Chapter 520: Crisis

“Really? That’s fantastic!”

The burly black man failed to notice the cold sneer on the corner of the tall man’s lips. He raised his arms and cheered loudly, shouting with excitement.

Not knowing why the man was cheering, the others soon joined in, their voices rising in unison. The previously low morale was instantly lifted, and their pace quickened noticeably.

Bang!

Just then, a dull gunshot rang out from the forest beside them.

Amid the cheers, the shot went almost unnoticed.

A high-velocity spinning bullet sliced through over a hundred meters of air and struck the black man squarely in the forehead.

His body jolted as he stood cheering, arm still raised. All his movements stopped abruptly. His eyes remained wide open, the joy still frozen on his face—then, with a loud thud, his body collapsed.

A bullet-sized hole gaped in the center of his forehead. Blood streamed out, and the back of his skull had been blown open by the shot. Red blood and white brain matter splattered across the ground.

“Not good!”

“We have enemies!”

The camouflaged men reacted instantly. As soon as the black man was hit, they dropped to the ground, ignoring the filthy mud.

Among them, the tall man reacted the fastest. He had already hit the ground even before the black man had fallen.

The man’s death stirred little emotion in the group. These were men who lived with death daily, blades licking blood, heads tied to their belts.

Now, each gripped his submachine gun tightly, eyes brimming with killing intent as they scanned the surroundings for the shooter.

No one spoke. Only the heavy sound of breathing filled the air.

“So you’ve finally come, Phoenix Dance.” The tall man licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. “To lure you out, we sacrificed more than ten lives. But as long as we kill you, any price is worth it.”

He reached into his chest pocket, pulled out a signal flare, and fired it into the sky.

A burst of vivid red light exploded above the forest.

***

“Hmm?”

Zhao Yu was just about to launch an ambush on the group of rats when she suddenly looked up. Her expression shifted as she stared at the red flare.

“This is a trap, a trap aimed at me.” Clarity surged in her heart. “So what? Prey dreaming of defeating the hunter. Laughable.”

Her bright phoenix eyes turned cold and sharp. Rather than retreat, she charged forward, her figure blurring like a shadow as she sprinted toward the group ahead.

As she dashed forward, her sword was unsheathed, flashing with icy brilliance.

Fast—unimaginably fast!

The tall man spotted Zhao Yu immediately, raised his hand, and shouted, “She’s there! Fire! Kill her!”

A storm of gunfire erupted.

Countless bullets converged into a terrifying hail of metal, sweeping toward Zhao Yu like a wave.

At the critical moment, Zhao Yu twisted mid-stride, shifting from a direct charge to a side dash, diving behind a massive tree as wide as two people.

Bullets tore into the tree, riddling it with holes, sending splinters flying.

Zhao Yu, sword in one hand and gun in the other, pressed her back to the tree. Her stunning face, streaked with camouflage paint, was expressionless.

Seeing her pinned by heavy fire, the tall man grinned viciously, drew a military knife from his belt, and licked its blade with a crimson tongue.

“Keep firing! Don’t stop!”

He crept forward on the ground like a crocodile stalking prey, inching toward Zhao Yu’s position.

However, just as all their attention was locked on Zhao Yu, seven heavily armed elite soldiers had silently flanked them from behind.

Zhao Yu’s frontal assault was a feint. The real attack came from the rear.

This had been the plan from the start.

And now, with the enemy completely unprepared, the seven soldiers launched their assault without hesitation.

Flames erupted from their muzzles. A dense barrage of bullets rained down like a storm, cutting through the enemy ranks. Over a dozen were taken down in an instant.

The remaining enemies panicked. Forgetting about Zhao Yu, they spun around and opened fire on the seven soldiers.

Bullets crisscrossed the air, forming deadly trajectories barely visible. Screams echoed. A short but intense gunfight broke out.

Zhao Yu’s figure flickered. She darted out from behind the tree and lunged toward the tall man, who was just pushing himself up from the ground. Her speed was like a flash of light, ten meters vanishing in a blink. Her sword aimed straight for his heart.

The man was startled. He hadn’t expected her to be so fast.

But he was battle-hardened, with rich combat experience. He roared and lunged at Zhao Yu, stabbing his knife toward her heart, intending to take her down with him.

Zhao Yu’s eyes flashed with contempt. Her wrist flicked, speeding up the sword, which sparked with lightning as it pierced the man’s heart. Before he could counterattack, she withdrew and retreated!

One move in, one move out—like lightning through a gap, precise and fluid.

Blood gushed from the man’s chest. He continued rushing forward for a few steps, then his knees buckled. He fell to the ground.

“I got stabbed?”

The tall man still couldn’t believe it. He looked down instinctively, saw the blood pouring from his heart, and finally understood he wouldn’t live much longer.

Even knowing death was near, there was no fear in his eyes. He glared fiercely at Zhao Yu and spat out a string of English curses.

After those words, he exhaled long and hard. His gaze dimmed, and life left his body.

Zhao Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly. Though the words weren’t in her native tongue, she understood their meaning: You’re dead. I’ll be waiting for you in hell!

As if to confirm his last words, shadows emerged in the forest. Countless figures began to encircle the area.

A powerful sense of danger surged in Zhao Yu’s heart.

By now, the seven elite soldiers had finished off the remaining enemies and regrouped beside Zhao Yu. Except for one slightly wounded, the rest were unharmed.

“Captain, what now?” one soldier asked solemnly.

These seven were elite special forces, selected through the harshest training. Even in the face of overwhelming danger, they showed no fear or hesitation.

“Retreat!” Zhao Yu sheathed her sword and drew two pistols. “You go first. I’ll cover the rear.”

“Yes!”

Without pause, the seven soldiers turned and sprinted back the way they came. Even in retreat, their formation remained tight and ready for battle.

Behind them, Zhao Yu followed. At that moment, an image of Lin Xiao suddenly flashed in her mind.

“No. I can’t die here! I haven’t beaten that guy yet. How can I die here!”

A fierce killing intent erupted from her body. Her phoenix eyes gleamed coldly as she stared at the oncoming horde of twisted, savage faces.