The attackers seemed certain of his location. After approaching simultaneously to within three meters, they paused briefly before suddenly lunging.
SWOOSH—
The sound of something slicing through the air came from the fog.
Chen Xing was also a Warrior, but his build was well-proportioned. He had achieved a perfect class-up and possessed a Professional Ability. His [Strong] ability was already activated.
His muscles tensed, his skin taking on a faint red hue. Even though his target was just a refugee, he didn't let his guard down, opting for the safest method: a sudden, explosive assault.
The target was right in front of him. It seemed the attack was so sudden that the other party hadn't even reacted; there wasn't even a trace of fear on his face.
'He really does have a pretty face...' he couldn't help but think, subconsciously pulling his punch a little, afraid of killing the target.
The goal was to capture, not to kill.
But just then, the target tilted his head slightly and looked at him, his eyes completely devoid of fear.
"Hm?" Chen Xing's expression changed drastically. Alarm bells screamed in his mind as he realized something was wrong.
Su Chen decisively activated his [Wind Erosion] ability. He had been secretly gathering power for a long time. The muscles in his right arm tightened as he clenched his hand into a fist, twisting his waist to drive his upper body forward.
The fog was drawn into the whirlwind wrapping around his arm as he smashed his fist toward the attacker on his left.
BANG!
The two fists collided, sending ripples through the surrounding fog.
RIP!
Chen Xing's eyelids twitched violently, his face a mask of horror. The sleeve of his shirt was torn to shreds, and dense bloody lines appeared on his skin as if he'd been slashed by a knife, a sharp pain lancing through him.
'The attack actually carried Elemental Power! What the fuck kind of Professional is this?'
'A refugee? Refugee my ass!'
The target's performance didn't match the intel in the slightest.
'Good thing there were two of them this time.'
'Good thing I've always been cautious and we attacked at the same time.'
'Since this guy chose to block me, he's bound to suffer my partner's...'
Before Chen Xing could finish his thought, his eyes bulged.
Behind the target, strands of cyan, hair-like fibers seemed to congeal. They appeared to form slowly, but in reality, they solidified into a cyan iron chain at an incredible speed.
It straightened out like a spear and, as if controlled by an unseen force, suddenly thrust forward.
At the same time, Su Chen activated [Spiritual Spike], mobilizing his Spiritual Power and condensing it into a fine needle that he viciously jabbed forward.
The fatty's face was filled with terror as he felt a heavy blow strike his head, his vision turning black.
His body's inertia made it impossible to retreat; it was as if he had thrown himself onto the cyan shaft, his corpulent body sinking into it with almost no resistance.
Chen Xing watched helplessly as his companion's eyes widened in a daze, as if he still wanted to struggle.
But in the next moment, cyan, fiber-like wires began to poke through the surface of his skin.
A chill ran down his spine. He could even imagine the horrific sight of those hair-like things crisscrossing inside his partner's body.
"You..." In that moment of dazed horror, the target didn't stop, smashing a fist toward his head.
Chen Xing scrambled to block, but his heart was already filled with fear. All he wanted was to run.
BANG!
The corpse of his companion on the other side lost its support and fell heavily. Chen Xing's heart jumped, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
Meanwhile, a layer of cyan Arm Armor had appeared on the target's arm at some point, and his knuckles were now covered with sharp spikes like brass knuckles.
PFFT!
This time, the attack pierced through his skin without any resistance, and a sharp pain instantly shot through his entire body.
Chen Xing's eyes widened as darkness consumed his consciousness.
The pincer attack was over, and both assailants were dead in the blink of an eye.
'Such perfect timing. Old Zhao had just left...' Su Chen relaxed his stance, his brow furrowed as he looked at the two corpses on the ground.
'They were also able to find my position so precisely... confirming I was right here, a coordinated attack from inside and out... Old Zhao?'
'No, if it was him, there would have been no need to leave. He could have just stayed and attacked me with them.'
'The one who assigned the night watch positions and times was Hu Xiang. Could it be...'
Su Chen speculated, feeling this was going to be tricky. If it was Hu Xiang, things would be very troublesome.
That guy was clearly not a Tier One Professional.
'However, since he didn't make a move himself and only made these arrangements, it means he still has some reservations...' Su Chen crouched down and began searching the two bodies.
He quickly found a few items: a wallet and several Potions. He quickly pocketed them and then tossed the bodies a short distance away.
...
After waiting a little longer, Hu Xiang estimated that the attack was over and said, "Let's go. To the scene."
Old Zhao remained silent. The two of them walked one after another toward the watch post.
"Why are there still bloodstains?" Hu Xiang's expression turned ugly as he stared at the traces of blood on the ground. "What idiots..."
'Two Professionals attacking one refugee, and they couldn't even control their strength.'
Old Zhao's face was tense. "With bloodstains, the Fog Nightmare story won't hold up. If someone investigates..."
Fog Nightmares were nearly invisible, special creatures that could possess living beings.
