Chapter 157: Massacre at the Dark Tide Gang

Chapter 157: Massacre at the Dark Tide Gang

ZZZ...

The streetlights sparked, and the screens outside the skyscraper went dark, plunging the area into darkness, from which echoed startled screams. At the entrance, several gang members' bodies suddenly convulsed. The firearms in their hands crackled with electricity, the current spreading from the guns to their hands, causing them to cry out in pain.

"What's happening...?" One of the gang members shouted in surprise, unaware that the stranger before them was the cause of all this.

Then, in a flash, Ji Xinghuo appeared before them, his Thunder Chaser unsheathed.

Realization dawned on their faces, but it was too late. The electromagnetic pulse interfered with their cybernetic implants, causing an electric surge that paralyzed their bodies with searing pain, leaving them unable to react.

The blade flashed like lightning.

In a single breath, the gang members guarding the building's entrance lay on the ground.

As Ji Xinghuo passed by, he casually grabbed an electromagnetic rifle, the classic Avenger-17 model. This modified rifle was equipped with an electromagnetic pulse protection kit, including shielding grilles, filters, and Zener diodes, forming a complete protection system that added bulk to the gun but remained intact despite the electromagnetic pulse.

"Not bad," Ji Xinghuo nodded in approval, holding the electromagnetic rifle in his left hand as he stepped into the building.

As soon as he entered, several people rushed towards him.

Bang, bang, bang...

Gunshots rang out.

Ji Xinghuo fired before his opponents could react. The rail of the electromagnetic rifle emitted a current-like whistle as it fired metal shuttle-shaped bullets.

The group didn't even get a clear look at their enemy before their heads exploded.

Ji Xinghuo swung the gun towards the wall beside the lobby, and the bullets penetrated, taking down several enemies hiding behind it.

In his hands, the electromagnetic rifle became a Grim Reaper's scythe, reaping lives without mercy.

He walked and fired, clearing the first floor of the skyscraper in an instant.

The gang members in the Immortal City were all stained with blood. The Dark Tide Gang was infamous for their heinous acts, with countless lives lost to their name. Perhaps a few among them still retained a shred of conscience, but they were few and far between. Ji Xinghuo felt no hesitation in taking their lives.

He reached the elevator, but the entire building's power system had been destroyed by the electromagnetic pulse, rendering the elevator useless.

Ji Xinghuo's Thunder Chaser war blade slashed twice, creating an "X" shaped incision on the elevator door. With a kick, he opened the door to reveal a pitch-black shaft leading down several dozen floors.

Without hesitation, he jumped in.

In the darkness, just before reaching the bottom, Ji Xinghuo jammed his Thunder Chaser war blade into the wall of the elevator shaft, slowing his descent.

THUD!

He landed heavily on the roof of the elevator car, then pushed off, crashing through the metal plate below.

While electromagnetic sensing couldn't penetrate, Ji Xinghuo's perception allowed him to "see" the crowd outside the elevator—dozens of mechanically modified gang members armed to the teeth, blocking the exit. They were prepared to storm in.

He had sensed their presence during his descent.

Electricity crackled around his fingertips, a buildup of several seconds.

With a thunderous roar, a lightning bolt thicker than an arm blasted through the elevator door and into the corridor beyond.

The lightning tore through the passage, deafeningly loud.

In an instant, over a dozen gang members were connected by the lightning, their bodies turning into charred corpses, the parts struck by lightning reduced to ashes.

The lightning's shockwave knocked the remaining enemies to the ground, blood flowing from their orifices.

Ji Xinghuo fired through the elevator door.

Bang, bang, bang, bang...

He emptied the electromagnetic rifle's magazine, and the elevator door, now little more than scrap metal, fell away to reveal a corridor flowing with blood.

This corridor and the upper floors had been rigged with heavy firepower, all of which had been destroyed by the electromagnetic pulse.

Ji Xinghuo strode out without a care.

In the darkness, he waded through the blood, reloading with a fresh magazine and continuing to fire.

Bullets penetrated walls, taking down enemies hiding behind them or in rooms, each shot a headshot, without exception. Regardless of where they hid or their intentions, anyone within range of the electromagnetic rifle was doomed.

High-level Transcenders, even with mechanical modifications, couldn't withstand a headshot from the electromagnetic rifle.

It was a one-sided slaughter.

Ji Xinghuo shot down enemies as he made his way through corridors and passageways, eventually reaching a pitch-black hall, the last of his bullets spent.

