Chapter 225: Hide and Seek
Chapter 225: Hide and Seek
Just as the gunmen were about to pull the trigger, Chen Chuan acted first, lunging forward with startling speed. The gunmen, however, managed to keep up with his sudden movement, and the muzzles of their guns flashed with gunfire.
Chen Chuan raised his arm to shield his face, leaving the rest of his body exposed. As the bullets struck his protective suit, he felt a slight jolt in certain areas, and the bullets dropped to the ground one by one.
In that instant, he spun with his blade, and a flash of light accompanied a sound akin to slicing through a mix of human flesh, firearms, metal, and leather. Two slashes appeared on the carriage walls on either side, forming a perfectly smooth cut.
The gunmen in front hesitated, then their upper bodies toppled forward, their equipment and belongings falling in a perfectly straight line as if sliced by a precise blade.
Chen Chuan surveyed the scene ahead, and with a swift leap, he surged forward, enveloped in the glow of his blade. As he landed, the carriages behind him were filled with severed limbs and broken bodies.
Reaching the third-to-last carriage, he found no seats. Three people in front held shields, while others at the back pointed guns at the heads of the company representatives.
The representatives, despite their predicament, continued to repeat their pleas.
Initially, the resistance members found the situation amusing, but now they were merely annoyed, wishing to end it all with a single shot.
Bao Yuan stood at the back of the crowd, watching Chen Chuan with uncertainty. He clenched his teeth, knowing the mission had succeeded, and he had even sent out a telegram. He hadn't anticipated the appearance of a suspected Third Limit Fighter at this critical moment.
Bao Yuan was certain of one thing: he now held the most important hostages.
"Stop! Are you from the Yangzhi City government? These are representatives of various companies. If you take another step, they'll be dead! You may be fast, but we're not slow either. You can bet on who's quicker: our trigger fingers or your movements!"
His words weren't entirely empty threats. Upon hearing the gunfire outside, the elite members of their team had already taken the enhancement pills, their eyes now red with heightened alertness and excitement, allowing them to barely keep up with Chen Chuan's movements.
Chen Chuan seemed to ignore his words, brandishing his longsword as he continued forward. Seeing that Chen Chuan was unaffected, Bao Yuan immediately raised his gun and fired, killing one of the company representatives.
"I'm not joking! These are representatives of foreign companies. If they die here, you won't be able to bear the consequences! Back off now, or none of them will make it out alive!"
The effect of the pills was evident. If they didn't show their determination to Chen Chuan, waiting here until the pills wore off would undoubtedly lead to their deaths.
Chen Chuan glanced at them and halted, then slowly retreated. The crowd tensed, but as he stepped back, their anxiety eased slightly.
Chen Chuan's expression remained calm. He needed to resolve this quickly; the Secret Sect Ritual also had a mental assault effect. If this dragged on, even if the passengers were lucky enough to wake up later, they might suffer irreversible damage.
Compared to the passengers in front, these company representatives were few, and he would save those he could. If he couldn't, there was nothing he could do. If they continued to stalemate, everyone would be at risk.
Taking action now might give them a chance to survive.
So...
He had already retreated to the door, creating some distance from Bao Yuan. With a powerful stomp, the wooden boards beneath him cracked, and the door frame warped. Like an arrow, he shot forward!
As he moved, the resistance members showed no mercy, firing at their targets. Amidst the gunshots,
Chen Chuan charged forward, colliding with the shields in front and the people behind. With each impact, they were sent flying, their bones shattered and organs ruptured upon landing. Xuejun Blade's light flashed, and heads flew.
Bao Yuan, witnessing Chen Chuan's relentless assault, roared in anger. He punched, his enhanced strength and precision evident.
Chen Chuan glanced at his arm, noticing the skin on the back of his hand turning blue, as if something beneath was about to burst. Sensing something amiss, he didn't slash with his blade but instead, used his elbow to deflect the arm, simultaneously shifting the hilt upwards, using a gentle force to redirect the arm outwards.
Just then, another surprise occurred. A hissing sound filled the air as three tongue whips shot out from Bao Yuan's mouth. One whipped straight at Chen Chuan's face, while the other two pierced through his cheeks, aiming for Chen Chuan's head from both sides.
