Chapter 5: Faster Than a Gun Within Seven Steps

The grim-looking man crouched down, using the dagger in his hand to repeatedly stab into the chest of the stark-naked woman, then pulling it out, repeating the cycle; the gentleness previously on his face had long since vanished, replaced by endless madness.

He thought of his father, the man who had abandoned him since he was a child.

When he was eight years old, his mother took him to his father's villa, but they were heartlessly driven away; in the end, his mother committed suicide at his father's doorstep. The servants had intended to chase him away, but his father walked out from the doorway, smiling as he said, "It's fine, live here from now on."

At that moment, his tears instantly vanished; without even looking at his mother's corpse on the ground, he ran straight toward his father and hugged him tightly.

His father was a noble with many servants and slaves under his command; the moment he took his father's hand to enter the villa, all the servants and slaves obsequiously called him "Young Master."

Just as he intended to calmly accept his fate, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed.

The servants withdrew one after another, and several figures walked across the hall—a luxuriously dressed woman with a small child. The child smiled and said to his father, "Daddy, you promised last time to buy me a slave the same size as me; you really didn't lie to me, I love you to death!"

"That's wonderful, honey, you are the pride of me and the child," the noblewoman said with a beaming smile.

On that rainy night when he was fifteen, there was no longer any sound in the villa.

"Bolo bolo bolo."

A sound pulled his thoughts back; the grim-looking man fished a miniature Den Den Mushi out of the clothes nearby and pressed the answer button.

The face of the Den Den Mushi immediately turned into a comical clown face, and a shrill voice came from its mouth: "Hey, how is it on your end?"

"I've already locked onto her location, she's right nearby; I can finish it within two hours," the grim-looking man replied.

"A long time has already passed; the Captain is very dissatisfied with your speed. Do not let him down."

"Yes, I understand." As soon as the grim-looking man finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi in his hand was immediately hung up.

He put the Den Den Mushi into his clothes, lit a cigarette, and through the curling smoke, saw the situation on the floor clearly.

The woman's body was already completely covered in blood, and the room was filled with a pungent stench of blood. He stood up, put on his clothes, stood before the mirror to tidy himself up, and then slowly left the room.

"It's so late, is there still a place to stay?"

On the street, Luo Di asked.

Ka Li Na nodded: "There definitely is. Buma Town is considered a relatively prosperous area in these parts; it's much livelier at night than during the day. I'm exhausted from walking with you for so long, let's hurry and find a place to stay."

Luo Di was not sure exactly how long they had walked, but it had been at least three hours. The two of them had left Black Reef Village, passed through several other villages along the way, and finally arrived in this town.

It was already late at night, yet lights were still shining everywhere on the street. The air was filled with the smell of alcohol, and one could hear shouting from time to time. In the alleys, one could see women dressed in gaudy, heavily made-up attire waving at him.

"My lord, come and play."

"Ugh." Ka Li Na uttered in disdain and immediately pulled Luo Di to walk away quickly.

It wasn't that Luo Di didn't want to experience it, but the quality was truly too low to make a move; the looks of those streetwalkers were simply worlds apart compared to the one beside him.

As she walked, Ka Li Na observed her surroundings, remaining vigilant at all times.

"Are you worried about the people hunting you down?" Luo Di asked.

"Yes," Ka Li Na nodded: "The clothing store is closed now, so there's nothing to hide behind. As far as I know, those people have already arrived. Among them are Ability Users like you, and there's more than one. You must be careful."

"Oh." Luo Di nodded.

At this moment, a staggering figure walked over from ahead—an old man leaning on a cane. Because it was dark, his face could not be seen clearly; his frame was hunched, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Luo Di stopped in his tracks and poked Ka Li Na with his elbow: "Does he look like one?"

Ka Li Na looked at the old man before her and was stunned for a moment.

But the experiences of these past years had already made her hold a sense of vigilance toward everything; even if she wasn't sure, she wouldn't put herself in danger.

Pat.

"Ouch."

The old man suddenly fell to the ground, crying out in pain, and reached his hand toward Luo Di and Ka Li Na in front: "Young people, please help me, cough cough."

"Mister, I'll help you." After Luo Di finished speaking, he broke free from Ka Li Na's hand and took a large step forward.

Ka Li Na felt a looseness in her arms and suddenly felt as if she had lost something; she subconsciously reached out her hand, wanting to call Luo Di back, but the old man on the ground suddenly grinned hideously and pulled a handgun from his clothes.

"No!" Ka Li Na screamed.

"Go to hell!" The old man appeared crazed, his finger fiercely pulling the trigger.

The expected result did not occur; at this moment, Luo Di was still standing in the same spot, but the gun in the old man's hand had abruptly left his grip and was suspended in mid-air.

Seeing this scene, the old man was inexplicably terrified and instantly knelt on the ground, begging for mercy: "Spare me, I only took money from someone; he gave me this gun to kill you. I'm just a frail, sickly old man, I won't dare to mess around again, please spare my life..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his whole body was lifted off the ground, as if a mysterious force had hoisted him up and dragged him into an alleyway where the light could not reach.

"The moment you raised your gun, you should have been prepared to gamble with your life," Luo Di said indifferently.

Ka Li Na looked at the scene before her in astonishment. When she came to her senses and looked at Luo Di again, he had completely lost his previous laziness; his expression was replaced by a calm indifference, as if everything had been in his plan.

"It seems we've been targeted; what do we do now?" Ka Li Na asked with concern.

Luo Di shook his head: "The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light; we are too passive right now. Let's find a place to stay first."

"Okay." Ka Li Na nodded; although she was worried, there was no other way for now.

Just as the two continued walking along the street, at a window on the first floor not far away, the grim-looking man curled his lips: "Interesting, an Ability User? A pretty good prey. Then, let the game begi—Boom!"

Before he could finish speaking, the window glass suddenly shattered, and a pair of invisible hands grabbed him and dragged him straight out of the window. His reaction speed was extremely fast; he immediately twisted his body, his form seemingly turning into streaks of afterimages, and then he vanished from the spot, appearing on the eaves to the side.

With such good skills, it seems the trouble this woman caused is truly not small. The moment the old man died, he had let Star Platinum fly into the air to observe the surroundings, and he had also discovered the man at the second-floor window. He had intended to catch him off guard, but the opponent seemed to have decent combat techniques.

It seems my own strength is still not enough.

The grim-looking man looked at Luo Di on the ground, his brows slightly furrowed. That immense force just now was indeed beyond his expectations, but years of living on the edge of a blade had also given him superhuman skills and reflexes.

The move he just used was one he had cultivated for many years, called "Shadow Flash," touted as being faster than a gun within seven steps, capable of making the opponent lose their target in the instant of combat, and then precisely counter-killing them.

"It's you." Ka Li Na's delicate brows furrowed slightly, her expression grave: "Captain, he is a famous assassin in the East Blue—Stone Grouper."