Ares stood silently beside the Black Dragon, his expression composed as he gazed down at the two lifeless bodies sprawled on the ground.
In the final flicker of his fading life, Tenner reached out to clasp the right hand of his beloved sister. Ivy, too, looked at her sole remaining kin—their only brother—with a faint trace of solace in her eyes. After all, they could depart this wretched world together, united even in death.
In Tenner's last minute, it seemed he glimpsed his comrades from the Viper Mercenary Squad. From that moment on, every mercenary of the Viper Squad had vanished from this world—save for Xiao Feng and Old White.
The Black Dragon retracted his tentacles beneath his robe, standing sullenly by Tenner's side as he sneered, "Trash is just trash. So utterly feeble…"
Ares, his visage calm, replied, "Such insignificant souls—slaying them only adds meaningless sins. It's pointless…"
The Black Dragon lifted his leg and stepped over Tenner's severed head. "But it's a pity about that woman—so beautiful. Ah, if I weren't otherwise engaged, even her corpse wouldn't escape me."
Ares furrowed his brow. "You're a lunatic…"
With that, the two slowly strode toward the military camp, as if utterly indifferent to the might of the X Legion.
…
Xiao Feng had just returned from outside. As he stopped the vehicle, he caught sight of Bai Bai racing wildly from afar, cutting across the camp sideways, bypassing the gates altogether. Bai Bai leapt over the wall and vanished from Xiao Feng's sight.
A dark premonition gripped Xiao Feng's mind. He abruptly started the car and sped out of the camp, spotting Bai Bai sprinting fiercely down the street. Accelerating, he pursued.
From afar, Xiao Feng saw Bai Bai's massive figure halt in the middle of the road. Executing a sharp drift, Xiao Feng stopped beside Bai Bai—and then froze.
Under the dim glow of a streetlamp, its yellow light cast over Tenner and Ivy's corpses, Bai Bai stood motionless beside them. The scene was like a nightmare; Xiao Feng refused to accept the grim reality before him.
In panic, he flung open the car door, dropping to his knees in the pool of blood beneath Ivy. Clutching her lifeless form, he cried out in anguish, "Ivy…" He pressed his hand to her wounds—still warm with fresh blood—and unleashed his healing powers desperately, teetering on the edge of madness.
Ivy's wounds swiftly began to mend.
Within a minute, her injuries had fully healed. Xiao Feng shook her violently, imploring, "Ivy, wake up… please wake up…"
But Ivy's body remained unresponsive, her flawless face serenely closed beneath the lamplight.
Seeing no sign of revival, Xiao Feng gently laid her down and placed his hands firmly on her full chest. Disregarding all restraint, he released a powerful jolt of electricity. Ivy's body trembled.
After the electric shock, he clamped her mouth shut, inhaled deeply, and pressed his lips to hers—still faintly warm—forcefully blowing air into her lungs.
He shocked her once more, followed by several compressions of her chest.
One more breath. One more press.
Bai Bai's icy gaze watched Xiao Feng's efforts with a mixture of hope and solemnity, as if yearning for his friend to be dragged back from the jaws of death.
Yet minutes later, Xiao Feng collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Despite his relentless efforts, Ivy remained unrevived. A profound calm settled over him.
He activated his communicator, connecting to Rice. "Rice, lockdown the entire city. No one is allowed to leave."
Rice stared at the screen, bewildered by Xiao Feng's grim demeanor. "What's wrong?"
Xiao Feng switched the video feed to show Tenner and Ivy, his voice cold and resolute: "Ivy and Tenner were murdered. Lock down the city—do not let the killer escape. When I catch him, I'll devour him alive."
Upon seeing the bodies, Rice slammed his fist down, shattering his desk. "Damn it! Fucking hell…"
He grabbed another communicator, shouting frantically, "Lock down the city! All soldiers, prepare for combat!"
After calmly turning off his device, Xiao Feng sniffed the air, detecting two distinct scents. Without hesitation, he spun around and dashed furiously down the street in their direction.
Bai Bai watched Xiao Feng vanish at full speed, then glanced at the still forms of Ivy and Tenner. Emitting two low howls, it resolutely followed, sprinting to catch up.
Bai Bai's pace surpassed even Xiao Feng's. It quickly closed in, biting the fabric of Xiao Feng's clothes, then flung him onto its back with a forceful shake and a piercing wolf's howl, accelerating once more.
Clutching Bai Bai's mane amid the chaos, a surge of sorrow struck Xiao Feng like a missile to the chest. Memories of happier times with Ivy crashed over him like a tsunami—transforming all his grief and pain into molten tears he could no longer restrain.
After rounding a corner, Bai Bai spotted the Black Dragon and Ares strolling leisurely beside the military camp, clearly headed inside.
Bai Bai howled loudly at their backs.
Perched atop Bai Bai's back, Xiao Feng wiped away tears, his eyes fixed on the two figures. A frenzy of murderous intent flooded his heart.
He leapt off Bai Bai with sudden ferocity, shouting, "You damn bastards, stop right there!"
The Black Dragon and Ares halted and turned, startled.
They beheld a man and a beast charging madly toward them.
The Black Dragon chuckled at Ares, "Heh, our little lamb just delivered himself to us."
Ares maintained his icy composure, eyeing Xiao Feng and Bai Bai. "I have a bad feeling about this. How does this child possess such overwhelming psychic power?"
"Heh," the Black Dragon sneered, "No matter how strong he is, I'll send him to hell—hopefully to join those siblings he just lost."