Chapter 56: Nothing More Than This
"One of you, come out and fight me!" Xu Ruonan stared at the group of men in black across from her. She tried her best to sound calm, but her voice still trembled.
On the other side, Qian Kun and Qian Hui stood their ground, daggers in hand still dripping with blood. It was obvious they were the ones who had just attacked.
"What's the boss thinking? This kid's only been in training for a few days!"
"He must be crazy. Never mind him, just leave one for her."
The two brothers glanced at Qian Rong leaning against a wall nearby. After muttering to each other, they charged forward again with their blades.
"What are you standing there for? If your master were here, they'd all be dead by now. Pick one!" Qian Rong ignored his brothers' grumbling and commanded Xu Ruonan in an icy voice.
'Since the boss sent you here to train, then while he's away, I have to whip you into shape. You must at least become a cold-blooded killer, someone who shows no emotion when they take a life!'
'Otherwise, what right do you have to be the boss's apprentice?'
...
"Xiaowen, get up in that tree and wait for my signal. Don't make a move until I say so!"
"Fan, you take the eight o'clock position. Wait for my order. Don't rush it. Wait until they're in the kill zone before you move. I'll draw their attention."
In the forest, Zhou Fan picked an ambush spot that didn't look like one, figuring his opponents would be wary of any obvious locations. After setting a simple trap and getting Fan and Chu Wen into position, he climbed a large tree and waited for his pursuers to arrive.
Before long, several figures appeared in his line of sight. As they drew closer, Zhou Fan's expression grew grim.
'Masters,' he thought. 'Seven of them in total. Every single one is a master.'
"Where's the fire, fellas?" Just as the group charged into the woods, Zhou Fan dropped from a tree, landing not far from them. He regarded them with a faint smile.
"Nether King? But... aren't you supposed to be dead?"
A burly man, well over six feet tall, stared at the suddenly appeared Zhou Fan. His face turned ugly as he gaped in disbelief.
"The Nether King? The one who died a year ago?"
"Shit, the intel was wrong! Weren't we told it was just Fan?"
The others were just as shocked. A man's reputation precedes him, as they say. Even though Zhou Fan had been inactive for a year, his name was still enough to unnerve them.
After all, this was the man who had founded the Netherworld King's Hall of Weizhen International, the monster who single-handedly wiped out a hundred-man Mercenary Corps.
"I wanted to die, too, but it seems fate wasn't done with me." Zhou Fan smiled faintly, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked at them proudly. "You all look like important people. The commission for this job must be pretty hefty, right?"
"Hmph. So what if you're the Nether King? That's ancient history. Today, not even God himself could stop us from completing our mission!"
The burly man barked and lunged forward, swinging a pair of iron fists at Zhou Fan.
Seeing this, the others pushed aside their lingering fear of Zhou Fan's reputation. Now that they had met, he was the enemy. And the best way to deal with an enemy was to take them down—permanently.
Facing all seven men as they swarmed him, Zhou Fan's expression grew serious. 'Even in my prime, I might not have come out on top against these seven,' he thought. 'Let alone now.'
But Zhou Fan fought as he always did. Instead of retreating, he advanced, meeting the burly man's charge with a punch of his own.
BAM!
Fists collided!
Both Zhou Fan and the burly man stumbled back two steps.
"So the Nether King's strength is nothing special after all! Kill him!" the burly man roared. He attacked with even greater ferocity, and the others, their morale soaring, followed suit.
Instantly, Zhou Fan was locked in combat with the group. Relying on his speed, which was still far superior to most, he barely managed to hold his own.
What the men didn't realize was that as the fight wore on, Zhou Fan was gradually luring them forward. They had already moved a full ten meters.
BOOM!
After another thunderous exchange, Zhou Fan faltered. Gritting his teeth against the searing pain in his arm, he rolled to the side and roared, "Now!"
The word was barely out of his mouth when Chu Wen, hidden in the tree, let go of the piece of bark he was holding. Instantly, a dozen golden needles shot out like arrows loosed from a bow, flying toward the burly man and his crew.
Even in the darkness, the golden needles glinted, streaking through the air with a dazzling light.
A few who were too slow to react were instantly struck by the needles.
The golden needles weren't fatal, but the men who were hit felt their movements suddenly grow sluggish. Before they could react, Fan erupted from his hiding spot in the ground. A cold light glinted in his hand as his sharp dagger stabbed again and again at the panicked mercenaries.