Chapter 56: Blood Handprint

The conductor's pupils suddenly contracted!

Just as Chen Ling's dagger was about to slit his throat, a flash of grey darted past, and his hand instantly became empty.

Chen Ling's palm grazed the conductor's neck, making the latter break out in a cold sweat. He sharply stepped back half a pace and thrust the dagger back at Chen Ling.

He forgot that the conductor could steal weapons...

With empty hands, Chen Ling could only dodge helplessly. This brief opening allowed the conductor to create distance and barely steady himself on the train roof.

"This speed... how is that possible?" The conductor stared at Chen Ling in disbelief. "Have you also mastered the Divine Path?"

He seemed to have realized something, his expression changing repeatedly.

"No, you're not an ordinary rookie enforcer... Who are you? A Crimson Heaven cultist? Or a member of the Twilight Society?"

Seeing his identity exposed, Chen Ling stopped pretending. He had to eliminate this guy quickly... the opponent knew too much.

Even without a weapon, Chen Ling could still fight barehanded, relying on his speed. The killing techniques he learned from Han Meng were no joke.

Chen Ling shifted his steps, approaching the conductor at high speed. The latter, having learned his lesson, seemed wary of close combat with Chen Ling and constantly used his pistol and dagger to maintain distance.

As Chen Ling steadily advanced, the conductor could only retreat, quickly reaching the very end of the last train car, with almost nowhere left to go.

His dark brown overcoat flapped wildly on top of the train, as steam mixed with snow gradually enveloped their figures.

At the same time, in the train's direction of travel, a narrow tunnel rapidly approached!

The tunnel was extremely narrow, its height less than a head above the train. The two fighting for their lives caught sight of the rapidly approaching walls in their peripheral vision, and their hearts simultaneously jolted.

Just as they were about to hit the tunnel, Chen Ling reached for his chin and ripped it hard!

A mask flew into the air.

Hum—!!

The train shot through the tunnel like a cannonball, the compressed air emitting a deep rumble.

Disordered light and shadow blurred past. Dozens of seconds later, light once again covered the train roof. On the dented freight car, the conductor awkwardly struggled to his feet...

"Damn it, I almost fell for it."

Just as he was about to hit the tunnel, he used his "Steal" skill to pilfer the sand loaded inside the freight car, causing the tarpaulin below to suddenly collapse. He hid inside to narrowly escape.

He barely managed to steady himself when he saw a blood-red leopard, crouching a few steps away, its crimson eyes fixed intently on him.

A leopard??

The moment he saw it, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He had no time to react to why a leopard had appeared out of nowhere on the train before raising his gun to shoot. Just then, the crimson blur streaked across the train roof like lightning!

Sharp claws ripped open his wrist; the gun, along with his hand, tumbled from the train car.

Immediately after, the leopard furiously tore at his neck and face. Horrific screams echoed amidst the wind and snow, quickly swallowed by the roaring train.

Clatter—Clatter—Clatter...

After an unknown amount of time, the leopard finally slowed to a halt... It stood up, its form shifting back into a human silhouette.

He raised a hand to gently wipe the hot blood from his cheek. Beneath the crimson, Chen Ling's calm face, suppressing madness, was revealed.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He casually scooped up a handful of snow from the train roof, put it in his mouth, rinsed for a moment, and then spat it out.

"This skill... is unexpectedly effective," he murmured to himself.

This was his first time facing an opponent with Divine Path skills. Although he ultimately won, the opponent's strange abilities left a deep impression on him... However, he surmised that the man before him was at most a Tier 2 individual.

The Tier 1 skill was to steal objects, and the Tier 2 skill was to steal faces... but strictly speaking, neither of these skills had any offensive capabilities.

A thief is still a thief; in terms of direct combat ability, they are inferior to a "Soldier."

Chen Ling looked at the disfigured corpse, hesitated for a moment, then bent down to strip it completely, kicking the naked body under the train where it was quickly crushed into fragments by the steel wheels.

Next, he crumpled the conductor's uniform and threw it into a nearby cliff, where it vanished from sight.

"Apologies, but the foundation of the Soldier Divine Path... I can't just hand it over to you."

Both the Torch-Usurpers and his own goal were the ancient Soldier Path treasures. Although he was only Tier 1 and alone, Chen Ling had no intention of giving up... He planned to take a risk.

The Torch-Usurpers were enemies, but if utilized well, perhaps they could become his own weapons.

Chen Ling glanced at the passenger car, a plan forming in his mind, and a flicker of madness once again shone in his eyes!

At this moment, Chen Ling could clearly feel his twisted Divine Path leaping with joy, his empty chest pounding, every cell in his body awaiting his dance between life and death.

He knew that his twisted Divine Path was changing his personality again...

But this feeling, it wasn't bad at all!

Audience Expectation Value: 12Current Expectation Value: 61

"Which one do you think will come back first, Number 13 or Number 8?"

Inside the passenger car, Zhong Yaoguang sat beside another fellow cadet, cracking sunflower seeds as he spoke.

"It should be Number 13. After all, the enforcer leading District 3 looks like a fast runner."

"I think I just heard gunshots near the back of the train. Someone must be finished..."

"I have a feeling it's Number 8. Number 8 is Tier 3, after all. With that skill, killing isn't hard for him."

"Good point..."

Just as everyone was talking, a figure draped in a dark brown overcoat lightly landed by the car door, stepping into the compartment with bits of snow.

"Number 13 came back first, surprisingly," Zhong Yaoguang chuckled. "Why did you take so long?"

"That kid pretended to escape, but he actually hid on the train roof. It took me a whole round to find him, almost wore me out," Chen Ling grumbled, casually walking to his seat and sitting down.

"Pretty clever..."

"I can see that. He was the first to spot us, after all," another enforcer replied.

"Here, have some sunflower seeds."

Chen Ling picked up a couple of sunflower seeds, cracking them as he looked around the car.

"The other one hasn't been caught yet?" he asked nonchalantly.

Jiang Qin had run off at the same time as him. If he chose the right path, there was actually a chance he could escape...

Chen Ling didn't care if others died, but he hoped Jiang Qin would live.

Chen Ling looked at the thick dark brown overcoat on his body, a hint of worry in his heart.

"Not yet. No idea what's going on."

"...Never mind, I'll go check," Chen Ling said, a glint in his eyes, as he stood up and walked towards the car door.

"No need."

Just then, a figure entered the car, facing him and slowly walking closer...

The moment he saw that person, Chen Ling's pupils slightly contracted.

He saw "Jiang Qin," covered in blood, dragging a corpse through the car, stopping in front of Chen Ling... The corpse in his hand was another Jiang Qin.

"Jiang Qin" raised a blood-stained hand and patted Chen Ling's shoulder.

"All targets successfully stolen. Good job."

After speaking, he brushed past Chen Ling.

Chen Ling stood stunned for a long moment, then slowly lowered his gaze.

On the dark brown overcoat, a crimson bloody handprint was stark and alarming.