He watched his captain with a wary expression, afraid that a new story would implicate him as well.
Hu Xiang noticed Old Zhao's gaze and felt a sense of sorrow. If not for the price the other party had offered this time, which he desperately needed, he wouldn't have done this.
He sighed. "Then let's go with Corpse Turtles... Old Zhao, you'll need to have some injuries."
The City Patrol Guard, leading students on patrol, generally didn't go to dangerous places. A detailed report was required for every student death.
Southwind Academy would even send people to investigate on-site.
Drawing on his experience, Hu Xiang more or less staged the scene. Old Zhao clutched one arm, his face pale.
Hu Xiang looked at Old Zhao's grim face and was about to say something, but the locator he was constantly gripping in his hand suddenly flashed with a rapid and dangerous red light.
"The camp!"
Hu Xiang's expression changed drastically. Not daring to delay, he grabbed Old Zhao, and with roaring flames erupting from his body, he tore through the fog.
A few breaths later, the camp was in sight. There was no Mutant Species attack, but all the City Patrol Guards were in a highly alert, defensive posture.
"What's going on!" Hu Xiang demanded, his expression grave.
"Cap-Captain..." Old Zhao clutched his arm, staring in astonishment toward the center of the camp.
Hu Xiang followed his gaze, his calm expression nearly breaking as a flash of horror crossed his eyes.
He saw Su Chen—the one he thought had already been captured—standing quietly in the middle of the camp, watching them.
"How could he..." Hu Xiang began subconsciously, then abruptly shut his mouth.
"Old Zhao!" Su Chen walked over quickly, a look of concern on his face. "Are you all right? What happened to your arm..."
"I-I'm fine..." Old Zhao didn't dare to meet Su Chen's eyes and mumbled evasively.
"Captain Hu, what happened to Old Zhao? Did you run into danger?" Su Chen asked, turning to Hu Xiang.
Hu Xiang avoided his gaze, and a guilty conscience left him unable to respond for a moment.
"Su Chen, what's going on? What danger?" Zhou Zhong questioned from a distance. He had been sound asleep when Su Chen suddenly woke him, and he was naturally annoyed.
The others were sleepy-eyed and still a bit dazed. Bai Fengxi stood at the back of the crowd, lost in thought.
"Shut up!" Hu Xiang snapped in a low voice. "Old Zhao ran into danger. I scared it off. Su Chen is right—it's better to be safe than sorry!"
Zhou Zhong was bewildered. 'What's with Hu Xiang? Didn't I just complain a little?'
"As long as everyone's okay..." Su Chen said, as if relieved. Then he put on a troubled expression and said, "Captain Hu... my legs are still shaking. I'd like to rest for a bit."
He definitely wasn't going back to the night watch. Hu Xiang was a Tier Two Professional who could kill him with one hand.
Before Hu Xiang could speak, Zhou Zhong jumped in and said coldly, "Your watch isn't over yet. If everyone was scared of danger like you, we might as well not have a watch at all."
"Alright, you can rest for tonight," Hu Xiang said without hesitation, then pointed at Zhou Zhong. "You take his place."
Zhou Zhong was stunned. 'Has Hu Xiang lost his mind?'
The others were also baffled. How long had it been? Why was Hu Xiang siding with Su Chen more and more?
Su Chen was also quite surprised. He stared at Hu Xiang. 'This reaction doesn't seem like a deliberate attempt to frame me.'
He had originally planned to drop all pretenses if Hu Xiang tried to force him back on watch duty.
He refused to believe that the man's control was so absolute that he could make every single person here keep a secret.
At the very least, he was fairly confident he could count on Bai Fengxi.
But the current situation... was becoming more and more confusing.
Annoyed, Zhou Zhong went to take over the watch. Su Chen returned to his small tent, and the others gradually went back to theirs as well.
"What a bizarre situation..." Su Chen sighed.
Temporarily setting aside his doubts, he took out the items he had looted from the corpses. There weren't many Gold Coins in the wallet, but there were two pale gold Cards.
"...Southwind Coin Storage..." Su Chen stared at the words on them. 'Bank cards?'
'I wonder if they need a password...' His predecessor had never come into contact with such high-class stuff.
He then turned his attention to the remaining few Potions. They clearly weren't Blood Circulation Potions; the color was a deeper, more vibrant crimson, and there was some black sediment inside.
'Black Flame Potion?' Su Chen wasn't sure.
Ever since looting the Potion from Zhou Zhong, he had taken the time to go to the library and cram a lot of knowledge about alchemy, precisely to avoid a situation where he got his hands on something good but didn't recognize it.
When he turned the Potion upside down, the black sediment inside reacted as if stimulated, bursting into a firework-like display of light and flame within the bottle.
'So it really is...' Su Chen couldn't help but grin.
Although this thing was also a Tier One Potion, it was more valuable than a Blood Circulation Potion. It was typically used by Professionals whose development had reached a certain point and whose progress had started to slow.