Chapter 215: The Short Blade

The scene was witnessed not only by Black Dragon members guarding Chang’an but also by the espers observing them from the edge of the thicket.

“What just happened? Where did that man go?” one of the twin brothers asked, astonished.

Suddenly, a strange sound came from behind them, followed by the distinct thud of something heavy hitting the ground. 

At the same moment, the twins clearly saw Lei Li, who had been floating mid-air, suddenly plummet to the ground.

“Peter, what’s going on?” They turned hurriedly to the esper behind them, Peter, who had been the one holding Lei Li aloft. But Peter did not respond — because his head had already been severed from his neck.

Standing behind them was a headless corpse, blood gushing from the stump where the neck had been. Strangely, the body remained upright, stiff from rigor mortis.

The grotesque scene left the twins and the other two espers next to Peter in stunned silence. They couldn’t comprehend what had just occurred, their eyes fixed on Peter’s neck, where muscles and blood vessels continued to twitch and contract.

“P-Peter!” one of the espers shouted in alarm.

Just then, one of the twins caught something in the corner of his eye. He turned his head swiftly and saw a man dressed in black standing next to one of the espers.

“David, watch out! There’s someone near—” 

Before he could finish, the figure vanished. David, standing in place, looked utterly horrified.

“Help me…” Tears welled in David’s eyes, flowing out along with a thin, crimson line that appeared on his neck. 

With a *plop*, David dropped to his knees before collapsing forward. In that instant, his head separated from his body and rolled to one side. Blood poured from the severed neck, staining the ground a dark red.

“David!” the twin who had tried to warn him shouted again in despair.

The other twin instinctively turned to the third esper. 

As he had feared, the black-clad figure reappeared next to the third esper. Without a moment’s hesitation, the twin raised his hands to unleash his psychic power at the shadowy figure. 

But just as he raised his hands, the figure vanished again. With a *bang*, the third esper was flung backward by a tremendous force, slamming into a tree trunk before coming to a halt.

Like a broken marionette, the esper crumpled against the trunk. His head detached upon impact and rolled across the ground, finally coming to rest, motionless.

“You monster! Come out and face us directly!” one of the twins shouted, but his trembling voice betrayed his fear.

The other twin was similarly terrified. He couldn’t fathom the existence of such a creature. Though the sequence seemed long, the mysterious figure had eliminated three modified espers in less than 20 seconds. Its unimaginable speed and lethality defied all logic.

Since their modification, the twins had transformed from ordinary humans into powerful espers. Through rigorous training and testing, they had come to believe that no one but other modified individuals could pose a threat to them. They viewed those who had once tormented them as insignificant as ants.

But now, seeing the modified espers fall one after another to this enigmatic shadow, an unprecedented fear gripped their hearts. For the first time, they felt the cold, looming presence of death.

At that moment, screams suddenly erupted from their left, followed by a chaotic burst of gunfire.

Like falling dominoes, the screams and gunfire spread from left to right in rapid succession.

Under the glare of searchlights, the twins saw the surrounding special forces members begin collapsing one by one. 

It was as if an invisible, fast-moving plague was sweeping through the air, felling an increasing number of black-clad soldiers with no apparent cause. 

“Monster, there’s a monster!” someone screamed. The remaining black-clad soldiers lost all composure. Some began wildly spraying bullets around them with their assault rifles, hoping to drive away the invisible demon.

Yet, despite their efforts, the number of those being instantly killed didn’t decrease in the slightest. Three minutes later, apart from a few who were still frantically shooting in every direction, the rest of the black-clad operatives surrounding Lei Li and his group had fallen and would not rise again.

The overwhelming fear shattered the twins’ nerves. Unable to maintain even a facade of calm, they turned and ran as fast as they could. But they had barely taken a few steps when a faint shadow materialized about five or six meters in front of them.

For the first time, the twins could clearly see their adversary’s appearance. It was the same middle-aged man who had killed Robert earlier.

If it had been earlier, they would have relished the chance to capture and slowly torture this man to death. But now, seeing him again, an involuntary chill crept up from deep within their hearts.

“W-who are you?!” the older twin demanded, his voice trembling as he stared at the man.

“You were just talking about revenge, weren’t you? Here’s your chance,” Lei Yin replied coldly.

The twins exchanged a glance, then suddenly shouted in unison, “Then die!” At the same time, they raised their hands toward him.

Outwardly, nothing seemed to change—at least not to an untrained eye. But upon closer inspection, the space in front of the twins appeared to freeze completely.

The wild grass on the ground stopped swaying with the evening breeze. The branches and leaves of the nearby trees became utterly still, as though encased in a massive block of ice.

Seeing the man frozen in place, the twins’ faces slowly broke into smug smiles.

But their smiles quickly vanished. The man, who should have been immobilized by their telekinetic force field, suddenly took a step forward. Then another step. Slowly, he began walking toward them.

The twins’ expressions twisted in disbelief. This was impossible. Within the force field created by their combined telekinetic powers, nothing had ever been able to move—not even the bullets that had once been fired at them.

