Boom, boom, boom!
As the van sped up, it roared past along the road.
Deafening explosions erupted one after another.
Blinding flashes of fire and thick smoke tried to engulf the vehicle.
But gripping the steering wheel, Dylan weaved left and right with intense focus.
That gang of mafia had apparently buried explosive charges around the road in advance.
Ratatat…
The car window slid open, and Franklin Bordeaux activated his Nen ability—his double‐hand machine guns.
A furious spray of Nen bullets erupted from his finger joints. The widespread damage of these bullets was simply unstoppable to a group of regular mafia members. With that torrent of bullets, they were mowed down like straw. The density of Franklin's fire was astonishing: a single man's firepower completely suppressed a large gathering of gangsters.
By the time the van reached the mafia's blockade, the ground was already littered with corpses and rivers of blood.
Xiang Nan likewise opened the rear door. During the high‐speed driving, he flipped onto the car roof.
He flung a throwing knife, striking a rocket projectile that was coming their way.
It detonated midair.
There were still hidden enemies on both sides of the road in the darkness!
Xiang Nan immediately shouted to Franklin:
"You and I stay behind."
Franklin got the message—he understood Xiang Nan's intent—and jumped off from the front passenger side.
Xiang Nan likewise flipped off the top of the moving car.
Meanwhile, Dylan kept driving, ramming aside the mafia's vehicles, crashing onward.
There had been no need for words. Xiang Nan and Franklin split left and right, darting into the darkness.
As for the few who remained in the car, they used the opportunity to escape further.
Very soon, the night air was shaken by chaotic gunshots and flashing lights, plus shrieks of agony.
With Xiang Nan's and Franklin's abilities, the foes lurking in the shadows were simply helpless. Although not particularly threatening, they were scattered and fairly numerous, so it still took a few minutes to wipe them out.
After a while, the tumult on the highway quieted.
Xiang Nan emerged from the darkness, his clothes stained with blood. He started sprinting at full speed, far exceeding typical automobile velocity…chasing after the van that had already vanished from sight. Even though these were not formidable enemies, they had set a widespread ambush, so it wasted a bit of time.
He and Franklin stayed behind to eliminate these thugs precisely to prevent them from reporting back and summoning reinforcements.
But, given the current circumstances, that might still be futile.
The enemy had mined the road in advance, confirming they had anticipated this route. This was clearly a "trap." Possibly the mafia's plan, or a scheme by opposing players. As for whether Shalnark had noticed it before assigning this route—perhaps yes, perhaps no. In any case, they were gambling: gambling on the mafia's arrogance, and also trusting in Troupe members' strength.
Such things…they'd done many times.
But for Dylan and his fellow novices, it was extremely dangerous.
Swoosh!
After Xiang Nan had run a short distance along the road, a figure caught up from behind.
It was Franklin.
The pair's exaggerated running speed caused the surroundings to flash by like a slideshow, as if the scenery on both sides was zipping past in illusions.
Their clothes rubbing against the air even produced a faint wailing sound.
"No survivors?"
Xiang Nan asked directly.
"None," Franklin replied.
"The enemy's preparations were thorough. The entire route is likely full of ambushes. We can't entirely cut off their intel… Let's be careful."
Xiang Nan said while spotting, ahead on the highway, the parked van.
Both Xiang Nan and Franklin sensed something amiss.
The headlights were still on, the doors open.
But right beside the tire lay a corpse.
Looks like they made it in time—Xiang Nan and Franklin's speed was fast enough. If they had been any slower, the people in the vehicle might all have been slaughtered.
In the blink of an eye, Xiang Nan and Franklin dashed up to the front of the van and halted abruptly.
The body on the ground belonged to one of the five players on their side.
Originally the driver, Dylan, was now badly wounded, bleeding from his abdomen, leaning against the hood.
Seeing Xiang Nan and Franklin appear, he finally exhaled in relief.
"Captain…"
"Take him back to the car."
Xiang Nan didn't even look at him, directly giving Franklin instructions.
As if at this moment, Xiang Nan had become the leader, and Phantom Troupe's Franklin lost his initiative.
Franklin said nothing. Silently, he carried Dylan to the van, laying him inside.
As for the corpse on the ground—there was no spare attention for it.
After this, Franklin was of no further use. Because he realized: the assailants blocking the road…were Nameless Town members.
Meaning, only Xiang Nan, likewise from Nameless Town, could threaten them.
"Great timing!"
Among the seven opposing players, a pink‐pigtail woman chewing gum blew a whistle in delight.
"They really just served themselves up, haha."
She blew a bubble that popped loudly, fixing her gaze on Xiang Nan:
"It seems you must be their captain?"
"That guy by your side… is he from the Spider?"
Seeing her lead, the hostile players—smiling or excited—lined up, with no trace of fear for the Troupe.
After all, they each still had the system's protection. They didn't fear a direct assault from Troupe members… That would come after. As long as they could kill Xiang Nan's group and thwart the Troupe's plan, they'd fulfill their contract with the Glam city's mafia.
Xiang Nan glanced at the body of his deceased teammate, his face expressionless.
He… was angry.
Because, as captain, maintaining the survival rate of his squad also concerned the system's assessment of him—i.e., hidden points.
Originally, by not unlocking this story route, his potential gains this round had dropped. Now, even his hidden points were further reduced.
Naturally Xiang Nan was displeased.
His arm, which had been hanging at his side, let a surgical scalpel slip from his sleeve into his grip.
"You look really angry…"
The woman saw him alone heading over to her group, presumably intending a one‐on‐several fight. She didn't sense the gravity of it, so she laughed:
"No way… you wanna beat all seven of us by yourself?"
"Come on, get real."
"I'll give you a chance… hand over the Phantom Troupe's hideout, plus all your intel about their plan— and we might spare you. Our mission is only to help Glam's mafia get vengeance, but you know… we can't possibly fight the Troupe directly. So long as we ruin their objective and recover that ransom money, we succeed. If the mafia doesn't insist on silencing you guys, we can let you live."
She had scarcely finished speaking—
A glint of cold light flared in midair.
In that instant, a razor‐sharp knife tip ripped across the distance, stopping mere centimeters from her pupil.
The woman's pupils shrank. She whipped her head aside just in time to dodge.
But as soon as her gaze shifted away from the knife—
A large palm clad in white gloves seized her face like an iron clamp.
From her perspective, she glimpsed the upward swirl of a black coat's hem.
"Thanks for your kindness, but… I'm not interested."
Along with the cold voice of the man, came the dull thud of her head being slammed to the ground.
"Argh!"
Although pinned down by Xiang Nan's heavy hand, forcing her body onto the floor, she still exploded with murderous spirit, eyes brimming with savagery. She bit her teeth, intending to fight back.
Boom!
The woman's head was hammered into the ground, embedded into it.
The man's methods were undeniably violent and brutal.
Her body quivered, mouth spewing saliva. Clenching her teeth, she thrust a dagger at Xiang Nan's temple.
"Brain Dead."
Then, Xiang Nan spoke three words quietly.
Once he said them, the woman's movements halted, her pupils contracted like needle points.
Her eyes lost all luster.
Then Xiang Nan, stooping and pressing his palm on her, forcibly lifted her limp body as if it were trash.
With a swift motion—
Whoosh—
She was hurled far into the distance, vanishing in midair.
"…"
The opposing players.
~~~
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