Proofreader & Editor: Howard Wong
Lin Qiye's figure flickered, swiftly dodging several bullets before reaching into the void and twisting the barrel of the submachine gun into a twisted mess.
Under the influence of the Utter Darkness, although he couldn't yet tear metal apart directly, altering its shape was still possible. And once the barrel of a submachine gun was obstructed, there was only one outcome…
Boom—!
A muffled explosion sounded as the barrel of Scorpion Three's submachine gun burst open, shattering his arm. After a painful howl, a dagger flew into the air and hovered in front of his face.
Lin Qiye manipulated the dagger, positioning it at Scorpion Three's throat, the tip piercing the skin and drawing a trickle of blood.
"I'll ask again, what is a devotee?" Lin Qiye's icy voice sounded once more.
Simultaneously, a shadow crept into Scorpion Three's pupils, and an unprecedented agony surged through his psyche, as if something was gnawing at his brain, tearing and grinding it…
Although Utter Darkness couldn't yet control a human's psyche, the pain it inflicted was the stuff of nightmares and proved exceptionally effective for interrogation.
Under the dual torment of body and mind, Scorpion Three's psychological defenses quickly crumbled, spilling all the information he knew.
According to Scorpion Three, the so-called "devotees" were affiliated organizations of the Ancient God Church.
The formal members of the Ancient God Church were all composed of Deity's Agents, extremely rare in number. Despite their formidable individual strength, their limited numbers constrained their influence.
To compensate for the lack of numbers, the "gods" of the Ancient God Church, in the name of deities, created "devotees." They selected members from countless ambitious and powerful individuals to serve as peripheral members of the Ancient God Church.
Every member who became a "devotee" would sign a Soul Contract with a "deity" of the Ancient God Church, promising that if the era of the dark gods ever descended upon humanity, these devotees would become rulers above all.
Of course, not many truly believed in the coming of the dark gods' era, so most "devotee" members were coerced, brainwashed, threatened, or deceived into joining. However, once the Soul Contract was signed, they had no choice but to unconditionally obey the "gods" and become true devotees.
In summary, "devotees" were a powerful puppet organization directly controlled by a few Deity's Agents of the Ancient God Church.
From Scorpion Three's account, Lin Qiye also learned that their group had been recruited as "devotees" by a Deity's Agent of the Ancient God Church two years ago. Originally, they were mercenaries known as "Mad Scorpion," specializing in dirty work for others.
The deity they "worshipped" was the "Medusa" of the Ancient God Church, codenamed Serpent Woman.
"Serpent Woman…" Lin Qiye's brow furrowed slightly upon hearing the name.
If he remembered correctly, the woman who had invaded the missile base and leveled the Training Camp was suspected to be Medusa's Agent…
Was she targeting him?
With a flick of his wrist, Lin Qiye's dagger pierced Scorpion Three's throat, ending his life.
Scorpion Three had indeed provided information, but Lin Qiye had never said that providing information would spare him—especially since he had intended to harm Lin Qiye's family, for which even dying a thousand times wouldn't suffice.
Just as Lin Qiye was about to make a move, a barely audible sound came from a distant building, followed by a bullet tearing through the air, heading straight for Lin Qiye's forehead!
Lin Qiye's pupils contracted sharply, and without a second thought, he rolled to the side. The bullet, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, grazed his cheek, leaving a faint trail of blood.
Had Lin Qiye's reaction been a fraction slower, the bullet would have claimed his life.
"A sniper?" Lin Qiye crouched behind a van, his brow furrowed.
With Lin Qiye's current range of psychic power and mastery of dynamic vision, ordinary firearms posed little threat to him, but sniper rifles were a different matter.
The bullet from a sniper rifle traveled at about 1000 meters per second, and Lin Qiye's psychic perception only extended to 100 meters. This meant that from the moment the bullet entered his perception to when it reached him, there was only a 0.1-second gap.
In such a short time, it was already impressive that Lin Qiye could barely dodge the bullet, let alone think about capturing it with the power of the Divine Ruin.
As Lin Qiye ducked down, the roof of the van above him suddenly burst open, and a bullet pierced the side door of the van, burying itself deep in the snow.
"Two snipers?" Lin Qiye's expression turned grave.
If there was only one sniper, he could manage by using the terrain, but with two shooters from different directions, the danger multiplied exponentially.
Moreover, both snipers were well-hidden, and their guns were silenced, making it difficult to predict their positions in the heavy snow.
According to Scorpion Three, there were eight more people lurking nearby, their whereabouts unknown. Now with the enemy hidden and himself exposed, Lin Qiye's situation took a dire turn.
As Lin Qiye quickly pondered his next move, a bullet whizzed over his head, landing precisely in a pile of snow on the opposite building's rooftop. The next moment, a spray of blood burst forth, and a figure collapsed.
Another sniper?
No… another sniper on our side?
Lin Qiye seemed to realize something, looking sharply in a certain direction.
Hundreds of meters away, a man in black lay prone in the snow, his body covered with a thick layer of snowflakes, the muzzle of his sniper rifle emitting a wisp of blue smoke…
Leng Xuan!
"The first one," he murmured to himself.
His sniper scope was firmly fixed on the second sniper hiding behind a curtain. Aware of another sniper's presence, the enemy sniper showed signs of panic. However, he seemed confident his position was not compromised and was quickly searching for Leng Xuan's location.
Leng Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and without mercy, he pulled the trigger. The next moment, another bullet was fired!
Whoosh—!
The bullet traveled hundreds of meters, shattering every snowflake in its path, and ultimately buried itself in the enemy sniper's forehead, leaving a gruesome bloodied hole.
"The second one," Leng Xuan moved his gaze from the scope and looked in Lin Qiye's direction, murmuring, "The rest… is up to you."
Hundreds of meters away.
Watching the second sniper's head explode from Leng Xuan's shot, Lin Qiye's eyes brightened. He stood up from behind the van and turned his head in a certain direction.
Within his psychic perception, several figures were rapidly closing in on him…