Avengers

Wu Youren was left on his own once more. Unconcerned by the female knight's squad, he kept to himself, eating and drinking. Besides, being on guard wouldn't do any good anyway, so why borrow trouble? To the boy, the provisions Knight Rossi had left behind were genuinely top-notch, including a small piece of compressed blood food. It tasted awful, but it was unquestionably beneficial for cultivation. For a knight, it was merely enough to replenish their daily blood-qi, but for an apprentice knight, the boost was immense. The female knight didn't pester him further. For one, the youth was far too standoffish, and for another, her smartwatch buzzed incessantly, giving her plenty to attend to. Just as dusk was turning pitch-black, Rossi returned on his motorcycle and waved for Wu Youren to pack up and get moving. The female knight snapped her fingers as well, and her group of five boarded their motorcycle and off-road vehicle, falling in behind the motorized tricycle. Neither side exchanged a single word. She was clearly determined to stick with the pair, and Rossi knew he couldn't refuse her, so he didn't bother asking. Half an hour later, darkness had completely fallen, and the group had arrived deep in the Rust Belt. "Let's stop here," Wu Youren decided, glancing back over his shoulder. Rossi also peered back, steering the motorcycle off the main road and heading straight toward an abandoned industrial complex. The Rust Belt had abandoned residential houses too, but most were cramped and low-ceilinged, unsuitable for keeping watch or fighting in wide, sweeping maneuvers. The motorcycle drove into a large factory building. Once the two dismounted, Wu Youren set to work laying out contraptions again. The female knight's motorcycle and off-roader drove in right behind them. The moment she stepped out of the vehicle, she asked, "Did you discover something?" "No," Wu Youren shook his head. "Didn't sense any danger. I just want to lie low for a couple of days." Rossi countered with a question of his own. "Aren't you going to continue investigating the Suotu Town incident?" "Someone else is dealing with that," the female knight replied casually. "We suffered heavy casualties, so all we need to do is provide some minor cooperation." Pausing for a moment, she asked, "Little friend, care to accept a draft?" It was plain to see that her interest in Wu Youren was exceptionally strong. "Take that up with the martial academy," Rossi answered offhandedly. "Red Pine isn't some lower martial academy; it trains intermediate and advanced talent!" The Intelligence Bureau lacked the authority to requisition people at will anyway—that was determined by the nature of their department. Martial artists from an intermediate martial academy were considered genuine talent; even the military had to go through formal procedures to draft them. "Boring," the female knight muttered lazily, then ordered her own people to set up traps. In the blink of an eye, the first half of the night passed. In the dead of night, a faint metallic sound suddenly rang out. Rossi was on watch at the time, dozing lightly. At the sound, his eyes snapped open, and he delivered a silent, gentle kick. Beside his foot, Wu Youren stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Not far away, the other five also had someone on rotation. Having heard the noise, the sentry began quietly alerting his companions. The female knight, who had been resting, opened her eyes in an instant, silently curling her body and slowly sitting up. Whether it was Rossi's pair or the five from the bureau, both groups had kept the small lights on their vehicles running during their rest. Under the dim illumination, the workshop stood empty; nothing could be seen tripping the traps. An alarm had gone off, yet no target could be found. All seven felt bewildered. None made a sound, however, quietly gathering the weapons beside them and subtly shifting into ready stances. Minutes ticked by, and the cavernous factory remained terrifyingly silent. After more than ten minutes, one of the female knight's men let out a quiet yawn and gave a soft scoff through his nose. "Hm?" He felt somewhat skeptical, as the contraption that had triggered the alarm was set by the academy kid. That soft scoff was a veiled challenge: could it be that the kid was too young, his trap-craft lacking, and the tripwire had misfired? Strictly speaking, such mistakes weren't uncommon, even on the battlefield—a sudden gust of wind could easily trip an alarm. Still, being startled awake in the middle of the night like this was bound to leave someone disgruntled. Yet, as his soft grunt faded, a dark shadow flashed, lunging at the man with blinding speed. Although only an apprentice knight, he was a seasoned martial artist after all; without a second thought, he slashed out with his blade! With a light clink, the dark shadow was knocked back by the strike, letting out a muffled growl. "Hrrr..." "Leopard cat!" someone recognized the shadow. "They really did follow us!" A monkey-tiger was essentially a giant leopard cat that had become a spirit beast, wielding considerable dominance over various leopard cat species. If aided by chang ghosts, its command over them would be even stronger. The next instant, several more dark shadows flashed consecutively, lunging at the group. Dozens more leopard cats emerged not far away, lurking in the shadows—a fairly large pack. These leopard cats were of limited strength, the strongest among them not even reaching knight rank. Yet creatures of this sort were natural-born hunters: light and swift on their feet, adept at ambushes, and exceedingly patient. More importantly, though they relied on agility, their strength was nothing to scoff at, and their offensive power was remarkably high. Their appearance at this moment was clearly aimed at Rossi and Wu Youren. The two had not only slain the monkey-tiger but also severed its head, forging a deep grudge. The Intelligence Bureau personnel naturally felt aggrieved—they hadn't gained a shred of benefit, so how had they ended up dragged into this mess? Where was the justice in that? Right then, however, the female knight gave a light cough. "All right, quit grumbling. Most of these leopard cats have been infected by Guizu aura!" "Finally, someone with sense," Rossi scoffed disdainfully. "This is obviously a vanguard sent by the Guizu!" When he had been up in the mountains, these leopard cats hadn't attacked. Could trailing all the way here be purely spontaneous? He then asked nonchalantly, "You or me?" The leopard cats were numerous, but their individual strength was limited, meaning they couldn't deal serious harm to the group. Even so, for a handful of apprentice knights to slay so many agile leopard cats would be a tall order. The critical issue was the risk of Guizu aura infection—that was the real headache! Thus, the wisest choice was for a knight to step up and resolve the trouble cleanly and decisively! "Your mess, handle it yourself!" the female knight replied without hesitation. "I'll cover you. The Guizu aura issue was triggered on our end, so we'll deal with that!" "Fair enough!" Rossi didn't contest the division of labor. "Just what I had in mind!" The next moment, he drew the broadsword from his back. His figure blurred, leaving a trail of afterimages across the factory floor. A rapid succession of clangs rang out as the leopard cats' claws struck hard against the broadsword. Yet how could the strikes of an apprentice knight compare to the power of a true knight? In barely half a minute, dozens of leopard cat carcasses lay strewn across the cavernous building. Rossi didn't dare lower his guard, retreating cautiously, only to discover a dead leopard cat lying right beside Wu Youren.