Chapter 213: Stop Over

“How many people are out there?” Hearing the explosion outside, Lei Yin loaded the submachine gun in his hands and asked.

Chang’an replied, “About 200 people. Also, their tactics are very similar to those of the special forces, so we suspect they were specifically sent to deal with us.”

“To open fire in a residential area… they must be seeking revenge for what happened last time. Where is Little Black?”

“He’s outside, commanding the new dark group members in battle.”

Lei Yin frowned, “That kid hasn’t changed at all over the years. As soon as there’s a fight, he forgets his identity. Their main target is still to capture him. Take me to him immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Chang’an quickly led Lei Yin outside.

As they stepped outside, they were met with the sight of flickering flames and constant explosions, resembling a battlefield. Oddly, the fire trucks and police cars had not yet arrived.

Chang’an sensed that something was off. “Sir, could it be…?”

Lei Yin’s voice darkened. “It’s possible. Perhaps there’s some secret agreement between them and the Swedish government. Luckily, they don’t dare to deploy helicopters openly, or the outcome would be uncertain. Never mind that for now; let’s assess the situation.”

When they arrived at Lei Li’s location, they saw the militant enthusiastically commanding several hundred members of the new dark group, launching a fierce counterattack against the intruders with their heavy weapons.

To avoid being in a passive position if attacked, Lei Li had decided after careful thought that their chosen city for staying would be Malmö, the third-largest city in Sweden. It was located at the southern tip of Sweden, near the eastern coast of the Öresund Strait, across from Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, which was only 26 kilometers away. In addition to ferries, there were also train connections, making it easy for them to escape to Denmark at any time.

Their residence was in a mid-sized, suburban area on the outskirts of Malmö’s old district. Near this residential area was a large forest where they could retreat to if the situation turned unfavorable.

But with a significant advantage in firepower and numbers, Lei Li hadn’t even considered retreating. He was solely focused on directing the new dark group members to push the intruders back to where they came from.

While he was deeply immersed in the fight, Lei Li suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He thought someone was ambushing him and was furious, immediately raising his submachine gun, ready to turn around and shoot the assailant into a Swiss cheese.

But when he saw the man behind him, disguised as a middle-aged person, was none other than Lei Yin, he hesitated and dared not act.

“Master, you’re here.” Seeing the anger in Lei Yin’s eyes, Lei Li’s heart skipped a beat.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Lei Yin asked with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

Having spent so many years with his master, Lei Li recognized this as the prelude to a scolding. He quickly stepped back. “Master, it was my mistake.”

Lei Yin scolded him, “Do you even know what you’re doing? You know those guys are after you, and yet you’re out here acting reckless. Are you trying to get yourself killed? Come with me now.”

“I just couldn’t hold back. I promise I won’t do it again next time.” Lei Li quickly instructed two of his deputies to take over command.

“I’ll deal with you later. What’s the situation now?” Lei Yin knew this wasn’t the right moment to punish him and asked as he walked into the house.

Hearing the question, Lei Li’s spirits lifted. “Those bastards are being suppressed and beaten back. Every time they stick their heads out, we make them run away, pissing their pants. Damn, this is better than anything, even better than last time.”

Lei Yin dismissed him with a scoff. “With the advantage of firepower and numbers on our side, even an idiot could lead us to victory. If we lose under these circumstances, you should never show your face again.”

Lei Li grumbled, displeased. “Master, that was too harsh, don’t you think?”

Lei Yin shot him a glare and was about to respond when, without warning, he fired a shot at Lei Li.

The sudden, unexpected action left everyone stunned. Lei Li, at the forefront, stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend why his master would do such a thing to him.

Due to their close distance, the bullet reached Lei Li quickly but didn’t hit him. Instead, it zipped past his ear.

A scream came from behind him right after. Chang’an and the other dark group members saw a line of blood appear out of nowhere behind Lei Li, growing more intense as it flowed.

The bizarre sight left everyone shocked.

Lei Yin, having fired, didn’t stop. He quickly discarded the handgun and grabbed the submachine gun slung over his shoulder, firing into the dark as he shouted, “Enemies approaching!”

Chang’an reacted swiftly, firing several shots behind Lei Li. The other members also started shooting in the direction Lei Yin was firing.

As Lei Li sidestepped to take a look, he saw a naked man, shot multiple times, lying motionless on the ground.

“Chang’an, what’s going on?” Lei Li asked, confused.

“That man was an esper. He was trying to approach you when Master noticed him,” Chang’an said, moving to Lei Li’s side and scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

Lei Yin stopped shooting and took a few steps back to stand next to Lei Li. “The fact that they managed to get this far shows they’re all espers. We need to be more cautious.”

