Chapter Fifty-One: The Crucial Moment

When it came to speed of action, Chen Cao was far quicker than the black-robed warriors—not merely out of a sense of duty, but because his comrades were up ahead and likely already in danger. These strange black-robed fighters could easily slaughter elite “Rattlesnake” special operatives, proving their extraordinary combat prowess. Even though Zhou Hongye’s group had endured grueling training at the academy, facing such overwhelming odds in an ambush left their survival in grave doubt. The sooner he arrived, the greater their hope.

At that very moment, Chen Cao was unaware that Chen Diwen was already locked in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the black-robed warriors.

Surrounded, Chen Diwen and his team stood back to back, eyes flickering over the crescent-shaped scythes glinting coldly in shafts of sunlight filtering through the dense forest. Four against six—each side fielding elite fighters—the odds were grim.

In single combat, Xie Li, the strategist of the group, was the weakest. Eyeing the scythe in the black-robed warrior’s hand, he gripped his bayonet tighter, swallowing nervously. This tiny gesture didn’t escape his opponent’s gaze; the warrior’s eyes gleamed, whites veined and unblinking, throat emitting a guttural, chilling sound.

With a swift movement, the black-robed warrior lunged at Xie Li, scythe slashing toward his throat.

Xie Li reacted instantly, twisting away in an attempt to dodge the attack. Yet, as he pivoted, the black-robed warrior anticipated his intent, flipping his wrist and bringing the blade down toward Xie Li’s back with uncanny precision.

“Watch out, Xie Li!” roared Bear, brandishing his curved blade and trying to charge to the rescue—only to be intercepted by two shadow-like black-robed adversaries.

“Damn it! You dare block my way? I’ll take you both on!” Bear bellowed, swinging his blade with overwhelming force, his fighting style broad and unrestrained.

As Xie Li turned, he suddenly sensed the trajectory of the attack shift, the blade arcing eerily toward the back of his head. In desperation, he dove forward, landing face-first in the dirt. Even so, the razor-sharp scythe grazed his scalp, leaving his head numb and tingling.

He barely had time to roll over before the black-robed warrior pressed the attack, bringing the blade down vertically at him.

With no alternative, Xie Li executed a desperate roll. The scythe slammed into the ground, sending clods of earth flying into his face and blinding him.

The relentless assault continued. Even with his eyes squeezed shut, Xie Li could sense the blade’s lethal glint.

Bang! In that split second, a gunshot rang out. The black-robed warrior froze, turning toward Chen Diwen, who stood with his pistol raised.

“Come on, then!” Chen Diwen shouted.

But before his words had faded, a nearby black-robed warrior struck, scythe slicing down toward Chen Diwen’s wrist.

Though wounded in the shoulder, Chen Diwen wasn’t one to go down easily. He yanked his hand back; the blade clanged against the pistol, sparks flying. His hand went numb and the weapon fell, but gritting his teeth through the pain, Chen Diwen drove his dagger into the enemy’s abdomen.

The black-robed warrior staggered, then kicked Chen Diwen hard, sending him crashing into a tree. Slowly, the warrior pulled the dagger from his gut, raised his scythe, and advanced on Chen Diwen.

“Boss!” Xie Li cried out, rage flaring in his eyes as he charged the black-robed warrior before him with his dagger. The enemy hadn’t anticipated this sudden assault and was knocked to the ground.

“I’ll kill you!” Xie Li, eyes bloodshot, raised his dagger and stabbed repeatedly at the warrior’s head, not stopping until flesh and bone were obliterated.

Not far away, Bao Li saw Chen Diwen in dire peril but was pinned down by two black-robed warriors. Desperate, he could only watch as the scythe-wielding enemy closed in on Chen Diwen.

“Boss!” Bear saw Chen Diwen collapse against a tree, struggling to rise, as the enemy approached, scythe poised. With a roar, Bear charged, but his leg was slashed by a scythe.

Roaring, “Damn it! Let me show you what real blade work is!” Bear’s leather army boots spared him serious injury, but he was furious. He brought his blade down hard, cleaving the black-robed warrior’s head from his shoulders.

