Chapter 202: Battle

As Lei Yin stared at the enchanting woman in front of him, he realized she was far more formidable than he had imagined.

Her strength not only far exceeded that of Chiyama Genjiro, but if it weren’t for the railing blocking his path, he wasn’t sure how far he would have been thrown. Strength was one thing, but what truly mattered was her ability to attack with her psychic power without any warning.

It seemed his only chance to win was to engage her in close combat.

Exhaling softly, Lei Yin relaxed his muscles, then suddenly charged toward her at an astonishing speed.

“Why so enthusiastic all of a sudden? You’re going to make me shy,” Sasako said with a teasing smile, standing calmly as he approached.

Just as Lei Yin was less than three meters away from her, he was once again violently hurled backward toward the railing. This time, even Kazumi clearly saw it. Her brother was still a fair distance away from the woman, yet it was as if something invisible had struck him, sending him flying. She had no idea what the woman had done.

Having experienced the first collision, Lei Yin now knew the height of the railing. As he was about to hit it, he quickly extended his right foot to push against it, neutralizing the impact and avoiding another crash.

After steadying himself, Lei Yin calmly observed this beautiful yet troublesome opponent.

At this moment, Sasako said coyly, “Masashi…” In the moonlit night, her seductive voice could make any man’s throat tighten.

Lei Yin’s lips twitched slightly before he said, “If that’s the case, then I won’t hold back.” With that, he charged at her again.

As he approached the same distance as before, Sasako smiled. However, her expression quickly turned to surprise. Just as she was about to unleash her psychic power, Lei Yin suddenly veered to her right at an unbelievable speed. Then, with a swift leap, he threw his entire body toward her.

This series of movements happened in an incredibly short span of time. Before Sasako could react, she was already knocked to the ground.

After pinning her down, Lei Yin was about to restrain her hands when a familiar and powerful force suddenly hurled him into the air, just like when she had thrown him into the ceiling of the apartment.

Since they were on the rooftop, Lei Yin was flung ten meters into the air before falling back down.

Landing back on the ground, he fixed his gaze on Sasako, who had already stood up.

“Masashi, you’re so mean. You’ve dirtied my skirt,” she pouted, brushing the dust off her clothes.

“Don’t worry, I’ll burn a new one for you,” he replied calmly before charging at her again.

But before he could take a few steps, she suddenly extended her hand, and Lei Yin immediately found himself unable to move forward even a fraction of a step. This strange forcefield was something he had only experienced within a meter of Chiyama Genjiro, yet this woman had achieved it from over five or six meters away. This alone showed that she and Chiyama were on entirely different levels.

Sasako smiled and said, “You truly amaze me. It seems I can’t use the same move on you too many times.”

At that moment, Lei Yin suddenly retreated quickly, stopping only after moving beyond the range of the forcefield.

Blowing a gentle breath, Sasako said, “Masashi, do you still want to keep playing? You’re very strong, but after all, you’re just an ordinary human.”

Lei Yin said nothing. Instead, he reached down to his waist, drawing a short sword about a meter long, its blade wide as two fingers and glowing with a black sheen.

When Sasako saw him suddenly pull out a short sword, she smiled and said, “Oh, so you can perform magic too? Wouldn’t it be better to conjure up a gun instead?”

“As far as I know, bullets are useless against someone with abilities like yours. Perhaps this sword will be more effective than a gun.”

“Really? Then I’m curious to see how that turns out.”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Lei Yin replied, taking slow, deliberate steps toward her.

“Not charging in this time? You’re so aggressive, I wouldn’t dare get too close to you,” she teased, extending her delicate hand toward him again.

After a few rounds of attacks, Lei Yin realized that her strikes were not entirely without warning. It was just that the process happened so quickly that it seemed like there was no indication at all.

When he was about six meters away from her, he sensed a subtle ripple in the air—this was the only clue that she was about to attack.

Without time to think further, almost simultaneously with the ripple’s appearance, he swung his sword horizontally in one swift motion.

Sasako, standing before him, couldn’t discern what he had done. She only noticed a faint glimmer flash by. But in the next instant, a sharp pain surged through her palm, causing her to cry out in agony.

