Chapter 167: The Xuanyuan Swordsman

Chapter 167: The Xuanyuan Swordsman

"Come in."

The door opened, and Zhuo Feiqun and Song Fei entered.

Ji Xinghuo observed them closely. Zhuo Feiqun stood at an imposing height of six feet tall, with a sturdy build and unremarkable features. However, his eyes, burning like fiery orbs, commanded respect and warned against underestimating him.

Any discerning individual could sense the formidable aura emanating from this man.

"Director Zhuo," Ji Xinghuo addressed him.

He had just learned from Song Fei that Zhuo Feiqun was no ordinary figure. He was the Director of the Firmshield Bureau of the Changan Division, leading all the special guard squads in the capital, outranking even the division's commissioner and holding a position comparable to the vice minister of the Security Ministry.

Zhuo Feiqun not only wielded immense power but also possessed formidable strength, ranking among the top officials in terms of combat prowess.

Ji Xinghuo later recalled seeing Zhuo Feiqun's name on the Global Legend Ranking, likely within the top hundred.

"Just rest up," Zhuo Feiqun said, after examining Ji Xinghuo's eyes. "Your recovery ability is remarkable, no wonder you managed to survive an encounter with the 'Ghost Wolf'."

"Ghost Wolf?" Ji Xinghuo asked, perplexed.

"That's the nickname of the omnipotent battle guard. His real name is 'Taylor Worthington'. Ghost Wolf has the ability to turn invisible, and he's incredibly fast and perceptive. He can easily evade the surveillance system, infiltrate any country on Earth, and move about undetected. He's one of the top assassins in the world," Zhuo Feiqun explained.

Ji Xinghuo was taken aback, "So he's an assassin? I thought he was an official agent of the American Federation."

"No," Zhuo Feiqun shook his head. "Ghost Wolf used to be an agent of the Federal Intelligence Bureau, but over twenty years ago, he defected from the American Federation and became a freelance assassin."

"Omnipotent battle guards can betray their countries?" Ji Xinghuo had never heard of such a thing before.

He always assumed that omnipotent battle guards, like the titanium cobalt dragonmen, held absolute loyalty to their nations.

"Why is that surprising?" Zhuo Feiqun scoffed. "The American Federation has over ten thousand omnipotent battle guards, and as far as we know, at least fifty of them have defected. It wouldn't be strange if the actual number, including those we don't know about, exceeded a hundred."

Ji Xinghuo wondered if there had ever been any titanium cobalt dragonmen who had defected, but their tracks had been covered up, keeping the public in the dark.

Zhuo Feiqun continued, "Ghost Wolf is ranked at the top of the global dark web assassin leaderboard. Hiring him for a job costs no less than fifty million Asian dollars, and success isn't even guaranteed."

"As long as the price is right, Ghost Wolf will take the job, regardless of the target's nationality. He's even killed people from the American Federation. He's notorious and has been wanted by various countries for a long time."

"Ghost Wolf has pulled off some major jobs over the years."

"Anyone he sets his sights on usually ends up dead. You're the first one in recent years to survive an attempt on your life."

Zhuo Feiqun's eyes held a hint of curiosity as he said this. This was one of the reasons he had come to the hospital to check on Ji Xinghuo and inform him of the situation. He had just received a report from Song Fei and was shocked to learn that Ji Xinghuo had only become an irregular less than two years ago.

He had also found out that Ji Xinghuo had climbed the Tower a few months ago and ranked last.

The battle between Ji Xinghuo and Ghost Wolf had been captured by many cameras at the scene, and the Security Bureau had obtained the footage and analyzed it several times.

Zhuo Feiqun was impressed by what he saw.

After watching it just once, he knew that Ji Xinghuo's strength far exceeded that of the last-ranked Tower climber. In fact, he suspected that even the top-ranked Zhao Manying might have struggled to fend off Ghost Wolf's assassination attempt. Unfortunately, Ji Xinghuo had already been recruited by the Gladsome Sword Bureau, and was now a Xuanyuan Swordsman.

Since entering the room, Song Fei had been observing Ji Xinghuo, and she was the most astonished of them all.

She couldn't fathom how an unknown, low-level irregular could have grown so powerful in less than two years.

