Chapter Thirty: The Lofty Figures Above

Inside the mall, a large squad of fully armed men stormed into the restaurant. They were all clad in bulletproof vests and helmets, each equipped with sophisticated firearms, and swiftly blocked every exit.

The leader lightly tapped his earpiece and asked, “Observer, is the target still inside?”

A voice crackled through the headset, “No visual on the target for now, but there’s been no sign of him leaving the room. We can confirm he’s still in the restaurant.”

At once, the leader signaled with a small gesture.

Immediately, two soldiers kicked down the door.

But in that very instant, a blade shot out from inside the restaurant, darting like a snake’s tongue, weaving left and right, and sliced open the throats of both soldiers. Blood sprayed everywhere.

Before the others could react, Gu Sha had already burst out the door. He seized the leader with one hand, his other gripping a Tang sword as he swiftly cut down two more soldiers, then dragged the leader to the railings and, without hesitation, leapt off the seventh floor with him in tow.

The soldiers were stunned by the spectacle. They rushed to the railing, only to see Gu Sha dragging the leader into a nearby shop, after which he vanished from sight.

Everyone wore expressions as if they’d just seen a ghost, questioning whether their eyes had deceived them. The seventh floor—twenty meters up—what had just happened was something out of a dream.

At that moment, the deputy swallowed hard, tapped his earpiece, and stammered, “Y-young master... he got away?”

A cold voice responded, “What’s going on?”

The deputy replied, “He… grabbed the captain and jumped off the seventh floor…”

Inside the helicopter, a young man looked bewildered and cursed, “Are you joking with me? Find him, search for him now! Observer, scan the entire building!”

…

Meanwhile, in a public restroom on the second floor, Gu Sha pinned the captain to the ground with his boot pressed firmly against the man's chest and demanded coldly, “Speak. Who are you people? Why did you attack me?”

The captain spat blood but remained silent, quietly reaching for the signal button at his waist.

“Bastard,” Gu Sha murmured, putting more pressure on his foot. With a crack, the captain’s eyes went wide, blood flowing from his mouth as he died on the spot—Gu Sha’s force had crushed his heart.

“If you refuse to talk, then you’re useless to me!” Gu Sha took the earpiece from the corpse. To him, this was a rather primitive device—he’d operated far more advanced communications gear in his previous twenty years.

He slipped the earpiece on and tapped it twice.

A furious voice erupted, “Ma Dong, what the hell are you doing? How could you be caught?”

Gu Sha moved to the window, peering out through a crack, and immediately spotted the helicopter hovering above. He replied evenly, “He’s dead.”

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a hearty laugh. “You truly are worthy to become my disciple—impressive. You’ve passed the test. I admire you!”

“Who are you?” Gu Sha asked, shifting his position as he observed the locations of the lookouts outside.

“I am Qi Yun. Perhaps you haven’t heard of me, but you should know the Qi family of the Southwest—Qi as in Qi Siyan from the Longzhou Cabinet. That should make things clear.”

Gu Sha’s pupils contracted.

In truth, when he first heard the name Qi Yun, he’d already known who he was dealing with—a familiar face from his past life. Unlike the likes of Chen Chuan, this was someone who had made it onto Gu Sha’s kill list.

This man was named Qi Yun, a direct heir of the Qi family, one of the three great clans that would one day rule the fortress city of C City. He was known by the infamous nickname “Wild Cub.”

That nickname was well known among the people. Qi Yun was notorious for his lawless arrogance in C City. Not only was he powerful in his own right, but he also had the family’s backing—no one dared oppose him.

After the establishment of C City’s fortress in his previous life, Qi Yun ran rampant, committing every imaginable crime—arson, murder, looting. On one occasion, after being rebuffed by a mercenary’s daughter he fancied, Qi Yun set fire to an entire building, killing dozens.

The incident caused an uproar, but the only consequence was the Qi family patriarch publicly scolding him and saying, “He’s still young and needs to be taught,” after which the matter was dropped.

From then on, the nickname “Wild Cub” stuck.

The Qi family was a top-tier clan in the Southwest of Longzhou—true aristocracy. Gu Sha harbored a deep grudge against him because, in a previous life, he had suffered at Qi Yun’s hands.

It was a case of disaster striking from nowhere—Qi Yun had never even heard of Gu Sha. The trouble stemmed from the aftermath of the apartment fire. The mercenary who’d crossed Qi Yun had belonged to the same small mercenary company as Gu Sha.

Unsatisfied even after slaughtering the mercenary’s entire family, Qi Yun accused the company of reporting him to the patriarch, which had led to his public scolding. He then brought his men to settle accounts with the entire group.

Gu Sha remembered it clearly—it was the thirteenth year after the Cataclysm. At the time, he had been with a female mercenary in a room when a group stormed in, opening fire without warning.

Gu Sha’s reflexes saved him—he escaped through the window. The woman, however, was riddled with bullets on the spot, her blood splattering over Gu Sha. He was forced to hide outside the fortress for a year after that.

He never imagined he’d cross paths with Qi Yun in this life, and so many years earlier, face to face.

A murderous glint flashed in Gu Sha’s eyes. He asked, “So it’s Young Master Qi. May I ask what offense I’ve committed to deserve such a show of force?”

Qi Yun smiled faintly in the helicopter. “You acquired two source pearls today at the Jinyue Hotel. My people saw you.”

Gu Sha understood instantly.

So it was for the source pearls—that made sense.

Qi Yun’s indifferent voice came through the earpiece again, “You’re impressive—strong, calm. You’ve passed my test. I admire you. Give me the source pearls, and I’ll offer you entry to my clan. That’s it. Come out and see me.”

His tone was casual, as if he were stating the obvious.

Gu Sha sneered, “Qi Yun, are you out of your mind? You want to rob me of my source pearls, and not only am I supposed to hand them over, but also offer myself as your lackey? You must be insane!”

Qi Yun’s voice turned cold. “You dare refuse me?”

(End of chapter)