Chapter Thirty-Four: Waiting for the Hare

“Speak! Who are you people?” Yue Longze demanded sternly, his eyes cold as frost. The sword in his hand gleamed with a silvery radiance, the tip pointed straight ahead.

Yue Longze could not fathom who would target him. Judging from their appearance, these people were nothing like common robbers after money; rather, they seemed more like a unit of trained soldiers.

The group of men in black remained silent, exchanging glances before swiftly retreating and fanning out.

A surge of intense danger instantly rose in Yue Longze’s heart, filling him with deep unease.

He immediately began to move, employing the Ghost Step his master Jing Tianjinglong had taught him, dodging to one side.

A sharp crack rang out at the very moment Yue Longze leapt aside—a bullet, slicing through the air, struck the spot where he had just stood.

The handgun was fitted with a silencer, so the sound was barely audible, not enough to alert anyone nearby.

“Damn it!” Yue Longze glanced at the floor, now pierced by a bullet, a small black hole still emitting wisps of white smoke.

His opponents had firearms, while he only held a sword. Divine as it may be, it was still a cold weapon. Facing firearms with a sword—he wasn't so foolish as to try. Not unless he could perform the Hundred-Pace Flying Sword—the legendary technique: within a hundred paces, sever the enemy’s head. That, too, was a skill Jing Tianjinglong had imparted to him.

He certainly couldn’t resort to transforming into Ultraman just to deal with these few men; that would cause a catastrophic stir. The headlines everywhere would read: Ultraman Deals with Humans?

Yue Longze came to a swift decision.

With a flick of his sword, he smashed the glass of a nearby window, crouched low, and vaulted out, his figure vanishing from the black-clad men’s sight.

“After him!” barked the leader, tightening the cap on his head and immediately leading the others in pursuit, following the path Yue Longze had broken through.

Outside the dojo’s window lay a tangled sprawl of alleys, their sides inhabited by many people eking out a living at the margins of society.

The leader dared not fire again; one report to the police and things would become troublesome.

Yue Longze darted left and right, making skillful use of the twisting streets to evade pursuit.

“Who on earth are they…” Yue Longze frowned as he ran, pondering the origin of these men.

His speed was astonishing; his physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary men—after all, he had once trained on a planet with ten times Earth’s gravity. Even though he had been transformed at the time, the improvement to his human body was still remarkable.

Unfortunately, he was unfamiliar with the area’s layout, whereas his pursuers had clearly studied the terrain thoroughly.

“You go that way. You and you, head over there.” The leader, relying on his knowledge of the alleys, calmly directed his men to spread out and intercept Yue Longze.

To Yue Longze, the maze of alleys felt impenetrable. He took many turns, even backtracked unknowingly; to anyone unfamiliar with the place, finding a way out would be nearly impossible.

“Damn!” Yue Longze cursed inwardly, for he could hear hurried footsteps approaching.

He didn’t know if each of his pursuers was armed. From earlier, it seemed only the leader had a gun. Still, Yue Longze couldn’t risk his life on that assumption. If those chasing him were unarmed, he had nothing to fear—with his skills, he could easily subdue them.

He pushed himself faster, sprinting blindly through the narrow lanes.

The residents of the old apartment blocks watched him through cracked windows, their eyes curious yet indifferent. They saw clearly that this slender young man was being hunted by a pack of fierce men in black, but showed no reaction. Perhaps these people, ground down by hardship and the harshness of life in these damp alleys, had long since grown numb.

Inevitably, Yue Longze found himself blocked by two men in black.

He leaned against a rusted, battered iron door, facing the two men. Neither dared to make a move, each watching the other warily.

Yue Longze feared they might be armed; the two men, for their part, had been frightened by his swordplay and dreaded his skill.

At that moment, Yue Longze realized that sometimes, humans were more terrifying than the most monstrous of beasts. The human heart was indeed complicated.

He held the sword in his left hand; with his right, he reached into his coat, gripping the Dark Light Stick, ready to transform into Diga at any moment. If they had guns and he found himself unable to dodge in the narrow, clammy alley, he would transform without hesitation—though only to save his life, never to use Ultraman’s power against humans.

Suddenly, with a creak, the rusted iron door beside him opened. A figure reached out, yanking Yue Longze behind her, then flung a handful of white powder through the air. The powder dispersed, drifting into the eyes of the two men in black. Their vision clouded instantly; clutching their faces, they howled in fear, as helpless as if they had lost half their lives.

Seizing the opportunity, Yue Longze stepped forward and struck each man on the neck. Both collapsed limply to the ground. He quickly searched them and found no guns.

“So only the leader is armed,” Yue Longze concluded. He turned to look at his savior—a plainly dressed young woman, with delicate features and a tidy ponytail. She wore a well-worn black woolen coat, faded light jeans, and a pair of old-fashioned women’s sneakers that clashed with her upper attire.

“We need to go! Their friends are sure to have heard those screams,” she said. The girl had witnessed everything since Yue Longze entered the alley, and before he could thank her, she pulled him inside the iron door.

“Wait!” Yue Longze called, stopping her. She glanced back at him in puzzlement.

“There’s no need for us to run. Leave it to me,” Yue Longze said with a smile.

He believed these people didn’t actually intend to kill him. The leader’s shot had made that clear—the bullet had struck exactly where Yue Longze’s foot had been. Had the gun been aimed at his heart or head, after dodging, the bullet would have struck farther back. These were trained men; poor marksmanship was not a plausible explanation.

Yue Longze wanted to know who they were and what they wanted.

The girl regarded him, curiosity in her eyes, unsure what this young man intended.

Sensing her doubt, Yue Longze smiled. “Let’s wait for the prey to come to us.”