At this very moment, in the Kachin Mountain Area, deep within a dense forest, before a hidden underground cave.
Lush vegetation and towering, overlapping rock formations created a primeval forest that covered the entire mountain. Patches of short, dark-green shrubs grew between ancient trees, layered like the scales of a giant python—this dense greenery made the mountain range, located on the border between two countries, look like part of some massive creature's body.
In an inconspicuous corner of the dense forest, at the foot of a small hill, a cave lay hidden amidst shadows and rock.
The cave entrance wasn't large—about four meters high and nearly five meters wide, like a square-cut doorway. It had clearly been widened by human hands. Deeper inside, dim mine lights flickered, illuminating a flat and unobstructed path.
In front of this cave was a small, deliberately cleared open area, where two guards holding submachine guns stood watch behind a sandbag bunker.
The two guards were not Asian; one was white, and the other was black. Their stance was unprofessional, and even the way they held their guns was slightly incorrect. It was clear they'd been pushed into a job they weren't prepared for.
But guarding the cave entrance didn't require professionalism. As long as they stood there with guns in hand, it was nearly foolproof.
The sound of a vehicle stopping echoed from not far away. Soon, several people pushing carts laden with piles of unconscious people hurried down the forest path.
Upon seeing them, the two guards immediately straightened up and nodded to the one in the lead, Sukra.
"You're the last group bringing the offerings."
"Get inside, the Leader is waiting for you. The Orbit is about to begin."
Sukra returned the nod slightly, saying nothing more.
The organization's members came from all over the world; this time, they had simply chosen to hold the ritual in Southeast Asia, where national power was at its weakest.
After all, be it the ruins of the Hundred-Headed Typhon in Mycenaean Europe, the ruins of the Nine-Headed Xiangliu and the Eight-Headed Eight-Necked Monster in Zhengguo and Fusang of East Asia, the grand hall of the Thousand-Headed Naga Shesha in Zhu Country, or the pyramid of the Feathered Serpent God Kukulkan within the Federation's jurisdiction—the obstacles to exploring any of them were far greater than for the ruins of the Seven-headed Snake God in Shan Country.
And indeed, compared to those other nations, Shan Country had completely failed to detect any of the organization's infiltration or activities. Even now, with the Void Orbit about to begin, the entire country remained completely oblivious.
The eight people pushing the carts and offerings entered the depths of the cave one after another. The two guards relaxed, starting to talk and laugh in low voices. It seemed they were telling dirty jokes, and as they got into it, one or two crude laughs would occasionally ring out.
The faint sound of wind rustled through the forest, but neither of them paid it any mind. After all, a mountain breeze was common in this season. Besides, they were at least keeping their eyes on the deliberately cleared open area around them.
If something were to happen, they couldn't possibly miss it—there was no cover anywhere nearby.
However, at that very moment.
A figure, like a raindrop falling from the sky or a fleeting shooting star, leaped up from the slope above the two men and then descended ferociously!
"What the—"
Noticing the sound of wind above him abruptly grow louder, the white guard instinctively looked up—but in the next instant, as a fist rapidly enlarged and smashed into the bridge of his nose, he didn't even have time to scream before his vision went black.
By now, the black shadow had landed. Before the white guard could even fall, the figure delivered two more hand-edge strikes in quick succession, hitting him behind the ear and on the temple. The force was immense, causing the guard to lose all balance as the world spun around him. By the time he realized what was happening, his face was already meeting the ground, and he was out cold.
"F—"
The black man didn't even have time to react. From his Perception, there was just a gust of wind, and the guy who'd been chatting with him moments before was taken down by a black shadow. The instant he locked eyes with the shadow, it had already leaped up, lunging at him with full force and throwing a kick.
In his haste, the black guard didn't even have time to complete the two simple actions of raising his gun and firing. He could only roll awkwardly to the side. If he hadn't dodged, that high kick might have landed on his groin, his solar plexus, or his throat and chin.
However, even for a guard who'd been forced into the job, he had some basic competence. After the black guard finished his roll, he was already raising his submachine gun from his half-lying position on the ground, aiming it at the area in front of him!
'I don't care if I hit my partner, and I don't care that I can't see exactly where the shadow is. As long as this submachine gun opens fire, no one can possibly survive in the area ahead!'
That was the function of a submachine gun: strong, short-range suppressive fire!
But the black shadow was faster—or rather, he had already planned for every contingency long before launching his attack.
WHOOSH!
A fist-sized rock came flying with a piercing whistle. It struck the black guard's gun hand with pinpoint accuracy, the force so great that it bent and broke four of his fingers, sparing only the thumb. The sudden, excruciating pain and weakness was unbearable, forcing the guard to instinctively release his grip.
'The weakness of a gunman… is that they have to hold the gun!'
If he hadn't been holding the gun, with the black guard's physical fitness, he could have simply blocked it with his arm, rendering the thrown rock useless.
Even though the enemy's gun had been dropped, the black shadow showed no intention of stopping. He let out a low shout, strode forward directly, then raised his leg like an axe and brought it chopping down on the shocked and pained black guard's head!
Faced with the fierce blow aimed at the crown of his head, the black guard tried to dodge. But he was half-lying on the ground, trapped with the sandbag bunker in front and the mountain rock behind. He had no way to move and could only tilt his head slightly to avoid the hit. This was even worse, as the swift, chopping heel-kick landed solidly behind his ear and jaw, leaving him struggling to breathe.
The black shadow, Su Zhou, finally stopped and panted heavily.
He swallowed, glanced warily into the depths of the cave, then decisively bent down. With two sharp cracks, he snapped the necks of the two guards who were already unconscious.
'Once I've made my Determination, there's no reason to hold back.'
"Whew... huff... That went smoothly enough. My hard work wasn't for nothing, circling halfway around the mountain to climb to high ground…"
Su Zhou let out a long breath, easing the heat and fatigue from the intense exertion.
He had noticed from the start that the open area in front of the cave had no cover. The two armed guards could have just opened fire and covered the entire area.
As for his speed, even with his excellent physical conditioning and being a Superpower User, a full Burst would get him a hundred meters in ten seconds at best. He was far from the inhuman level required to dodge bullets.
So, he had immediately changed course, taking a long detour through the forest to climb the mountain and launch a surprise attack from above.
This Mysterious Organization obviously wanted to remain hidden. Their defensive perimeter couldn't be too large or too obvious, otherwise, no matter how slow the Shan Country officials were, the neighboring Zhengguo would have noticed something was amiss.
Judging by the results, the surprise attack from above had indeed caught the guards completely off guard.