The air still carried the scent of gunpowder and blood. At the end of the tunnel, a vast darkness loomed—like a black hole, swallowing everything.
They were not prey anymore. Now, they were the hunters.
Li Chuan's gaze was sharp, his mind spinning fast. Why did the Nightveil assassin retreat? Was it because of his injuries? Or was there a bigger mission at hand?
Shen Qiu quickly scanned the intercepted data, his fingers dancing on the keyboard, searching for clues.
"His terminal connected to Nightveil's main server. I can try to reverse-track it."
"How confident are you?" Li Chuan asked.
"Less than thirty percent," Shen Qiu admitted, "but if I find an unencrypted jump node, my chances will go up."
"Worth a try." Li Chuan nodded. "Su Man, keep watch. Cheng Mo, we need to track him before his trail goes cold."
Su Man lifted her sniper rifle, scanning every inch of the tunnel entrance like a hawk. Meanwhile, Cheng Mo crouched down, examining the ground for traces.
"Here."
Cheng Mo pointed at a bloodstain on the cracked concrete. The dark red liquid had not yet coagulated. He dipped a finger into it and frowned. "Still fresh. No more than two minutes old."
Li Chuan followed the blood droplets and found faint shoe prints leading deeper into the tunnel.
"He's injured. He won't get far." Su Man muttered.
"But he won't be unprepared." Li Chuan narrowed his eyes. "A Nightveil assassin doesn't leave a blood trail by accident. He might be baiting us to follow."
Cheng Mo scoffed. "Trap or not, we're chasing him."
"Then let's hunt."
Shen Qiu finally broke through a weak layer of encryption. His screen flashed with a stream of data. His eyes gleamed.
"I've got his route! He sent a distress signal to Nightveil's main server, but I intercepted part of it."
He pulled up an underground map, highlighting a red marker. "He's moving towards an abandoned factory in the south."
Li Chuan glanced at the map, his brows furrowing. "That factory… is it one of Nightveil's bases?"
Shen Qiu shook his head. "No solid proof. But if he's heading there, he might have backup waiting."
Su Man sneered. "So he's not running away—he's going to call for reinforcements."
Li Chuan made a swift decision. "Then we'll get there first. Cheng Mo, prepare to move."
Cheng Mo licked his lips, a bloodthirsty smirk appearing. "Finally, our turn to strike back."
They moved swiftly through the tunnel, blending into the shadows, leaving no trace as they closed in on the factory.
A storm was brewing.