"That small building up ahead is Black Spider's hideout. He's on the third floor. He's likely on high alert, so we need to stay quiet," Li Yalin whispered.
Xiao's voice crackled through the earpiece: "No need to tiptoe around. Black Spider's already spotted you."
"How do you know?" Li Yalin scoffed, her expression skeptical.
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a barrage of gunfire ripped through the night's silence. A hail of bullets rained down from above. Li Yalin and her two companions instantly rolled to the ground, diving into the corner of an adjacent alleyway. Their faces turned grim.
When had they been spotted?
Though none of them would be injured by such a simple ambush, their reaction wouldn't have been this swift without Xiao's warning. Realising this, Li Yalin's gaze sharpened slightly as she steadied her earphone with solemn care.
A man stood atop the elevated position from which the bullets had come, surveying them with a savage, twisted grin that betrayed no attempt to conceal his arrogance. His defining feature was a black spider tattooed across his left cheek. Clad in pitch-black combat fatigues and wielding an assault rifle, he gave a wave. Ten masked figures in black emerged from surrounding alleys, guns raised, silently encircling Li Yalin and her companions.
"The intel was wrong! How could he have backup?!" Lin Yao's eyes widened in shock.
Li Yalin's heart sank.
Black Spider sneered coldly, "You think I'd stay in Starcapital unprepared? The Bureau 13 made me pay last time. I, Black Spider, never forget a grudge. Since you dared to extend your claws toward me, I'll sever them!"
Black Spider was a lone bounty hunter and assassin whose fearsome reputation echoed throughout the underworld. He could weave a web of traps around his targets before they even sensed danger, leaving them with nowhere to run.
Li Yalin suddenly spun, kicking the wall with a flash of bright yellow light. The wall collapsed with a thunderous crash, the falling debris forming a barrier that blocked the enemies' line of sight.
In the early stages of martial arts cultivation, Qi infuses fists, feet, and weapons with extraordinary strength. Li Yalin, an Class E practitioner, possessed an energy level exceeding 300 Ouna, roughly equivalent to a level 25 character.
Black Spider led his masked squad in forming an encircling perimeter, unleashing relentless firepower to suppress the trio.
Li Yalin and Lambert dragged Lin Yao through the alley's twists and turns, dodging relentlessly. Their exceptional prowess allowed them to evade every shot despite the perilous situation, though they were eventually cornered in a dead-end alley.
Black Spider blocked the alley entrance, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, his face etched with rapture as he murmured, "Little insects caught in my web... every hair on your bodies trembles with fear."
"You think you've got this in the bag?" Li Yalin arched an eyebrow, discreetly signaling to Lambert.
Black Spider looked as if he'd heard the most unbelievable thing. He dramatically glanced at his ten teammates behind him, spread his arms wide, and declared, "At my command, you'd be riddled with bullets. What gives you the nerve to challenge me?"
Li Yalin replied in a low voice, "Then why haven't you made your move?"
"Killing you brings me no profit. Capturing you as hostages means I can demand a ransom." Black Spider waved his finger, everything under his control. He knew his words would reach Bureau 13 through the earphone of these three agents. He relished this feeling of showing off. Suddenly, he sneered, "But I only need to keep one alive!"
Black Spider raised his hand to order his men to fire. At that instant, Li Yalin leapt into the air. Her feet glowed with a bright yellow light as she danced along the walls, leaping sideways and climbing upward with the grace of a dragonfly skimming water. Her elusive movements allowed her to rapidly close the distance from midair.
"Kill her!" Black Spider's expression hardened as his men opened fire. Yet they struggled to aim at Li Yalin, whose speed left only afterimages. Only a few bullets struck her body, transforming into small metal discs embedded in her clothing.
Li Yalin's form-fitting suit was lined with ceramic fiber bulletproof panels, rendering the bullets ineffective. Her physical prowess allowed her to absorb the kinetic energy of the rounds, rendering her utterly unafraid of the gunmen. Her earlier retreats had been feints to lure Black Spider's forces into a tight circle, drawing the enemies together for a decisive strike.
In the brief instant the enemy's attention wavered, Lambert seized his chance. His hands swept across his waist pouch, and in the blink of an eye, four throwing knives struck the throats of four men.
The others were stunned. Half of them were about to turn their guns on Lambert when Li Yalin kicked through the ceiling, shattering the wall. Rain of debris fell like a storm, blocking Black Spider and his men's attacks. Along with the falling stones came Li Yalin, diving down like a hawk in a kill.
Li Yalin drew the handle of her folding combat knife from her waist and swung it down with a sharp swish. Just 30 cm from the enemy, he tilted his head back slightly, thinking he could dodge. Suddenly, several dozen centimeters of segmented blades shot out like whips, instantly closing the gap. A flash of steel later, the enemy's throat was sliced clean.
Suddenness was another advantage of the folding combat knife.
"Great weapon!" Li Yalin's eyes lit up.
When a gunner at the ordinary human level was caught in close combat by martial artists, the outcome was inevitable. 30s later, blood covered the ground, leaving only the Black Spider, its hands severed, lying on the floor.
Li Yalin gave a light hum, retracting the folding combat knife. This weapon extended and retracted freely, capable of varying lengths, and she was thoroughly satisfied with it.
"Nice work," Xiao praised indifferently. He hadn't spoken earlier, not the least bit worried the trio would fail here.
"Th-thanks," Lin Yao stammered awkwardly.
"Not counting you."
Lin Yao hung his head in dejection. He hadn't been of any use whatsoever.
"Little girl, you can't kill me."
The gravely wounded Black Spider laughed hoarsely, his face unflinching and mocking as he stared at Li Yalin.
Without a word, Lambert drew his gun and blew Black Spider's head off. Red and white splattered across the ground.
Li Yalin and Lin Yao silently looked at Lambert.
Lambeth remained expressionless, replying flatly, "Why don't you try and find out?"
"...Sigh, dead is dead. The higher-ups never ordered us to take prisoners anyway. I need a good bath when I get back—I'm covered in blood and stink to high heaven."
Li Yalin stretched lazily.
Just then, Han Xiao spoke up, "Don't relax. Black Spider is still alive."
Li Yalin nearly twisted her back. Pointing at the corpse with its head reduced to a bloody mess, she snapped, "How could it still be alive like that?"
Xiao remained calm. "He's a psionic. His abilities are extremely troublesome. You'll see once you lift the mask off the first masked corpse on the left."
Lin Yao hesitated. "But no intel ever surfaced on the dark web about Black Spider being a superpowered individual. You must be mistaken."
Li Yalin pursed her lips, her tone earnest. "Not 'might be'—definitely mistaken. Rookie, I get your eagerness to prove yourself, but you can't just fabricate intel to entertain us."
Xiao rolled his eyes. "Seriously, girl, you need to fill in the blanks in your imagination."