Chapter 26: Shadow Nightmare

"Time is money."

After finishing some stretches, Fu Qian looked at Tan Mingxue with a beaming smile.

"But don't worry, you will soon be liberated from such tedious matters."

Tan Mingxue's response was simple: a tremor ran through her hair, and countless fine filaments radiated from her, converging inward toward Fu Qian like a cutting web.

The same trick does not work twice on a Saint.

Fu Qian took a deep breath once more and lifted his right foot.

BOOM!

With a stomp fueled by violent force, the ground shattered. The explosive shockwave surged outward, scattering the sky-filling filaments.

Naturally, Tan Mingxue’s signature move wasn't so easily dismantled. The filaments whipped and recoiled, but after holding for only a heartbeat, they began to converge once again.

One heartbeat was enough.

With a harsh, metallic screech, Fu Qian tore the tabletop off the nearby dining table.

Almost everything in the safe house was made of a special alloy, and this tabletop was an absurdly heavy solid slab, weighing significantly in his hands.

Seeing this, the poker-faced Tan Mingxue finally displayed a flicker of emotion.

Regret was too late now.

Fu Qian didn't give her the chance to display any histrionics; he hoisted the heavy tabletop to his chest.

He pivoted and flung it.

The next moment, the tabletop transformed into a flying shield, hurtling toward Tan Mingxue's head with unstoppable, savage kinetic energy. Simultaneously, Fu Qian splayed the fingers of his left hand and silently fired five air bullets in succession.

Tan Mingxue’s "three thousand feet of white hair" instinctively retracted in an instant, bunching together in front of her to block the tabletop that seemed capable of crushing anything in its path.

Debris sprayed everywhere, and the screeching sound was relentless.

The sharpness of the filaments was extraordinary; the seemingly indestructible metal tabletop was instantly torn apart, sliced into fragments by sheer force.

Sharp, yes, but pointless.

Fu Qian was right: even when shattered, each piece of the metal followed its original trajectory, moving with unyielding determination toward Tan Mingxue’s head.

Because it had been disintegrated, it had essentially turned into buckshot.

Tan Mingxue clearly realized this. While her filaments blocked the flying shield, she shifted several meters in an incredibly awkward posture, narrowly dodging the barrage of needles.

The metal shards slammed directly into the wall behind her, pockmarking it with a honeycomb of deep craters.

However, the next moment, Tan Mingxue—having escaped the fate of a headshot—saw her pupils dilate. Her body, nearly losing its balance, attempted another shift.

Even so, an invisible bullet struck her waist, splashing a spray of blood.

Not bad!

She hadn't gone down.

As expected of a Nightwatcher squad leader; this performance was significantly better than that Mr. Ji.

*Huff, huff!*

Panting heavily, one hand clutching the wound at her waist, Tan Mingxue’s expression was ghastly.

When she received the report earlier, she had heard a general description, but she hadn't expected this guy to be far more terrifying than imagined.

Where on earth did this monster come from?

"Sneak attack, how despicable and shameless!"

"Someone who uses that thing as a weapon doesn't really have the right to say that to me." Fu Qian gestured toward her hair.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

Tan Mingxue had no interest in chatting with this guy, but she certainly wouldn't mind a moment to breathe and tend to her wound.

"Your last words."

Fu Qian slowly exhaled the two words, though his eyes weren't looking at her, but rather at Wen Li in the corner.

The latter was currently turning her head, her mouth agape in an 'O' shape, seemingly unable to process the scene unfolding before her.

Catching Fu Qian's gaze, Wen Li recoiled as if electrocuted, whipping her head back around, squeezing her eyes shut, and focusing entirely on her own breathing.

"Who exactly are you?" Tan Mingxue uttered a classic flag-setting line.

"A master living in seclusion."

As he replied, Fu Qian picked up an ashtray from the floor. It had fallen off the table earlier.

"Hold on, I'm going to save someone."

Just then, a shadow flickered overhead—someone had jumped down. A man in his thirties, wearing a black top and gold-rimmed glasses.

"Qi Xue!"

Seeing the newcomer, Tan Mingxue felt an instant surge of strength, her voice regaining its edge. The brutal power displayed by her opponent just moments ago had almost made her lose confidence.

Seeing Qi Xue pounce toward Wen Li, she felt it was unnecessary, yet she gritted her teeth and mobilized all her transparent filaments to launch another attack at Fu Qian.

*Clang!*

With a loud crash, Qi Xue’s figure came to a sudden halt, stopping a few meters away from Wen Li.

On the wall in front of him, the ashtray Fu Qian had thrown had left a deep indentation.

"You'd best stay away from there."

Fu Qian strolled along, dodging Tan Mingxue's attacks while holding the two table legs he had just ripped out, walking right up to him. He turned his head to look at Wen Li, who was on the verge of standing up.

"Do you really think he came to save you?"

"What do you mean?"

Having seen new reinforcements arrive, Wen Li had been thrilled, nearly trembling as she prepared to stand up.

But now, Fu Qian's words left her bewildered.

Fu Qian didn't speak; he just pointed at her head.

This was...

Realizing the danger, Wen Li took a breath to steady her nerves. The next moment, she took a sharp step back, looking in horror at Qi Xue, who was not far away.

"You're not... Who are you!"

"I am not."

Qi Xue suddenly broke into a sinister grin. The features on his face rapidly melted and deformed, and in the blink of an eye, he had become a different man.

Ignoring Wen Li, he turned to look at Fu Qian.

"I'm a bit curious, how did you know?"

"Need you ask? This guy is the one who took the job to finish you off," Fu Qian replied to the stunned Wen Li. "You're really quite popular. Both those who want to kill you and those who want to save you are in such a rush to get in here."

"As for how I knew?" Fu Qian turned back to the fake Qi Xue. "Guess, hehehe."

Fu Qian naturally wouldn't tell him that he recognized him because he had killed him once before and had long since memorized his aura.

That's right, this was the same guy who had manipulated Wen Xiuxian last time.

"My disguise is absolutely flawless." The man gritted his teeth.

"It's very convincing indeed. Look at that brainless person over there; she didn't notice a thing."

Fu Qian pointed at Tan Mingxue, whose face instantly flushed red.

"What shall I call you?" After mocking Tan Mingxue, Fu Qian refocused his attention on the assassin. "If you want to keep it secret for professional ethics, that's fine. Your characteristics are quite distinct; after I finish you off, a quick check will reveal everything."

This guy had caused his mission to fail last time because Wen Li’s mind had shattered—there was no way he was walking out of here today.

"Shadow Nightmare. Indeed, I'm just getting paid to do a job." The man looked at Fu Qian and laughed. "You are very strong. I admit I'm not confident I can beat you, but if you really want to kill me, I suggest you don't act rashly."

*Rrrrip.*

He tore open the top of his shirt.