The interior was lavishly decorated, once illuminated by colorful lights, and the air still held traces of hallucinogens, alcohol, and hormones.

Ji Xinghuo reloaded his gun with a freshly picked up magazine.

"Gonzaza," he said to the wall on one side of the hall, his voice modified and different from his original tone, "either you come out yourself, or I'll invite you out."

He spoke in the common language of the Federation, and with the smart chip implanted in his brain, he was confident that the General would understand.

However, the only response Ji Xinghuo received was gunfire.

Bang, bang, bang...

He vanished in an instant.

Almost simultaneously, the spot where he had been standing was riddled with bullets from all directions, and a plasma grenade landed, exploding into a vortex of superheated plasma and flames, reducing the entire hall to ruins.

But after a few seconds, the gunfire came from only one direction.

Ji Xinghuo flashed back to the entrance of the hall, electromagnetic rifle in hand. He spun, and the rifle's muzzle lit up, cutting down the enemies hiding in the darkness one by one.

He had deliberately revealed himself as bait to lure out this group of gang leaders.

A round of gunfire, and the Dark Tide Gang suffered heavy casualties.

Ji Xinghuo suddenly spun, his left hand wielding the Thunder Chaser, its electric glow flashing in the darkness.

Two severed bodies appeared in the air, their arms sprouting slender blades, their eyes wide with disbelief.

This was a Super Shadowblade, with a silver metal chip embedded in his temple—a brain chip that, when activated, enhanced his neural responses and movement speed exponentially. Combined with his Shadow Escape ability, he had thought himself invisible, having assassinated hundreds with this technique, never failing.

Yet, tonight, he had failed.

This was the first time in his life he had failed, and it would be his last.

"Die!"

A loud roar accompanied a towering figure as it crashed through the wall, charging at Ji Xinghuo like a speeding train.

He was the "General," named Gonzaza, the boss of the Dark Tide Gang.

Gonzaza stood at a towering height of 7'3", his muscles bulging horizontally, his legs thick as pillars, resembling a small giant.

Through his magnetic field perception, Ji Xinghuo sensed that Gonzaza's blood was like liquid metal, his entire skeletal structure replaced with alloys. A set of electric motors had been implanted in his chest cavity, connected to his brain's brain chip, pushing his strength and speed to the limits of his physical body. Already a formidable giant, his strength was now terrifying, and his speed and explosiveness had reached new heights thanks to the mechanical enhancements.

At this moment, Gonzaza was in a state of rage, his eyes bloodshot, adrenaline pumping.

The floor trembled with each step he took.

His weapon of choice was a heavy hammer, its head glowing with engine power, and it slammed down towards Ji Xinghuo's head with crushing force.

Bang, bang, bang!

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic rifle fired at Gonzaza, but a shield deflected the bullets.

Gonzaza remained unharmed.

The brain chip enhanced his speed to the extreme, and he closed the distance in the blink of an eye, reaching Ji Xinghuo in a breath.

Boom!

The heavy hammer slammed into the ground, creating a deep pit.

Gonzaza's perception was keen, and he immediately sensed Ji Xinghuo's location, turning his head as his eyes emitted red lasers that swept across the room.

The lasers cut through the air like blades, slicing through anything in their path and leaving scorching red lines on the walls.

But they didn't catch Ji Xinghuo.

He had already flashed stepped to another direction, and Gonzaza ceased his laser vision, charging at Ji Xinghuo while enduring the electromagnetic rifle's bullets.

The electromagnetic rifle soon ran out of ammunition.

Ji Xinghuo stood still, tossing aside the rifle.

Cruelty flashed in Gonzaza's eyes, his muscular arms bulging as his power hammer ignited with flames, putting all his might into this final blow.

At the same time, Ji Xinghuo reached into his coat, and when he withdrew his hand, he held a "Hammer."

The gun muzzle aimed directly at Gonzaza's heart.

The distance between them was less than three meters, and Gonzaza's brow twitched. His body's repulsive force field could deflect the electromagnetic rifle's bullets, but it was useless against the Hammer's strike. A glint flashed in his eyes, his brain chip operating at its limit, and time seemed to slow down. His towering frame moved with high-frequency lateral shifts, creating a blur of afterimages that were difficult to lock onto.

The high-frequency shifts generated massive inertial forces, placing immense strain on his body.

BOOM!