Just watching the combat footage left her breathless.

If she had been the one facing Ghost Wolf, she would have been torn to pieces, yet Ji Xinghuo had only suffered severe injuries. Aside from his hair not having grown back, there were barely any signs of injury on his body.

Oblivious to the thoughts of the two, Ji Xinghuo asked, "Director Zhuo, weren't you able to catch Ghost Wolf?"

"No," Zhuo Feiqun sighed. "He's incredibly fast in flight and can turn invisible. I chased him out of Changan, but then I lost track of him."

Ji Xinghuo wasn't surprised.

If Ghost Wolf could be caught that easily, he wouldn't have lasted so many years as an assassin.

"Do you know why Ghost Wolf targeted you?" Zhuo Feiqun asked. "Is it related to a Gladsome Sword Bureau mission?"

"Yes," Ji Xinghuo nodded. "Director Zhuo, I apologize, but I can't say more due to the confidentiality of the matter."

"Since it's an internal matter for the Gladsome Sword Bureau, the Firmshield Bureau won't get involved," Zhuo Feiqun said. "The appearance of an omnipotent battle guard in the capital and his attempt to assassinate a citizen on the street is a matter of national public security. The Security Ministry will issue a case announcement, but your identity will be concealed, so you don't have to worry about leaks."

"Thank you, Director Zhuo," Ji Xinghuo expressed his gratitude.

If it weren't for Zhuo Feiqun's swift arrival that scared Ghost Wolf away, he didn't dare to think about what might have happened to him.

"It's my duty," Zhuo Feiqun nodded, offering Ji Xinghuo his contact information before preparing to leave.

At that moment, a woman arrived at the door and spoke with the shield guards.

Zhuo Feiqun turned and looked, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He waved for Song Fei to let the woman in and said, "Yaoxian, it's been a while."

The woman, Yaoxian, appeared to be in her thirties, with a beautiful face, a quiet demeanor, and a slender figure accentuated by her moon-white dress. Her long black hair was simply pulled back, and her face was devoid of makeup, living up to her name, which evoked a sense of tranquility and elegance.

"Feiqun, you're here too," Yaoxian said with a faint smile, indicating that they were old acquaintances.

Zhuo Feiqun nodded, "Give my regards to Yishang."

With that, he and Song Fei exited the ward.

Yaoxian turned her attention to Ji Xinghuo and introduced herself, "My name is Yaoxian, I'm also a swordsman from the bureau. Yishang asked me to come and protect you for a while. You can call me Aunt Yao."

Ji Xinghuo had already guessed that this female irregular was much older than she appeared, possibly in her sixties or seventies.

Yaoxian sat down on the sofa in the ward and hearing Ji Xinghuo's address, smiled gently. "Young people have a sweet tongue, but it's better to call me Aunt Yao."

She didn't confirm or deny being a Xuanyuan Swordsman, but her response was implicit acknowledgment.

"Okay, Aunt Yao." Ji Xinghuo immediately felt relieved.

The Xuanyuan Swordsmen were mysterious and elusive, and even within the Gladsword Bureau, their identities were highly classified. Today was the first time he had met one.

He racked his brains, certain that he had never heard of Yaoxian, nor had he seen her name on the Legend Ranking.

Yaoxian didn't say anything further and took out a book from her bag. She sat quietly on the sofa, reading, with no intention of striking up a conversation with Ji Xinghuo.

Ji Xinghuo didn't want to disturb her.

He wasn't sleepy, and after thinking for a moment, he reached into his blanket and pulled out his phone from his dimensional bag. He found that Zhao Manying had sent him messages earlier.

"Are you home yet?"

"I've already taken a shower. Why haven't you replied yet?"

"Xinghuo?"

"What's wrong?"

In addition to the messages, there were also several missed calls, all from Zhao Manying. Ji Xinghuo was about to reply when his phone rang again. Glancing at Yaoxian on the sofa, he answered the call, and Zhao Manying's face appeared on the screen, her eyes filled with worry. "Xinghuo, were you attacked?"

"How did you know?" Ji Xinghuo was taken aback, as he hadn't planned on telling her about this.

"It really was you!"

