Truffle could never forget that Death God shrouded in red light.
Samusa was the first to fall.
He didn’t even make it onto the land of the central island.
Trailing behind him, Truffle only heard a faint “puff,” as soft as a bursting bubble.
The Captain’s head exploded before her eyes without warning, hot blood and brain matter splashing across her face in an instant.
She dropped low, activating her “Perception Wave” to the maximum.
Her psychic tendrils frantically swept the surrounding waters and air—empty!
No trace of a mind bug, no ripple of energy, only the cold lake wind and a suffocating stench of blood.
Hei Yuzhi, that silent old man, was the second.
The instant Samusa fell, he turned into a blinding bolt of lightning, shooting skyward, trying to escape the deadly waters.
However, the lightning rose just over ten meters before crashing into an invisible electric net.
With a dull boom and a blinding flash, his entire body was instantly blown apart into a mist of blood, raining down over the dark lake.
The remaining four stood frozen, none daring to move or speak, each fearing they’d be the next claimed by the unseen Death God.
“Truffle! Where’s the enemy?!”
The team member codenamed “Explosion” couldn’t hold back any longer, roaring out.
His shout became his death knell.
Before his words even finished, a tremendous force descended out of nowhere, his head smashed into his chest like a watermelon under a hammer.
Then his entire body, amidst the sound of bones shattering, compressed into “Compressed.zip.”
At that moment, the invisible Death God finally revealed himself.
He stood silently atop the compressed mass of flesh and blood, his black battle skirt billowing in the lake wind like the wings of death.
“Overload reached, attempting restart.”
“Insufficient energy, stealth automatically disengaged.”
“Energy weapon system disconnected…”
“Initializing…failure.”
“Anti-gravity system disconnected…”
“Initializing…success…”
A series of cold electronic alerts echoed inside the helmet, making White Falcon’s already overloaded and throbbing brain buzz even louder.
This damn Prototype!
Enduring the agony that felt like his body was being torn apart, he locked onto the remaining three through his faceplate, voice icy.
“Surrender to Dawn Resources Group. We’ll grant you Geneva Convention POW standards.”
Truffle’s “Perception Wave” frantically scanned the black-clad Death God ahead.
No mind bug fluctuations.
Could it be…just an ordinary human?
Dawn Resources Group…that African warlord? Why…
At that moment, an urgent call came through White Falcon’s helmet communicator.
“G8 Building, AED needed, return immediately!”
Almost simultaneously, a flash of resolve crossed the eyes of the team member codenamed “Cossack.”
His indigo pupils blazed.
Ability One—”Assimilate Injury,” activate!
Invisible psychic chains shot toward White Falcon inside the Battle Armor.
Without hesitation, Cossack pulled the Tactical Dagger from his waist and stabbed it backward into his own heart!
He would force this fatal wound upon the terrifying enemy!
However, the moment the dagger tip broke skin, Cossack felt the seventy-five-meter link sever abruptly!
He looked up in shock, only to see the Battle Armor had vanished without a trace, leaving only ripples on the lake surface from high-speed movement.
“IouenTbiHaxyi! (Damn Li Liang!)”
Cossack managed to curse once before the dagger plunged deep into his chest.
Eyes wide with disbelief, he collapsed heavily onto the deck.
Even in death, he couldn’t understand how the enemy knew his ability’s weakness.
Such cunning!
Vmmm—
On the yacht’s railing, space warped slightly, and White Falcon reappeared in an instant.
He caught the AED defibrillator thrown by Uncle Hei, and a strange itch crept inside his chest armor, as if bitten by an insect.
“Go!”
“Liquid Color!”
White Falcon’s form blurred into shadow again, racing toward the G8 Building.
***
The cold lake wind swept across the deck, dispersing the stench of blood but not the bone-deep terror.
Now, only Truffle and the young team member codenamed “Snow Mountain” remained alive.
Snow Mountain’s face was pale as paper, his body trembling uncontrollably, teeth chattering.
He had witnessed the brutal death of his comrades with his own eyes.
That overwhelming power nearly shattered his mental defenses.
His legs felt like jelly, nearly collapsing, his gaze dazed as he stared in the direction White Falcon disappeared, fearing that in the next second, he too would be crushed or compressed by an unseen force.
“Did…did he leave? Will he come back? We’re…we’re dead for sure…”
Snow Mountain’s voice was tinged with tears, filled with despair.
“Shut up!”
Truffle snapped.
She took a deep breath, forcing down the nausea and her racing heartbeat.
Mission! The mission must be completed!
As long as…
“He didn’t kill us. Either he ran out of energy, or…there was a more important target.”
Truffle quickly analyzed, her crimson eyes locked onto the central island just meters away.
