Shackles of Humanity

As Pang Kun approached the main gate of the Armaments Department, he suddenly heard a cacophony of gunshots from within. His expression changed instantly. He drew the long saber from his back and charged inside, while the two officers behind him hastily drew their pistols and followed.

The Armaments Department had transformed into a Corpse Mountain Blood Sea. The halls and corridors were strewn with the bodies of guards, each with a bloody hole in their chest, all killed in a single strike.

Wielding his Three-bladed Military Dagger, Luo Kai moved like a ghost through the darkened building, the WHIZZ of bullets ceaseless behind him. He had underestimated the level of security here. He’d intended to escape silently, but the moment he emerged from the Underground Space, he had alerted the patrol hounds, which immediately began tracking his scent.

Luo Kai had no choice but to deal with the hounds first. These animals were unaffected by the anesthetic and possessed an extremely tenacious Life Force. Even after receiving fatal wounds to their vitals, they still barked wildly. This completely stirred the hornet’s nest. Hordes of guards, still drowsy and disoriented, grabbed their rifles and swarmed toward him.

At that point, Luo Kai could no longer hold back. Once again, he forced his heart to pound. The bloody slaughter began!

Although his physical stamina was currently limited, his mind and Perception were sharper than ever. Combined with the unparalleled Sharpness of the Three-bladed Military Dagger in his hand, his ghostly, lightning-fast ambushes from the shadows made the anesthetic-affected guards like lambs to the slaughter. They had no power to resist, not even a chance to fire their weapons.

A silent killing intent spread. With every corpse that fell before him, the black gleam in Luo Kai’s eyes grew more intense. A violent, murderous urge began to boil within him. Eventually, he even forgot his purpose was to escape, and simply followed the auras of life, one by one, mechanically reaping them.

The pirates were composed of vagrants and fugitives, so naturally, there were experts among them. However, most had remained at the pirate headquarters on Broken Star Island; only a small number had accompanied Pang Kun to Longyang City. As Luo Kai followed a life aura and attacked a loudly snoring bald pirate, the man’s eyes suddenly snapped open. He nimbly dodged the fatal strike, drew a pistol from his waist, and returned fire. And in that instant, Luo Kai, shockingly, made no attempt to Dodge. The bullet struck him directly in the chest.

The piercing gunshot was deafening in the otherwise silent building. The sharp pain in his chest jolted Luo Kai out of his state of Chaos. Recalling the last few moments, he broke out in a cold sweat and immediately fled.

The bald pirate gave chase, shouting for backup while firing his pistol at Luo Kai’s fleeing figure.

The clamor of gunfire completely shattered the tranquility of the pirate camp, and any soldiers who were still conscious began converging on the location.

...

Luo Kai hid inside a wardrobe in a third-floor room. The bullet had pierced his lung, and every breath sent a tearing pain through his chest. Gritting his teeth against the agony, he took a shallow breath and tried to forcibly control his lung muscles, contracting and squeezing them in an attempt to expel the bullet.

His lungs were one of the most critical organs for activating his Qi and Blood Surge Ability. Only the rapid circulation of oxygen-rich blood could sustain the explosive demands on his body. An injured lung was equivalent to a blocked oxygen filter, making it impossible to maintain the Qi and Blood Surge.

The pain was beyond description. Even though Luo Kai’s nervous system had been honed to be incredibly resilient, he was drenched in sweat.

His body trembled violently. After what felt like an eternity, the oval-shaped bullet gradually slid free of his lung, and the writhing muscles contracted to push it out.

Luo Kai let out a long sigh of relief. His lung was still in agony, and its oxygen-filtering rate had dropped significantly, but he could now just barely maintain his Qi and Blood Surge Ability.

Pang Kun entered the building with a frosty expression on his face, beginning a floor-by-floor search as rows of soldiers behind him sealed off every possible exit.

Peeking through the window, Luo Kai could see the situation outside clearly. He gave a bitter, inward smile. ’Now I’m really trapped like a rat.’ He carefully recalled his earlier state. ’I was probably influenced by some kind of violent Evil Qi. The more people I killed, the stronger that negative energy became... to the point where it could even control my consciousness!’

Sensing squads of soldiers flooding into the building, Luo Kai tightened his grip on the Three-bladed Ice Spike. A cold aura radiated from the military dagger, gradually calming his agitated thoughts. ’The narrow confines of the building mean I might still have a chance.’ After a moment of consideration, he slipped silently out of the room.

Soon, the sound of chaotic footsteps drew near. Luo Kai hid in a ventilation duct overhead, suppressing his breathing and contracting the pores of his skin, doing his utmost not to leak the slightest hint of his presence. Pang Kun’s tall figure came into view, gradually drawing closer until he was right below.