“I didn’t expect you to find us. That’s surprising,” came a young male voice from the darkness, speaking in English.

Lei Yin scoffed, “The rat can’t resist coming out to steal, huh?”

“Your manners are terrible,” a blonde man in a black trench coat stepped forward, followed by five others dressed similarly, two of whom were twin brothers.

Although most of the dark group members were engaged in fighting off the intruders outside, ten fully armed members remained beside Lei Li, assigned by Chang’an to protect him at all times. When they saw the men approaching, Lei Li exchanged a subtle glance with them, and they instantly opened fire.

Almost simultaneously, the twin brothers stepped forward and raised their hands.

What happened next was beyond belief for everyone except Lei Yin. All the bullets aimed at them froze mid-air, unmoving, as if time itself had halted.

It was the first time Lei Li and the other dark group members had witnessed such an eerie scene, leaving them frozen, unable to continue shooting, staring ahead in disbelief.

A few sounds, like glass marbles falling to the floor, followed as the bullets dropped with the twins’ hands lowering.

“Give up. Your people are all occupied outside. In front of espers, ordinary people have no chance of winning,” the blonde man said, shrugging.

Lei Yin took two steps forward, a cold smile on his face. “espers? You’re just lab rats who were experimented on and lucky enough to survive. I really wonder, after those experiments, did your little brothers shrink to the size of those big-eyed aliens, or did they disappear altogether?”

The blonde man’s face darkened, his expression changing from the calm and composed look to one filled with rage and resentment. His eyes turned red, and a hateful glint flickered in them. The faces of the other men also darkened with anger.

Seeing the expression on his face, Lei Yin smiled. “Looks like I was right. How pitiful, turning out genderless at such a young age.” His voice was laced with feigned sympathy.

“You’ll regret what you just said,” the blonde man said, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.

“It seems that being too honest isn’t a good idea after all.”

Before Lei Yin could finish speaking, three bullets suddenly appeared in front of the twins and the blonde man’s foreheads almost simultaneously.

The three espers were caught so off guard that they had no time to react, staring helplessly as the golden bullets moved toward them. But just before they could be hit, the bullets stopped mid-air, less than half a meter in front of them.

At that exact moment, Lei Yin, wielding a black short sword that he had apparently been holding without anyone noticing, slashed at the blonde youth’s throat.

No one could see the motion of the sword; it seemed as if Lei Yin held nothing at all. But the black blade, like an invisible ghost, easily passed through the force wall capable of stopping sniper bullets, and without obstruction, cut across the blonde youth’s neck.

The bullet that had been frozen in front of the blonde’s forehead fell to the ground, but his eyes showed disbelief. A thin line of blood trickled down from his neck before he collapsed to the ground. In the instant he fell, his head separated from his neck and rolled away.

After landing the attack, Lei Yin did not stop. He jumped to the other side and shouted, “Open fire!”

Lei Li was the first to respond, quickly shooting at the five espers. Chang’an and the other members joined in, firing relentlessly.

Seeing the twins, though clearly panicked, still managing to halt all the bullets in mid-air, Lei Yin couldn’t help but curse inwardly. To prevent the espers from using their powers again, he shouted, “Fall back into the house!”

The others immediately backed up, firing as they moved toward the house. Once inside, Lei Yin quickly shot and destroyed the main circuit breaker, plunging the house into darkness. He led everyone toward the basement.

Some members of the Black Dragon who had heard the gunfire inside started running toward them, but before they could get close, over a hundred fully armed men burst out of the woods and opened fire. Two members were shot and fell to the ground, forcing the rest to take cover and return fire.

At that point, Lei Li and the others had already emerged from the basement and were moving through the woods, about 200 meters east of the house. After exiting the secret passage, they silently moved around to the west side of the forest, planning to attack the enemy from behind.

“Damn it, I didn’t expect them to bring so many this time. If I’d known, I would have called in reinforcements,” Lei Li muttered in frustration after hearing an update from an outside member over the radio.

Chang’an whispered to Lei Yin, “I didn’t think they’d deploy that special forces unit too. It seems they’re determined to get Little Lei this time.”

Lei Yin replied in a low voice, “The people outside don’t worry me. Their numbers are still fewer than ours, so we should have a better chance if this continues. What worries me are those espers. Their powers are so strong; they were obviously genetically modified. Unfortunately, the other members can’t make it here, so it’s just us now. If we can’t take those guys down, the other members will be in danger.”

Thinking back to the scene where the bullets froze mid-air, Lei Li felt a headache coming on.