Chapter 52 The Ballad of Blood and Battle

Chen Yi slung the quiver over his back, gripped his beloved compound bow, "Xun Zhen," and strode steadily toward Building 15. He silently thanked his ability to perceive spiritual malice through divine insight. Though he couldn't see where his enemies were hiding, their blood-soaked hands and the ominous aura clinging to them made their presence glaringly obvious.

From the moment he stepped onto the grounds of this abandoned construction site, he had noticed several streaks of blood-red malice rising into the air, their murderous intent slowly enveloping him. Some of these auras were faint, but their killing intent was wild and untamed, suggesting that their wielders were far more experienced and battle-hardened than the others. However, what truly made Chen Yi wary were two individuals whose presence radiated a palpable pressure—one ferocious and overpowering, like a tiger, and the other cold and venomous, like a snake.

Maintaining a steady pace, Chen Yi suddenly dove and rolled through a pile of construction debris, moving with the agility of a nimble monkey. Darting through the rubble at a speed rivaling that of an Olympic sprinter, he disappeared into the shadows of a derelict building, his figure vanishing from sight.

Though he had never served in the military or experienced the chaos of war, and his knowledge of urban warfare came solely from television and films, his experience as a hunter had taught him invaluable lessons. In the mountains, the most fearsome creatures weren't the massive wild boars with their immense strength, nor the lone wolves with their sharp claws and fangs, but the venomous snakes hidden in the underbrush, striking without warning. Their strength paled in comparison to wild boars, and their teeth were less lethal than a wolf's, but they were impossible to guard against and deadly with a single bite.

At this moment, Chen Yi became the venomous snake lurking in the jungle of steel and concrete. He knew exactly where his enemies were, but they had no idea of his location, nor whether his fangs were already dripping with venom.

Inside the abandoned building, Chen Yi hugged the wall, crouching low to the ground, his body almost grazing the floor. He kept his profile far below the windowsill, ensuring that no one outside could catch even a glimpse of him. In mere seconds, he had silently navigated through the ruins and climbed onto the second-floor balcony.

Below the balcony, crouched in the shadow of the corner wall, was a man clad in camouflage, gripping a bow. His eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the distance, his weapon already drawn, an arrow nocked and ready to fire.

From the size and shape of the bow, Chen Yi deduced that its range exceeded 200 meters. At close range, a shot from such a weapon would pierce muscle and bone alike, spelling certain death. The man's finger rested lightly on the trigger, ready to unleash a lethal strike at any moment.

Without a sound, Chen Yi landed behind him. Just as the man sensed something amiss and began to turn, Chen Yi struck with a swift hand chop to the neck, rendering him unconscious.

As Chen Yi examined the man's face, his brow furrowed slightly.

He recognized him—this was one of the two brutish bodyguards he had seen with Wu Fatty at the "Weiran Garden" complex.

Picking up the bow, Chen Yi noticed that the arrows were tipped with tri-blade broadheads. These arrowheads, regardless of where they struck a person, would inflict massive bleeding due to their wide cutting surface. Even a non-lethal hit would incapacitate the victim within moments. This discovery confirmed Chen Yi's suspicions—the perpetrators behind the abduction of the missing girls were these very men. The bows and arrows they used were identical in design and make.

The missing girls, the Weiran Garden, Feng Kun, the dragon's malice—these fragments of the puzzle began to coalesce in Chen Yi's mind, revealing the faint outline of a larger truth.

Feng Kun alone couldn't have orchestrated all this. However, Chen Yi recalled hearing that Feng Kun's family had received foreign investment two years ago to jointly develop the Weiran Garden complex.

The Weiran Garden happened to sit atop the vital point of a dragon vein in Quancheng—a critical nexus of geomantic energy. This nexus had been pinned down, its energy suppressed, and the mastermind behind it all was likely the foreign investor.

The blood of tiger-born maidens had been used to create a deadly feng shui formation, invoking the imagery of a struggle between dragon and tiger to permanently suppress the dragon vein.

By helping Luo Yan recover the last missing girl, Chen Yi had inadvertently disrupted their plans.

As for Han Wenxue, her fate of an early death had been decreed by the King of Hell himself. Her heavy yin energy and latent calamity made her an ideal candidate to lead the other "yin tigers" as their "calamity tiger."

Chen Yi pondered for a moment, his heart heavy with resolve. Yet, retreat was not an option. If he backed down now, Han Wenxue would undoubtedly suffer a horrific death. He had promised Old Master Han to keep her safe, and he would not shrink from that duty. Moreover, he wasn't entirely without a chance of victory.

He removed the earpiece from the unconscious man and placed it in his own ear. A voice, low but brimming with authority, came through: "The target has disappeared in Zone One. All units, stay alert. I repeat, the target has disappeared in Zone One. All units, stay alert."