There was a loud blast, and the Hammer's muzzle kicked up slightly before quickly readjusting and firing a second high-explosive round.

Two consecutive gunshots rang out, each round finding its mark in one of Gonzaza's knees.

The high-explosive rounds penetrated the shield, and his towering frame collapsed to the ground, his body losing balance and tumbling forward uncontrollably before slamming into the wall.

"Quite the show," Ji Xinghuo remarked disdainfully.

"Ah..." Gonzaza screamed in agony.

His legs had been blown off from the knees down, and blood gushed out. But he clenched his teeth, turned over, and sat up, his eyes fixed on Ji Xinghuo, now reddened with rage.

BOOM!

Ji Xinghuo, who was walking towards Gonzaza, casually fired another shot.

Gonzaza's right arm exploded into a mess of flesh and blood, leaving him with only three limbs. The immense pain made it impossible for him to focus, and his laser vision immediately shut down.

A bolt of lightning struck, hitting the brain chip on the side of Gonzaza's head and destroying his auxiliary system.

This brain chip was designed to resist electromagnetic pulses, but it couldn't withstand a direct lightning strike.

Gonzaza's eyes rolled back, and he experienced excruciating pain.

The brain chip was deeply embedded in his brain, almost fused with it, and its sudden destruction also inflicted some degree of trauma to his brain. The mechanical structures implanted in his body became uncontrollable, and he became paralyzed, unable to move a muscle.

Only a Super Transcender could withstand such severe injuries and still remain alive. Anyone else would have perished instantly.

Ji Xinghuo stood before him.

Leaning against the wall, Gonzaza panted heavily and struggled to speak, but he was speaking in Castilian, a language Ji Xinghuo couldn't understand.

Ji Xinghuo reached into his pocket, pulled out a pair of smart glasses from his dimensional pouch, and put them on. As soon as he turned on the glasses, the translation function activated automatically.

"Which bastard sent you to kill me?" Gonzaza asked through gritted teeth. "Spare my life today, and I'll give you ten times the price you were offered."

Ji Xinghuo's interest was piqued. "How much is your life worth?"

"Name your price."

Ji Xinghuo shook his head. "No thanks." The funds in the Immortal City were troublesome to bring back to the country, and he was in the middle of a mission; he didn't want any unnecessary distractions.

Despair washed over Gonzaza's face as he thought Ji Xinghuo was about to finish him off. "There's cash and True Dragon Coins in my safe, and you can have them all. I also have my collection of treasures; they're all yours if you don't kill me. Just tell me the password now."

Ji Xinghuo glanced in the direction of the safe.

However, he didn't continue the conversation about the safe. Instead, he said, "You answer my questions."

Gonzaza nodded with difficulty.

Ji Xinghuo tapped the glasses lightly, projecting a photo of Shen Yucheng, of course, in his disguised form. "Two days ago, this man came to see you. What did he say to you? And where is he now?"

Gonzaza froze for a few seconds.

Only then did he realize that the man before him wasn't a hired killer but had another motive. "Are you here because of him?"

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

Rage burned within Gonzaza, and he couldn't help but shout, "You killed so many of my people just to ask about him? Why didn't you just come and ask directly?"

"Would you have answered honestly if I hadn't used force?" Ji Xinghuo countered with a cold smile.

This Gonzaza was all show. The Dark Tide Gang rampaged through this neighborhood of the Immortal City, committing all manner of evil deeds with impunity, backed by a powerful patron. How could they have tolerated a stranger showing up at their doorstep and simply cooperated? Where would that leave Gonzaza's reputation in the Immortal City?

"Talk," Ji Xinghuo ordered, his gun still aimed at Gonzaza's head.

"I don't know that man's name, nor do I know where he is, but he was introduced to me by 'Black Dream' Elorin," Gonzaza blurted out. "Elorin is a well-known intermediary in the Sanfiblo District, and I agreed to meet him because of her. That day, he came to me, gave me one million US dollars, and asked me to introduce him to the higher-ups of the Giant Consortium. I took the money but had no intention of doing the job."

"Why didn't you do it?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"The money wasn't enough." Gonzaza replied with contempt. "He thought he could get me to do his bidding for a mere one million dollars? I don't work for such a low price."

Ji Xinghuo nodded. "Any last words?"

"You motherfcker..." Gonzaza cursed.

BOOM!

Ji Xinghuo pulled the trigger, blowing Gonzaza's head apart. Red and white matter splattered against the wall, resembling a blooming peony.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end