Chapter 149: Crisis Approaches

“Heh…” Gao Shupeng’s eyes grew redder at the news. His throat subtly trembled, and he gripped the longsword in his hand, looking extremely agitated, unable to utter a word.

The man in the suit, Song Yuanqing, asked, “Wei Cheng, what exactly did you smell? Tell us everything. Don’t hold anything back.”

Wei Cheng nodded. His face was solemn. “The scent here is very chaotic. Looking at the scene, it’s clear a fierce fight took place. I detected five unfamiliar scents. That means the opposition was made up of five people. There’s a hint of perfume in those five unfamiliar scents, so it’s possible that one of those five is a woman.”

Song Yuanqing asked, “Can you track the current location of those five unfamiliar scents?”

Wei Cheng shook his head. “They must have left on a raft. Scents dissipate quickly on the water, especially with the wind. Even if there are traces of their scent remaining in the air, they will soon be gone. I can’t track them unless I can find a place where they rested for a long time, or if they are within two or three hundred meters. Then I could track them instantly.”

Song Yuanqing looked at Gao Shupeng. “Brother Peng, what do we do now?”

Gao Shupeng slowly calmed down. His voice was husky. “My brother and I have a telepathic link. I know he’s dead. He died horribly. If I don’t avenge this, I’m not a man.”

He suddenly looked at Song Yuanqing. “My brother’s strength was considerable. Coupled with Old He and the others, it wouldn’t be easy for just anyone to kill all seven of them. These five strangers must be very strong.”

Song Yuanqing nodded. “Yes. Brother Xue, Old He, and Zhang Zhiyang were all Level 6 experts. Plus, there were four Level 5s. If the opposition was only five people, all five of them must be Level 6 masters.”

Gao Shupeng said, “Five Level 6 masters, you say?” His face took on a cold, stern look. “A faction capable of producing five Level 6 masters wouldn’t be small. What are the prominent factions in this area?”

Song Yuanqing replied, “Besides our ‘Golden Eagle Alliance,’ the closest is Tao Bingjun’s Purple Wind Building, which is only three kilometers from here. Our own Golden Eagle Alliance members all know Brother Xue, so they can be ruled out. As for Tao Bingjun’s Purple Wind Building, if they mobilized everyone, they might have that kind of strength, but they wouldn’t have the guts to do it, would they?”

Gao Shupeng said coldly, “Tao Bingjun of the Purple Wind Building, you say? I had a small conflict with him before. My brother was present at the time and publicly insulted him. What if they encountered each other here…”

Song Yuanqing thought that Gao Shuxue was notoriously arrogant and foul-mouthed. It was highly probable that he had enraged Tao Bingjun, and the latter, acting ruthlessly, had ambushed them.

“No wonder there are no bodies here. The culprits must have deliberately disposed of them, afraid we would trace them. Tao Bingjun’s group is highly suspect. They just didn’t guess that Wei Cheng possesses such a unique ability—a nose that can sniff out the scent of anyone.” Song Yuanqing suddenly realized and felt certain he had found the killer.

Gao Shupeng looked at Wei Cheng. “Can you smell Tao Bingjun’s scent here, Wei Cheng? We encountered him together that day. You must remember his scent.”

Wei Cheng shook his head. “No. These are five completely unfamiliar scents. I’m certain I’ve never encountered them before.”

“Is that so?” Gao Shupeng slowly looked up at the distant sky.

Song Yuanqing, who had thought his guess about Tao Bingjun being the killer was correct, realized he was wrong.

After a slight pause, Gao Shupeng made his decision. “Let’s go. We’ll head to the Purple Wind Building first and check. If the murderers are there, they won’t escape Wei Cheng’s nose. We’ll use this location as our center and search every building one by one. Unless they can fly or burrow underground, they won’t escape.”

Gao Shupeng finished speaking and clenched his left fist. The bones inside cracked.

The group of thirteen boarded three rafts and left, heading toward the Purple Wind Building, three kilometers away.

Song Yuanqing, Wei Cheng, and the others all looked solemn. Since these five strangers could kill Gao Shuxue and Zhang Zhiyang’s group of seven, leaving no one alive to escape, they must be extremely powerful. If they found them, it would be a desperate battle.

However, remembering Gao Shupeng’s terrifying power, they felt a sense of relief and relaxed slightly.

This time, the “Gold Eagle One A-Building” had brought its entire elite force. Gao Shupeng’s ability was practically invincible. No one could be his match.

Meanwhile, Su Li and his group of five had returned to the Purple Wind Building, unaware that danger was rapidly approaching.

They had killed Gao Shuxue’s group of seven, disposed of the bodies in the water, and thoroughly cleaned the scene to ensure no evidence remained.

They knew that Gao Shuxue’s group came from “Gold Eagle One A-Building” and mentioned the “Golden Eagle Alliance,” a seemingly formidable faction. They had to be cautious to avoid attracting major trouble.

