In the dim alley, a group of battered men lay sprawled across the ground or slumped against the walls. At the mouth of the lane, the crowd of onlookers grew steadily. Xiao Feng stood trembling with fury, his clenched jaw quivering—yet it was precisely those clenched teeth that made Kaili freeze for a moment.
For in that instant, she saw it—Xiao Feng's four canines had abruptly elongated, sharp and gleaming. Try as she might, Kaili could not recall what kind of beast they resembled.
Overwhelmed by rage, Xiao Feng himself had no understanding of the strange transformation overtaking him.
In the heartbeat of Kaili's hesitation, Xiao Feng whipped his head to the side and sank his fangs into her exposed, alabaster wrist, which peeked out from beneath her black leather sleeve.
Warm blood surged into his mouth, and the taste of Kaili's virgin blood seemed to ignite some primal nerve within him. His brows furrowed, and then, as if by instinct, he began to drink voraciously.
Caught off guard, Kaili had never imagined Xiao Feng would retaliate in such a savage manner. The sharp pain in her wrist overpowered her, dulling her instinct to summon electricity.
A piercing scream tore from her throat as she struggled to shake him off, but Xiao Feng's jaw was locked, his fangs buried in her wrist as he drew her blood with unnatural fervor.
Kairui, not far away, saw what was happening and dashed forward. He raised his arm and brought the edge of his palm crashing down on the back of Xiao Feng's neck.
Still clamped onto Kaili's arm, Xiao Feng shuddered at the blow, then collapsed unconscious to the ground, his teeth returning to normal, and his jaw releasing its grip.
Kairui looked anxiously at his sister. "Are you alright, sis?"
Kaili, pale and shaken, stared in horror at the four puncture wounds left by Xiao Feng's bite. Her fury surged again. "I'll kill that b*st*rd!" she growled, raising her foot, aiming it at Xiao Feng's skull.
But just then, a voice cut sharply through the air:"If you dare kill him, I'll kill the both of you."
It was unmistakably Rice's voice.
Bare-chested, with two fierce dragons tattooed in an X across his chest, Rice strode into the alley, arrogance etched into every step. Behind him marched a troop of heavily armed mercenaries, each weapon trained squarely on Kairui and Kaili.
The moment the mercenaries appeared, the entire dynamic shifted. Rice himself was a third-tier ability user—on par in rank with Kaili and Kairui, yet infinitely more battle-hardened.
Kaili's foot halted a mere three centimeters from Xiao Feng's head.
Both siblings turned toward the sudden new arrivals, their expressions tense. They knew exactly what mercenaries were capable of in this world. These men—beasts of survival—showed no deference even to the Union's army. If they said they'd shoot, they would shoot—no hesitation, no warning.
Rice approached slowly, his handsome face tinged with cold killing intent. "Powerful, aren't you? Beating up my brother, dragging him off on my turf?" He sneered. "Try me. Push me far enough, and I'll carry a rocket launcher straight to your Union headquarters and blow it to the ground."
He shoved the siblings aside, then lifted a hand, igniting a blazing flame before their eyes. "I'm an ability user too. Come on—arrest me. Let's see what happens. You pick a fight with a kid, and you call that courage?"
Turning toward the bloodied, unconscious Xiao Feng, Rice yanked him up roughly. "Get up, you brat. Don't pretend to be dead. You're shaming the X Mercenary Corps."
He gave Xiao Feng a shake, but the young man remained limp in his grasp.
What Rice didn't know—what even Xiao Feng himself didn't know—was that something cataclysmic was occurring inside his body.
Within his blood, amid platelets and red cells, tiny threads of blue lightning sparked and twisted. Those minuscule filaments surged together, coalescing into roaring currents that raced through his veins with unrelenting force.
A jolt suddenly shot through Rice's hand—the one gripping Xiao Feng's arm. A searing numbness overtook him.
"Ah—!" he cried out, releasing his grip. "D*mn it! Where the hell is all this electricity coming from?!"
Xiao Feng stirred.
He blinked, his mind slowly returning as he took in the crowd filling the alley. His eyes landed on Rice, and a lopsided grin appeared.
"Boss Rice… you came to save me?" he said weakly. "D*mn… couldn't you have come a minute earlier? I nearly got killed!"
Rice chuckled. "Blame my informant. Took them too long to report in. We got here as fast as we could. Thank the stars we made it in time. By the way, where's Old White?"
"He's in the hospital with Alice. Her eyesight might have a chance now. I sold the magic crystal and was on my way to deliver the money when I ran into these two maniacs. And you call me your brother?" Xiao Feng snarled, turning to glare at Kaili and Kairui. "Didn't you want to arrest me? Come on, do it! Try it now! Let's see what you've got, Special Envoy Kaili."
Rice clapped Xiao Feng on the shoulder. "That's enough, Xiao Feng. This isn't the time or place. Let's take them back and decide what to do later."
With a flick of his head, several burly mercenaries stepped forward, securing the two ability users in handcuffs and marching them toward the alley's exit.
Though Kaili and Kairui were formidable, there was little they could do against this well-armed force of mercenaries. Their resistance was futile.
The pair were shoved toward a waiting jeep.
Nearby, the hefty Bradar was being helped up by a few mercenaries, limping along after them.
Meanwhile, the surviving thugs—dirty and disheveled—stared in mute astonishment.
"Boss…" Dirt Dog whispered, trembling. "Did we… offend the wrong people? The X Mercenary Corps is insane… they're actually going up against ability users!"
The gang leader turned and smacked him hard on the head."You damned idiot! If it wasn't for your bright ideas, would we have ended up offending them? Get back and pack up—we're making a run for it! You useless fool!"
Just as Kaili and Kairui were about to be thrown into the jeep, the shrill screech of tires echoed through the air.
From the ruined city streets, a convoy of Union military trucks thundered into view, each packed with fully armed soldiers, churning up clouds of dust as they barreled toward the narrow alley.