The cold steel of the blade was an inch from Shen Feng's neck. A shadow of doubt, a flickering memory of his past life's moral code, crossed Lin Kai's mind for a fraction of a second.
But the cold glint of Shen Feng's eyes, the cruel, predatory smirk that promised a future of suffering for his people, erased it instantly.
In this new world, mercy was a luxury he could not afford. Shen Feng, a man who had survived by instinct, sensed the finality of that decision.
With a primal scream, he leaned his body sharply to the side, his right arm shooting up to deflect the blade. The action was clumsy, desperate, a final gamble.
The blade sliced through his arm, a wet, sickening sound that was followed by an agonizing shriek. Blood poured down his arm, a crimson river that painted the floor.
Shen Feng stumbled back, clutching his bleeding limb. The pain was excruciating, a blinding fire that threatened to overwhelm him, but it was a small price to pay for his life.
He was alive.
Lin Kai was momentarily shocked. His attack, meant to be a swift and precise end, had been thwarted by a raw, primal reaction. That moment of hesitation, that flicker of humanity, had cost him.
The air, which had been thick with silent tension, was now shattered by a cacophony of panicked screams and the deafening roar of gunfire.
Shen Feng's subordinates, seeing their leader injured, yelled in shock and started firing. Bullets flew, their sharp metallic voices whistling through the air as they ricocheted off concrete walls.
Lin Kai didn't think. His body, now finely tuned by the Primal Decree, reacted on its own. He was no longer a person; he was a machine. He was a whisper in the wind, a blur of motion, vanishing from his spot as if he were a ghost.
He charged towards a man who, in a moment of panic, was fumbling to reload his gun. The man's eyes were wide with terror, his hands shaking so much he couldn't even put a new magazine in. He was so focused on his gun that he didn't even see Lin Kai coming.
With a single, fluid motion, Lin Kai's blade sliced through the man's neck. The man's eyes widened in surprise, a look of confusion on his face as he fell to the ground, his lifeblood spilling out.
Lin Kai's heart was pounding in his chest, not from fear, but from the adrenaline and aether coursing through his veins. He was a Zero Order (Peak), but that didn't mean he was invincible. Bullets were still a terrifying threat.
The other prisoners were firing at him now, their bullets raining down on him. The deafening sound of the gunfire, the smell of gunpowder, and the sight of bullets hitting the walls around him were all amplified in his mind.
He was a dancer now, a dancer of death, a poet of destruction. He was moving so fast that they couldn't hit him. He was a phantom, a ghost in the ruins.
He was in his element now, the bloodlust that he had been suppressing was now in full display. He was a machine, a killing machine. He was not a hero. He was a survivor.
Lin Kai was inwardly counting them down. He was a seasoned veteran, and he knew that counting his enemies was a key to survival.
'3 down, 8 left,' he thought, his mind a cold, calculating machine. He felt a sharp, burning pain in his shoulder as a bullet pierced his skin.
He groaned, a sound that was lost in the chaos, but he didn't stop. He pushed his aether to its limit, his body glowing with a faint blue light. He was in a trance now, a state of hyper-awareness where every movement, every sound, and every breath was magnified.
He was a dancer, a dancer of death. He was a poet, a poet of destruction. He was in a state of nirvana, a state of mind where he was one with his body and his mind.
After killing 7 people, 4 people were left, and Shen Feng was on the floor, groaning in pain. Lin Kai's vitality was low now, a mere 200 points.
He was exhausted, and his body was screaming in pain. He took another hit, a bullet grazing his leg, and he fell behind a boulder.
He was in a precarious position now. The remaining prisoners were marching towards him, their guns firing at the boulder. They knew he was injured, and they thought it was their chance. They were closing in, a slow, methodical march of death.
Lin Kai grimaced. He was in much pain now. His body was screaming, his mind was tired, and his blood was pouring down his leg and shoulder. He had to end this now. He took out bandages from his inventory space and tied them around his wounds to stop the bleeding.
He had to be fast. He decided to use his technique, his last resort. He pushed his remaining aether to the limit, his body glowing with a faint blue light. He was a whisper in the wind, a shadow in the ruins.
Shen Feng, seeing that his men were closing in, roared and ordered them to go fast. "He is very injured! We have him now!" The four men, hearing their leader's words, began to run towards Lin Kai, firing their guns relentlessly.