Since Ding Longyun was paralyzed and couldn’t move, and manpower was short, Su Li decided not to move the supplies from the two captured rafts onto their gigantic raft. Instead, he simply secured the two captured rafts, along with their supplies, to their giant raft, taking everything away at once.

The return journey was uneventful. Upon reaching the Purple Wind Building, Su Li instructed people to unload the supplies from the two rafts and planned to destroy the rafts to ensure no evidence was left.

Ding Longyun’s muscle paralysis would take several hours to recover. Su Li helped him to his bed and settled him in, having Zhong Rongrong look after him. He then called for Xu Haishui and instructed him to reinforce the perimeter of the Purple Wind Building over the next couple of days. The four lookouts needed to be highly vigilant and report immediately if anyone approached from afar.

Su Li didn’t know how big the fallout from killing Gao Shuxue’s group would be, nor if the enemy could track them to the Purple Wind Building. But a little extra caution never hurt.

Of course, vigilance did not mean fear or cowardice. Since Su Li had decided to kill all seven men, he was prepared for the worst.

“Understood.” Xu Haishui accepted the order and immediately relayed it, telling the four lookouts to pay close attention.

“Gong Xiao, what’s your take on this? Do you think the people from ‘Gold Eagle One’ will come seeking revenge?” After Xu Haishui left, Su Li looked at Gong Xiao, seeking her opinion.

Gong Xiao nodded slightly. “It’s highly likely. Gao Shuxue said before he died that his brother, Gao Shupeng, is the leader of Gold Eagle One A-Building. If he knows his brother is dead, he’ll definitely seek revenge. Our Purple Wind Building is the closest target and will be the first one they suspect.”

Su Li mused, “In that case, is a desperate fight inevitable?”

“That’s hard to say. After all, we didn’t leave any evidence. As long as they can’t prove we’re the killers, I doubt even Gao Shupeng, as tyrannical as he is, would dare charge straight into the Purple Wind Building.”

The Purple Wind Building had over thirty people. The weakest among them were now Level 4, and they had several Level 6 Wielders. Even if the enemy sought revenge, they would have to consider the consequences.

Gong Xiao continued, “So, I think there’s a high probability they’ll come looking for clues. After all, it’s a major incident, and our Purple Wind Building is so close. Of course, since we didn’t leave any evidence, I estimate the matter will be dropped. Even Gao Shupeng, no matter how strong he is, wouldn’t attack randomly without proof. He’d have to consider that this involves dozens of people, not just one or two.”

“Hmm.” Su Li nodded slightly, agreeing with Gong Xiao’s assessment. However, neither of them knew that Gao Shupeng and Gao Shuxue were twins with an astonishing psychic bond. Gao Shupeng sensed Gao Shuxue’s death the moment it happened and immediately gathered his men, rushing to the scene. The time they arrived at the Purple Wind Building was less than an hour after Su Li’s group returned.

Furthermore, they had no idea that Gold Eagle One A-Building had a person like Wei Cheng, whose sense of smell was superior to a dog’s, allowing him to track their scent from the crime scene.

When Gao Shupeng’s group of thirteen people, riding three rafts, closed in to within 200 meters of the Purple Wind Building, Wei Cheng was already twitching his nose. His face was filled with excitement. “I’ve got it! I smell the five people! I can’t be wrong. The five murderers are inside this Purple Wind Building.”

Hearing this, Gao Shupeng’s face darkened. His bones subtly cracked. His eyes narrowed. He looked coldly at the approaching Purple Wind Building and murmured, “Leave no one alive. Kill them all.”

The men with him were shocked. They immediately took a deep breath and gripped their weapons, realizing a brutal fight was imminent.

Gao Shupeng intended a massacre. The dozens of people in the Purple Wind Building were all going to pay for Gao Shuxue’s death.

Song Yuanqing, the man in the suit, couldn’t help but interject, “Brother Peng, shouldn’t we ask for clarification first? Should we just charge in? Maybe Brother Xue and the others are still alive? Perhaps they were just captured and are being held there?”

Gao Shupeng looked at him. He then turned to Wei Cheng. “Wei Cheng, do you smell the scent of my brother and his companions in the Purple Wind Building?”

Wei Cheng shook his head. After a moment of hesitation, he turned to Song Yuanqing and said, “Song Yuanqing, there’s something I haven’t told you. Brother Peng’s sense was not wrong. I already smelled it in the blood on the ground: Brother Xue and Old He… they are truly dead.”

Hearing Wei Cheng’s confirmation, Song Yuanqing sighed. He said no more. He knew the desperate fight was unavoidable.

The man with the scarred face—the one whose scar looked like an earthworm—showed a savage expression. He interjected, “I can’t believe Tao Bingjun’s bastards dared to lay such a trap for the members of our Golden Eagle Alliance. This time, we’ll make them all pay.”

(End of Chapter)