Chapter 24: Don’t Stab My Face

Zhuzi tended to get timid when faced with danger, but now, they had to give it their all.

"Nuannuan, you hide for now," Jiang Kai said.

Su Nuannuan nodded. Staying here would only make her a burden.

Once the team was ready, Jiang Kai took a deep breath and charged toward the riverside.

When he approached the smuggler's camp, the ever-alert smugglers quickly spotted him.

Jiang Kai originally planned to ambush a few of them—taking out one or two if possible—but now it seemed these smugglers had taken Black Hair's advice and made thorough preparations in advance.

Black Hair would never forget Jiang Kai's proficiency with throwing steel spikes; someone must have been set to keep watch!

"SOMEONE'S HERE!" a smuggler shouted loudly, immediately drawing the attention of his companions.

Jiang Kai casually flung two steel spikes, not caring whether they hit or not, then turned around and ran.

When Black Hair saw the spikes embedded in the ground, his eyes widened. "It's him. Kawaka, Kuroiku—it's that guy. QUICK!"

The entire camp was instantly roused, and several figures started frantically chasing after the intruder.

As Jiang Kai fled, a glint of cold light suddenly flashed in the corner of his vision—one of the smugglers was using a blowgun to attack him.

Fortunately, Jiang Kai's high agility allowed him to dodge the flying dart just in time.

He glanced toward the bushes where Zhuzi was hiding, then observed the chasing group's formation.

The group's attributes and strengths varied greatly; some were fast, while others were slow, stretching the team out by seven or eight meters.

Zhuzi couldn't control such a wide range.

After leading them on for a while longer, Jiang Kai noted that Zhuzi's hiding spot was just ahead. However, the extended chase had now spread the smugglers out over a distance of twenty meters.

As the smugglers pursued Jiang Kai, he suddenly skidded to a stop and spun around to charge toward them.

Black Hair, who hated Jiang Kai to the core, was at the front of the pack. Seeing his nemesis suddenly turn back, Black Hair was momentarily stunned.

'What's he doing?'

Before Black Hair could react, Jiang Kai had already dashed past him, heading into the group.

"Courting death!" Kawaka drew his long blade and slashed at Jiang Kai.

"Ghost Eye Focus!" Jiang Kai shouted. In his eyes, Kawaka's blade trajectory slowed down dramatically.

Jiang Kai sidestepped, and the blade narrowly missed him.

As Kawaka prepared to strike again, Jiang Kai had already slipped past him.

"DON'T HOLD BACK—KILL HIM!" Kawaka roared.

The smugglers behind him wielded their weapons, launching a chaotic barrage of slashes at Jiang Kai.

But Jiang Kai was like a slippery eel, dodging left and right, narrowly escaping their blades again and again.

"DAMN IT! I'LL KILL HIM!" Kawaka, more irritable than Black Hair, yelled as he chased after Jiang Kai.

Hiding in the bushes, Su Nuannuan's heart was in her throat.

This was real face-to-face combat, one against nine. If Jiang Kai made even the slightest mistake, a single cut could be fatal.

Though Jiang Kai's agility was higher than theirs, and he had the Ghost Eye to assist him, the enemy still numbered nine.

"My god, Jiang Kai!" Su Nuannuan gasped in fear.

Meanwhile, Zhuzi, hiding in the grass, watched Jiang Kai dart and weave through the enemy ranks, his throat tightening. He muttered repeatedly to himself, "Don't panic, don't freak out. I can't screw this up. I can't screw this up."

"I have to pass the rookie trial!."

Jiang Kai was in extreme danger, surrounded by enemies. But at the same time, the smugglers' efforts to encircle him brought them closer together.

In the flurry of blades and strikes, Jiang Kai's dodging space grew smaller and smaller.

Amid the chaos, Jiang Kai was finally slashed by Kawaka, leaving a gash on his left arm.

Jiang Kai was injured.

Su Nuannuan quickly covered her mouth, stifling a scream.

With the situation turning in their favor, Black Hair grew smug. "Chinese brat, killing you will be an overachievement."

"Our country is small and cramped, but Ghost Star is our hope. We won't let your China grow strong here."

"Everyone, kill him! Cut him into pieces for me!"

At that moment, Jiang Kai suddenly shouted, "NOW!"

For two seconds after his shout, nothing happened, leaving Jiang Kai stunned. Zhuzi's hiding spot remained silent.

'It's over!'

Just as despair began to set in, a massive figure burst from the waist-high grass, leaping high into the air.

"EARTH-SHAKING STOMP, KNOCKBACK!"

Seeing the lumbering giant, Jiang Kai couldn't help but smile faintly.

'That's my brother! Even if he was two seconds late and cost me an extra wound, he would never leave me behind.'

As Zhuzi landed, the ground around him seemed to sink ten centimeters with a thunderous boom.

When fear unlocks potential, Zhuzi's hidden strength seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

The smugglers barely had time to react when a massive force sent them flying into the air.

All nine of them, without exception, were lifted off their feet.

"Ghost Hand Throwing Cards! Ghost Eye Focus!" Jiang Kai activated both skills simultaneously. Only by doing so could he hope to eliminate all nine of them in a short time.

Poisoned spikes flew from Jiang Kai's hands in all directions.

In that instant, Jiang Kai seemed to transform into a poison-spiked boar, launching barbs at will.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sounds of spikes piercing flesh were accompanied by the smugglers' anguished screams.

When the nine men hit the ground, their bodies were riddled with spikes, convulsing violently as they foamed at the mouth.

The combination of Zhuzi and Jiang Kai's abilities had wiped out all nine enemies in one fell swoop.

Jiang Kai sighed in relief and punched Zhuzi in the back. "If you'd been one second later, I'd be dead!"

Zhuzi scratched his head sheepishly. "I was so nervous my legs went numb while crouching there."

Jiang Kai couldn't help but laugh at his excuse.

No matter what, they had narrowly escaped danger. More importantly, Black Hair hadn't escaped this time, finally eliminating the threat.

"Quick, loot their stuff!" Jiang Kai called out. He then waved at Su Nuannuan. "Nuannuan, come split the XP!"

Su Nuannuan rushed over, still shaken. "Jiang Kai, you scared me to death just now."

"It's fine. It's all settled now. Let's divvy up the XP," Jiang Kai said casually.

Su Nuannuan suggested, "Jiang Kai, Zhuzi, how about we let Zhuzi level up to three, and then prioritize leveling you up? I think if you're a higher level, it'll be safer in case we encounter more enemies."

Zhuzi nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! I was scared out of my mind earlier. I thought you were going to get hacked to death."

"I'm fine at level three already. But if you're too low-level, what if you die?"

Jiang Kai frowned, about to refuse, but Zhuzi interrupted. "Stop wasting time. I'll just take two kills, and the rest are yours. This is for all of us to pass the trial. Hurry up, or the loot will disappear."

Hearing the reminder about wristwatches and weapons vanishing, Jiang Kai snapped out of it and quickly finished the job.

Black Hair lay motionless on the ground, his face sideways, his eyes wide open.

He watched helplessly as Jiang Kai and Zhuzi shot arrows into his companions' faces, trembling uncontrollably.

When Jiang Kai approached him with a steel spike, Black Hair's eyes filled with both rage and fear.

"No, no… don't… don't stab my face…" Black Hair stammered.

THUD!

The steel spike pierced through the black mole on his nose, impaling his face.

"So noisy. I don't even know what you're saying," Jiang Kai muttered, removing Black Hair's wristwatch and weapon.

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