Half an hour later, several off-road vehicles drove into the construction site. The doors swung open, and Zhou Xiao, whose hands were bound, was kicked out first. Three men followed, shoving Zhou Xiao toward the building and shouting toward the interior from a distance of over ten meters.
The site was equipped with tower lights, so the open area outside was relatively well-lit, but visibility inside the building was poor. Soon, a dark shadow emerged from within.
Zhou Xiao recognized Zhou Ning instantly and screamed, "Sis!"
Zhou Ning walked out, staring hatefully at the people opposite her. "Release him!"
"Where is Zhao Sheng?" The young man in polished leather shoes stepped out of his car and sized Zhou Ning up. "You're not bad looking. How about you follow me, and I'll release your brother?"
Hiding behind a pillar, Hu Wenhu emerged carrying the unconscious Zhao Sheng, his fingernails digging into the flesh of the man's neck. "Cut the crap and let Zhou Xiao go!"
The young man looked at them in surprise. "You don't actually think I'd care about the life or death of a thug, do you? I'll give you a chance: behave, and I'll let you live today."
"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Hu Wenhu dropped Zhao Sheng and lunged violently at the young man. But at that exact moment, the tower lights went out, plunging the surroundings into total darkness!
"An ambush!" Zhou Ning shouted. "Fall back into the building first!"
"Trying to run?" Relying on his memory of the layout before the lights went out, the young man lunged accurately toward Zhou Ning's position. However, as soon as he lunged, he became entangled in a mass of flexible, itchy filaments. It felt like plunging into water; not only did the threads bind his limbs, but they also continuously crawled into his mouth and nose, constricting him and dragging him toward the building!
Simultaneously, Hu Wenhu and Tian Yun coordinated their efforts—one creating a diversion while the other used his speed to snatch Zhou Xiao away. Once the rescue was complete, they did not linger to fight and retreated into the building.
"There are currently three players straight ahead. There's a woman in a skirt on the tower, and two players entered the second floor from the main gate of the site."
In the darkness, Liu Jia reported everything she had captured through her binoculars.
"I only have one on my side, but he's holding something very strange—dragon-shaped. It should be a prop." On the other side facing the light, Yu Xiaoyu spotted Ma Yu. "It's a long-haired man, also on the second floor."
*Click!* Hua Nü, who was responsible for monitoring the rear of the building, tapped her earpiece.
"There are at least nine players here so far: one on the tower, three on the second floor, and five on the first floor. Try to keep the other players on the first floor as much as possible, and kill the three on the second floor," Xu Huo said in a low voice.
"No problem..." Zhou Ning replied. "What about the one I dragged in? He's not dead yet. Should we keep him to interrogate him about the whereabouts of the Holy Sword Society?"
"No need. For players who enter, prioritize killing them if possible; otherwise, focus on delaying them." Just as Xu Huo finished speaking, a whistling sound tore through the air toward his face. He raised his hand to grab, and the "Ubiquitous Piano Strings" pulled him backward, allowing him to dodge the attack.
By now, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He could vaguely see a figure standing before him. He leaped into the air and delivered a kick straight to the man's temple!
*Thud!* The man slammed heavily against the wall. The sound attracted the other two players on the second floor. Hearing two sets of footsteps approaching, Xu Huo acted decisively. Using the piano strings, he hoisted the player up, grabbed his legs, and twisted. With a sickening *crack*, the struggling man went limp instantly.
After dropping the body, he delivered a finishing blow to the man's heart before standing up, crouching in a corner while perched on his strings.
The heavy scent of blood soon drew the next player. The man stepped over a stone ledge, and a second later, he raised whatever he was holding toward Xu Huo's hiding spot, unleashing a jet of flame!
Xu Huo flipped to the ground, his lighter clicking open. "Burn, burn, burn!"
Three clusters of flame ignited on the man's body, but they failed to catch fire. The man laughed. "I use fire myself; how could my clothes not be fireproof?"
Xu Huo narrowed his eyes. When the light had flashed just now, he had barely caught a glimpse of the man's face. This was the long-haired man Yu Xiaoyu had mentioned. He was holding a dragon-shaped toy gun, but the flames it spat were very real.
"Since you play with fire too, why not join the Holy Sword Society?" Ma Yu patted the toy gun. "There are plenty of good things there. This thing was given to me by the Society."
Xu Huo smiled faintly. "A team raised by an insignificant Red Player? What future is there in that? In less than three days, the Holy Sword Society will vanish from Ting City entirely."
Ma Yu burst into laughter. "I know you ordinary players have 'Traits' and think you're so special, looking down on Red Players. But Traits need time to develop. You're unlucky to have run into me."
"Is that so?" Xu Huo raised two fingers. The piano strings that had been drifting near Ma Yu suddenly snapped taut around his neck, violently jerking him into mid-air!
Ma Yu turned pale with shock. Seeing the man opposite him aiming at him, he immediately raised the toy gun. However, before he could pull the trigger, Xu Huo—whose speed was in no way inferior to a Red Player—kicked the gun away and lunged with a blade toward his chest and abdomen!
*Slash!* The sharp blade pierced the fabric but failed to wound Ma Yu. He was wearing a black compression suit underneath that looked thin but was capable of resisting blade attacks!
The failed strike gave Ma Yu a moment to breathe. He grabbed the piano strings and jerked his head back, shedding a layer of skin to break free from the control. He delivered a flying kick to force Xu Huo back, then lunged forward himself, his clenched fists striking with ferocious intensity!
Xu Huo retreated step by step. Even with his arms held up in front of him, he could not withstand the onslaught, eventually being punched through a brick wall!
Just as he stood up from the debris, Ma Yu pressed him again. Simultaneously, another Holy Sword Society player on the second floor blocked his path from behind!
"I'm here to help!" Huang Junjie, who was stationed on the second floor with him, arrived at the sound, parrying the other player's attack and pulling him away from Xu Huo.
Xu Huo glanced toward them, tore off his right glove, and used the piano strings to launch himself into the air, charging at Ma Yu!
Kicks met fists in a blur of motion, the two moving so fast they were nothing but afterimages. But after dozens of exchanges, Ma Yu could no longer endure. He pulled back, looking at his hands—the backs of his hands and arms were swollen high, with a faint, aching sensation of bone fractures!
"You're a Red Player too?" he asked, suspicious and uncertain. "Then why bother opposing us?"
Xu Huo didn't stop. He manipulated the strings to pursue, stepping through the hole in the brick wall. Before Ma Yu could scramble up, Xu Huo brought his foot down again!
Ma Yu rolled repeatedly, his weight creating successive craters in the floor that stretched all the way to the balcony!
Seeing that the man wouldn't say a word and only continued his relentless assault, Ma Yu cried out in frustration, "Who the hell are you? Are you from the Special Affairs Bureau?"
"Guess." Xu Huo intercepted him at the balcony window, using a sweeping kick to pin down the man who was trying to jump from the second floor!
As Ma Yu landed back on the floor, his eyes flashed. He lunged toward the dragon-shaped toy gun lying in the corner!