Chapter 28: The Assassination Operation Begins

Finished?

Yeah, let's head back to the Academy.

Tang Wulin and his two companions arrived at the gate of Shrek City, where Wang Dong had been waiting for them for a while.

After meeting up, they all walked out of Shrek City together, heading toward the Academy.

Wang Dong glanced at the sturdy figure beside Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong, then quietly asked Tang Wulin:

"Is this senior from the Soul Engineering Department also coming back with us?"

"Yeah, he's going to take Yutong to join the Soul Engineering Department."

"Oh..."

Wang Dong's expression instantly became very complicated.

"Well, congratulations then."

Tang Wulin sensed something off from Wang Dong's words, and he asked concernedly: "Wang Dong, don't you like hanging out with big brother?"

Thinking about it, ever since He Caitou appeared, Wang Dong's mood has been quite strange.

Wang Dong fell silent for a moment, then said quietly:

"No, I just have an aversion to soul tools; I have no prejudice against this senior."

Tang Wulin frowned slightly, about to say something, when his whole body suddenly shuddered.

Not just him—everyone present except Huo Yutong showed a look of surprise.

A full‑dimensional 3D image suddenly appeared in their minds; Tang Wulin and He Caitou immediately realized that Huo Yutong had activated her soul skill.

But why is she suddenly using her soul skill? Huo Yutong's voice echoed in their minds.

"Don't show anything unusual; there are enemies lying in wait."

Tang Wulin quickly asked in his mind: "What's the background of these enemies?"

"I don't know, but they exude killing intent—let's get back to the Academy first and talk later."

Huo Yutong answered Tang Wulin's question in their minds, her face grim.

According to what Tianmeng just told her, this enemy is probably not weak.

At the very least, they're not something we can defeat right now.

Who could it be? Who in the Academy would bear such a grudge against us, even to the point of hiring assassins?

A cold, arrogant face appeared in her mind, and Huo Yutong clenched her fists.

Could it be the Duke's Mansion forces led by Dai Huabin making a move? She already had a guess, but confirming it would have to wait until they all escaped alive.

Soon, Tang Wulin and the others reached a point about thirty meters from the enemies, and the assassins' silhouettes began to appear one by one in their minds.

Huo Yutong said in their minds: "When I say one, two, three, we'll run back on three."

He Caitou rejected her idea.

"No, judging by your perception I sensed that these guys are at least Soul King level, the strongest possibly even Soul Emperor—we can't outrun them."

"What should we do then?"

Huo Yutong calmly asked.

"We can't even run—should we try to counter‑kill them?" He Caitou's eyes flashed with a wild look.

"I'll send out the core‑disciple exclusive distress signal into the air; the Academy will send rescuers, we just need to hold out until they arrive."

"So we're doing a defensive battle…?" Huo Yutong's eyes flashed quickly, and she finally gave a slight nod.

"Yeah, leave it to you, big brother."

Among those present, He Caitou is the strongest and knows the Academy best, so what he says surely makes sense.

"Three."

Huo Yutong's countdown rang in everyone's mind, making their hearts involuntarily speed up.

"Two."

As the distance to the assassins closed, He Caitou took a deep breath, placed his hand on the Storage Soul Conductor Device without changing his expression.

"One!"

With Huo Yutong's final shout, the sound of metal clashing rang beside her, and He Caitou swiftly strapped piece after piece of soul tool onto himself.

Barrel after barrel rapidly assembled onto every part of his body, reflecting the metal's unique luster while exuding a savage aura—no one would doubt its firepower.

He Caitou's display of might was enormous; plus the suddenness of the attack, several assassins hadn't reacted yet.

Only when He Caitou, while equipping the soul tools, fired off the distress signal that exploded in the air did they realize how serious the situation was.

But it was already too late.

A blinding light flared in the night; the Soul Engineering Department's most talented core disciple went all‑out!

"Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom—boom—boom—boom—"

Countless shells burst open, a pungent smell of gunpowder quickly spread, and the attacking enemies were completely repelled by He Caitou's volley.

Tang Wulin and the others also took this chance to get a clear look at the enemies' formation.

The attackers consisted of four Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor.

Even if they weren't from Shrek, their combat strength was far below that of Shrek's students; their soul rings weren't optimally matched, and their level was truly terrifying—if it came to a life‑and‑death showdown, Tang Wulin's side would stand no chance.

If it weren't for the chance encounter with He Caitou in Shrek City, they would have had no hope of retaliation and would have been assassinated right here in the outskirts of Shrek City.

Fortunately, with He Caitou's help, their odds of survival have greatly improved.

He Caitou continued to unleash firepower wildly; his face was filled with a delighted grin.

He had never felt this good fighting before.

His ability to instantly suppress the assassins came entirely from his arsenal of soul tools.

Below the seven‑ring level, soul engineers are generally stronger than soul masters of the same rank—this is true even though the use of high‑destructive fixed‑install soul tools is prohibited.

Now He Caitou is in a situation where his life is threatened, so he naturally doesn't worry about using excessive force, spraying fixed-installation soul artillery shells as if they were free, giving these unsophisticated country bumpkins a small soul device shock.

At the same time, he isn't wastefully squandering ammunition; if observed carefully, one would find that over ninety percent of the soul devices he fired hit their targets precisely.

Even for He Caitou, this is an extraordinary performance that could be called a miracle; relying on himself alone, he could not have such a hit rate even in daylight, let alone now that night has fallen and visibility has greatly decreased compared to daytime.

He is able to accomplish what was originally impossible thanks to Huo Yutong's precise assistance; the thrill of locking onto enemies is something he has never experienced before, making him inwardly exclaim in satisfaction.

Tang Wulin heard He Caitou mutter a few words under the cover of the tremendous roar, and then several cigars were thrown into their hands.

He Caitou's expression was solemn.

"This is my soul skill; holding them, the enemies won't just be suppressed by me alone, the covering work is entrusted to you."

"Yes!"

Tang Wulin and the others replied in unison, placing the cigars in their mouths.

(End of chapter)