In the special forces, there are no weaker members; each individual has the potential to create miracles.
Just like her confrontation with Flying Eagle, though she was stronger, there was still a chance that he could seize an opportunity to turn the tables and defeat her.
The more she thought about it, the more apprehensive she became, and Xia Luyao couldn't help but feel a deeper sense of awe toward the person before her.
Observing Xia Luyao's changing expression, the person seemed to find it very amusing.
He laughed loudly, "That's right! That feeling exactly! Back in the day, I used to measure myself against everything with the same expression!"
Xia Luyao looked at this person deeply convinced by Joseph, knowing she couldn't compete with him.
So she changed the question, "How many others in your organization have your level of strength?"
She asked directly, aware that this person retained his arrogance when facing anyone other than Joseph.
Indeed, he proudly replied, "In close combat, aside from Lord Joseph, I am unmatched!"
"What about ambushes and traps?" Xia Luyao thought of his previous ingenious ambush and timing, and asked curiously.
The person hesitated slightly, answering vaguely, "Probably ranked around the teens."
To regain some face, he added, "Those ranked ahead of me are all from one team; they excel at collaboration."
Xia Luyao's heart tightened. If a team of dozens were to target them, Lin Beichen would undoubtedly be their primary target.
She hesitated no longer, turned around, and left.
But the person sneered, "You didn't really think that during our conversation, I was just talking to you, did you?"
Xia Luyao turned sharply, but it was already too late.
Metal railings taller than her rose up, trapping her in a square area.
Soon, the ground started to rise, revealing a metal platform.
A pillar supported the platform beneath it.
The trees overhead had vanished without a trace.
"Damn it!"
Xia Luyao furiously looked at the electric railing, realizing she had fallen into a trap.
Meanwhile, Flying Eagle and Wild Ox were fiercely battling on the other side.
Back-to-back, they faced four powerful enemies.
Their close combat skills were comparable to Xia Luyao!
Wild Ox grumbled about his bad luck, while Flying Eagle cautiously observed the changing wind patterns around them.
He knew it was these winds that exposed their location.
They must go all out to escape alive!
The enemies stared at the glowing talisman papers in the sky and the suspended bullets with stunned expressions.
In ambush, they intended a swift and decisive kill on Lin Beichen, but things didn't go as planned.
The bullets meant for Lin Beichen's chest strangely veered toward his shoulder, and those intended for his shoulder missed entirely.
Lin Beichen glanced at his dwindling faith value, then coldly surveyed the mercenaries, a surge of killing intent rising within him.
He had realized previously that constant vigilance against ambushes wasn't a long-term solution, so he exchanged for a cultivation technique and, with the system's advice, mastered it quickly using his faith value.
The cultivation technique was called "Shapeshifting", with extraordinary effects.
When under deadly attack, it automatically relocates the body to another position to evade lethal strikes.
Within an hour of activation, it can be used three more times, with usage intervals depending on the host's spiritual power recovery speed.
However, a cautionary point about the technique is that it may auto-trigger during critical moments.
Lin Beichen speculated about the mercenaries before him, pondering which tier of Joseph's forces they belonged to.
He could only hope these people had the greatest ambush capabilities under Joseph—despite his careful approach to rescue Xia Luyao, he hadn't noticed them at all.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Beichen gathered a ball of dazzling electric light in his hand.
He spoke coldly, "It ends here, don't block my way."
As soon as he spoke, a thunderous lightning bolt struck from his hand, instantly turning the mercenaries before him to ashes.
However, just as Lin Beichen was about to rescue Xia Luyao, the sound of helicopter rotors suddenly echoed.
Looking up, he saw a helicopter flying through the gaps in the treetops.
"Joseph's?" Lin Beichen wondered warily.
Though the person earlier claimed they were the only ones assigned the kill order, Lin Beichen was half-skeptical.
He was unsure of Joseph's further actions after capturing Xia Luyao.
Clenching his teeth, Lin Beichen sensed he was nearly drained of spiritual power, hard-pressed for the upcoming ordeal.
Thus, he decided to ignore the helicopter above and quickly advance to rescue Xia Luyao.
At the area where Lin Beichen had used Thunder Skill, aside from two unfortunate mercenaries in the direct lightning path who turned to ashes, the others lay on the ground, covering their bodies with leaves burnt to ash.
Lin Beichen didn't check the corpses—he never dreamt these people had wrapped themselves in airtight rubber skin.
When Lin Beichen had left and reunited with Xia Luyao, one person suddenly sat up from the scorched ground, tearing off his rubber skin mask.
He gasped for fresh air but remained cautious, fearing he'd make too much noise.
Soon, seven or eight others sat up one after another. The first to rise was evidently their leader.
His face was expressionless, making it hard to gauge his thoughts.
The group quietly whispered, discussing the recent shocking scene.
One couldn't help but speak, "That thing…must be magic, right?"
Clearly, he was deeply stunned by Lin Beichen's demonstration of power.
The leader was silent for a while before calmly speaking, "Not magic, but Daoist Skill."
Though his voice was calm, it carried an undeniable authority.
The group immediately quieted, awaiting further instructions from the leader.
He said nothing more.
Suddenly, he raised his gun and mercilessly shot the first person who spoke.
This action rendered the remaining individuals speechless, not daring to make a sound again.
In the assassin realm, this leader was once renowned.
Later captured and subordinated to Joseph.
Despite being under Joseph now, no one dared provoke him.
Because he always perfectly hid his killing intent before striking—a stark contrast to Joseph, who dismissed killing as trivial and disdained exposing his murderous aura.
He seemed to hide the killing intent deep within.
Standing up, he offered no explanation to the subordinates.
Though filled with doubt, they dared not ask further.
Coldly sweeping his gaze over them, he spoke, "We're leaving."
He turned and left without another word.
Someone bravely asked, "Boss, where are we heading?"
The boss gave him a cold look, causing him to feel a pang of fear.
Yet the boss didn't kill him; his eyes always remained icy.
"To a place where we can kill Joseph," the boss jested, though his tone carried an indescribable chill.
The remaining assassins, though puzzled, could only obediently follow him away.
Meanwhile, Lin Beichen had found Xia Luyao trapped on the high platform.
Seeing Xia Luyao's anxious and helpless expression, Lin Beichen felt a surge of rage.
Joseph dared to treat Xia Luyao like this!
Xia Luyao saw Lin Beichen finally arrive and shouted, "Lin Beichen, watch out! The railing is electrified!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Beichen frowned.
He stared at the electrified railing, feeling momentarily challenged.