. It was once a massive urban district capable of housing a million people, with streets connected to streets. Searching through it all would take days, not just one or two.
Now, upon hearing the gunshots, Qi Lingshan's eyes lit up. Wasn't this an opportunity?
"Quick, follow me! Let's go see where the gunshots are coming from. If we're lucky, we'll earn some merit. Let me tell you, the Deputy City Lord has already issued a bounty. Whoever finds her children will receive a reward of an ability-enhancing potion. Understand? What a great opportunity!" Qi Lingshan shouted to his subordinates. Although they were only from the intelligence department, they became excited after receiving Qi Lingshan's encouragement.
Chang Jianyiyi was also very concerned about her son's abduction, which was why she had issued the bounty, specifically targeting members of the City Lord's Mansion and the army. Whoever found her children would receive a reward of an ability-enhancing potion. For ordinary people, an ability-enhancing potion was an immense prize. The announcement of such a reward caused a sensation at the time.
Under a great reward, there must be brave men! When immense wealth is placed before people, no one can remain calm. This was precisely the situation; it was time to reap rewards!
Meanwhile, on Yue Hengyi's side, having dealt with two mercenaries, he found the Kang Long Mace in his hand increasingly effective. Its armor-piercing capability was unparalleled. With a single swing, it could kill an enemy! Of course, being able to wield a weapon weighing over ten kilograms with ease was not something an ordinary person could do.
Yue Hengyi, suppressed by the barrage of gunfire, was forced to hide in the shadows, afraid to make any rash moves. Fortunately, the surrounding streets were intricate, and the group was preparing to move. They stood in the middle of the street, with no cover in any direction, making it ideal for a surprise attack.
Yue Hengyi began to reposition himself, launching an attack from another direction.
This time, Yue Hengyi's attack was detected. The moment he emerged, Mu Tong, who had been observing, instantly raised his pistol and fired. The sound of "bang bang" echoed, and bullets grazed Yue Hengyi's hair. His movements had been predicted.
Yue Hengyi was terrified to his core in that instant. He hadn't expected anyone to be able to track his incredibly fast movements. He was a fifth-tier superpowered individual, yet he had been so easily located. He had been careless.
Although Yue Hengyi's speed wasn't comparable to someone like Shen Feng, who excelled in speed, his own speed was by no means slow. As a genius from the Superpowered Administration Bureau and one of the earliest fifth-tier superpowered individuals, his physical prowess was evident. When he truly exerted his speed, it was as swift as lightning, and ordinary people couldn't discern his movements.
Yet now, Yue Hengyi had been attacked the moment he emerged, which served as a stark warning. It seemed this leader was no ordinary person, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to predict his location so easily!
Yue Hengyi narrowly dodged two bullets. In reality, his ability to evade them was due to the opponent's hasty actions and their vision temporarily failing to keep up. If they were fighting in daylight with good visibility, the enemy could easily determine his position.
"Die!" Yue Hengyi, enraged, charged forward and swung the Kang Long Mace repeatedly, striking the backs of two men who hadn't reacted. These mercenaries were still foolishly looking ahead, likely believing they had the enemy suppressed.
In fact, apart from Mu Tong, no one realized that Yue Hengyi had stealthily circled behind them.
Yue Hengyi's movements were agile. He swung his weapon, directly hitting the backs of two mercenaries. "Crack" "Crack," the sound of broken bones echoed from their backs. It was clear their spines had been fractured!
"Ah..." Screams reverberated through the surroundings, echoing on the street. Although these two men didn't die on the spot, their fractured spines affected their nervous systems. While enduring the excruciating pain in their backs, their lower bodies became immobile, and they collapsed, paralyzed.
Now, the remaining four mercenaries also felt that something was amiss. They had initially thought this was a simple mission and had readily accepted it. However, it now seemed this mission was far from simple and fraught with danger!
"Mr. Mu Tong, we don't want your remaining payment. We're leaving now. We've realized that offending a powerful force like Yuzhou is definitely not a wise move. We're backing out!" the leader of the mercenaries shouted in fear.
Clearly, this leader now regretted his decision. If he had a choice, he would never have accepted this dangerous mission.
After speaking, the leader called out to the other three able-bodied men and prepared to leave. The other three were also terrified. In just a few minutes, half of their group had suffered casualties. If they continued fighting, let alone completing the mission, their entire group would be annihilated. There were also survival rules among mercenaries: the martial world is full of dangers, and if things go wrong, retreat. They were currently retreating, which posed no difficulty at all.
Seeing his helpers about to leave, Mu Tong quickly shouted, "If you leave now, you'll definitely be attacked. Stay with me, and we can still protect ourselves!"
The enemy was hidden in the shadows, constantly using sneak attacks. After striking, they would immediately retreat into the darkness without hesitation. With the enemy in the shadows and them in the open, standing still was the best course of action. A rash retreat would only lead to casualties.
Unfortunately, Mu Tong's words could no longer quell their fear. They had agreed to complete the mission for the remaining payment, with only a tenth paid as a deposit. However, seeing the situation turn dire, these men dared not linger and chose to retreat.
The mercenaries weren't entirely devoid of thought. The reason they acted this way was because they had clearly understood one thing: the reason they were being attacked was because they had captured the eldest son and two young masters of Yuzhou. Therefore, as long as they left, they would be out of this matter, and Mu Tong could handle everything himself.
The two paralyzed men on the ground, seeing their companions moving away, immediately began to cry out, "Take us with you, big brother! Aren't we sworn brothers? We don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we ask to die on the same day, month, and year!"
"Brothers, don't blame us. We've truly kicked an iron plate. But don't worry, we will support your wives and children. You can rest in peace even if you die!" The leader, along with the three intact brothers, fled, shouting as they went.