Chapter 62.1 – Tongwan Hospital (16)
◎ Bloody Hunter ◎
Xie Ningyu looked disheveled, half of his face swollen high with a clear palm print. The pampered young master had probably never experienced such rough treatment in his life. He grumbled, his neck stiff, “Who do you think you are? Daring to lay a hand on me? When I return to District B, I won’t spare any of you. I’ll cut you all into pieces and feed you to the dogs!”
He cursed fiercely, but Wu Juemin remained unaffected, unresponsive to his threats. “Ouyang, verify his identity.”
“Yes, Captain,” Ouyang Pei carefully took out a sophisticated device with the Qinglan logo from the space. He held Xie Ningyu, aligning his entire face and pupils with the detection port. The device sounded an alarm. Ouyang Pei, looking serious, pressed Xie Ningyu’s fingerprints against the device, but it still couldn’t identify him.
The expressions of everyone present, including Wu Juemin, instantly turned incredibly gloomy.
After this series of operations that aimed to verify his biological information, Xie Ningyu seemed to realize something. His eyes flickered, and a hint of panic crossed his face. “Who are you… What do you want?”
Wu Juemin’s particle gun pressed against his forehead. “How did you obtain Xie Zhuo’s genetic information?”
Xie Ningyu shivered, a chilling wind sweeping over his body, and fine cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Wu Juemin scrutinized him. “Coming out with a face like this, are you overly naive or just foolish?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Xie Ningyu stubbornly retorted.
“Then let me make it clear to you. The Azure Phoenix’s 11th Squad is tasked with apprehending the key, Xie Zhuo. And you have the exact same face as him. Even so, you claim to know nothing?” Wu Juemin continued.
Xie Ningyu’s pupils contracted, and his face turned pale, realizing it was military personnel.
“Take him back for interrogation; he will talk,” Wu Juemin said calmly.
The military’s interrogation process was exceptionally harsh, leaving no room for deception. Xie Ningyu was frightened and broke down, speaking in a panicked tone.
“I confess… I confess! I stole it, the genetic information… I stole it.”
“My uncle once visited Qinglan for inspection. He… he secretly kept this genetic data. I wanted Xie Zhuo’s face, so I stole it to alter my own appearance. But I was afraid my uncle would find out, so I fled to Erjia.”
“Did you only steal the genetic information, or did you steal anything else?” Wu Juemin stared at him.
“What do you mean…” Xie Ningyu shivered, shouting, “No! I really didn’t! I only changed my face. I didn’t know anything else. You can’t touch me; I’m a distant branch of the Xie family in Beijun. The Xie family won’t spare you!”
Wu Juemin’s voice was icy. “I will take you back and hand you over to General Xie Lan for personal disposition.”
Xie Lan, the highest commander of the Azure Phoenix and the actual power holder of the Xie family in Beijun.
Xie Ningyu felt as if his vocal cords had been cut, unable to say anything.
His head was pushed into the ground, and the swollen face splattered with mud. Finally, fear crept in, and he whimpered, “Lu Xinglan, damn it, where are you? Come and save me!”
Song Ke, crouching on the roof and silently watching the turn of events, sighed. Lu Xinglan was struggling to protect himself; he probably wouldn’t be able to save you.
She looked at Xie Ningyu rolling on the ground, his exquisite face smeared with tears and mucus, looking extremely miserable.
An inexplicable feeling surged within her. Looking at it now, Xie Ningyu indeed didn’t deserve this face. If it were Xie Zhuo… at least he wouldn’t show such a humiliated expression. Remembering that brief glimpse of an image, the extreme coldness in the young man’s brows and eyes, Song Ke couldn’t help but feel regret for his premature demise.
According to their conversation, Xie Ningyu had stolen Xie Zhuo’s genetic information and underwent plastic surgery to look like him. But due to lack of understanding of the situation and not knowing that Xie Zhuo was being hunted, he brazenly went out and got caught by Wu Juemin, who had a mission.
Regardless, Wu Juemin was determined to take him back. She couldn’t interfere in this matter. Xie Ningyu would have to fend for himself.
Song Ke pulled her head back, about to retreat, when suddenly, the situation took a sudden turn!
A deep rift tore open in the space in front of Wu Juemin, and another team of about seventeen or eighteen people in uniforms, exuding a powerful aura, appeared out of thin air.
“Long time no see, Captain Wu,” greeted the tall man at the front, his gaze dark.
“Sanada Nobumasa,” called out Wu Juemin, stating his name.
Song Ke looked at the newly appeared man. His uniform, in terms of specifications and design, was extremely similar to Wu Juemin’s. Could this man… be the captain of the Azure Phoenix squad as well?
Sanada Nobumasa scanned the scene and sneered, “I thought you had disappeared from the military. Turns out you were reassigned to District C?”
Wu Juemin’s expression turned cold. “I still have a mission. I’ll leave first.”
“Wait, Wu Juemin,” Sanada Nobumasa said leisurely, “Since you’ve found the key, why hesitate? Have you forgotten the Alliance’s orders? Kill him on the spot.”
Xie Ningyu trembled, looking at the two of them in fear.
Wu Juemin calmly said, “He’s not the key. I need to hand him over to General Xie.”
Sanada Nobumasa raised his voice, shouting, “In the name of the captain of the 27th Squad of the Azure Phoenix, I repeat the highest order of the Alliance military. Eliminate the key at all costs on the spot! All members of the 11th Squad, are you going to defy military orders?”