Luo Kai’s mind raced. ’If I attack now, I have a high chance of severely wounding him. But if I fail, I’ll be surrounded and besieged by innumerable soldiers.’

Seconds ticked by. Just as Luo Kai decided against it, Pang Kun froze. In a sudden movement, he drew the Curved Long Saber from his back and slashed upward with the speed of lightning.

The hairs on Luo Kai’s body stood on end. He hastily blocked with his military dagger. With a piercing SCREECH, the ventilation duct was sliced in two by Pang Kun’s saber.

Luo Kai plummeted down. Even as he fell, he thrust his military dagger toward Pang Kun with unstoppable force.

CLANG! The two figures instantly engaged in battle.

Pang Kun gripped his saber with both hands, the gleam of his blade moving at an unimaginable speed. Even with his Qi and Blood Surge activated, Luo Kai found it difficult to track its trajectory. In other words, Pang Kun’s Sword Aura was faster than a bullet. At this critical juncture, Luo Kai could only resort to a life-for-a-life exchange. He didn’t dodge the incoming slash, instead using a Charging Fist technique from the Mighty Dragon Fist to thrust out his military dagger. A sharp, sky-piercing sound instantly ripped through the air.

Pang Kun’s Sword Technique was simply too profound; he had no intention of trading his life for Luo Kai’s. Each time the military dagger was about to connect, he would shift just enough to change the angle and continue his own attack. Within the narrow corridor, they exchanged dozens of blows in a flash. The disparity in their skills was now on full display. Luo Kai could only rely on pure offense to create a chance for survival, while Pang Kun’s Sword Technique was fluid and complete, capable of both attack and defense—a dragon in offense, a serpent in defense!

A squad of soldiers in the distance raised their rifles, eager to join the fray, but none dared to fire. The two combatants were simply moving too fast, their figures a tangled blur. If they shot now, they might hit the Third Commander.

More and more soldiers gathered, forming a tight circle around them. As the fight dragged on, the slight advantage of weapon length began to show. Luo Kai felt a sharp pain in his shoulder—Pang Kun’s saber had left a bloody gash. At the same time, his own military dagger grazed Pang Kun, but it felt like striking tough leather. The blow merely left a white mark on his opponent’s skin.

Luo Kai remembered what Li Gui had once said: Pang Kun’s Skin Refining Technique had reached an extremely high level of mastery, to the point that not even bullets could injure him.

Anxiety began to gnaw at him. He hadn’t faced a truly powerful opponent in the last two years. His encounter with Liu Hou had been just a brief exchange of fists. Only now was he facing a true rival. His opponent not only possessed a formidable Body Refining Skill but was also a master of Swordsmanship. ’If I were at my peak,’ Luo Kai thought, ’I could still put up a fight. But in my current condition, I’m completely outmatched.’

Pang Kun’s eyes were filled with venomous hatred, his slashes growing ever sharper. Finally, his entire form blurred into a black shadow wrapped in the light of his saber, hacking down like a torrential storm. Luo Kai was falling further and further behind his opponent’s speed. He was forced to focus his entire being on just tracking Pang Kun’s form, the hiss of his military dagger unending as he traded blow for blow in a desperate struggle for his life.

The situation was growing more desperate by the second. Aside from his vital organs, Luo Kai’s body was now covered in cuts. With his accelerated Qi and Blood Circulation, even minor wounds would gush blood, to say nothing of his current state. In moments, he had become a man drenched in his own blood.

Just then, a muffled BOOM echoed from the adjacent wall. The steel-reinforced concrete wall suddenly collapsed inward, and a massive figure charged out from behind the debris.

The turn of events was so sudden that both Luo Kai and Pang Kun, utterly absorbed in their battle, failed to dodge in time. With a deafening CRASH, the collapsing wall buried them both.

The massive figure was a hideous, red-furred monkey. Its fur stood on end, its eyes were filled with savagery, and it let out a ferocious roar as it began to rampage through the building. A cacophony of gunshots immediately pursued it.

The rubble of the collapsed wall burst apart, and two dust-covered figures crawled out at the same instant. A normal person would have been crushed to death, but their physiques were so formidable that they were completely unharmed. They exchanged a single glance and immediately resumed their brutal fight.

This time, Luo Kai was in even worse shape. Having been tortured with daily blood drawings for days, he simply couldn’t sustain such a prolonged, high-intensity battle. He was instantly in dire straits. The saber struck his arm and abdomen again. The wounds were deep this time, deep enough to expose his intestines.