Chapter 64: First Trial of the Ice Blade
That man's action of licking the blood off his dagger was filled with a morbid and provocative intent. His lewd gaze roamed unscrupulously over Lin Wan's exquisitely curvaceous figure, before casting a contemptuous glance at Lu Ming. His raspy voice carried a sickening, viscous tone:
"Hey, look at this tender-skinned piece of ass, and this pretty boy. If you know what's good for you, get the hell out of here! This place now belongs to us, the 'Blood Bat Syndicate'! If you don't want to die, tuck your tails between your legs and scram!"
"Hahahahaha..."
Before he could finish speaking, a terrifying, chilling light burst suddenly from Lu Ming's eyes!
"You're courting death!" With a low shout, an appalling freezing aura erupted from within his body like a volcano. The temperature of the surrounding air plummeted abruptly, causing even Xia Tong to feel a trace of chill.
The next moment, a massive icicle, thicker than an adult's arm, condensed out of thin air. Accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, it shot like an arrow released from a bow, flashing with lightning speed toward the Blood Bat Syndicate member who had spoken so arrogantly!
Xia Tong remained curled up in Lin Wan's arms, appearing to tremble slightly, while in reality, her glass-like cat pupils flashed with excitement and calculation.
The good show is about to begin!
This would be a great opportunity for her to witness firsthand the true strength of these two Tier 2 powerhouses, and just how much competence this so-called "Blood Bat Syndicate" actually possessed!
......
......
In the flash of a glance, the blustering Blood Bat Syndicate member failed to dodge in time. Letting out a strange cry, he instinctively raised his arm to block, but the power of the ice spike far exceeded his imagination.
"Squelch!" The ice spike easily pierced through his tough combat uniform and muscle, bursting out the other side of his arm. The bone-chilling cold quickly spread, freezing half of his body in the blink of an eye and covering it with a thick layer of white frost.
"Ah!" He emitted a shrill, agonizing scream as his other hand suddenly plunged into his chest, pulling out a bone whistle and blowing it hard.
The piercing, screeching whistle cut through the dead silence, as if pulling back the curtain on some bloody prelude.
Inside the tall building, the previously indistinct shadows suddenly became clear. Several figures, like startled blood-sucking bats reeking of intense murderous intent, poured out from every window and breach, surrounding the group tightly.
Every single one of them wore a fierce expression, being at least Tier 1, Two-Star ability users. The leader among them exuded an even more gloomy and bizarre aura, far surpassing that of the injured, blustering member.
"Get the hell out of here if you know what's good for you, this is the territory of the Blood Bat Syndicate!" Blood Owl's raspy voice rang out, carrying an unquestionable tone.
***
Looking at the suddenly multiplied members, Xia Tong's eyes narrowed slightly as she quietly curled up in Lin Wan's arms.
The cold prompt tone of the "Source Core" echoed in her mind:
[Warning! Multiple high-threat targets detected. Leader: Blood Owl, Ability: Speed Specialization, Blood Erosion (with venom), Rank: Tier 2, Three-Star (Peak). The abilities of the remaining members are mostly physical enhancement and claw types, specialized in group hunting.]
"Be careful! That leader is extremely fast!"
Lin Wan's pretty face turned solemn. Mental energy surged forth like an invisible tide, instantly constructing a tough mental shield around Lu Ming. With a few crisp, metallic clinks, several poisoned bone darts shot from the shadows were deflected by the invisible shield.
At the same time, between her fair palms, a soft wave of healing light was already primed and ready, prepared to support and treat Lu Ming at any moment.
"Kill them all! Chop the man up and feed him to the dogs, and leave the woman for the brothers to have some fun!"
Blood Owl's raspy voice sounded like the cry of a night owl, carrying undisguised cruelty and greed.
Several Blood Bat Syndicate members let out strange yells, using the surrounding abandoned vehicles and broken walls as cover to launch a multi-dimensional, crazy attack on Lu Ming from all directions.
