Chapter 196: Who is Zolo? |
Young Master Eli looked at Rena's fierce resistance and dared not advance any further.
They had thought that faced with such a dire situation, a pampered young lady from a prestigious family would surely capitulate.
But she had no intention of negotiating and chose to fight to the death instead.
"Hmph! A woman who doesn't appreciate kindness, don't blame me for not being polite!" Eli sneered, just as he was about to retreat.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, an anachronistic voice suddenly emerged.
"Um... Young Master Eli, I heard there's some bad blood between us?"
All eyes shifted, focusing on the masked man leaning against a stone pillar in Rena's camp.
Although he stood with Rena's group, he seemed out of place.
Rena, looking at Zolo who had suddenly spoken, felt a twinge of guilt and confusion. "Mr. Zolo, you..."
That person?
Rena's mind flickered with confusion.
But reality left no room for detailed questioning.
...
Because of the gas mask, Eli did not recognize him and questioned, "Who are you?"
The masked man responded calmly, "I am Zolo. Young Master Eli seems to have a short memory?"
"Heh, it's you."
Something clicked for Eli, and he squinted at the masked man, chuckling, "What, you want to beg for mercy now?"
"No."
Zolo shook his head with a smile, "I was thinking of borrowing something from Young Master Eli."
Eli scoffed, "Oh? What do you want to borrow?"
Zolo spoke in a joking tone, "Your head for a moment."
"Hehe..."
Eli laughed as if he had heard a joke, completely unconcerned, full of scorn, "Just you?"
I've got hundreds of men with me, even that third-tier old man wouldn't dare to speak up, and you think you can take me down in a second?
"Mhm."
Listening to the obviously mocking question, Zolo actually nodded seriously.
As he spoke, he toyed with the dagger in his hand, flicking his wrist to produce a beautiful flourish of the blade. His tone remained casual, but the killing intent in his eyes began to solidify as he added, "I also wanted to say, you shouldn't stand so close. At this distance, with just these few people, they can't protect your life..."
Before he finished speaking, the killing intent suddenly burst forth.
The three elders beside Eli were the first to sense something, their expressions changing dramatically as they shouted, "Young Master, be careful!"
Zolo's words were still echoing in everyone's ears when they heard a "bang" and the sound of shattering stone.
Upon closer inspection, the stone pillar Zolo had been leaning on, as if struck by some invisible colossal force, suddenly cracked with countless spiderweb-like fissures.
"Crack," "crack," "crack"...
After a series of fine, dense sounds, the force spread, and the entire pillar could no longer withstand it, shattering into pieces and exploding.
Everyone watched in disbelief as the nearly one-meter-diameter load-bearing pillar inexplicably disintegrated.
The explosion sounded in an instant, and only then did the shockwave ripple out from the spot where Zolo had previously braced his feet.
After a momentary delay, a "pop" sounded in the air, piercing eardrums.
Looking again, the figure of "Zolo" in front of them had dissipated.
It was a visual illusion,
The man had already vanished from the spot.
...
The previously calm "Zolo" suddenly erupted into action.
The lower-tier professionals hadn't even grasped what had happened, but the two third-tier professionals present had already caught Zolo's movement in advance.
Both third-tiers changed color at the same time.
Anthony, now transformed into a demonic sheep, was shocked, "Mr. Zolo is so strong?!"
Only he, also a melee professional, could tell just from the cracking anomaly of the pillar how terrifying this instant movement technique was.
He never imagined that a bounty hunter, who had always seemed so unremarkable, possessed such physical prowess.
And Nero, the "Thunder Sword King," immediately recognized the air-stepping technique and was horrified, "Air Step!"
This was a secret technique even he had not mastered, and he was astonished to see "Zolo" pull off such a move.
The subtle skill required to step on air seemed light, but it required supreme talent to master!
Nero then understood why "Zolo" had said those words earlier. With the ability to charge forward, within fifty meters, those second-tier guards, no matter how strong, couldn't protect Young Master Eli's life!
"Not good!"
Nero's heart raced with urgency. He naturally couldn't just watch Eli get killed right before his eyes.
Almost the moment he realized Zolo's sudden move, he swung his sword, sending out a sharp sword qi that surged forward tens of meters in an instant.
But...
As another third-tier professional on the field, how could he let Nero have his way?