“As long as we rescue the ‘Key,’ everyone’s sacrifice won’t be in vain!”
Snow Mountain shuddered, but when he met Truffle’s determined gaze, survival instinct and a shred of duty overcame his fear.
He nodded hard, his voice still trembling but trying to stay firm.
“U…Understood!”
Without hesitation, the two set foot on the island.
Truffle poured all her strength into her “Perception Wave.”
Invisible psychic ripples radiated from her, piercing the ground and reaching deep below.
She focused on finding that unique, powerful “signal”—
A source of energy as massive and suppressed as a dormant volcano.
“Found it!”
Truffle’s eyes snapped open, pointing to an inconspicuous rock wall at the island’s center.
“The entrance is behind the rock! Very deep underground! At least five layers of protection!”
Snow Mountain nodded, inhaling deeply.
His orange-yellow eyes began to glow faintly.
Ability One—”Spirit Body Manifestation,” activate!
His body turned translucent in an instant, like smoke, losing its solid form.
He stepped forward, phasing effortlessly through the solid rock, disappearing from sight.
Truffle waited outside the entrance, warily scanning her surroundings, heart still pounding.
Would that terrifying figure suddenly return for a sneak attack?
Time ticked by, each second dragging on.
After who knew how long, the air before her rippled.
Snow Mountain’s semi-transparent figure reappeared, fatigue and tension on his face.
Then, as if the space beside him turned to liquid, a figure was pulled out from the “Spirit Body” state and crashed heavily to the ground.
It was a bearded middle-aged man, greasy hair matted, prison clothes tattered.
Yet his eyes were sharp as an eagle’s, not the least bit defeated, instead glinting with wild intelligence.
He flexed his limbs, bones cracking, greedily sucking in the air of freedom.
“Well done, kid.”
The man grinned, revealing jagged yellow teeth, his gaze sweeping over Truffle and Snow Mountain.
“Only you two left? Where’s Samusa and the others?”
Truffle’s heart sank.
Suppressing sorrow and rage, she spoke coldly.
“To save you, they all died! No time to explain—move! That black-armored guy could come back any moment!”
“Black armor?”
The man raised an eyebrow, interested, then sneered.
“Tch. So you two can’t do anything to me now.”
Truffle and Snow Mountain’s faces changed at once, dread rising within.
Originally, Cossack as a parasite was meant to keep the man restrained—but now, he was dead!
The man slowly raised his right hand, palm up.
A sphere of dark light formed in his palm…finally becoming a fearsome weapon.
A massive double-bladed battle axe, its edge pitch-black, absorbing all light.
This…was the legendary Manifested Heart Weapon?
Truffle stared in disbelief at the weapon in the man’s hand.
To think the first time seeing a real-world manifestation would be in such a scene!
“As for breaking the deal…”
The man hefted the giant axe with a cruel, mocking smile.
“With only a bunch of corpses and two weaklings left, what deal is there to keep? Tell your boss—Nikolai is free!”
Before his words faded, he slammed the massive axe into the ground!
There was no earth-shattering roar, only a deep black rift opening in silence.
Nikolai leaped, his figure vanishing into the fissure.
“No—!”
Truffle reached out in despair, grasping only cold air.
The black rift closed as silently as it opened, as if it had never existed.
Leaving only Truffle and Snow Mountain standing in shock, faced with empty rock and cold lake water.
The mission…had utterly failed.
Not only had all their teammates been lost, but even the target…escaped.
What would they do now?
Only the heavens knew.
***
This was the second time Yuki Asahi had experienced such a near-death sensation.
To be honest…he almost liked the feeling of dying and coming back.
Especially when, after sitting up sharply, Senior Jiang Jian Yue clung to him and wouldn’t let go.
He felt something wet on his chest.
“You cried?”
He asked in surprise.
“No.”
Jiang Jian Yue’s voice was muffled, with a hint of blame.
“Why…so stupid…willing to die?”
They clearly could have escaped.
Frankly, Jiang Jian Yue didn’t care that much about the lives of the Lake Toya residents.
–Not compared to Yuki Asahi’s.
A tired smile crept across Yuki Asahi’s face.
He hugged the girl tightly, his hand running through her ashen-gray hair.
“I believe Yue would definitely find a way to save me…because Yue is my senpai.”
“Idiot.”
Standing to the side, White Falcon shrugged.
Fine, it was the lady who saved you, not me coming with the AED.
“Actually, I thought my body could handle it, so I…”
“Don’t do it again.”
“Mm, I won’t.”
Watching the sappy couple, White Falcon felt goosebumps all over.
It seemed his bet on “Nine-Tails Seiji” was going to lose everything!