Chapter 54: The Hawk Behind

For a moment, Jin Shun thought he must have seen wrong. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. There, standing right in front of him, was indeed Lu Yunze.

“No, how did you find this place?”

“Because I have friends worth relying on. Do you?”

Lu Yunze himself wanted to ask the same question.

Jiang Sui had been silent for so long, and the message she sent this time wasn’t a sign of safety but a cold, emotionless address.

At first, Lu Yunze thought she was deliberately luring him to such a place, but unexpectedly, he ran into Jin Shun hiding there.

How did she know Jin Shun’s location?

Lu Yunze guessed that even if he asked her directly, she would only tease him, saying it was thanks to her Secret Arts Practitioner friend.

In any case, Lu Yunze understood what she meant. Her silence for so long was likely because she was tracking Jin Shun’s movements. Once she got any information, she immediately sent it to him.

No matter what, Lu Yunze didn’t want to disappoint Jiang Sui.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yunze asked sharply, “You were the one behind the explosion in the Club Classroom?”

“So what if I was?” Jin Shun sneered coldly.

“The call Wu Xuan made to me was that also on your orders?”

“So what if it was?”

“All this you’ve done—was it all to kill me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? But those clumsy fools accidentally triggered the gift I prepared before you arrived, otherwise you wouldn’t be alive right now.”

Whenever Jin Shun thought of that, he clenched his teeth in frustration, having lost the best opportunity to act and now forced to face Lu Yunze head-on.

He knew Lu Yunze’s reputation as a loser, but he hadn’t forgotten what the Black Star Cult members said.

Could Lu Yunze really cause such big trouble for that Secret Arts organization?

While Jin Shun was still puzzled, Lu Yunze launched the first attack.

He had already seen his speed once before, but Jin Shun never expected it could increase even further.

The moment Lu Yunze stepped forward, the ground beneath him dented from the force, his figure fast as thunder, charging straight at Jin Shun!

Lu Yunze’s palm reached for his neck, but he unexpectedly passed right through a shocked Jin Shun and crashed into the container behind him without stopping.

A loud crash followed, the dented container collapsed, toppling the ones above it as well, falling onto the dock and kicking up a cloud of dust.

That wasn’t a human collision—it was like a cannonball!

Jin Shun saw this clearly and felt tension tighten in his chest.

“Cough cough!”

As the dust settled, Lu Yunze stood up again, his head spinning slightly.

Jin Shun remained standing not far away, not even assuming a fighting stance.

Again? What just happened?

Neither the first clash nor the recent attack hit the real body.

What kind of Secret Art was he using?

One that could alter his body? No, it didn’t feel like that.

“Looks like your Secret Art isn’t anything special. Just some extra strength that looks scary,” Jin Shun smirked.

“Perfect for a loser’s ability. Facing me is the worst luck you’ll have in your life.”

Before he finished speaking, Jin Shun’s figure blurred and wavered, splitting into two, then four.

Lu Yunze’s eyes widened as Jin Shun launched his attack. Four identical figures charged at him at once.

Which one was real?

None of the four showed any obvious flaws not even their shadows on the ground were missing.

Before figuring it out, Lu Yunze chose to retreat, keeping his distance.

But as soon as he stepped back, a knife stabbed from the side. Despite twisting his body at lightning speed, the blade still grazed his shoulder.

Danger behind him!

Lu Yunze changed direction and instead charged the four Jin Shun figures, smashing through two and successfully creating distance.

Feeling the sting on his shoulder, Lu Yunze moved his arm to confirm no serious damage.

All four Jin Shuns were fakes; the real one had already circled behind him.

Putting together the earlier intel from Wu Xuan, Lu Yunze began to guess the truth behind Jin Shun’s Secret Art.

“An Illusion Technique?”

The moment Lu Yunze said this, a flicker of change crossed Jin Shun’s expression.

Looks like he was right.

This explained a lot.

The fake Jiang Sui on the rooftop—that was his illusion, a trap to lure him there and make an attack easier!

The last question was answered, and Lu Yunze felt the weight lift from his chest. Even with a knife wound, he felt unusually light.

“So what if you know? Do you think you can win?”

In no time, the number of illusions Jin Shun created increased again—four, six, eight—finally stabilizing at ten, surrounding Lu Yunze without leaving a single safe corner.

“Although my Secret Art can’t directly hurt you, since all you can do is brute force, how do you plan to break through?”

