Chapter 57: The Hawk (?)
What happens when enchanted objects collide?
The answer is an explosion.
When an object is separated from his body, Li Changsheng can only infuse it with a small amount of magic. The duration is brief and highly unstable. But that’s enough.
With a casual flick of his wrist, a single knife flew out. The infamous Demon Slayer, once feared in the criminal underworld, was killed instantly without a hint of resistance.
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
The mercenaries saw only this: their boss’s head exploded with a casual throw from that man. Bewilderment swept through the group, leaving them frozen in disbelief.
Only one person remained clear-headed.
Cui Zhiyun rolled forward, diving behind cover—bang, bang, bang! Her silver pistol blazed with fire, each bullet finding its mark. In the blink of an eye, four or five mercenaries lay dead.
The others snapped from their daze, shrieking as they opened fire on her.
A torrent of gunfire erupted, bullets slicing through the air, whistling past Cui Zhiyun’s ear. Yet she moved with the agility of a leopard, weaving between the cars used as cover.
Even as she advanced, she fired back with deadly precision, dropping two more mercenaries.
Bullets screamed through the night.
“Die!”
A mercenary, enraged, suddenly hefted a rocket launcher, aiming it menacingly at the dock.
But at that very moment, a piercing whistle sliced through the air. The mercenary with the rocket launcher felt a violent gust before he could react—a flash of blood flickered in his pupils.
Agonizing pain exploded in his chest as though struck by a massive hammer. He spewed blood, sent flying backward. His chest caved in, life extinguished.
Li Changsheng had struck.
In the split second when Cui Zhiyun opened fire and distracted the mercenaries, he had dashed fifty meters forward, already upon them.
“Watch the left—”
A mercenary shouted.
Li Changsheng moved like a striking hawk. Before the warning was finished, he swung his axe, sending the man crashing into a motorcycle with bone-shattering force.
“Bring up the heavy machine gun!”
A man burst out of the armored vehicle’s roof hatch. Seeing his comrades dead or dying, fear overcame him. He seized the heavy machine gun mounted atop the vehicle, opening fire on Cui Zhiyun and Li Changsheng.
The muzzle spewed flames, the deafening roar of gunfire rattling the night.
Li Changsheng frowned, his body weaving and dodging as he sped toward the armored car, staying out of the line of fire.
A muffled cry escaped—Li Changsheng looked over.
Cui Zhiyun, caught off guard, had taken bullets to her thigh and shoulder. She staggered, nearly tumbling into the open, exposed to the gunfire.
Blood streamed from her wounds, her face drained of color, cold sweat beading on her brow. Gritting her teeth, she leaned out and fired several shots at the armored vehicle.
Bullets clanged off the heavy steel plating. Wounded in both leg and shoulder, her aim faltered, and those shots seemed to sap the last of her strength. She slumped against the car, breathing heavily, chest heaving as she struggled for air.
“That bitch is hit! Blow her up!”
A grenade tumbled beneath the car.
Cui Zhiyun’s pupils contracted sharply. Both sides were open ground—if she moved, she’d be exposed, but if she stayed, she’d be caught in the blast. She clenched her teeth and leaped to the side.
Li Changsheng sighed, then with a burst of force, bounded over in several strides. He swept Cui Zhiyun into his arms, holding her tightly as he retreated at lightning speed, taking cover on the yacht.
A thunderous explosion split the air behind them as the grenade detonated. The car was hurled skyward, rolling as it was engulfed in flames.
“Are you alright? Should we take the yacht and go?”
As they hid, Li Changsheng fired off a few shots with a pistol he conjured from his storage, aiming carelessly at the mercenaries. The enemy was infuriated at their prize slipping away, but Li Changsheng’s skill left them all wary and hesitant to advance.
Cui Zhiyun, limp and drained of all strength, nearly collapsed in his arms. Hearing Li Changsheng’s suggestion, she bit her lip and whispered, “Didn’t you say the yacht was out of fuel?”
“I lied.”
The yacht had fuel, but starting it would take time. If the mercenaries managed to blow it up, his precious sunflower would be lost—a devastating loss.
Cui Zhiyun glared at him. “If you want to leave, go. I don’t need your help—ugh.” As she spoke, her wounds pulled, and she groaned in pain.
“Such spirit. Maybe I should just throw you out and let them do as they please?”
“You—”
Rage drained her strength, her eyes rolled back, and she nearly fainted. Seeing her deathly pale face and the cold sweat pouring down her brow, Li Changsheng realized she was losing too much blood. In a flash, he ducked into the cabin.
He returned with a first aid kit, tossing it to her.
“Tend your wounds first. Leave the rest to me.”
A glimmer of light flashed in Cui Zhiyun’s icy eyes. She noticed he carried only an axe and frowned, handing him her pistol. “Times have changed—use this.”
Li Changsheng was momentarily stunned. He looked up to see her calm gaze—composed even in mortal peril. He couldn’t help but admire her, nodding as he took the pistol. “Alright.”
He strode out onto the deck.
The mercenaries were calling for backup. Seeing Li Changsheng emerge, they tensed, every gun instantly trained on him, opening fire without hesitation.
His brutal display had left a deep scar in their minds. They’d already agreed—this man was too dangerous. If they saw him, they would shoot to kill.
The heavy machine gun rattled.
One mercenary readied a rocket launcher.
Li Changsheng’s expression hardened. A crimson aura burst from his body like wildfire.
Bang, bang, bang!
The silver pistol’s bullets had changed, each one radiating a fierce magical energy, distorting the very air as they flew.
An explosion of dazzling sparks erupted, shattering steel plating. The armored car was torn apart in a violent detonation. The mercenaries atop it were ripped to pieces by an invisible, merciless force.
Is that… a pistol?
The remaining mercenaries were wide-eyed with horror, as though seeing a ghost. Several turned pale, trembling uncontrollably.
As they froze in terror, Li Changsheng rose, leveled the pistol at the survivors, and fired mercilessly.
Where the bullets struck, explosions followed, leaving nothing behind but mutilated remnants and ruins.
From behind, Cui Zhiyun watched the scene unfold through a window, her heart shaking with disbelief.
That’s my pistol?
What kind of handgun could possibly wield such power?
From the moment Li Changsheng appeared to the time he dispatched the last mercenary, only a few minutes had passed—yet everything she thought she knew had been turned upside down.
Her cold, clear eyes locked onto Li Changsheng, as if searching for answers within him.