Blood Owl himself shifted his figure, transforming into a blurry afterimage as he silently circled around to Lu Ming's rear. His claw blades, flashing with a dark, sinister glow and carrying a fatal, bloody wind, aimed straight for the vital spot at the back of Lu Ming's neck!
A trace of anxiety flashed in Xia Tong's cat-like pupils.
If these two people died here, her plan to seize the "Key of the Red Moon" would go down the drain!
Gritting her teeth inwardly, she watched as multiple members stepped forward to surround Lin Wan, and quietly activated the faint wood-type ability within her body.
A tiny vine, hidden in the shadows of the rock crevices at the bottom of her feet and blending with the trash, seemed imbued with life. It quietly coiled and hooked around the foot of a Blood Bat Syndicate member who was grinning hideously as he lunged from the flank toward Lin Wan in an attempt to launch a sneak attack.
"Ugh!" That Blood Bat Syndicate member felt his foot trip, lost his balance, and let out an exclamation. He stumbled and fell forward, precisely disrupting another member's fatal, guaranteed sneak attack.
Having completed numerous missions alongside Lu Ming, Lin Wan possessed substantial combat experience. Seizing this fleeting opportunity, she flashed out of the encirclement.
On the other side, seeing that Lin Wan was safe, Lu Ming let out a silent breath of relief. Without even turning his head, he countered with a horizontal sweep of an ice blade toward the charging Blood Owl. The fierce cold forced Blood Owl to retreat in disarray, leaving a bone-deep wound on his arm.
The chilling frost spread...
***
With the blow landed, Lu Ming's cold gaze fixed upon the gloomy-faced Blood Owl opposite him.
"Damn you!" Failing to land his attack and getting injured instead, Blood Owl's eyes grew even more ferocious. With an angry roar, he actually grabbed a low-ranking subordinate who had failed to dodge in time and whose arm had been grazed by Lu Ming's icicle, plunging his sharp fingernails deep into the subordinate's neck.
Amidst the subordinate's terrified and despairing screams, visible fresh blood was greedily sucked in by Blood Owl. His aura surged violently in an instant, and the wound on his arm writhed and healed at an astonishing speed.
"A bunch of idiots, if you can't even beat a woman, then use your lives to fill the gap!"
"Tsk..." Xia Tong looked with stunned astonishment at Blood Owl drinking fresh blood, feeling utterly disgusted inside. With such a perverted ability, was this guy even human, or was he a vampire?
Seeing this creepy and disgusting scene, Lu Ming frowned, realizing the trickiness of his opponent. In particular, this bizarre blood-sucking ability made him dare not hold anything back anymore.
Taking advantage of the time Blood Owl spent self-healing, his surging ice-type ability erupted completely.
Centered on him, a visible wave of extreme cold current spread outward. The ground rapidly condensed into a thick layer of ice, and even fine ice crystal snowflakes formed in the air!
The movements of the Blood Bat Syndicate members instantly became sluggish. Several sharp ice cones and sturdy ice walls materialized out of thin air under the control of his mind, combining offense and defense to suppress the syndicate's onslaught for the moment.
Lin Wan continuously reinforced Lu Ming's shield while dividing her focus to channel healing energy to repair minor wounds occasionally inflicted on him by Blood Owl's claw wind.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, and her complexion gradually grew pale due to the massive consumption of mental energy.
Seeing a robustly built Blood Bat Syndicate member relying on brute force to push through the sluggishness of the frost, roaring as he closed in on the visibly fatigued Lin Wan—while Lu Ming was locked in a death match with Blood Owl and unable to spare a hand—Xia Tong felt a surge of urgency.
In her desperation, she hardened her heart, her thoughts spinning rapidly.
Now was not the time for Lin Wan to die...
Immediately, a wisp of gray water vapor, thinner than a hair and mixed within her faint water-elemental fluctuations, silently attached itself to the edge of that Blood Bat Syndicate member's heavy combat boots.