When she turned her right hand over to inspect it, she saw a deep gash from which bright red blood was slowly seeping out.

For a moment, Sasako stared at her injured hand in disbelief.

How was this possible? She had clearly set up a forcefield in front of her, and he was still five or six meters away. How could her hand have been injured?

“What did you do?” she demanded, clutching her wound with her left hand, her face filled with shock and fear.

“That’s a great question, but I refuse to answer,” Lei Yin replied, a dangerous smile playing on his lips as he continued to approach her step by step.

Sasako had completely lost her earlier confidence and playful demeanor. Since gaining her powers, this was the first time she had felt genuine fear and the threat of death—and from a non-esper, no less. Almost instinctively, she retreated a few steps backward.

When she had backed up almost to the rooftop railing, she suddenly leaped off.

Lei Yin hadn’t expected her to give up so quickly. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and vaulted over the railing, jumping after her.

Although it was three stories down, it didn’t faze Lei Yin. The moment he landed, he continued his pursuit of Sasako, who had already dashed over ten meters away.

Sasako used her psychic powers to accelerate her escape, but Lei Yin’s agility allowed him to keep up relentlessly. The speed of both exceeded human limits, making them appear like two phantoms chasing each other through the night.

After five or six minutes, Sasako’s physical stamina began to wane. As a woman, she couldn’t sustain such intense exertion for long. Gradually, her pace slowed.

Noticing this, Lei Yin surged forward with renewed strength, rapidly closing the gap between them until only five meters remained.

Hearing the increasingly distinct sound of footsteps and breathing behind her, Sasako felt a shiver run through her entire body. A terror unlike anything she had ever experienced consumed her mind.

She knew exactly what kind of man he was. Now that she had uncovered so many of his secrets, he would never let her go. Regret filled her thoughts. If she had known how dangerous he was, she would never have taken on this mission.

Fear gnawed at her nerves, and though she desperately wanted to escape the source of her terror, no matter how hard she pushed herself, he remained close behind. Worse, she could feel him getting closer and closer. The escalating sense of dread nearly drove her to madness.

At that moment, she suddenly felt her foot slip, and her entire body fell to the ground. Instantly, a cold despair filled her heart.

Seizing the opportunity, Lei Yin pounced on her without hesitation, pinning her beneath him. His right hand clamped tightly around her throat, while his left arm firmly wrapped around her waist to prevent her from throwing him off again.

Beneath him, Sasako was gasping for breath, her body utterly exhausted and unable to move.

Though Lei Yin was also breathing heavily, he was in far better shape than she was. Even so, he didn’t dare let his guard down against this woman. His grip on her throat remained unyielding.

The two of them lay intertwined in a way that might evoke inappropriate thoughts, yet no one could imagine that mere moments ago, they had been locked in a life-or-death struggle.

After a while, once Sasako caught her breath, Lei Yin spoke. “Looks like I’ve won this round again, Professor Sasako.”

Sasako sighed and said, “You’ve won. If you want to kill me, go ahead. But since I didn’t harm your sister, I hope you’ll at least make it quick and painless.”

Suddenly, Lei Yin said, “Don’t misunderstand. I never intended to kill you.”

“You’re not going to kill me?” Sasako turned her head to look at him in surprise.

“I’m letting go now, but don’t use your powers to retaliate. I want to have a proper conversation with you.”

“If my abilities were effective, I wouldn’t have been chased so miserably. Let go already; you’re hurting my neck.” Hearing that he wouldn’t kill her, Sasako quickly returned to her usual self.

Lei Yin couldn’t help but wonder what her nerves were made of. As the thought crossed his mind, he released his grip on her throat and removed his arm from her waist.

After standing up, Lei Yin didn’t put away his short sword. Instead, he held it in a reverse grip behind him, ready to strike at any moment.

“My foot hurts—it might’ve gotten twisted just now. Help me up,” Sasako said, wincing in pain as she tried to stand, her face showing a hint of discomfort.

Reluctantly, Lei Yin extended his left hand to her. As he did, he kept a close eye on this cunning woman, wary of any tricks.

