TL: Hua

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Chapter 26

Shaikh Roanne stood not far away, rifle propped on his shoulder. His golden curls appeared exceptionally radiant even within the dim corridor. His deep blue eyes shimmered with intense joy and excitement, like a wolf that had finally caught up to its prey.

The remaining three team members appeared behind him. Shen Que, dressed in dark combat clothes, stood half a step behind his side. His gaze swept indifferently over Ji Xuan, pausing imperceptibly for a brief moment when his eyes met those of Pei Yingye, who was moving closer behind Ji Xuan, before looking away with cold detachment and reaching back to grip the rifle on his back.

“Second Brother, what a coincidence!” Ji Yan, protected in the center of the three men, poked his head out and greeted Ji Xuan in a soft, sweet voice. He then turned his gaze toward Pei Yingye, his mouth hanging open slightly. “Hello to you guys too… Ah, why are there only three of you?”

The smile on his face was brilliant, as if they weren’t in a peril-filled simulated battlefield but had run into each other in a sunny garden.

However, Shaikh ignored Ji Yan’s interruption entirely. Before he could say another word, Shaikh took two steps forward, the rifle on his shoulder swaying lazily with his movement. He pulled the conversation back with a beaming smile:

“When the system prompted the hidden quest, I was wondering if I’d be lucky enough to run into you—” Shaikh licked his dry lips, his tone intimate. “It seems the Goddess of Luck is on my side today.”

“This is such a rare opportunity, Brother. Won’t you show me something exciting?”

As he spoke, his grin widened, yet it sent an unprovoked chill down one’s spine. It reminded Ji Xuan of the expression he wore in that private lounge when he said he wanted to bet on the snakes.

“Just you and me, 1v1, how about it? The ‘until death do us part’ kind.”

“Shaikh!”

As if he hadn’t expected such a request at all, Shen Que’s brow furrowed instantly, and the aura around him turned cold. He lowered his voice, emphasizing every word: “You didn’t discuss this with us.”

When two teams met, there were many ways to handle it. Especially when the mission time is tight, turning a blind eye and relying on each other’s abilities is the best strategy. Only then can both sides strike simultaneously and fight to the death.

“Their team only has three people right now,” another Alpha in the squad reminded him. “The situation is clearly in our favor, why are you…”

Shaikh shifted his shoulder, the muzzle of his gun happening to point at the Alpha’s leg.

“Shh—” Shaikh let out a soft, drawn-out sound, his smile not fading in the slightest. “Could you please not stop me?”

“What do you say, Brother? I’ve been regretting that I wasn’t the one assigned to your group during the mecha assessment.”

“Regretting what?” Pei Yingye pressed closer to Ji Xuan, his shoulder nearly brushing the other’s. It was a highly possessive posture, as if he were firmly enveloping Ji Xuan within his shadow. He lifted his eyelids, his eyes, similar to Shaikh’s, gleaming with a dangerous light. He spoke with undisguised aggression: “Regretting that your mecha wasn’t shredded miserably enough? No, dear cousin, if you’re itching for a fight, why don’t you let me, your real brother, give you a beating?”

Only then did Shaikh grant him a sliver of attention.

“No,” he said with a hint of childishness. “Dueling you is too boring.”

The countdown for the hidden quest was ticking away rapidly. Given Shaikh’s pestering nature, even if they refused, they would still run into him while hunting the S-grade Zerg. Besides, they had already intended to eliminate the other team, so there was no need for extra hesitation.

“I can agree,” Ji Xuan said. “But you have to guarantee they won’t interfere. I really dislike being interrupted.”

Shaikh’s eyes darkened, and his widening grin almost reached his ears. He turned his head and gave his teammates a warning look: “Of course, because I don’t like it either.”

With those words, he swung the rifle off his shoulder, letting it drop to the side with a “clang.” He drew a combat knife from his leg sheath, cracked his neck and wrists, and settled into an offensive stance.

Seeing this, Ji Xuan handed his bayonet to Pei Yingye for safekeeping and pulled out the shoddy dagger provided by the system at the start.

Shaikh gave a short laugh: “Brother, make sure you show me a good time.”

Before the words fully left his mouth, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, lunging forward like a bolt of lightning! The explosive power of a high-grade Alpha was not to be underestimated. The cold blade drew a sharp, pale line in the dim light. There was no probing; he went straight for a brutal frontal assault, the tip of the knife thrusting directly toward Ji Xuan’s throat!

Ji Xuan’s gaze sharpened. He neither dodged nor retreated but suddenly raised his right arm to parry. With a crisp “clink,” the dagger precisely blocked the path of the combat knife’s thrust. The friction of cold iron produced an ear-grating screech.

Failing the first strike, Shaikh immediately retreated, and his next wave of attacks followed like a violent storm. The short combat knife seemed to come alive in his hand, moving so fast it left afterimages—stabbing, slashing, flicking, and swiping. Accompanied by the whistling sound, he attacked Ji Xuan’s vitals from various tricky angles as if trying to tear him apart. His azure eyes shone terrifyingly bright amidst the intense flashes of the blades.

However, every single attack was neutralized by Ji Xuan.

“Bang!” Ji Xuan landed a sidekick to Shaikh’s abdomen, sending him staggering back several steps.

Shaikh let out a muffled groan, but he seemed unable to feel pain. He used the back of his hand to wipe away the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth due to the internal shock and began to chuckle.

“So good… even better than I imagined!”

Before his voice died down, he lunged again, panting!

This time, his bladework was even more erratic and unpredictable, carrying a sticky, relentless quality. During another moment of crossing paths, the combat knife flicked upward from an extremely tricky low angle!