All ten Jin Shuns spoke in unison, their voices echoing and making Lu Yunze frown.

Among the ten, the real one might be hiding—or maybe not even among them. It was a near-hypnotic ability that misled the opponent with false information, causing mistakes.

They all attacked simultaneously. Lu Yunze was momentarily overwhelmed, his gaze darting among them for any suspicious detail.

But before the ten Jin Shuns closed in completely, a knife slashed from the side toward Lu Yunze’s neck.

This time, Lu Yunze dodged just in time and even managed a counter-kick, but the opponent avoided it.

The retreating Jin Shun vanished again. The ten fake Jin Shuns stabbed their knives in unison, as if piercing through Lu Yunze’s body. They moved in perfect synchronization, then jumped back and circled him once more.

Looking down at the rip in his clothes, Lu Yunze heard the sharp laughter near his ear.

“You’re like a monkey, can’t catch me at all.”

Jin Shun’s voice grew more piercing.

“Your strength will run out eventually. Soon I’ll finish you off, then I’ll go after the people around you.”

“Huh?”

“The more you care about them, the more I’ll destroy them.”

At this point, Jin Shun had no scruples, determined to ruin everyone Lu Yunze cared about with the cruelest methods—like the Club members, and even Luo Yao…

“Oh, and that woman who was with you earlier? She’ll be my first target!”

The ten Jin Shun faces twisted with cruel excitement.

“I’ll cut off your head and place it on her bedside, so she can always see you.”

Bang!

As the words fell, the ground beneath Lu Yunze cracked again. He slowly raised his face, the killing intent in his eyes nearly solidifying.

“Come on, I dare you to try.”

All ten Jin Shuns fell silent.

“If you touch her, I’ll cripple you.”

“Still talking tough when death is near.”

The ten Jin Shuns launched their attack again, this time aiming to strike Lu Yunze’s vital points and end the fight.

Not only Jin Shun thought this way—Lu Yunze did too.

Trying the same trick for the third time, even if the opponent was truly a monkey, he could think of a counter.

Lu Yunze raised his fist and slammed it hard into the ground.

The force erupted from the power anchor point, shaking and shattering the ground around him into rough unevenness.

Although illusions were troublesome, the true body would always reveal itself during an attack.

As long as he caught that moment and disrupted their movements, he could create an opportunity for a counterattack.

The ten Jin Shun figures staggered on the uneven ground, and the eleventh Jin Shun appeared in Lu Yunze’s sight.

“Found you!”

Lu Yunze blasted forward again, slamming his hand onto the figure’s face.

The illusion shattered. This time, it had to be the real Jin Shun.

“You…”

Jin Shun tried to speak, but Lu Yunze’s fists already followed.

One punch, two punches, three punches…

Jin Shun’s proud handsome face was battered and swollen. Just as he tried to steady himself, Lu Yunze’s sweeping leg knocked him over.

A fist the size of a sandbag struck his abdomen. Jin Shun spat out stomach bile, fear flashing in his eyes.

At this rate, he would die.

Falling to the ground, Jin Shun scooted back and grabbed a dropped knife.

He still wanted to fight back. No, wait.

The moment Lu Yunze saw him raise the knife, he lifted his arm—and felt a sharp sting in his palm.

Another illusion creating a fake move!

Hearing footsteps nearby, Lu Yunze drew the knife from his palm and looked toward Jin Shun’s spot—he was still trembling in place.

Lu Yunze’s face darkened. He threw the knife, shattering the illusion, then turned toward the direction of the retreating footsteps.

There was no way he would just let him escape.

Only after creating distance did Jin Shun dispel his Secret Art and rub his face.

It hurt—more than ever before.

Jin Shun was furious. After this retreat, he swore he would make Lu Yunze pay.

“You dare touch the Grand Young Master’s face? Next time, I’ll scar yours.”

The immediate priority was to return to the Refuge, pack his things, then find the Black Star Cult members.

He definitely couldn’t go home anymore and had no choice but to seek their protection.

Just as he reached the door, ready to smile, the Refuge’s door opened by itself.

A figure stepped out, as if seizing the opportunity to wait for him.

“So slow. I thought Lu Yunze would have taken you down on the spot. Seems I had too much faith in him after all.”

“Who are you…”

Under the moonlight, Jiang Sui’s crystal-clear eyes were colder and more terrifying than Lu Yunze’s glare.