After helping her up, she suddenly pretended to lose her balance and collapsed into his arms.

Rather than pushing her away, Lei Yin placed his free left hand on her back to steady her.

With her left arm wrapped around his waist for support, Sasako lifted her injured right hand to his face, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “You heartless man, look at what you’ve done to my hand.”

Lei Yin glanced down at her palm. The wound was covered in blood, and from her earlier fall, it was now smeared with dirt, a mixture of red and black.

“Mutual suffering—I nearly died at your hands too.” He ignored her pitiful expression, pretending not to notice her act.

Resting her head against his chest, Sasako said softly, “You’re the coldest man I’ve ever met. I can’t understand why I’d fall for someone like you.”

Seeing her try her usual tricks again, Lei Yin frowned. “Stop wasting time. Let’s talk about serious matters. I can more or less guess your identity, and you already know mine. I don’t know why you’re after that person, but it has nothing to do with me. I just want a peaceful life. I hope you won’t bother me again in the future. I’ll let this incident slide and won’t hold it against you, but if you dare target my family again, I promise it will be something you’ll never forget. No matter what, I’m still Yan Yuxiao’s disciple, second only to Lei Li in influence within the Black Dragon. If it comes to it, I’ll take you all on.”

Initially, Lei Yin had considered killing her to silence her, but Donald King’s report about Lei Li having contacted him had likely been seen by more than just her. Killing her wouldn’t solve the problem; her organization would simply send someone else. Instead of living in constant vigilance, it was better to let them believe he really was Yan Yuxiao’s disciple, thus diverting suspicion from his true identity. It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it was the best under the circumstances. Although this would likely still cause trouble in the future, it was better than them uncovering his true identity.

After thinking for a moment, Sasako said, “Alright, I’ll pass your message to my superiors. But what those old geezers decide to do is none of my concern.”

“Thank you. Now that business is settled, it’s about time for you to leave. With your skills, flying back shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Sasako pouted. “Do you think people with abilities are superheroes? I don’t care; you’ve injured me all over. The least you can do is show some gentlemanly manners and take me back.” As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around his neck affectionately.

Glancing at her, Lei Yin wordlessly sheathed the black sword back into his belt.

After his encounter with the escaped experimental subject in the parking lot, Lei Yin had specifically asked Chang’an to craft this flexible, resilient sword from a special metal, which he usually kept in his belt. During his last duel with Yebin, if Bryn hadn’t found an iron rod with reduced lethality, Lei Yin might have been forced to use this sword to kill Yebin.

Once the sword was secured, Lei Yin didn’t say a word as he scooped Sasako up in his arms.

As annoying as this vixen was, one thing was undeniable: she hadn’t tried to kill him. This much was evident from their earlier fight. Perhaps, as she claimed, she was only here to investigate.

Seeing his decisive action, Sasako gleefully kissed his cheek.

Throughout, Lei Yin kept one hand firmly pressed against the critical acupoint on her back. Although she had no reason to kill him, he remained on high alert with this woman.

Worried about Kazumi, Lei Yin carried her and ran back to the old house.

Upon reaching the third floor, he saw Kazumi still tied to the chair, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Though he had stationed snipers nearby before coming in, he knew they would be useless if Sasako had accomplices.

Seeing her brother carrying another woman back, Kazumi looked at him with confusion.

After setting Sasako down on a chair, Lei Yin walked over to Kazumi and began untying her ropes.

When the ropes were removed, Kazumi clung tightly to him. Watching this, Sasako couldn’t help but remark jealously, “Such deep sibling affection.”

Ignoring her, Lei Yin lowered his head and said to Kazumi, “It’s okay now. Let’s go home.”

Kazumi looked up at him with concern. “Brother, are you hurt?”

“I’m not hurt. Don’t worry.”

Seeing that he truly seemed uninjured, Kazumi relaxed a little.

Glancing at Sasako sitting on the chair, Kazumi asked, “Who is she, Brother?”

Lei Yin replied, “I’ll explain once we’re home.”

Kazumi nodded and didn’t press further.