Chapter 93: Chapter 92: Darkness Under the Lamp

Zhao Xuanqi made up his mind. Maintaining his state of Qi Circulation Throughout the Body, he snatched the unconscious Melissa from the floor as easily as lifting a chick. Then, with a flicker of movement, he was beside Zhou Lie.

Although Zhou Lie was no longer in his Qi Surge state, he was still well over six feet tall and powerfully built, much heavier than Melissa.

However, with Zhao Xuanqi’s terrifying strength, carrying two people while running a long distance was hardly a problem.

Their bodies were like two rag dolls as he held them up, completely shielding his front.

Just like that, he carried the two of them and charged straight out the main entrance of the first-floor hall.

At that very moment, the soldiers standing guard outside, armed with firearms, saw someone charge out. Their expressions turned grim, and after identifying the person as a stranger, they immediately prepared to raise their guns and fire.

For a top-tier Cross-Training master, the power of ordinary firearms was greatly diminished and couldn’t pose a fatal threat. However, they could still break the skin, inflict injuries, and slow them down.

In fact, with enough guns—dozens firing at once—even a top-tier Cross-Training master could be killed outright if trapped in an alley and subjected to continuous fire.

These gunmen on the perimeter had been positioned specifically to prevent Zhao Xuanqi’s escape.

"Stop!!"

However, just as they were about to open fire, the leader of the gunmen’s squad paled. He had gotten a clear look at the two rag-doll-like figures Zhao Xuanqi was carrying.

Although their clothes were stained red with blood, their faces were mangled, and their limbs were broken, he could still identify them from their attire and skin color.

’Young Master Zhou Lie... Miss Melissa...’

’How could the two of them end up like this?!’

’What in the world happened in that hall?!’

With Zhao Xuanqi using Zhou Lie and Melissa as human shields, the squad leader didn’t dare give the order to fire. Even a top-tier Cross-Training Martial Artist could be killed by a single bullet if they were unconscious with their muscles completely relaxed.

By now, Zhao Xuanqi was already circulating his Blood Essence through his feet. Despite carrying two people, his sprinting speed was still incredibly fast. While the surrounding gunmen hesitated at their leader’s command, he was already upon them.

With a single charge, he slammed into them, sending the gunmen—each one trained in a Secret Transmission—flying. Zhao Xuanqi easily broke through their defensive line.

"Take some men and follow him! Notify the Military Department immediately! The rest of you, with me! We’re checking the hall!"

The leader gave the orders decisively. It was nearly impossible for his men alone to stop their target. The most important thing now was to track his movements, assess the situation in the hall, and hand the matter over to the Military Department.

Simple grunts like them couldn’t handle matters of this level.

The leader took a few gunmen into the hall. When they saw the scene inside, he felt as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar.

Five of the Ten Heroes were dead or wounded, and all five elite soldiers were dead. The floor of the first-floor hall looked as if it had been plowed over.

’Most importantly, Zhou Lie and Melissa, both True Inheritors of the Giant Spirit Sect, had made a move, yet they were still defeated. Just how powerful was this man?!’

Meanwhile, the few soldiers sent to give chase obviously couldn’t keep up with Zhao Xuanqi’s speed and were quickly left far behind.

However, he was far too conspicuous. His clothes were in tatters, and in his Qi Surge state, he looked like a humanoid beast. He was carrying two bloody people with twisted limbs, and Melissa’s pale skin made them even more eye-catching.

Along the way, even though he deliberately stuck to the rooftops, leaping from eave to eave, he still drew gasps of shock from below.

He knew that, looking like this, his whereabouts would soon be discovered by the Giant Spirit Army. Therefore, he didn’t try to head directly for the National Salvation Association’s stronghold. Instead, he sprinted toward the nearest edge of the city, creating the impression that he was trying to flee.

Once he left the bustling city center and the crowds thinned, he deliberately turned into a deserted street corner. After completely evading any onlookers, he slipped into a farmer’s house and changed into a set of ordinary farmer’s clothes. He then found two large bamboo baskets, lined them with oil paper and cloth to prevent blood from seeping through, and stuffed Zhou Lie and Melissa inside.

Because Zhou Lie’s frame was too large to fit completely, Zhao Xuanqi had to break a few more of his bones to successfully stuff him inside.

After all that, Zhao Xuanqi thought for a moment, then took out the envelope he had prepared for the old headmaster from his pocket. ’It’s a good thing my pants didn’t completely fall apart,’ he thought with a sigh of relief.

He took an unmarked silver banknote from the envelope, worth one hundred silver coins, and placed it on the most conspicuous table in the house, weighing it down with a water kettle.

The items he had stolen were of little value in his eyes, but to an ordinary farmer, they were important possessions. These farmers were not wealthy, and if they discovered they had been robbed, they would most likely report it to the authorities immediately, which would expose his trail.

If he left too little, they might report it out of fear, just to be safe.

Only by leaving a large enough sum of silver coins at once would they be tempted to keep it quiet. After all, if such a large amount of money were to be exposed, they would never be able to hold onto it.

This amount of silver was enough for the family to pack up and start a new life elsewhere. It was a risk they would most likely be willing to take by not reporting it. After all, the allure of wealth is powerful.

Zhao Xuanqi hoisted a shoulder pole with the two large bamboo baskets hanging from its ends, looking just like an ordinary farmer.

But that wasn’t enough.

CRACK! CRACK!!

He controlled his muscles, contracting them sharply. This caused his shoulder blades and other bones to retract slightly inward. Under his baggy clothes, his frame appeared noticeably shorter. Combined with the shoulder pole, his deliberately hunched back, bent waist, and sunken knees, his physique and height were no longer as conspicuous.

It would be difficult to pick him out of a crowd.

With all this done, he turned and walked back toward the city.

The Giant Spirit Army would most likely lock down the city and search along its edges first. They would never imagine that he hadn’t fled but had instead returned to the city’s interior. It was a classic case of hiding in plain sight.

Skill begets boldness.

...

...

「Meanwhile, just as Zhao Xuanqi was escaping from Guangdong University.」

「Guanghai South Road, Rongji Cloth Shop.」

The shop was only a city block away from Guangdong University. It was an important stronghold for the Yuehai branch of the National Salvation Association and the meeting address given in Ma Maocheng’s envelope.

The shop’s owner, Rong Zhenyu, was one of the key figures in the National Salvation Association’s Yuehai intelligence network.

At this moment, Rong Zhenyu was sitting at a tea table in his study, drinking tea and chatting with a man of medium build. The man looked to be in his thirties and was indistinguishable from an ordinary farmer.

This man was none other than Sun Yunyong, the member of the National Salvation Association’s Divine Martial Department whom Zhao Xuanqi had originally planned to meet later.