Chapter 30: Releasing the Tiger Back to the Mountain?

Playing dirty?

A malicious sneer filled Zheng Mu's eyes.

What's wrong with playing dirty?

Looking at the corpses on the ground, Zheng Mu felt no fear or guilt. Instead, he raised his dual guns without hesitation.

Bullets flew out of the gun barrels, one after another.

With the enhancement of the [Nano-Magnetic Field Scan] skill, even Xiao Gu, a B-class, Lv39 Shadow Assassin, would be no match for him today.

Under the continuous barrage of firepower, and with Zheng Mu's cunning tactics, Xiao Gu was forced out of his stealth every time he tried to enter.

The encirclement grew smaller and smaller, and the few remaining henchmen who could still hold on were taken down by the explosions of electric stun grenades.

A Licker that pounced on them was decapitated with a single swipe.

Having roamed the underworld for so many years, Xiao Gu finally felt intense fear.

"Zheng Mu! I admit defeat. Let's all back off. You go your way, and I'll go mine. Let's pretend this never happened!"

At these words, Zheng Mu scoffed dismissively.

With the [Battle Analysis Lv3] skill, his bullets were able to accurately hit the trajectory of the enemy's next move.

Even now, this guy still had the nerve to be stubborn.

"President Xiao, you've been in the underworld for so many years, and you've done so many dirty deeds. Now that you're at the end of your rope, why do you still act so foolishly?"

"Do you think you can escape?"

Suddenly, Xiao Gu, who was completely suppressed behind a wall of debris, turned pale.

No matter how hard he tried to break free or what assassin skills he employed, he was always forced back by these bizarre adversaries.

Neither the paralyzing stun grenades nor the one-shot, one-kill shotgun blasts were things he could withstand.

Didn't he see the Lv35 Rockshield Warrior in his team get taken down in mere seconds?

Suddenly, Xiao Gu gritted his teeth, realizing that if he didn't find a way out today, he might not make it out alive.

"Zheng Mu! I admit defeat. I have a treasure map that leads to a hidden secret realm. If you let me go today, the treasure is yours!"

Zheng Mu furrowed his brows.

A treasure map to a hidden secret realm?

"Heh, President Xiao, do you think I'm a fool? You came to the Corpse Town late at night, trying to get lucky and find the secret realm that appeared a few days ago, right?"

"If you really had a treasure map, would you still be wasting your time here?!"

As he spoke, Xiao Gu felt the encirclement around him tightening.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and he didn't dare waste any more time.

"I'm telling the truth! The secret realm has a level cap of 30, and I was planning on selling it to a big shot! If you don't believe me, stop attacking, and I'll walk out and show you the map myself!"

"My storage bag is bound to me. If I die, you won't get anything!"

After Zheng Mu fell silent for a while, the gunfire finally stopped.

With a pale face, Xiao Gu cautiously emerged from behind the wall, his hands raised in surrender.

He finally got a clear look at what was surrounding him: five identical, tough-looking soldiers and three quadrupedal metallic beasts.

Recalling Zheng Mu's profession, Xiao Gu's face turned even paler.

"Why had he dared to directly confront Zheng Mu's group? Because he was confident in his own strength and the advantage he had on his side, which left him unable to see any chance of victory for Zheng Mu and his friends. It was as simple as crushing an ant, and he hadn't given it much thought.

However...

"I never would have imagined, Zheng, that you could create such outstanding mechanical constructs. If word of this gets out, the rumors of the Mechanist class being mediocre will surely crumble within a few years."

Unfortunately, Zheng Mu had no interest in entertaining this small talk. He waved the muzzle of his gun at him, and the man hurriedly produced a scroll.

Zheng Mu gave Leng Bingyue a knowing glance, and she immediately cast a detection spell.

"He's not lying. It really is a map of a hidden realm."

Hearing this, the once gloomy-faced man forced a sycophantic smile.

"Zheng, look, my Black Wind Guild is finished. Show mercy, let me go, and I swear I'll never appear before you again."

Zheng Mu pondered for a moment, then finally gestured with his hand.

The next moment, the circle that had surrounded the man opened up, leaving a gap behind him.

"Poker, are you really going to let this guy go? We almost died because of him!"

Cai Shengkun anxiously tried to persuade him, but Zheng Mu waved him off.

To the man, Zheng Mu said indifferently, "Leave the item, and you may go. I promise these mechanical constructs won't attack you."

Hearing this, the man cautiously set down the item and slowly stepped back with his hands up, his gaze wary as if afraid Zheng Mu would go back on his word.

However, Zheng Mu never moved, even as Cai Shengkun and Leng Bingyue anxiously urged him to finish the job.

Finally feeling safe, the man exhaled in relief. His eyes darkened as they locked onto Zheng Mu.

"Zheng Mu, I, Xiao Gu, will remember what happened today. You..."

"You're planning to take revenge on me, huh?" Zheng Mu raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Gu suddenly burst into mocking laughter, his voice filled with rage.

"Ha, revenge? You destroyed my life's work. Did you really think I'd just let it go? Zheng Mu, you've managed to elevate the Mechanist class, which was considered mediocre, to such heights. You're quite the character. But still..."

"You're just a naive child!"

At these words, Cai Shengkun, standing beside Zheng Mu, grew so agitated that he stomped his foot.

He was about to say something when his eyes widened in disbelief at something behind Xiao Gu.

The sound of metal echoed from behind Xiao Gu as he turned to see what had once been an unremarkable truck transforming into a seven or eight-meter-tall mechanical giant.

Gulping nervously, Xiao Gu turned back to see Zheng Mu's taunting smile.

He tried to say something, but a giant metal hand had already grabbed him.

"Ahhh!" (To be continued)