Chapter 132: Converging from All Directions

With a single sentence from Xie Liu, both Wang Qi and Qili’s expressions changed. They hadn’t yet sensed anything unusual, but Xie Liu already had. This starkly highlighted the fundamental gap in combat awareness among them. Wang Qi, needless to say, was just an ordinary citizen of the Fantasy City, while Qili, though part of the Special Alliance military, was merely a regular soldier. Compared to an elite warrior like Xie Liu, they were far behind.

“When did this happen?” Qili asked quietly, a cautious look on her face.

“Just now,” Xie Liu frowned, tilting his ear to listen to the sounds outside. “It seems he stopped inside your clothing store. He’s not necessarily here to cause trouble. You should go down and take a look first.”

“And you, kid, follow me. We’ll trail behind your wife and stay ready at all times,” Xie Liu instructed Wang Qi. The young couple exchanged a glance before agreeing with Xie Liu’s plan.

After Qili quickly tidied up, she hurried downstairs, with Xie Liu and Wang Qi following behind her.

The visitor inside the shop was a burly man, unremarkable at first glance. Yet when he entered, Xie Liu sensed something was off.

“What is it? Did you find something?” Though still wary of Xie Liu, Wang Qi knew by now that Xie Liu wouldn’t harm him or his wife and child, so he asked for his opinion.

“I can’t tell exactly, but this guy isn’t ordinary. His physical strength far surpasses your wife’s,” Xie Liu said, certain of the man’s identity from the first glance. “He’s probably from the city or the Alliance, but his intentions are unclear. Try not to act rashly.”

Xie Liu didn’t know which faction the man belonged to, but given that Xie Liu himself had taken on this mission, it was unlikely that Fantasy City had sent someone again to take over. The most probable was the Special Alliance. Thinking this, Xie Liu clenched the knife in his hand and listened carefully to the conversation downstairs.

“Are you looking for any clothes?” Qili’s clear voice rang from below as she came down carrying a hat, confronting the uninvited guest.

“How many customers do you usually get here?” Xie Liu asked Wang Qi quietly while gripping his knife. Wang Qi shook his head.

“We don’t want to expose our location, so we picked this remote spot. There aren’t many customers, usually none for two or three days.”

After understanding the situation, Xie Liu smiled wryly. “Well, today’s interesting. You’re getting quite a few customers.”

Xie Liu gestured towards the window. Wang Qi immediately understood—this burly man was just a scout; the real threat lay in ambush outside.

“I heard four sets of footsteps. Counting this guy inside, the other side has sent five enemies. At least now, it’s certain they mean harm,” Xie Liu said grimly. Though he wasn’t afraid of five foes, having them here in this part of the city would cause many unnecessary complications.

“Follow my signals later. Our priority is your safety. We’ll take these guys out,” Xie Liu instructed Wang Qi. “Don’t worry, they’re Special Alliance operatives.”

“Are you sure?” Wang Qi was surprised. He didn’t know how Xie Liu identified them, and Xie Liu had no time to explain. He motioned Wang Qi forward as Qili and the burly man began arguing over the price of a piece of clothing.

“You guys really know how to put on a show.” Though the man spoke the country’s language, Xie Liu immediately noticed his accent wasn’t pure—something Qili and Wang Qi hadn’t discerned.

Wang Qi moved behind the counter, drawing the man’s attention as the three began a typical haggling over price.

Seeing the man’s focus on Qili and Wang Qi, Xie Liu went upstairs, placing all his weaponry on the staircase while keeping a small dagger in his pocket. He casually changed out of his combat uniform into ordinary clothes, then silently slipped down the stairs and into the shop from a blind spot in the man’s line of sight.

The bickering at the counter grew louder. Xie Liu pretended to be a casual shopper, picking up two garments and walking toward the counter.

“Boss, how much for this?” Xie Liu called out loudly. The man abruptly turned, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“When did you come in?” the man snapped, wary of this sudden arrival. Xie Liu feigned a look of disdain. “Sir, your eyesight’s terrible—I was here before you came in. Besides, your voice is really loud. It’s quite noisy, you know?”