The remaining black-robed warrior retaliated, striking at Bear’s head. Bear dodged, but the blade embedded deeply in his shoulder. Now like a berserk god of war, Bear didn’t retreat but instead threw aside his weapon, seized his opponent’s throat, bent down, grabbed the enemy’s leg, and with a roar, tore the warrior apart, spraying viscera and blood like a crimson rain.

With two foes dispatched at the cost of his own blood, Bear wasted no time and rushed toward Chen Diwen. But it was too late. The last black-robed warrior raised his scythe, the curved blade aimed at Chen Diwen’s chest, and brought it down.

Clang! The scythe didn’t pierce Chen Diwen’s chest but instead spun away into the air.

“Chen Cao!” Chen Diwen looked up to see that familiar, aggravating face.

“Of course it’s me! Diwen, are you alright? Why do you always end up rolling in the dirt?” Chen Cao stepped in front of him, still finding time to tease.

Bear snatched up a curved blade and charged, hacking the disarmed black-robed warrior dozens of times until the body was still.

Seeing the tide turn, the last two black-robed warriors retreated swiftly into the jungle.

“Chen Cao, long time no see!” Bao Li, finally free, ran over and gave Chen Cao a crushing bear hug.

“Ow, easy with those paws! You’re killing me!” Chen Cao joked, referring to Bao Li’s calloused hands from years of training.

Reunited with old friends, Chen Cao was visibly delighted.

Coughing, Chen Diwen struggled to his feet while Xie Li quickly pulled out bandages to tend Bear’s wounds.

“So, what’s the plan? Will you join us?” Bao Li asked.

“Our missions aren’t the same, are they? That would break school regulations,” Chen Diwen replied.

Chen Cao scratched his head. “True, it’s against the rules. Still, you’re all wounded and should withdraw immediately to avoid greater losses.”

Bear snorted and turned away, saying nothing.

Xie Li’s mind worked quickly. After bandaging Bear, he stood up and said to Chen Cao, “I believe our missions are the same.” He held up a signal transmitter. “I just got a message from Instructor Guo. She ordered us to act together.”

“Who’d want to team up with this punk?” Bear grumbled, still nursing a grudge over Chen Cao’s previous teasing.

Chen Cao ignored him, instead glancing at the bodies. “If our objectives are the same, how is your search progressing?”

“We estimate we’re within a kilometer, but I can’t confirm for sure,” Chen Diwen replied, looking at Xie Li for confirmation.

“Hold on,” Chen Cao interrupted. “Before we talk about that, look at these bodies.”

As he spoke, the black-robed warriors’ corpses dissolved into wisps of blue smoke, filling the air with a rich, heady scent, until even their clothing vanished without a trace.

Chen Cao frowned at the drifting smoke and said to Chen Diwen, “We need to leave immediately. Otherwise, more of their comrades will be here soon. They silently wiped out several ‘Rattlesnake’ operatives just nearby. I followed them, but hurried here to help you first. By rights, the others should have caught up, but they haven’t—something’s off.”

Chen Diwen’s thoughts raced. The target was within reach; abandoning the mission was out of the question. Yet Chen Cao had a point: everyone was wounded, and just now, a handful of black-robed warriors had almost wiped them out. Staying here meant certain death—a pointless sacrifice.

For a moment, silence descended as everyone weighed the same question: to stay or to go.

After several tense seconds, Chen Cao spoke. “We can’t linger. Twenty kilometers from here there’s a cave I’ve used as a hideout. Go there and wait for my signal. I’ll search for the target alone—one person is less conspicuous. You should focus on recovering.”

He took out a transmitter—Moses had given it to him—and handed it to Chen Diwen. “Someone inside will help you.”

Chen Diwen hesitated, staring blankly without taking it.

“Chen Diwen, you’re the commander. You’re responsible for everyone,” Chen Cao said, his eyes sharp. “Are you willing to see your whole team die? Or do you intend to carry out the assignment Guo Qianshuang gave you? Let me do it. I work alone. You need to bring your team back alive.”

Chen Diwen was shaken. He knew that unless there was no other choice, he could never follow Guo Qianshuang’s order to kill Zhou Hongye and the others—they were his comrades.

While the others looked on in confusion, Chen Cao suddenly shouted, “Chen Diwen, get moving!” and kicked him, grinning. “Let me take this easy job!”

(The rest is a notice of chapter completion, unrelated to the story.)