Chapter 685 - 36: Trap

Inside the abandoned residential building, about ten gunmen and several burly Fighters lay in wait. Hiding in the narrow hallways and a room with a missing door, they held their breath, anticipating Wu Han and Weidong’s arrival.

They all belonged to the same mercenary team. Following a client’s instructions, they were using a fake hostage to lure the two men into a trap. Per the client’s request, they were to capture them alive if possible.

Just then, they saw Wu Han and Weidong stop in front of the building. The mercenaries had already readied themselves, but were surprised to see the two men talk for a moment before suddenly turning to leave.

"What’s going on?"

"Why are they leaving?"

"Fuck, did someone expose us?"

They immediately grew anxious. ’Did we mess up somewhere?’ If the targets just walked away, they wouldn’t be able to complete the client’s job.

The leader barked, "Fuck it, who cares! Go! Don’t let them leave!"

Immediately, several Fighters smashed through the walls and charged out. The gunmen positioned near the front quickly moved to the windows and began firing at the two men from a distance.

Had Weidong and Wu Han entered the building, they might have been caught off guard. But they were still outside and already on high alert. When the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from inside, the two exchanged a look and immediately split up, running in opposite directions.

Just then, a volley of bullets landed behind them, but not a single one hit its mark. Once a Fighter starts running, their speed is incredible. It’s almost impossible to hit them unless the shooter has exceptional marksmanship.

After landing, the other Fighters charged straight for Wu Han and Weidong.

This time, all five Fighters from the mercenary team joined the attack. They were all men in their thirties and forties. Two went after Wu Han, while three charged toward Weidong.

The three who went for Weidong were the stronger ones. Their plan was to have the other two stall Wu Han while they focused their strength on taking down Weidong. After that, Wu Han alone would be no threat.

Wu Han ran for a bit, quickly getting out of the line of fire and moving to a spot beyond the enemy’s sight. However, two Fighters had already caught up. They were quite seasoned; instead of rushing to attack, they simply followed him, staying close.

Wu Han had seen three men surround Weidong. Normally, he wouldn’t think they could do much to him, but this situation was anything but normal. So, he didn’t run far. Reaching an open area, he stopped and turned to face the two men.

These two Fighters were armed with iron chains. Seeing him stop, they stopped as well, but they didn’t initiate an attack.

Their job was just to stall him. If Wu Han didn’t move, they wouldn’t either. ’Once the others take care of Weidong and come over to help, won’t it be easier to deal with this guy together?’

They placed more importance on Weidong because he was a student at Wuyi Academy. They knew he was formidable, so they had assigned their main force to him.

What they didn’t know was that Wu Han also came from Wuyi. He was a product of the formal combat training system and possessed a wealth of real-world battle experience. Furthermore, because he took on many jobs, he never lacked for the drugs he needed.

Wu Han looked at the two men, tossed aside the spear he carried on his back, then leaned forward. Pushing off with his feet, he charged at one of them.

The man in front raised his Long Sword, holding it on his center line in a defensive stance. The other also got ready, shaking out his iron chain with a RATTLE. As soon as the two engaged, he would provide support from the flank.

In just a moment, Wu Han closed the distance to two or three meters. He looked like he was about to make a direct thrust with his spear. At that instant, however, he suddenly twirled the spear shaft with his index and middle fingers, shifting from a standard grip to a reverse grip. Then, using the momentum of his charge, he violently threw it!

He threw it with such force that the momentum lifted him completely off the ground for an instant as the spear left his hand.

The Fighter opposite him never expected a spear throw at such close range and had no time to react. The weapon pierced straight through his open mouth and out the back of his head.

At this moment, the other man was halfway through his own charge. After landing, Wu Han used his forward momentum to grab the impaled man’s body, spinning it around to use as a shield with its back facing out. He vanished completely behind it.

The charging man saw the spearhead protruding from the back of his partner’s skull and involuntarily faltered. Just then, the corpse was shoved hard, flying through the air and hurtling toward him.

He scrambled to dodge, letting the body fly past him. But when he looked, Wu Han was nowhere to be seen. He froze for a second, then realization dawned. Whipping his head around, he saw Wu Han clinging to the flying corpse, staring right at him. The man’s eyes widened in shock.

But before he could make a move, a figure blurred. Wu Han had already launched himself forward. In mid-air, he reached out, wrapped one arm around the man’s head, and locked his grip with the other hand. Then, using his body’s momentum, he wrenched it back and down. With a sickening SNAP, the man’s neck broke.

After landing, Wu Han let the corpse fall to the ground. He immediately turned and started running, pulling his short spear from the other body on his way past. Wiping the sticky blood on his sleeve, he ran without pause toward Weidong’s location.