Anthony also snorted coldly, his figure turning into a streak of light, perfectly blocking the sword qi.
Transformed into a demonic sheep, he no longer bore the old demeanor from before; his body was now filled with explosive power.
With this touch, Anthony's hands, covered in white fur, wrapped around a whirlwind, and he actually blocked the sword qi with his bare hands!
The two third-tiers reacted and clashed extremely quickly, almost completing their exchange in the instant the pillar collapsed.
Nero's sword qi was fruitless, and at that moment, the figure of "Zolo," who had disappeared, reappeared, already dozens of meters away.
Young Master Eli also realized that something terrible was happening. The great terror of facing death changed his complexion, and he wanted to shout for help in his heart.
But his throat couldn't make a sound in time.
He instinctively wanted to dodge, but his body couldn't keep up with his mind's reaction, and he could only watch helplessly as the figure flashed before him.
The pitch-black poisoned dagger quietly reached for his neck.
As the crisis loomed, the three disaster elders of ice, lightning, and earth around Eli also reacted.
But how could their spells be faster than a melee professional who used "Air Step" to advance?
Among them, the bald, muscular man of the earth element, who had strong defensive capabilities and was the only melee professional, was the first to flash forward, positioning his body in front of Young Master Eli. At the same time, his skin glowed with an earthy light, clearly intending to withstand the blow.
If "Zolo" charged straight ahead, he would run right into him.
...
But would Zolo do as they wished?
The "Air Step" was not only fast but also excelled in its ability to stop abruptly and change direction!
Before anyone could react, another ripple burst in the air.
"Zolo" stepped on the air again, stopping abruptly and changing direction, tracing a "Z" shaped lightning path in the air, perfectly avoiding the bald man's block.
Young Master Eli caught a glimpse of a figure in the corner of his eye, but before the image could be processed from his retina to his brain, he suddenly felt a chill at his waist.
The sharp poisoned dagger precisely cut through a weak seam in the protective suit, cunningly slicing open a gash.
In an instant, the wound was exposed to the air, quickly turning black, and a foul-smelling pus gushed out.
Before Young Master Eli could say anything, his vision darkened, and he slumped down, his breath as thin as a thread!
...
With a single encounter, "Zolo" had severely wounded Young Master Eli, who was protected by numerous experts, stunning everyone present.
As the person fell, the "pop, pop, pop" sounds of stepping on air echoed in everyone's ears.
Time seemed to pause for a moment, and only then did people recover from their shock.
"Quick, detoxify the young master!"
"Damn it, stop him!"
"Protect the young master!"
"..."
The scene descended into chaos.
Not far away, Nero, the "Thunder Sword King," saw this scene and was even more shocked, "Wasn't the intel that he was a ranger? This looks like a professional assassin? And with a three-stage Air Step, such an exaggerated burst of speed, how strong must this guy's body be? When did such a powerful expert appear among second-tier professionals?"
With the "Air Step," even he felt a certain threat.
Clearly, Nero's first reaction was that there was something wrong with "Zolo"!
How could such a strong person be just a somewhat famous bounty hunter?
"Could it be a hidden hand laid by Carnegie Reyes?"
Nero's eyes darted around, and in an instant, his mind raced with many unanswered questions.
But reality didn't give him the chance to ponder.
Because at that moment, the battle had already begun.
Zolo's assassination of Young Master Eli ignited the fuse of a powder keg.
Gunfire erupted chaotically.
And after "Zolo" had severely wounded Young Master Eli, his figure didn't pause, charging directly into the ranks of the Clark family's troops.
His speed left the second-tier professionals unable to react, let alone the ordinary guards?
Due to the hasty arrival and relying on their numerical advantage, this group had not formed any defensive formation.
Now that the incident had occurred suddenly, "Zolo" was like a bullet, easily piercing through the enemy's defense. His figure flitted about like a ghost, and wherever his sharp dagger passed, it inevitably left a cunning trail of blood through the gaps in armor and bulletproof vests.
"Don't shoot randomly, be careful of friendly fire!"
"Use area control spells!"
"Mech suits, block him!"
"Use net guns! Use net guns!"
"..."
The enemy was in disarray.
Because of "Zolo's" presence, which attracted most of the Clark family's firepower, Rena's side felt much less pressure.