Zhao Manying was first startled and then seeing that Ji Xinghuo was unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I saw a video taken by a bystander online. Although your face was blurred, I recognized you at a glance, and Qinghong was also there. How are your injuries?"

"I'm fine now and recovering," Ji Xinghuo said casually. "You know my strength; it's not that easy to kill me."

"Where are you now?" Zhao Manying asked, her eyes sharp and observant. "Are you in a hospital?"

"Yes."

"Which hospital? I'm coming over right now." Zhao Manying immediately pursued the question.

Ji Xinghuo hesitated.

There were shield guards from the Security Bureau outside the ward, and Yaoxian was also present. Zhao Manying would surely be recognized if she came.

But Zhao Manying looked determined. "It's come to this, and you're still worried about trivial matters. Hurry up and tell me which hospital you're in."

Ji Xinghuo had no choice but to give her the address and ward number.

The call was immediately ended.

Yaoxian looked up from her book, a smile on her face as she asked, "Is that your girlfriend?"

"Yes."

Yaoxian nodded slightly. "I can tell that she cares about you a lot. She's a good girl, so don't let her down." Having said that, she lowered her head to continue reading.

Ji Xinghuo, however, was a little distracted and started browsing the news on his phone.

As expected, the news of his attack was trending.

With so many witnesses at the scene, many bystanders had taken videos, and the internet was flooded with footage of his battle against the omnipotent battle guard. Some videos were taken from a distance, while others were from nearby businesses' surveillance cameras, providing clear views of the fight. Thankfully, his face had been blurred in all the videos.

As the videos gained traction, experts soon began analyzing and commenting on the battle.

It was undeniable that the internet was a gathering place for talented individuals.

Many people instantly recognized that the omnipotent battle guard was Legend Tier 2, with terrifying strength, but what shocked them even more was that the attacked mutant had survived.

"Who is this attacked person? So strong!"

"He's probably just a super mutant, over 90% advanced mutant, but he can directly withstand the attack of a legendary omnipotent battle guard. It's truly incredible."

"He must be a master of the Tower."

"Does anyone know what his profession template is?"

"It's hard to judge." A coach of a Super League club, considered an authority on mutant professions, gave his opinion: "This person's abilities are very diverse—marksmanship, martial arts, lightning, speed, and defense—all are top-notch, and he also has a battle pet. There's a high probability that he's a jobless mutant."

"Where did that snake come from? Could it be an illusion?"

"It's not an illusion; it's a physical entity."

"It looks a bit like an Iron Arrow Green, but the color of the scales is a bit different. How did Iron Arrow Green grow so big?" A famous beast tamer made a guess.

The internet was abuzz with discussions.

In addition to focusing on Ji Xinghuo's personal strength, most netizens were furious that an omnipotent battle guard dared to attack a citizen in the capital and angrily condemned the American Federation for provoking trouble.

A news update suddenly appeared.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the American Federation had issued a statement expressing regret for the public security incident in Changan and solemnly declaring that the incident had nothing to do with the American Federation. The murderer, Taylor Worthington, was not an employee of the American government but had acted on his own.

Most netizens did not believe this statement and thought that the American Federation was shirking responsibility.

As the person involved, Ji Xinghuo felt complicated as he watched the online outrage, with people denouncing the enemy and cursing the American government as shameless.

This time, everyone had really wronged them.

At that moment, he sensed through his magnetic field perception that a light-wheel motorcycle was speeding into the hospital. Zhao Manying soon arrived at the ward door. The shield guards outside had been notified in advance and did not recognize the young woman in front of them, but they still let her pass.

"Xinghuo!"

Zhao Manying quickly walked to the bed, lifted the covers, and checked him over. Only when she saw that Ji Xinghuo was intact did she finally relax completely.

"You gave me such a scare."

Her eyes still held worry, and she grasped Ji Xinghuo's hand, relieved. "If something had happened to you, I wouldn't know what to do."

Ji Xinghuo was touched and smiled. "Then you can take revenge for me."

"I will!"

Zhao Manying replied seriously.

"Are you Zhao Manying?" Suddenly, a voice filled with surprise came from the sofa, where Yaoxian sat. She had put down her book, and her eyes darted between Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying, as if she had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end