“Really?” The man remained cautious. “I didn’t see you when I entered. You weren’t here before.”

“Then you must have bad eyesight,” Xie Liu said, placing the two garments on the counter. “Boss, how much for both?”

At this point, Xie Liu looked every bit the ordinary customer. Though suspicious, the man made no move. When Xie Liu reached his side, the man kept his gaze locked on him.

“What are you staring at? You’re not buying anything. I’m buying these first. Move aside,” Xie Liu retorted with a glare. The man fell silent. His mission was to probe; if he could attract the target’s attention, he could call in his teammates outside. But this unexpected young man unsettled him.

Intelligence reported a Special Alliance defector, a modified human, hiding here. The woman in front of him was almost certainly that defector. But with a man now present beside her, their information was flawed. This uninvited guest wasn’t in their intelligence, leaving the man at a loss.

“Could this be an ambush?” A chill ran through him. If so, he had walked straight into their trap. His vigilance deepened.

Xie Liu acted naturally, chatting amicably with the couple as they pretended to haggle. He even pulled out his phone to pay via online banking.

“That’ll be 356 yuan total; I’ll give you 350,” Qili said smoothly, completing the transaction. The man saw no sign of deception.

“Maybe I’m overthinking this,” the man thought, relaxing as Xie Liu moved toward the door. Perhaps there was no trap after all…

Then suddenly, a dagger plunged sharply into his chest!

“What’s happening?” Pain jolted him awake. The scene shifted—the young man who had just been picking out clothes was now before him, purple eyes burning with murderous intent. The dagger was embedded in his heart.

“Nightmare… Eye…” the man realized. When he glared at the young man before, that same glare was returned. He had been caught in the Nightmare Eye then!

What followed was partly an illusion he had seen. Although Xie Liu did approach the counter with clothes and paid, after that, instead of leaving, he drew his dagger repeatedly. At the moment the man let his guard down, Xie Liu plunged the dagger into his heart.

Without hesitation, Xie Liu twisted the blade while grabbing the man’s neck with his other hand, crushing his vocal cords.

“I…” The man’s eyes widened in horror; he tried to scream, but no sound came out.

“Wang Qi, mimic his genes,” Xie Liu said, steadying the man’s collapsing body to silence him. Then he dragged the now-dead man to the back, grabbed his gear from the stairs, and quickly put it on.

Returning, Xie Liu found a man identical to the dead one standing inside the shop.

“Good. This should buy us some time,” Xie Liu admitted. Though Wang Qi had little combat ability, his skill was remarkable.

“Qili, pretend to hold this guy hostage,” Xie Liu tossed the dagger to her and drew his waist blade. “I’ll lead the charge.”

Qili and Wang Qi, disguised as the burly man, exchanged uncertain glances. They didn’t understand Xie Liu’s plan but knew their situation was perilous. They had no choice but to trust this stranger, friend or foe.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do everything I can to help you. Mostly because of your child—I don’t want her to become an orphan right after birth,” Xie Liu said, sensing their doubts and fears.

“I don’t expect you to trust me, but if you want to get out of this crisis, you have no choice but to rely on me.”

Xie Liu’s words were true. Wang Qi and Qili hesitated barely a second before nodding. “Alright, we’ll trust you this once.”

Qili pushed Wang Qi, still in the burly man’s form, out of the shop, dagger pressed against his neck. Their appearance immediately drew the attention of those lying in wait outside.

Knowing they’d been exposed, the four concealed men revealed themselves, surrounding them from all sides.

“Don’t come any closer!” Xie Liu shouted, pressing his blade to Wang Qi’s throat. “Move again and I kill him.”

The four men halted, facing off against Xie Liu and his group. Xie Liu sneered. “Special Alliance guys—always short on brains.”

He scanned the surroundings. The four had them surrounded but dared not act. His gaze then flicked to a rooftop nearby, where a figure vanished.

“Is that someone from the Joint Task Force?” Xie Liu recognized the uniform and smiled. “Interesting. Seems all the big players have shown up.”