Chapter Six: The Birdman

When Lin Lei drew the black blade from the sword bag on his back, the expressions of those around him shifted in horror.

The young woman holding takeout stood there, stunned, while the three men in the corridor also realized something was wrong, their faces changing drastically.

"Don't move!"

Two of them immediately drew handguns, the dark muzzles pointed straight at Lin Lei.

Lin Lei raised an eyebrow slightly, but his gaze shifted to the third man. This individual had his hands tucked in his pockets and his eyes darted around, but a ripple of source energy emanated from his body.

"A source energy user, at least a second-tier source energy user!"

Lin Lei’s feet exploded with power, his body launching forward like a spring.

*Swoosh!*

The black blade in his hand traced a continuous arc through the air, heading toward the three men. The third man reacted the fastest; he pulled his hands from his pockets, revealing silver brass knuckles. His muscles suddenly surged and knotted, his frame expanding significantly as he met Lin Lei’s bone blade with his armored fist.

*Clack!*

The knuckles, forged of high-grade steel, were sliced through as easily as if they were made of plastic, offering no resistance. The blade continued, slicing the brawny man’s fist in two, and the remaining momentum carried the bone blade deep into his torso, bisecting him diagonally. A spray of blood erupted as he collapsed to the ground.

On the other side, the remaining two men seized the opportunity to fire wildly at Lin Lei.

Amidst the gunfire, bullets struck Lin Lei’s body, but they sounded as if they had hit solid metal, emitting crisp, ringing pings.

*Clatter. Clatter.*

The deformed bullets fell one by one to the floor. Lin Lei raised his blade coldly, his body dissolving into a blur. The black edge cut another arc through the air.

*Swoosh!*

Both gunmen dropped their weapons and collapsed, clutching their throats.

"Ahhh!" The girl in the elevator stared at the scene in absolute terror, looking completely traumatized as her takeout fell to the ground.

Lin Lei withdrew his blade and glanced at her; the girl immediately clamped her hands over her mouth. The mission was not yet complete, and Lin Lei knew this was not the time to reveal his identity. He turned and headed toward the hallway. The drug lord was not among these men and was likely still in his room. Given the gunfire, the target must have noticed something.

Without hesitation, Lin Lei charged toward the door of room 1501.

*Boom!*

The reinforced metal door shattered into pieces.

Three more men stood there, each holding a handgun, and they opened fire the moment they saw Lin Lei. Unfortunately, Lin Lei was no longer the type of person who could be harmed by mere handguns. He stepped forward, his blade slicing through the air. Accompanied by a spray of blood, the three men fell to the ground one after another.

Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass came from the bedroom, and Lin Lei sensed a significant ripple of source energy.

"This is the fifteenth floor. Someone broke the window—are they trying to escape from here?"

Lin Lei frowned deeply, kicked open the bedroom door, and rushed inside. Outside the shattered window, he saw a tall figure with wings on its back, carrying another person as it flew high into the sky. With his exceptional vision, Lin Lei recognized the person being carried as his target.

"No wonder this guy didn't choose to live on a lower floor..."

Normally, for the sake of an easy escape, such individuals would avoid high floors because they are inconvenient. But if one possessed such an ability, it was a different matter entirely. The bird-man’s source energy fluctuation was approximately third-tier; even while carrying someone, his speed was terrifying, covering dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

"Do you think you can escape?"

Lin Lei sneered and raised his hand. His palm split open, and black filaments surged from his body, connecting to the bone blade in his hand. The blade elongated and stretched, transforming into a javelin in an instant.

Lin Lei weighed it briefly. His body suddenly turned a deep red.

Demonization!

At the same time, he activated [Boiling Blood]. A constant stream of power surged from within his body. He retreated a few steps, took a running start, and hurled the javelin with his immense strength.

*Boom!*

The javelin whistled through the air, trailing thin black filaments from its tail. Like a rocket, it shot straight toward the winged man fleeing into the sky.

*Swoosh!*

The black javelin precisely pierced through the two overlapping silhouettes. A massive spray of blood rained down.

*Whoosh!*

The bird-man began to plummet. Lin Lei suddenly lifted his hand, and the black filaments extending from his palm retracted. The falling pair were yanked back up by Lin Lei in an instant.

*Thud!*

The two were skewered together, both having already breathed their last.

"Dead? No way... are third-tier source energy users this fragile?" Lin Lei couldn't help but feel stunned.

However, upon reflection, it was only natural that a non-physical-type third-tier user couldn't withstand a full-powered javelin throw. He crouched down to retrieve the javelin and examined the bird-man’s body.

"Damn it, not enough Gluttony energy to 'Plunder'..."

The ability to fly was a fantastic auxiliary power. Although Lin Lei’s blood mist could achieve a similar effect, the consumption was too high to maintain for long. Plundering a third-tier user—even a weak one—required at least two to three hundred units of Gluttony energy. Lin Lei currently had less than one hundred, making it impossible to plunder.

Shaking his head, he activated Gluttony to "consume" and accumulate energy. This third-tier user provided him with eighty units. Compared to the individual named Du Juan, this target was significantly weaker; Du Juan had provided nearly two hundred units. It seemed that even within the same tier, there was a vast disparity in power.

Lin Lei took out his phone. "Mission complete. All targets eliminated on-site. There are witnesses..."

In truth, it wasn't just the red-haired girl. Others might have seen the bird-man flying out of the window. However, dealing with witnesses was not something Lin Lei needed to concern himself with; the Investigation Bureau would naturally have specialized personnel for that.

...

Night. In Lin Lei’s bedroom.

He looked at the various vials and jars before him, frowning. There were five small bottles in total. Two were the Awakening Potions he had obtained from Lei Siguang, and three were potions he had seized from Blood Shadow. He had actually obtained more than three from Blood Shadow, but he had identified the others through the Investigation Bureau's equipment department. Only these three, which looked like fresh blood, remained a mystery.

However, through "Gluttony," he could tell that these three vials were the most valuable.

"Even the most valuable things are a waste of time if I don't know their use. I must find a way to figure out the effects of these potions, or sell them to exchange for something useful..."

Even converting them into Gluttony energy would be better than letting them sit idle. Lin Lei thought of the bird-man’s body he couldn't "Plunder" earlier and felt a pang of regret. Lacking enough Gluttony energy meant letting golden opportunities slip through his fingers.

"The Purple Dragon Gang should know something about underground black market trading channels..." He licked his lips.