Chapter 438: The Flower in the Greenhouse

"Did you just hear something?" Jian Changsheng asked, turning to look back at the road behind them, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Something seemed to fall, making quite a commotion," Red Heart 9 said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "That noise should attract our pursuers, which is good for us."

"That's great..." Before Jian Changsheng could finish his sentence, he saw two shadowy figures flitting across the ground beneath a streetlamp. He looked up to see two figures, dressed in bodyguard attire, moving with incredible agility through the narrow gaps between buildings, rapidly approaching their position!

"They've locked onto us!" Red Heart 9 reacted instantly, pulling Jian Changsheng into a nearby narrow alleyway. The next moment, two extremely fast dark projectiles shot straight from the bodyguards' hands towards where Jian Changsheng had just been standing. A thunderous explosion immediately engulfed the entire alley!

Boom—!!Fierce flames burned in the darkness, their intense heat curling everything within the alley. Loose wires sparked and fell to the ground, and the towering streetlamp collapsed with a crash.Amidst the raging inferno, the two bodyguards spread their arms. Between their arms and side ribs, there seemed to be two bat-like wings, which they used to control the rushing airflow, gliding sideways in a perfect arc over the sea of fire.

"External bat wings?" Red Heart 9 scoffed, looking back at the scene. "And two 'Skillful Divinity' users, no less... Isn't that a coincidence?"

"'Skillful Divinity'?" Jian Changsheng was taken aback; he had never encountered enemies from this Divine Path before.

"It's the Divine Path of 'Artisans'. The Boundary Train you ride, which allows you to travel safely through the Grey Realm, was crafted by skillful artisans." Red Heart 9 glanced at the two winged figures flying in the distance and continued slowly, "The more artisans gather, the greater their capabilities, even able to create revolutionary things... like the Boundary Train. But these two in front of us were likely recruited by some consortium right after stepping onto the Skillful Divine Path. Their combat philosophy and manufacturing concepts are appallingly outdated. If my abilities weren't sealed right now, these two puny guys..."

Bang! Bang!Two more bomb-like objects shot towards Red Heart 9. His pupils contracted slightly. There were no more alleyways for them to duck into now, and in such a confined space, an explosion would leave them nowhere to escape.

Creak—With a low roar, a tall tower crane within the steel factory toppled over, landing precisely behind Jian Changsheng and Red Heart 9. Like a sweeping metal rod, it struck the two bombs shot into mid-air, detonating them prematurely!

Boom—!!Two searing flames detonated in mid-air, like two miniature suns. The shockwave not only left Jian Changsheng and Red Heart 9 unharmed but nearly swept the high-speed bodyguards into its blast.This sudden turn of events stunned them. They immediately struggled to control their flight direction, desperate to avoid crashing into the explosion.One of them, being further away, narrowly dodged the blast and continued to pursue Jian Changsheng and Red Heart 9. The other was slightly slower, flying almost directly through the explosive flames. The high heat burned through the external bat wing under his arm, sending him tumbling awkwardly towards the ground!

"Damn it..." Feeling the scorched skin on his arm, he struggled to his feet in the messy alley. Just as he was about to resume the chase, a sudden chill touched the back of his head.

The dim streetlamp in the alley flickered unsteadily, as if the grim reaper himself were calling his name. Between the light and shadow of the lamp, a figure in a red coat stood behind him, unnoticed, a dark gun muzzle pressed silently against the back of his head.

The bodyguard's pupils suddenly contracted. He tried to react immediately but couldn't move faster than the finger that pulled the trigger."For the restart of human civilization, I condemn you to death," the red-clad figure, secretly controlling everything, stated expressionlessly.

Bang—!The power of deconstruction instantly obliterated the bodyguard's head. Without a sound, half of his body vanished without a trace.Having silently dispatched a bodyguard, Chen Ling's gaze fell once more on the figures disappearing into the distance. Stepping onto nothingness, his form vanished into the night at an astonishing speed.

"That was close! I thought we were dead for sure just now!" Jian Changsheng said, looking back at the suddenly collapsed tower crane, a lingering fear in his voice.

Red Heart 9 remained silent, frowning as he gazed at the sea of fire beneath the tower crane, lost in thought.

"Let's run first!"The two slipped into one of the alleyways amidst the chaos. Almost simultaneously, a figure wearing external bat wings soared over the flames, continuing to fly above the street.

His gaze rapidly scanned the surroundings as if searching for something. A voice came from behind him: "Where did they go?"

The bodyguard looked back and saw it was his companion, but he wasn't flying with bat wings; instead, he was clumsily walking on the ground."Lost them again... Why are you so slow? Are you okay?"

"I ran into a fireball just now; it burned my wing... Damn it, why am I so unlucky!" the companion said irritably.

"Without your bat wings, I'll have to search for them alone. Try to keep up with me." Seeing this, the bodyguard realized his companion was useless and sighed helplessly.Just as he was about to flap his wings to continue the search, his companion spoke again:

"Wait a minute, I just thought of a good idea. Come down and I'll tell you."

"What idea?"Though confused, the bodyguard descended from mid-air and walked straight towards his companion.

"I've realized those two aren't ordinary people; it seems like their Divine Paths are just sealed by something." The companion said, moving closer and leaning in to his ear. "Especially the one in the leather jacket, I just found out..."

"Found out what?"

"Found out I'm a really good actor."

The bodyguard froze. Before he could react, a sharp, piercing sound sliced past his ear. The next instant, a long, rebar-like spike instantly pierced his neck!Scarlet blood dripped down the rebar. His pupils involuntarily contracted. In his terrified gaze, the "companion" casually ripped off a face, and a dazzling red coat filled his vision...

Chen Ling released the rebar, letting the bodyguard fall limply to the ground, watching him slowly lose his breath."Despite a decent rank, their combat experience is simply too lacking," Chen Ling said faintly, brushing dust from his clothes. "Flowers grown in a greenhouse can never compare to thorns hardened by wind and snow... one touch, and they shatter."