Chapter 454: The Stitcher

"Excellent, they've all been drawn to the kitchen explosion now."

Heart 9 lay prone on a rooftop, his eyes narrowed as he watched the smoke billowing from the distant kitchen. With a hand that had only four fingers remaining, he lightly rubbed his chin. "With the manor's defenses shifted, we have a chance to go straight through the backyard and catch up to the group carrying the paintings."

Jian Changsheng poked his head out from beside him, unable to help but ask, "I understand the logic... but where did your timed bomb come from just now??"

More than ten minutes earlier, after realizing they were about to be exposed, Heart 9 had suggested a diversionary tactic. He'd left a timed bomb in the kitchen. As they used the opportunity to hide on the other side of the manor, the bomb detonated. The violent blast and sound instantly drew the attention of a large number of guards. Since exposure was inevitable, rather than waiting for the manor's chefs or guards to discover them and initiate a systematic search, it was better to take control into his own hands and indirectly manipulate the changes in the manor's defensive personnel. Thanks to this plan, the bodyguards were now all drawn to the kitchen in the east, and the defense personnel on the path to the warehouse in the west were fewer.

"Heh heh, guess what?" Heart 9 grinned.

Jian Changsheng naturally didn't have time to guess. He scanned his surroundings with binoculars and quickly locked onto a direction. "There! We wasted too much time; they're already putting the paintings back in the warehouse!"

"Go!"

As Heart 9's voice faded, his figure was the first to leap from the rooftop. He spread his arms in mid-air, and a pair of bat-like wings, similar to those of the Big Dipper Corporation bodyguards who had pursued them earlier, appeared on both sides of his arms.

"So he's also a Skillful God's Path user..." Jian Changsheng realized, seeing this.

But in the next moment, his mouth involuntarily dropped open, and his eyes filled with shock and astonishment!

With a *pop*, Heart 9's two ribs snapped open, and a pair of metal nozzles, resembling flamethrowers, emerged from his body. Orange-red flames roared out, and the terrifying propulsion gave him nearly supersonic speed, like a meteor suddenly plummeting towards the warehouse!

"What the hell?!"

Jian Changsheng stood dumbfounded for more than ten seconds before he remembered to provide support, immediately using the Blood Golem's rapid dash to flash out!

Seeing two figures streaking across the sky, one after the other, the bodyguards patrolling the west side of the manor simultaneously looked up at the sky. They then stared at the trail of clouds left by Heart 9's flight, all momentarily stunned.

"What was that that just flew by...?"

"Couldn't see clearly, seemed like a person? Or a bird?"

"Damn it! That's the direction of the warehouse!!"

The bodyguards' expressions immediately changed drastically. They instantly rushed towards the warehouse, several God's Path auras being released.

As if hearing the roaring sound of the jets, the few people busy moving paintings paused slightly. As soon as they looked up, they saw a figure like a cannonball crashing onto the ground!

*Thud—!*

His steel-like body slammed onto the ground, emitting a dull metallic thud. A dense web of cracks spread across the surface, astonishing everyone!

From the flying dust, Heart 9's figure slowly emerged. The upper part of his clothes had already been burned away. His metal-glowing ribs re-closed, leaving only a faint, almost imperceptible seam on his skin.

"Heh heh heh... Get out of my way, all of you!" Heart 9 said with a grin, his voice vicious. Then he grabbed the closest figure and threw him like a sandbag, knocking down several others in the process.

Heart 9 directly overturned the vehicle carrying the paintings. His gaze quickly searched among the many scrolls, and he soon found the target painting, which Chen Ling had intentionally folded a corner of. He bent down to pick up the scroll. Sure enough, there was Plum Blossom 8's mark on the back. He simply rolled it into a ball, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed it whole!

"What the... what kind of ability is that?" Jian Changsheng, who had also arrived, asked in shock. "Skillful God's Path, Robot's Path?"

"..." Heart 9 rolled his eyes. "It's called 'Stitcher'."

"Stitcher?"

"Simply put, it's stitching various mechanical items together... You could call it the hand of God, capable of modifying and assembling anything," Heart 9 pointed to himself. "And I myself... am my most satisfying stitched creation."

Before Heart 9 finished speaking, four or five figures swiftly surrounded the warehouse. These were bodyguards who had rushed from various parts of the manor; their average power level was Tier 3, and more figures were continuously arriving from a distance.

"Go! Try to capture them alive," one bodyguard said in a deep voice.

At his command, many figures swarmed forward, various God's Path abilities simultaneously released, sealing off all escape routes for the two from all directions!

A cold glint flashed in Jian Changsheng's eyes. He drew a short sword from behind him, and his figure transformed into a bloody shadow, charging towards the two approaching from the side!

At the same time, a wild laugh erupted from Heart 9's direction: "You pathetic lot, trying to capture me alive?!"

Heart 9 raised one hand, and every inch of skin from his shoulder to his forearm peeled open like scales. A dozen cannon barrels, thicker than his arm, were exposed, and brilliant flames rapidly erupted from them!!

This scene immediately stunned the attacking group. They tried to scatter, but they were already half a step too late. The explosive flames, like a blazing beast, instantly engulfed most of the figures. Piercing screams instantly rang out, and even Jian Changsheng, who was not far from Heart 9, suddenly widened his eyes before being caught in the explosion!

"You f***ing Heart..."

Before Jian Changsheng could finish, a thunderous roar blew the entire warehouse away. Roaring flames engulfed the ground, incinerating hundreds of calligraphy and painting scrolls cherished by Zong Wen!

*Boom—!!*

The entire manor noticed the explosion. Zong Wen, who had just walked out of the mansion, was completely dumbfounded.

"That... isn't that my collection warehouse???"

Zong Wen watched the blazing fire and billowing smoke in the distance, his eyes instantly turning red. He trembled with rage for a long time, then gritted his teeth and uttered a few words: "Big Dipper Corporation... I'm not done with you!!"

More and more bodyguards converged towards the explosion. Amidst the billowing smoke, one figure, dragging another mangled, blood-soaked figure, burst out laughing wildly: "How's it going, rookie? Is my power enough to cover your back?!"

Jian Changsheng, who was barely recognizable, was clutched like a rag doll and swung in the air by him. After a long time, that mess of a body slowly and painstakingly raised a middle finger: "Hearts... all of them... are completely insane!!"