Chen Yi wasted no time. He quickly set up a simple trap before vanishing into the shadows once more.

The unconscious man, propped against the wall by Chen Yi, suddenly lost his support and began to slump to the ground. Due to the rough texture of the concrete wall, his descent was slow.

By the time Chen Yi's silhouette had completely melded into the night, the man finally collapsed onto the ground.

A thin wire tied around his waist ran through a stone and was connected to a trigger mechanism wedged between two other stones. As his body hit the ground, the wire pulled taut, activating the trigger.

The bowstring sang a soft, deadly tune. The hunting arrow shot forth like a bolt of lightning, piercing through the man's abdomen and embedding itself deep into the concrete wall, sending shards flying.

The man, jolted awake by the searing pain, clutched at the wound gushing blood and let out a heart-wrenching scream. His cries shattered the oppressive silence of the night, echoing through the entire construction site.

The voice in the earpiece grew louder, the commander's tone now urgent and commanding. Orders were barked out in rapid succession, directing the other operatives to converge on the source of the scream. Chaotic footsteps thundered from all directions as several men, dressed similarly and armed with bows, rushed toward the scene. Within seconds, they reached the spot where Chen Yi had been moments earlier.

They froze at the sight of the blood pooling into a small stream and the arrow wedged between the stones. For a moment, they were at a loss.

The injured man lay writhing on the ground, his screams growing weaker as his strength ebbed away. The tri-blade arrowhead had caused extensive internal damage, leaving him with little hope of survival. Even if rushed to a hospital, his chances were slim. Here, in this desolate place, medical help was out of the question. He was as good as dead.

Though hardened by years of bloodshed, the sight of a comrade dying before their eyes stirred a wave of grief among the men—a grief they could not suppress.

"I'll make you suffer a fate worse than death," growled one of the men, his voice trembling with rage.

This was the other bodyguard Chen Yi had seen at Weiran Garden. He and the dying man had been close friends, often paired together on missions. Now, watching his comrade die in agony, his heart burned with fury. He raised his head to the dark sky and roared in anger.

As if in response to his cry, the twang of a bowstring echoed from the distance. A hunting arrow whistled through the air, swift as the wind and sharp as lightning.

"Watch out!" Jin Hu shouted in alarm, but it was too late.

The arrow found its mark, piercing through the man's mouth and exiting the back of his skull, pinning him to the ground. He died instantly.

"Whoosh!""Whoosh!"

Two more arrows streaked through the night.

Jin Hu leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles. His reflexes were exceptional, his movements swift, yet one arrow grazed his right arm, leaving a shallow but stinging wound.

The other arrow struck another operative square in the heart, passing clean through and pinning him to the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth as his body convulsed violently—death was inevitable.

Jin Hu's eyes burned with rage. He raised his bow and fired blindly into the darkness.

The remaining three operatives followed suit, loosing their arrows toward the same direction.

They cautiously approached the area where the arrows had originated, only to find a few scattered arrows and a trail of footprints. There was no sign of their assailant.

"D*mn it!" Jin Hu roared, slamming his fist into the wall.

The others wore grim expressions. What kind of enemy were they facing? Like a venomous snake, he struck from the shadows, killing with precision before vanishing without a trace. They had lost three men without even catching a glimpse of him.

How were they supposed to fight this? For all they knew, he could be lurking in a nearby corner, his bow drawn, ready to claim another life.

"Fools," muttered Tu She, who lay prone on a distant rooftop. Hearing Jin Hu's enraged outburst, he snorted derisively.

"Stupid tiger, check the window at your three o'clock."

Though he relished seeing the impulsive tiger humiliated, now was not the time for petty games. If Jin Hu wasn't careful, he might truly lose his life. Tu She begrudgingly offered a warning.

Hearing Tu She's voice through the earpiece, Jin Hu quickly turned to the indicated window.

Sure enough, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure disappearing from the window of the opposite building.

Chen Yi, having just loosed three arrows—two of which hit their mark—was disappointed to have missed Jin Hu, but he didn't linger. Greed for more kills could be fatal. He immediately relocated.

A venomous snake was deadly because it remained hidden in the shadows. If exposed, it was no more than a vulnerable creature awaiting death.

Before his enemies arrived, Chen Yi leapt from a second-floor window and darted into the adjacent building, preparing for his next ambush.

As he set up his compound bow in a new position, Tu She's mocking voice came through the earpiece once more.

Chen Yi didn't know how Tu She had spotted him, but the information was precise—he was indeed in Jin Hu's nine o'clock direction.

Without hesitation, Chen Yi ducked low and pressed himself against the wall.

In that instant, three arrows whizzed past, grazing his hair as they narrowly missed his head.