As the man drew closer, fear once again crept into their eyes. To maintain their psychic force, they had to focus their mental energy entirely, leaving no room for retreat. Yet, if they withdrew their powers to flee, this man—whose speed defied reason—would undoubtedly catch up and kill them instantly.

With no other option, the twins poured even more power into their telekinesis.

By now, veins bulged on their foreheads and necks, and blood trickled steadily from their nostrils. Their current state eerily resembled the final moments of Chiyama Genjiro.

When Lei Yin stopped just two meters away from them, a glimmer of relief flickered in their eyes.

But then Lei Yin sneered at them coldly. “Do you think being a psychic makes you special?” As he spoke, his right hand moved with unbelievable speed, slicing across their necks.

Suddenly, the grass resumed swaying in the wind, and the branches and leaves of the trees began moving again as though the massive block of ice had melted in an instant.

The twins stared at Lei Yin with terror-filled eyes before collapsing to the ground. As they fell, their heads detached from their bodies, rolling away as blood gushed from their necks.

The few remaining black-clad operatives who witnessed this scene felt an icy dread pierce their very souls. Watching so many of their comrades inexplicably die at this man’s hands had already crushed their morale. And now, seeing the five psychics—whom they had secretly dubbed “monsters”—slain by the same man only deepened their despair. They realized that they would be next.

Unable to endure the suffocating fear any longer, the special forces members turned and fled.

Lei Yin didn’t pursue them. He simply stood there, watching them leave with an indifferent expression.

After a while, a strange look crossed his face. Suddenly, he clutched his chest with his right hand. “Urgh!” A mouthful of blood burst from his lips, staining the ground before him.

“Master!” Lei Li shouted as he rushed over to support him.

The heavily injured Chang’an also staggered to his side. “My lord…”

Seeing their bloodshot eyes, Lei Yin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gave a bitter smile. “It seems this time, we really have to say goodbye. Both of you, make sure to survive.”

“Master, you…”

Lei Yin patted their shoulders, pried their hands off gently, and gave them a final smile before vanishing into thin air.

“Master!” Lei Li dropped to his knees, wailing loudly, his cries echoing through the forest.

Watching the direction in which Lei Yin had disappeared, Chang’an quietly approached two corpses of the black-clad men nearby, picking up two submachine guns from their hands.

“Lei, now is not the time to cry. We need to avenge our lord.”

Seeing Chang’an’s calm expression, Lei Li stifled his cries and stood up. His expression matched Chang’an’s calm resolve as he slowly accepted the submachine gun handed to him.

※※※

“You’re telling me over 300 special forces members were nearly wiped out? How am I supposed to report this?” A man in his fifties slammed the report on his desk in a spacious office.

“I… I’m sorry. Their combat capabilities far exceeded our expectations, but the enemy also suffered significant casualties.”

The man sneered. “Significant casualties? In a surprise attack, no less, and you still incurred heavy losses? What a remarkable commander you must be. This is no excuse. Don’t forget, they’re a criminal gang, while you’re the army’s elite. Do you honestly believe this outcome is acceptable?”

“I deeply apologize, sir.”

The man gave him a sharp glance and sighed. “Tom, you’ve truly disappointed me this time.”

The officer lowered his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Uncle.”

Sinking into his chair, the man suddenly asked, “Your report mentions team members witnessing those five ‘monsters’ being killed by a man with a dagger. Is that true?”

“Yes, sir. According to those witnesses, the man could appear and disappear like a ghost. Everyone he engaged in close combat was instantly killed, including the five superhumans. However, we have new reports indicating the man was severely injured, as someone saw him coughing up blood. He then disappeared, and his fate remains uncertain. Based on Lei Li’s reaction at the time, it’s highly likely he’s already dead. Additionally, according to team members’ accounts, Lei Li referred to him as ‘Master.’”

“Lei Li’s master? Could it be Yan Yuxiao, the man rumored to have died ten years ago? Could he still be alive?” The man pondered deeply.

“Though it’s said Yan Yuxiao is dead, no one ever saw his body. The man’s appearance differs somewhat from ten years ago, perhaps due to plastic surgery. But one thing confuses me—if he really is Yan Yuxiao, wasn’t he just an ordinary person? How could he achieve such feats?”

The older man’s voice turned serious. “There’s something you may not know. Two years ago, near a research facility off the coast of New York City, G Division clashed with the Black Dragon Syndicate. During that conflict, a mysterious masked man appeared and single-handedly killed over 300 highly trained veterans and mercenaries in under five minutes. His killing methods closely resemble what you described in your report. Given this, it’s plausible that the mysterious man is indeed Yan Yuxiao, and he might be a superhuman with abilities unknown to us. After all, legend has it that Yan Yuxiao never lost a single fight in his life. If he possesses extraordinary powers, all of this begins to make sense.”

“Uncle, what should we do next? Should we send more men to capture Lei Li?” the officer asked.

“No, not for now. Don’t act rashly. According to our informants, Lei Li seems intent on seeking revenge against us. If that’s true, he’ll need to acquire power that can rival ours. And that power is exactly what we want.”

Seeing the enigmatic smile on his uncle’s face, the officer couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He had no idea what kind of “power” his uncle was referring to.