Chapter 128: Disappearance

Ignoring the danger, Chang’an and Lei Li craned their heads to peer ahead.

For some unknown reason, the hundreds of black-clad men had suddenly descended into chaos. Some were even firing at their own comrades.

While the three of them were baffled by the scene, Chang’an noticed a black shadow suddenly appear beside one of the black-clad men. Barely a fraction of a second later, the shadow vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. The process happened so quickly that Chang’an thought he was hallucinating.

But he quickly realized it was no illusion. He saw the black-clad man who had been standing there drop to his knees in slow motion, as if frozen in time. Then, his head toppled off. The smooth, bowl-sized cut looked eerily like a CGI-rendered 3D anatomical slice, impossibly clean. Chang’an could even see the white trachea and twitching muscle tissue within the severed neck. Blood only began gushing out seconds later, flowing like a faucet and pooling on the ground.

As Chang’an stared in shock at the dismembered head, ten more black-clad men met the same fate, their heads severed in the exact manner.

No one could understand what was happening. The remaining black-clad men could only watch in terror as their comrades inexplicably died beside them—then quickly realized their turn was imminent.

“Monster, it’s a monster!” someone finally screamed.

The chaos intensified. At first, only one or two people fired randomly, but soon, more and more began shooting indiscriminately, aiming at any shadow they could perceive. However, since everyone on-site was dressed in black, friendly fire skyrocketed.

The number of accidental injuries and deaths multiplied rapidly. Men collapsed everywhere—some managing to run a few steps before their heads fell off and their bodies crumpled to the ground. The seasoned assassin from the covert team, usually unfazed by death, felt a bone-deep chill at the sight.

This was something no human could achieve. Could a blade really move so fast that the victim didn’t even realize they were dead?

Watching the ghostly black shadow flicker in and out of sight, leaving death in its wake, Lei Li asked dazedly, “Chang’an, is that really Master?”

Chang’an didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on the unfolding nightmare.

“Stop shooting! What’s going on?!” yelled the refined-looking officer in charge, standing at the rear. From his vantage point, all he could see was his subordinates descending into chaos, firing at one another like lunatics.

In just two minutes, over a hundred highly trained soldiers and mercenaries had been reduced to lifeless bodies on the ground, their heads severed like broken mannequins. Another fifty or so had been killed by friendly fire. The floor was awash in bright red blood, pooling in grotesque streams.

The commander desperately shouted for his men to regroup, but his voice was drowned out by the omnipresent cacophony of screams, gunfire, and wails of agony.

The black shadow only appeared momentarily during each kill, disappearing just as quickly. No one could predict where it would strike next. Even the fastest shooters only hit its fading afterimage.

“What is that?!” screamed the man in the white suit, his bloodshot eyes glued to the monitor showing the chaos at the exit.

“I… I don’t know,” one of his subordinates replied, sweating profusely.

“Tell Jack to bring everyone over there for support, immediately!” The man slammed the table in frustration.

Turning back to the screen, where the black-clad men were falling one after another amidst the elusive shadow, his face grew grim.

“Monster,” he muttered weakly, sinking into his chair.

Five minutes later, another group of black-clad men arrived from the rear to flank the intruder.

At the front of the group was a man around forty years old. He froze in shock as he took in the grotesque scene before him, which looked like a slaughterhouse.

Were those men really killing each other? Had they all gone mad?

But soon, he saw something chilling: the heads of two black-clad men fell in an eerily unnatural way. At the same moment, he caught sight of that faint, fleeting shadow.

Is this the monster Old Jess mentioned? Could this… thing… really have killed all these people? For a moment, Jack felt icy coldness spread through his body.

“Everyone, fire at the front! Now!” Jack shouted as he raised his submachine gun and opened fire, not waiting to explain.

Spurred by his lead, the men behind him also opened fire, targeting the ten or so surviving black-clad men. They assumed those “madmen” were the real threat, shooting indiscriminately in the chaos.

“Chang’an, should we help Master?” Lei Li asked from their hiding spot.

“Wait. If we throw the bomb now, it might injure him. Besides, judging from what we’ve seen, bullets don’t seem to hit him anyway.” Chang’an had calmed down after observing for a few minutes.