Lin Kai waited. He was a hunter, and he knew that waiting was a key to success. He waited until they were close, and when they reached the boulder, they heard a quiet whisper that was akin to a devil's mantra.
"Phantom Echo Slash"
The aura around Lin Kai changed instantly. It was no longer a calm, soothing aura. It was a cold, brutal, and terrifying aura. The prisoners, sensing this change, were terrified.
They clumsily fired their bullets in any direction, their bodies trembling in fear. They had a feeling that something was wrong. They had a feeling that something was going to go very wrong.
Lin Kai pushed his remaining aether and body to their limits. He charged towards them, a phantom, a whisper, a ghost. He was so fast that the human eyes couldn't see him.
He was a blur of motion, a blur of death. He killed one of them with his technique and then charged towards the other three.
The one with a wounded arm dropped his gun and fell to the ground, a look of terror on his face. The other two, seeing their comrades get killed, were terrified.
One of them knelt on the ground and begged for his life. "Please, don't kill me! I don't want to die!" The other two also tried to surrender, which made Lin Kai stop.
Lin Kai was surprised.
He was about to show them some mercy, and stopped in his tracks but then he saw something. He saw the cold, ruthless look in their eyes.
They were not begging for mercy. They were waiting for a chance to kill him. He was about to kill them when one of them, the one who was begging for mercy, raised his gun and fired at him.
Lin Kai, sensing the danger, deflected the bullet with his blade, but it still hit him in the arm. He groaned in pain, his blade trembling in his hand. He had to kill them now.
He charged at the man and cut his arm. He then hid behind the boulder, his body shaking in pain. He was frustrated. He shouldn't have show mercy to them and even slight a hesitation in the battle costs him very much now. He was a fool.
"Damn it! It's my fault only," he inwardly cursed. "I shouldn't have shown any mercy on my enemies. They can only deceive others."
He was now in a much more precarious position. He was heavily injured, his body was screaming in pain, and he was running out of aether. He had to end this now.
The other two men, seeing his heavily injured state, unhesitatingly started marching towards him. Shen Feng was also picking up the gun near him. "Go fast! He is very injured! I am also coming!" he roared.
Lin Kai gritted his teeth. He had to do something. He was a Zero Order (Peak), but that meant nothing now. He had only a quarter of his aether left. He couldn't fight them.
He had to do a gamble. He had to charge towards them and use his last bit of aether on his technique. He was either going to die, or he was going to live.
Lin Kai, surprisingly, charged at the two men, his blades in hand. He was a blur of motion, a blur of death. He used one blade to slash the neck of the man on his right and the other to slash the neck of the man on his left.
They died instantly. He was utterly exhausted now. He sighed heavily and kneeled to the ground. "All down," he thought. "I am alive."
But then, he heard a rustle. He looked up and saw Shen Feng, his face a mask of fury and hatred, firing at him. The bullet hit him in the stomach, and he groaned in pain. He was about to die. He had to do something.
He was a Zero Order (Peak), and he couldn't die like this. He got up, his body screaming in pain, and with his last bit of strength, he threw one of his blades at Shen Feng.
The blade, glowing with a faint blue light, flew through the air, and with a precision that defied physics, it struck Shen Feng's head. Shen Feng fell to the ground, a look of surprise on his face.
He was dead.
Lin Kai was utterly drained now. He flopped to the floor, a satisfied smile on his face. He had won. He was a survivor. He heard a voice in his mind.
"Souls Reclaimed : 12."
He then looked at his mental interference, which showed him his condition.
Vitality: 30/700
Aether: 50/100
Order: Zero Order (Peak)
Rune: Locked
He is in critical state with his vitality being low, and his aether was almost depleted. He could feel the corrupted ones coming. He had to get out of here.
He was about to get up when he heard a rustle. He saw Han Zhe, his face a mask of worry, running towards him. He was safe now. He closed his eyes and laid down, his body finally giving up.
Han Zhe, on sensing the battle had ended, came to the building. He was horrified. He saw the bodies of the prisoners and the blood on the floor.
He saw Lin Kai, his body covered in blood, lying on the floor. His face was pale, but he kept his composure. He immediately acted. He picked up Lin Kai and ran out of the building, a frantic race against time. He had to save him. He had to.
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Author's Note:
Dear Readers, I will now update the chapters frequently. Hope u bear with it now and I also apologize for chapter delays. Your support is my motivation.