Although the Reyes family had fewer people, their equipment was extremely sophisticated, and they also took advantage of the terrain and defensive positions. A few heavily armored mechanical warriors blocked the front, and a barrage of firepower covered them, holding their ground for the time being.
However, if the battle dragged on, it would eventually be a dead end.
And even though "Zolo" was formidable, he was only one person.
There were also second-tier experts among the enemies.
Earlier, he had taken advantage of the surprise attack, and they hadn't reacted in time.
Now that he had killed someone, although he was mixed in with the crowd, his speed had slowed down.
Two second-tier assassins entangled him.
Daggers clashed, sparking flashes of fire.
Although "Zolo" still had the upper hand for the moment, with the enemy's overwhelming numbers, once he was entangled, he would also face a dead end.
And the area spells of those magic casters were also forming...
"Zolo" was clearly aware of this and didn't give his enemies the chance to encircle him.
After charging in, injuring dozens of people, he immediately ran towards the outskirts of the encirclement, looking as if he wanted to break through and escape.
If he really disappeared into the mist, with his speed, no matter how many people there were, catching up would be impossible!
...
Not far away, Rena and her people watched as Mr. Zolo reached the edge of the battlefield and breathed a sigh of relief.
Under the current circumstances, escaping one by one was the best they could hope for.
But just then, something unexpected happened.
Normal speed was hard to match for a professional assassin who could use Air Step, but there were certain special alchemical items.
"Don't let him escape!"
Seeing Zolo intent on fleeing, a figure among the enemy suddenly increased in speed by several times, reaching an unbelievable pace.
Taking advantage of "Zolo" still being mired in the crowd, the figure suddenly surged forward to intercept him, moving even faster than the Air Step!
It was this moment, the difference in speed, that brought the two into contact.
The man's fist slammed into "Zolo's" head, and even though he tried his best to twist his body to dissipate the force, he was still hit in the face by the punch, his body halted, and he was sent flying backward.
Zolo was sent flying, but without much surprise, he muttered to himself, "Tsk tsk... able to accelerate time, must be that 'Watkins' Pocket Watch' the guy mentioned. As expected, still far from him. If he were here, he could probably kill all these guys..."
A punch to the face sent the gas mask flying.
After landing, "Zolo's" demeanor changed drastically from before, showing no intention of fighting to the death,
He actually raised his hands without any heroic spirit,
He... made a gesture of surrender?
At that moment, seeing that the target was not resisting, someone suddenly shouted, "Take him alive!"
With that command, the lethal methods also suddenly ceased.
Everyone then saw clearly that beneath the mask was a strange face with blue skin.
From a distance, Rena and Anthony, who had once seen "Zolo," were greatly surprised.They were astonished to find that this blue-skinned individual was not the handsome and imposing gentleman she had seen before!
.......
This blue-skinned "Zolo" was naturally not Su'en.
Instead, it was Kay, who had merged with the X serum and advanced to a second-tier assassin.
Kay, surrounded by the crowd, raised his hands in surrender.
He showed no intention of behaving like a captive, his face adorned with a radiant smile, and he muttered, "Just as I thought, that guy said you wouldn't dare kill me once you saw the 'X serum.'"
Hearing this, a middle-aged man with a grim expression stepped forward.
He scrutinized Kay's blue skin and then looked at Kay, who was completely lucid, clearly recognizing the effects of the "X serum."
He was also immensely shocked.
Where did they get their "X serum"?
Could someone actually inject it and not become deformed?
This was also the reason he had ordered to take a prisoner just moments ago.
They were people from the Umbrella Organization, naturally unconcerned with any family infighting.
The middle-aged man ignored the ongoing fierce battle among the three major families and shot Kay in the leg,
He was very cautious, probably also to prevent Kay from using that kind of speed to escape again.
After injuring him, he then asked in a deep voice, "Who is the person you're talking about?"
Kay took a bullet in his left thigh, stumbled, and nearly fell.
However, his face showed no sign of pain, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly: "You'll find out soon enough."
The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly as he guessed something: "Are you stalling for time?"
"Yeah... you just realized?"
Kay looked at the curse space portal that was suddenly glowing with dark light not far away and grinned: "Tsk tsk... the timing is just perfect."
Before the people in front of him could react, they suddenly found that the scenery around them had changed dramatically.
Only then did everyone realize that due to some special condition, they had been swept into the cursed space!