After a wave of indiscriminate gunfire, Jack suddenly raised his hand. “Cease fire!” he commanded.

The shooting stopped immediately.

The remaining black-clad men were all lying in pools of blood, except for one, who stood with his back to them.

Jack’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Even from a glance, Jack could tell the lone man had been riddled with bullets—his standing form was sustained by something unnatural. What is behind him? Jack gripped his weapon tightly, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.

Finally, the black-clad man fell. As he hit the ground, Jack clearly saw someone standing behind him.

It was a young man wearing a black jacket, holding a knife. Strangely, Jack thought he saw a faint silver glow surrounding him—though he couldn’t be sure if it was just his imagination.

“Who are you?” Jack shouted.

“The one here to kill you,” came the calm reply.

The voice was soft, but somehow, everyone heard it.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Jack felt a shiver run through him as his eyelid twitched involuntarily.

“Shoot him!” Jack roared, firing at the young man. The others followed suit.

To their shock, the bullets moved as if in slow motion, and the man effortlessly dodged them.

In Lei Yin’s eyes, time seemed to stretch infinitely. He could see the bullets flying toward him so clearly that he felt he could simply reach out and grab them.

But he had no time for idle thoughts. He didn’t know how much longer his body could hold out. He needed to kill all his enemies before he collapsed.

After dodging the first wave of gunfire, he began to move.

To the onlookers, he vanished.

There was no rhyme or reason to it—this large man simply disappeared into thin air.

Before Jack could react, the man reappeared right in front of him.

A second later, Jack felt a chilling sensation on his neck…

※※※

After decapitating the last black-clad man, Lei Yin stood silently on the blood-soaked floor.

Except for the soles of his shoes, his entire body was spotless, including the dagger in his hand.

“Master…” Chang’an called out loudly.

Lei Yin appeared in front of them like a ghost, causing Lei Li and the covert team member to flinch instinctively.

“Mas—”

“Listen to me.” Lei Yin interrupted, his expression calm as usual.

The three stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Little Black, if I’m no longer around in the future, take care of yourself. Chang’an too, you…” He stopped mid-sentence and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Master!”

“Master, what’s happening to you?” Lei Li struggled to get up.

“Don’t move.” Lei Yin waved his hand weakly to stop him.

Lei Li froze, unable to do anything but watch him intently.

“Listen carefully. The power I’m using now is beyond what a human body can withstand. This body might not hold out. I hope we’ll meet again in your lifetimes. Take care of my family for me… Chang’an, watch over him.” Lei Yin coughed up more blood mid-sentence.

He could feel the enormous energy within him nearing an uncontrollable eruption. Knowing he had no time to say more, he turned and ran out of the base.

Before their eyes, Lei Yin disappeared again.

“Master! Master!” Lei Li shouted desperately.

Seeing him struggle to stand, Chang’an rushed over to restrain him.

“Lei Li, don’t move! Do you want to waste Master’s efforts?” Unable to calm him, Chang’an slapped him hard.

Seeing the tears glistening in Chang’an’s eyes, Lei Li finally turned his head away and began to cry loudly like a child, banging the back of his head against the wall as he wept.

※※※

Is it really over?

Lei Yin felt the energy within him about to erupt uncontrollably.

Not only was his mouth bleeding, but blood also began to flow from his eyes, ears, and nose.

He felt like an overinflated balloon, ready to burst at any moment.

Damn it. After all these years, why is this energy still so relentless, giving no room for negotiation?

This power wasn’t his own. It was a “gift” that came with being struck by lightning and becoming an immortal spiritual being.

During his first reincarnation, not knowing how to control this energy, his soul immediately caused the body he inhabited to explode into a bloody mess.

After three reincarnations, he finally learned how to suppress it.

But this immense energy was like a ticking time bomb. Once unsealed and used, it granted him unparalleled strength for a short time, but the energy only grew without diminishing. When it reached a level his internal energy could no longer suppress, it would cause his body to explode.

Touching the ring on his finger, Lei Yin let out a loud cry and threw himself into the sea…