Wu Juemin said coldly, “I only obey General Xie’s orders.”
“Oh? You are indeed loyal. Since we have different orders, don’t blame me for taking action,” Sanada Nobumasa chuckled ominously.
“You can try,” Wu Juemin said calmly.
Without further ado, Sanada Nobumasa attacked, both arms shining with a metallic gleam, his skin extremely tough. He viciously lunged towards Wu Juemin, who faced his attack head-on. The clash between the two resulted in a “clang” sound, and Sanada Nobumasa took a step back. In an instant, Wu Juemin teleported, accelerating to the limit, disappearing from sight, impossible for the naked eye to catch.
Song Ke was taken aback. This Sanada was actually a metal-type awakener? He could fight neck and neck with Wu Juemin; he was probably A-level too.
It was her first time encountering an awakener of the same type, and she couldn’t help but focus her gaze.
Sanada Nobumasa sneered and sent a series of punches into the air, his movements swift like the wind. Amidst the continuous attacks, a moving figure faintly appeared in the air. Sanada Nobumasa thought he had found a flaw and suddenly transformed his metallic arms into sharp spikes, fiercely stabbing towards the shadow.
“Pfft.” The shadow was torn apart, and a weak mental power dissipated, vanishing without a trace.
Sanada Nobumasa was greatly shocked. This was a clone! He hadn’t expected Wu Juemin’s awakened ability to have reached such an advanced stage, capable of creating clones.
In the moment he lunged and missed, a nimble figure appeared behind him, launching a counterattack like a juggernaut.
Wu Juemin’s knee hit Sanada Nobumasa’s spine. Rolling him over, he pinned his arms and then exerted force. “Crack!” Sanada Nobumasa’s metallic arms were broken, emitting a crisp sound.
Even if they were both A-level, there were differences in strength within the same rank. Sanada Nobumasa was clearly not a match for Wu Juemin.
“Captain!”
“Captain Sanada!”
The members from both sides shouted loudly. Their tones were clearly divided, with the 11th Squad being excited and proud, while the 27th Squad was angry and panicked.
Wu Juemin stood in front of Sanada Nobumasa and coldly said, “Take your people and disappear.”
Sanada Nobumasa spat, unflinching even though his arms were broken. He sneered, “Too late.”
Seizing the moment when everyone’s attention was focused there, Xie Ningyu suddenly broke free and sprinted forward.
He had just heard that those people were going to kill him!
Tears of fear kept falling. He realized he was wrong; he shouldn’t have stolen his uncle’s identity card and sneaked into the office to copy the genetic information. He just wanted to look a bit better. After all, Xie Zhuo had been missing for so many years; what was wrong with using his face to live?
Xie Ningyu didn’t expect to get into such big trouble. It was only now that he suddenly realized why Xie Zhuo had disappeared for no reason. Why was his genetic information so important? He knew nothing, yet he had inadvertently caused a huge disaster.
And Lu Xinglan, that jerk. It was all his fault for insisting on coming to District C. If he had known he was so unreliable, he shouldn’t have gone to Erjia!
A huge mound of soil loomed ahead. Xie Ningyu couldn’t brake in time and tumbled forward, eating a mouthful of dirt.
Ouyang Pei came from behind and pressed his head, burying it in the soil again. “Behave.”
“Let go, I’m not Xie Zhuo! I’m Xie Ningyu, and I don’t know anything!” Xie Ningyu was terrified, struggling and yelling.
Ouyang Pei was about to scold him to be quiet when his whole body suddenly froze.
An inexplicable and intense fear enveloped the two. Their scalps tingled, as if they were being targeted by a fierce and ruthless wild beast.
Ouyang Pei looked frantically at Xie Ningyu, seeing a similar fear in his eyes.
“Boom!”
As if in a slow-motion replay, they both vomited red like fireworks, blood mist filling the air, and shattered flesh splattered. Breathless, they fell to the ground.
“Ouyang!!” Wu Juemin abruptly turned around, shouting in distress, losing his composure.
The people at the scene were also stunned by the sudden and unexpected turn of events, frozen in place.
From the spatial rift brought by Sanada Nobumasa and others, a man over two meters tall slowly emerged from the shadows. The overwhelming pressure overflowed with his every step, and some people couldn’t bear it, dropping to their knees and blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.
Hidden on the rooftop, Song Ke furrowed her brow, her fingers curling tightly. This was the most terrifying awakener with psychic ability she had ever encountered.
The man had a sturdy physique, muscular and knotted, with an especially detestable face. The left half of his face was charred and necrotic, the muscle tissues adhering together. One of his eyeballs was completely white, giving a eerie and cruel appearance.
“Bloody Hunter,” Wu Juemin said each word distinctly.
The Bloody Hunter, Punk, an S-level awakener and the Alliance’s chief executioner, was a killing machine specialized in eliminating major criminals such as traitors and death row inmates. Wu Juemin had heard of his infamous name but had never seen him in person, let alone expected him to appear in District C.
Sanada Nobumasa picked himself up from the ground, reattaching his own arm and sneering mockingly at Wu Juemin. “The Alliance’s orders regarding the key have always been to kill without mercy. Even if it’s a suspected key, Wu Juemin, you’re harboring a fugitive and have evil intentions. Why not surrender and admit your guilt obediently to the military?”
Wu Juemin remained silent.