Chen Chuan performed a swift dive, dodging all three tongue whips in an instant. Simultaneously, he weaved through Bao Yuan's side, and his blade found its way to Bao Yuan's neck. With the momentum of his charge, a grinding sound emanated from the spot.
As the blade sliced through the black chitinous exoskeleton, Chen Chuan remained unfazed. With a twist of his waist, he executed a dragging slash!
The protective layer failed to withstand the attack, and as the blade glided through, the head was severed, dropping to the floor with a bounce before rolling to the side. The three whip-like tongues continued to lash about relentlessly.
Chen Chuan, seeing no other living enemies nearby, straightened his body. He stared at the writhing tongues, recognizing the origins of these implants.
"This is... a Serpent Sect implant?"
He had seen Tan Wang's list of implants, which included this particular one. The Serpent Sect seemed to provide surgical implants to its members and also offered their services to others. It was unclear if this individual had personal ties to the Serpent Sect or if they had simply purchased the implant from them.
Regardless, it was of no concern to Chen Chuan.
He withdrew his gaze and took a few steps, reaching for the door handle of the rear carriage. He intended to check if there were any members of the resistance group in the back.
However, as he opened the carriage door, his eyes narrowed.
Before him, several familiar-looking corpses lay sprawled, one smashed against the carriage wall, and another with a shattered head from a stone impact, leaving a trail of blood on the adjacent carriage door. This scene resembled the one from the first carriage he had encountered upon boarding the train.
But he was currently at the very end of the train!
His gaze shifted to his second self, noticing the flickering light. This was a sign of a strong mental assault.
His thoughts raced, and he quickly shut the door, turning around to look back the way he had come. The scene before him was identical to what he had witnessed earlier.
Despite changing directions, there was no difference.
Mystic Sects could indeed cause such effects, but most of their influence was mental, with physical impacts being relatively weaker. This wasn't a Mystic Sect ritual; it was... a legend!
Mystic Sects could constrain legends through specific rituals and utilize them, like the Two-Faced Heart Demon or the Mountain Spirit in Xieshan Mountain. And now, this one before him...
However, while he had limited knowledge of Mystic Sect rituals, legends were his area of expertise.
He calmly pondered, knowing that this legend couldn't have been created out of thin air, and currently, no Mystic Sect ritual could achieve such a feat. It had to have originated from the source and been restrained.
Recalling the Three Mountains Legend, he found a similar existence—the Hide and Seek Path.
According to the legend, there was a path on Xieshan Mountain where, once entered, one couldn't reach the end no matter if they went up or down. They would be trapped, endlessly wandering that stretch of the road.
In this legend, there were ghosts playing hide-and-seek with humans. To escape, one had to hide and hide where the ghosts couldn't find them.
But if you could go down the mountain.
But if one were to find a place to hide, they might never escape. There was only one way out.
He closed his eyes, reaching out to grasp the door handle beside him. Twisting it open, he stepped out.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a carriage he had never been to before.
Encountering the Hide and Seek Path, one only needed to close their eyes to hide from the ghosts, and then they could leave the mountain.
However, the most challenging part here was that one couldn't close their eyes while on the mountain path, as they might fall to their death. But on a train, such concerns were unnecessary.
Of course, it was only because he knew the solution; for others, it might be genuinely impossible to escape for a while. And the most dangerous aspect of legends wasn't the constant mental assault, which could quickly overwhelm anyone.
Although he had escaped, it didn't mean the problem was solved. He had freed himself from the influence, but others were still trapped. To resolve this, he had to break the legend, and to do that, he needed to find the ghost!
He surveyed his surroundings, realizing he was in the second-to-last carriage. Strangely, there were no signs of the resistance group members approaching this area, as if they had subconsciously ignored it.
It was odd that this place, even without passengers, wouldn't have someone keeping watch, especially since it involved their escape route.
Considering the legend, he already had an answer in mind.
He continued forward, reaching the last carriage. Closing his eyes, he grasped the door handle, turned it, and opened the door, then opened his eyes.
The carriage ahead was filled not with seats but various luggage and items. On top of one box sat a person with their face painted in a secret ritual pattern.
Upon seeing Chen Chuan open the carriage door, the person looked up in shock, then panicked, standing up and backing away while saying, "You... how could you possibly get here? Don't come any closer."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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