His original target was Ji Xuan’s throat, but because the latter leaned back at the critical moment, the bone-chilling cold of the blade tip grazed past his skin—

“*Rippp—!*”

The sound of tearing fabric rang out.

The blade went from Ji Xuan’s right shoulder downward, mercilessly slicing through the fastening straps and half the fabric of his combat jacket, even leaving a shallow mark on the inner layer of his combat suit.

The damaged jacket immediately became loose, half of it sliding down to the crook of his right arm.

Ji Xuan glanced down, his face showing no anger. Instead, he slipped his left arm out of the ruined jacket, gave it a casual toss, and threw it to Pei Yingye, who was watching from behind with folded arms and dark eyes.

“Hold this for me.”

Pei Yingye firmly caught it. The jacket still held the faint, lingering warmth of Ji Xuan’s body. His thumb brushed over the sharp tear, his knuckles tightening; his eyes grew as dark as a deep sea.

At this moment, Ji Xuan was wearing only a form-fitting black undershirt. The soft, comfortable fabric clung to his body, clearly outlining his smooth and flexible waistline as well as the contours of his shoulders and back, which were poised for action.

Even more eye-catching was the complex tattoo that stretched from the elbow joint across his fully exposed, fair right arm. It looked like some kind of forbidden totem where divinity and evil intertwined. In the moment a bead of sweat slid across it, it was filled with an indescribable sensuality.

In that very instant, even Shen Que felt his breath hitch. He had never seen this side of Ji Xuan, powerful and calm, once again overwriting the image of the bland, foolish person in his memory. He didn’t even realize he had taken half a step forward, as if wanting to see more clearly, or perhaps wanting to stop something.

“What are you looking at?”

A clear, pleasant voice rang out, like crushed jade soaked in a cold spring, yet carrying a hint of playful, careless mockery.

Shen Que snapped back to his senses. His heart felt as though it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, forgetting to beat.

…What was he looking at?

Ji Xuan’s body shot out like an arrow from a bow. Shaikh was slowed down by a momentary lapse in focus; a sharp pain shot through his right wrist that held the knife. In the next second, the world spun, and he was slammed against the wall by Ji Xuan.

His bones let out a strained groan under the pressure. Ji Xuan neutralized the strength in his arm, and the short combat knife slipped from his hand, only to be caught by Ji Xuan’s other hand.

Shaikh tilted his head back amidst the suffocation and saw Ji Xuan’s face. Sweaty black hair strands clung to his cheeks. Those eyes were misty from the intense exercise, yet within his extremely dominant posture, they presented a heart-stirring coldness and asceticism.

“Naturally… I’m looking at you… Ji Xuan… so beautiful…” Under his messy blonde hair, the excitement and obsession in his eyes were almost overflowing. “I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”

The blade of the combat knife in Ji Xuan’s hand turned slightly, pressing against Shaikh’s abdomen and sliding upward inch by inch. The cold tip of the knife glided over the hot, trembling body as if it could cut through his flesh at any moment. This life-on-the-line terror made Shaikh’s breathing ragged. Finally, the knife rested against his face.

“Is that so?” Ji Xuan said tepidly. “Then your expectations have been met. You can be on your way.”

Then, using the cold flat side of the blade, he contemptuously patted Shaikh’s cheek.

It was a gesture of pure humiliation.

Immediately following was a “pssh” sound as the knife swiped across his throat, and Shaikh’s figure vanished.

Notifications of point increases and ranking changes came through the system. The atmosphere in the corridor fell into a stalemate.

Ji Xuan turned around, his gaze falling on the remaining three members of the team.

In the gloom, the Alpha in Ji Yan’s team moved first. He loaded and raised the gun, pulling the trigger with almost no hesitation. However, the fired bullet hit nothing but air. Pei Yingye had closed the distance at some unknown point, grabbing the man’s wrist. The bullet struck the top of the corridor, sending off a shower of sparks.

“Friend, be careful. We only have one Omega in our team. He’s very precious.”

Lai Zhou had already faded into the shadows the moment Pei Yingye moved. Ji Xuan did not pause for a second; with a shift of his footwork, he charged directly at Shen Que.

The one he had a 1v1 with was Shaikh; the two sides had no agreement on what the outcome would be after the duel. But Pei Yingye and Ji Xuan had already silently confirmed each other’s thoughts.

—Since they delivered themselves to the door, naturally, not a single one could be let go.

Shen Que had also prepared himself immediately. The body of the rifle he pulled out blocked Ji Xuan’s short blade, the echo of metal clashing sounding exceptionally piercing in the narrow tunnel.

His gaze remained fixed on the Omega before him, never wavering. Ji Xuan was so unfamiliar that it startled him, whether it was the ruthless and fierce way he had treated Shaikh before or the effortless skill with which he was now forcing him back step by step.

Shen Que couldn’t even last a few moves under Ji Xuan before he was kicked away by a sweeping leg.

At the moment of his elimination, what he saw was still those eyes, calm and waveless, yet bottomless.

Long legs wrapped in combat gear landed lightly back on the ground, his combat boots making a few crisp taps against the pipe walls.

Ji Xuan walked toward Ji Yan.

Having lost his protection, Ji Yan tried to flee through the lingering smoke and firelight. Seeming to hear the footsteps behind him, he turned his head in panic, his face wearing its usual expression of weakness and grievance.

“Uh… uh… can you please eliminate me gently! I’m very afraid of pain…”

His tone carried a piteous tremble.

But Ji Xuan distinctly heard an ill-timed “click,” like a bullet being chambered.

In the next moment, the light reflecting off a gun barrel flashed across his eyes. He discovered with surprise that the fake young master before him was not at all the innocent, simple, and delicate dodder flower described in the original plot.

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