Meanwhile, Old Qi had been waiting back in the car. When the other two were on a job, he was responsible for negotiations, transport, support, route planning, and all other logistical work.

And while he wasn’t a Fighter, he was a veteran operative. Proficient with all kinds of firearms, he possessed a degree of combat capability himself.

When he heard the gunshots, he instinctively knew something was wrong. He immediately looked into the distance and saw the two being pursued.

His reaction was swift. He got out of the car, ran to the trunk, and dragged out a crate. He quickly opened it. Inside was a Combat Mantis their team had acquired on a previous job.

The only problem was, to get the thing to move, it needed a High-Energy Nutrient Supplement. That stuff was incredibly expensive; they had barely managed to afford two vials by pooling their money.

Following the instructions, he quickly injected the High-Energy Nutrient Supplement. In just a moment, the Combat Mantis tore through its thick packaging and leaped out.

Old Qi made a hand gesture and pointed forward. The Combat Mantis immediately leaped, unfolding its wings in mid-air and transforming into a blur as it shot toward the gunmen emerging from the building.

The group of gunmen, knowing their targets were unarmed, had charged out with almost no formation. But at that moment, a gray shadow flashed. With a SWISH, the man at the very front was suddenly sliced in two.

Everyone was horrified. They then saw a figure perched on the balcony of a nearby building. Its glowing red compound eyes stared down at them, its two sharp leg-blades exceptionally prominent.

One of the gunmen screamed, "A combat creature!"

Forgetting their pursuit, everyone immediately raised their guns and fired. But the Combat Mantis instantly dove down. Bullets striking its hard carapace PINGED off as if hitting metal. With a swish of its leg-blades, it lopped off another man’s head. It then leaped into the crowd, its sharp abdominal appendages impaling a screaming man to the ground.

Not all combat creatures are created equal. The Combat Mantis was a classic model from the Compound Eye Company—incredibly fast, capable of flight, and extremely powerful. Even a weaker Second Limit Fighter couldn’t beat one, let alone these gunmen who only had standard military-grade Implants.

One after another, men were killed in a matter of moments. Seeing how dire the situation was, the remaining gunmen scattered and fled. But it was no use. The Combat Mantis was too fast. It hunted them down one by one, leaving none alive. It only stopped after decapitating the last man a kilometer away.

Meanwhile, by the time the Combat Mantis had charged into the group of gunmen, Wu Han had already reached Weidong. He stopped in his tracks, however, because he saw that the three Fighters who had surrounded Weidong were now all lying on the ground. Weidong was calmly adjusting his own blood-soaked gauntlets.

He chuckled and cursed fondly, "Not bad, kid."

He figured their opponents had judged Weidong based on the fighting strength of an ordinary Wuyi Academy student. But that was completely off the mark. Weidong had tested his way up from a regional Wuyi branch.

Old Qi hurried over just then. "What happened?" he asked.

Wu Han said, "This job was most likely a setup. You guys wait here, I’m going to check something out."

He went back to the residential building by himself to take a look. He found that the so-called hostage was just a dummy. ’Fucking hell, they couldn’t even be bothered to make it look convincing.’ If Weidong hadn’t warned him, they might have been wiped out this time.

Ambushed by a dozen guns in a cramped room, there would have been no escape. Weidong might have stood a chance of getting out thanks to his Horizontal Training, but Wu Han himself would have likely been a goner.

He thought for a moment, then pulled the dummy down. ’Fake or not, as far as we’re concerned, the job is done. We found the "person," so they have to pay up.’

He returned outside and discussed it with Weidong and Old Qi. They all agreed that this was no simple matter, so he immediately contacted Chen Chuan. Once the call connected, he explained everything that had happened.

After listening, Chen Chuan’s gaze grew deep and calm. He said, "Don’t take any more jobs for the next couple of days. I’ll let you know when I’ve handled things on my end."

"Alright. We’ll lay low for a couple of days then."

After ending the call, Chen Chuan thought for a moment before walking out onto the balcony of his residence. He contacted Gao Ming. After a moment, the call connected. He asked, "Gao Ming, is everything alright on your end?"

Gao Ming chuckled. "Cousin, I’m currently handling several important clients. These clients are very powerful, so the firm won’t allow me to be replaced halfway through. I’ll be in a safe house today and won’t go anywhere. I’ll be waiting for you to resolve things on your end."

Chen Chuan grunted in agreement. "Do that."

After ending the call, he looked outside. ’According to the Pure Sect, this matter will have a result by noon today. It’s still two Hours until twelve. I’ll wait for now. If it’s not resolved by then, I’ll do things my way.’

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