Chapter 106: The Decisive Ninth Sister

The Red-Haired and Blue-Haired men were hiding on the roof, each clutching a rocket launcher. Thin wisps of white smoke still curled from the muzzles of their weapons.

Red-Hair slapped his forehead. "Damn it! Such a perfect opportunity, and we only took out one!"

Blue-Hair replied, "Be grateful. If we hadn't stumbled upon their location by accident, we wouldn't have found them at all. Since we’ve made a move, let’s retreat quickly. Ninth Sister said that anyone who survives on the Life Train is no simpleton. We’re newcomers; even though we’ve enhanced our physiques with the Water and Fire Dragon Orbs, there’s no telling what strange abilities the enemy might have. Let’s pull back. Quit while we’re ahead!"

Red-Hair, looking somewhat reluctant, raised his monocular to take another look. "They must still be hiding near that house. Why don't we fire one more and see what happens?"

"Absolutely not! We’ve already exposed ourselves. Let's move—"

Before Blue-Hair could finish his sentence, a gunshot rang out from behind. His upper body was instantly shredded into fragments, and the sheer force of the shockwave blew his lower half off the roof, where it landed on the street below with a dull thud.

Red-Hair’s eyes widened in horror. He roared, "Brother!"

A sharp blade pierced through his chest. Old Man Zhou’s weathered face appeared behind Red-Hair, his expression twisted into a grim, sinister look rarely seen in his usual demeanor.

"If a tiger doesn't bare its fangs, you really think we're just sick cats? I’ve been waiting for you, you little bastards!"

*Swish!*

With a quick yank of the dagger and a backhanded stroke, he decapitated Red-Hair, whose body crumpled to the ground. A mechanical voice sounded in his ear; Old Man Zhou gave a sly chuckle, executed a series of strange, rhythmic steps, and vanished miraculously from the roof.

Dong Huawen watched in stunned silence. There was no doubt that the one who fired the shot was Liang Bing; only her ability allowed her to carry heavy-duty weaponry through mirrors. Though he didn't know the specifics of that firearm, it was certainly an anti-materiel weapon—otherwise, it wouldn't have pulverized a man in a single shot. While Liang Bing was always icy, she had always provided a sense of reliability. So, although her lethal intervention was unexpected, Dong Huawen felt it was within reason.

Old Man Zhou, however, was a different story. He was usually all smiles, spouting nonsense about how popular he was in the 1930s or how he held money in contempt when he was young. He gave the impression of a wandering old scoundrel. Yet, in this critical moment, this same Old Man Zhou had acted as an assassin. The enemy’s position was at least 50 meters away, and in less than ten seconds, he had silently appeared behind them and delivered that ruthless killing blow. It left Dong Huawen completely dumbfounded.

Regardless, the enemy was dealt with, and Dong Huawen let out a breath of relief. He glanced at the girl; having suffered continuous shocks and the violent impact of the explosion, she was completely unconscious, lying motionless on the ground.

Dong Huawen had no time to worry about her now. He stood up silently, scanned his surroundings with vigilance, and carefully slipped into the shadows. Having experienced the previous mission plane, he had learned something about the opposing teams: their numbers were unknown, and their abilities were a mystery. But both sides were irreconcilable enemies; cooperation was rare, because killing an enemy often yielded rewards comparable to completing a mission, sometimes even dropping rare, magical items. After hearing this from Liang Bing, he had begun to grasp the cruel rules hidden beneath the seemingly peaceful missions of the Mysterious Train.

Although the attacking enemies had been taken out, there was a high possibility that more were lurking. He had to be even more cautious. Carefully hiding behind a pile of debris, Dong Huawen drew a handgun from his chest. With a weapon in hand, he felt a slight sense of relief.

Just then, a white figure appeared behind him without a sound.

A figure in white robes drifted by, long hair cascading over her shoulders, completely obscuring her face. Two eyes glinted with a bone-chilling light. She lifted her right hand slightly, and without any visible movement, a cold flash crossed the back of Dong Huawen’s neck. A crimson line opened, and his head dropped clean off.

The ghost-woman’s speed was so fast that her victim felt nothing. Dong Huawen’s expression remained frozen in that moment of relief, his throat severed and instantly sealed by a sudden chill, not even allowing a drop of blood to spill. Like a pathetic wooden toy doll whose head had been pulled off by a child, he was tossed aside, still maintaining his posture of vigilance even in death.

Having killed one, the ghost-woman was clearly not satisfied.

"My Water and Fire Dragon Orbs—a full 200 hours of effort, wasted by you lot! Damn it, you all deserve to die!"

In the corner, a spotted dog walked out hesitantly. "Uh, Ninth Sister? You can't blame me for this. I just happened to mention it, but these two guys insisted on taking the initiative. We were just wandering the streets and happened to pick up those two rocket launchers for the mission objective. I thought we’d just blast the target and be done with it, I didn't expect to run into the opposing team by accident..."

Before the dog could finish, his head went flying. The spotted dog’s body took two more steps before collapsing to the ground like a stack of blocks.

Ninth Sister, seething with rage, hissed, "I knew it was you, you damn mutt, who ruined everything. I’ll settle the score with you sooner or later!"

Her gaze sharpened, and she flickered, appearing instantly behind Old Man Zhou. Old Man Zhou’s hair stood on end, and he thrust his blade back with lightning speed, but the knife passed through her body as if it were nothing but a phantom.

Old Man Zhou’s face paled. He turned and ran, his feet tracing a strange, rhythmic path, darting left and right with incredible speed.

Ninth Sister sneered, "The Yu Steps? Digging up such ancient, toothless garbage just to make a fool of yourself!"

Her figure flickered again, appearing directly in front of Old Man Zhou. She swung her right hand in an upward arc, and another head was sent rolling.

Liang Bing, hidden on the opposite balcony, couldn't help but shiver. She hurriedly reached out to touch the full-length mirror she had prepared. The surface rippled, and she vanished inside just as the mirror returned to its original state. The ghost-woman appeared in that exact spot a split second later.

"Nobody here?" Ninth Sister looked surprised. She glanced left and right, then flickered again, returning to her original position. She sneered, "Consider yourself lucky."

Her figure blurred and vanished.

Just then, a yellow-haired dog emerged from a kennel in the courtyard, shaking his head and sneezing repeatedly. "Damn it, who put mint in the kennel? Don't they know I'm allergic to mint?"

Ninth Sister appeared suddenly. "Why are you still dawdling? Hurry up and grind for points; Max is reviving!"

Baozi took a step back, looking wary. "Grinding for points is one thing, but don't you dare kill me along with them. There aren't many dogs in this town; who knows where I’ll respawn if they’re all wiped out..."

"Enough talk!"

Ninth Sister, having no patience for Baozi’s nonsense, swept past him, and the two vanished together.