Inside The Black Mist

The gunshots outside the study grew louder, and the butler looked at his master with concern, saying, "Sir, perhaps we should find a safe place for now?"

Qin Jie snapped back to reality, his expression grave, and nodded. He reached under the desk and found a button.

He pressed it.

The bookshelves in the room shifted to the left, revealing a hidden passage behind them. Qin Jie and the butler entered the passage, and the bookshelves returned to their original position, sealing the exit.

Qin Jie took each step with a heavy heart, as this outcome was far from his expectations. Even though he had hired a level 3 Ascender with formidable combat abilities, the fact that the Ascender was eliminated so quickly was beyond his anticipation. He had lost a significant advantage due to Night Walker's interference. He felt fortunate that he had sent his wife and other family members away in advance; otherwise, the losses tonight would have been even more severe.

The secret passage led to the ground-floor garage. When Qin Jie pressed the button, the guards waiting in the garage had already started the car's engine.

Qin Jie and the butler got into the car, and as the garage door began to open, two figures suddenly dropped in front of it.

Inside the car, Qin Jie's pupils slightly contracted as he saw the two individuals. One was a silver-haired young man radiating a fierce aura, and the other was one of the eight Gold Prospectors. Qin Jie recognized the man, who was now kneeling on the ground, clutching his injured shoulder. The man was bloodied and in a precarious state.

The man looked at the young Ascender with a fearful expression and stammered, "Did I... Did I lie? This Qin fellow has a secret garage on the first floor. Can you let me go now?"

Qin Jie let out a disdainful snort. It seemed that he couldn't trust any of the Prospectors. These individuals had no professional ethics.

Qin Jie said, "Drive and ram them!"

The driver nodded and floored the gas pedal. The armored car sped towards the garage door.

The car's headlights illuminated Tianyang's face as he released the wounded Gold Prospector. The longsword, Springwater, was held high above his head, and he spun it around as he rotated to the side, barely avoiding the car as it charged past.

While half-crouched on the ground, he swept his longsword horizontally, slicing through the car's headlight and then cutting through the armored vehicle. The blade's path continued to destroy various components inside the car until it exited through the taillight.

This action sent a spray of metal fragments into the air, and inside the car, the butler let out a harrowing scream. His legs had been severed by Springwater, and blood was spurting out profusely.

The impact jolted Qin Jie, almost sending him flying out of the car. He was experiencing a level of disarray he hadn't felt in his life before. Even though a Night Walker saved him, he would be the one without legs if their roles were reversed!

Due to the damage inflicted on the car by Springwater, the skilled driver couldn't control the car anymore, and it crashed heavily into a lamppost. The rear of the car lifted off the ground before slamming back down.

The entire car shuddered violently, and Qin Jie barely managed to crawl out from under it. He saw that the car's other occupants, the butler and the driver, were unconscious.

Qin Jie was a complete mess. He had never experienced such a chaotic situation in his life. Now, he was realizing that his once-powerful card was worthless due to Night Walker's interference.

Frustratingly, the Gold Prospectors were not as committed to protecting him as they were to their payment. Despite the high reward, it seemed they valued their lives more.

Qin Jie, jolted by the realization, raised his hand, holding a small and delicate pistol. Though this type of firearm had limited power and a short range, it could be lethal if it hit a vital spot. Unfortunately, Tianyang didn't give him a chance to pull the trigger.

In a burst of lightning-fast movement, Tianyang was next to Qin Jie. He thrust Springwater into Qin Jie's abdomen, and both the man and the sword crashed against the car.

Qin Jie screamed in agony, dropping the pistol, and the blade punctured the car's frame like a nail, pinning the fort commander to the car.

Tianyang retreated, retrieved the dropped pistol, and looked at the gasping man. He said in a low voice, "You should not have involved her. This has nothing to do with her."

Qin Jie managed to raise his head, his expression twisted into a sinister grin. "Naive. Ever since the moment you targeted my son, anyone related to you is inevitably tied to this. Come on, kill me! But don't expect to live an easy life!"

"Even though I'm no longer the fort commander, you attacked a family residence in the Upper City openly. The fortress will have to explain this. You're not going to live to see it, though..."

Tianyang reached down and pressed his hand against Qin Jie's major artery in the abdomen, confirming that he had died. Afterward, he pulled Springwater out of the car's frame.

Without the sword's support, Qin Jie's lifeless body slowly slid down the car, leaving a trail of thick blood.

Tianyang looked back at Qin Jie's house. The building would still be there tomorrow, but its owner was no longer the Qin family.

Tianyang sheathed his sword and jumped over the wall to get the sniper rifle that Qu Gao had broken. He then headed back to the square.

The streets remained eerily quiet. Despite the massive disturbance, the nearby families seemed to be turning a blind eye. Not only did they not intervene, but they also didn't even bother to take a look.

This indicated that either the Qin family had many enemies and no one was willing to help, or Night Walker's intervention had effectively rendered everyone blind and deaf. Tianyang was more inclined to believe the latter.

He couldn't help but sigh. "It seems like I owe someone a big favor."