[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan":3,"chapter-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-152":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},60260,84,"Chapter 152: A Smile in the Smoke","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-152",152,"\u003Cp>While Bai ZIhan was fighting with the assassins, Hong Tao was there to execute his plan to kill the Grade-3 Demonic Beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another section of the wall collapsed under the Grade-3 Demonic Beast’s onslaught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how many soldiers tried to stop him, it was completely useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most had already lost hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao was already running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not away—but toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey! You overgrown bastard! Try to kill me if you can.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouted, waving a tattered red flag soaked in beast blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He has to taunt and provoke the beast with anything and everything that he has.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demonic Beast’s crimson eyes snapped to him instantly, and with a roar that rattled every bone in his body, it charged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grade-3 Demonic Beast were more intelligent than Grade-1 and Grade-2 and seemed to have sensed the insult Hong Tao was spewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grade-3 Demonic Beast charged at Hong Tao, willing to make him pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(It worked!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then sprinted towards the spot which they had planned to keep the black powder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust exploded beneath Hong Tao’s feet as he turned and sprinted down a crumbling alley, heart hammering like a war drum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind screamed at him to run, to hide, to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no turning back now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All along the path, several others moved in tandem—refugees and militia that had agreed to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They darted from cover to cover, tossing broken bottles of oil, dragging crates filled with black powder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the center of it all, hidden beneath collapsed ruins and wooden planks, was the prize: three full barrels of black powder which they had managed to produce until now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They only had enough for one shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they try with a smaller amount, in order for them to make sure there is a backup then that amount might not be enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, after failing once, who would go and try this shit again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only because Hong Tao was willing to take the risk that they could even do such a reckless thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, this was the first and only time that they were going to do this with the chance of success being very low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it had to count.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Faster, faster!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The refugee commanded as Hong Tao barreled into the clearing ahead of the trap site.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bait zone was ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crates stacked around the center. Powder trails hidden under rubble. A fire-starting talisman half-buried at the ignition point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All they needed now—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRASH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast exploded through the alley wall, its hulking form blocking out the light as it roared, blood-flecked spittle flying from its fangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao skidded to a stop, chest heaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, then!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bellowed, voice cracking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want me!? Here I am!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao yelled even though he was seriously injured with many bone fractures due to just the debris and shockwave of the Grade-3 Demonic Beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he managed to come out alive and finally was near the spot that they had initially planned for him to lure the Grade-3 Demonic Beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grade-3 Beast lunged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Five meters... Three meters...)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grade-3 Demonic Beast was too overconfident in his strength and wasn’t even cautious and charged right through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao dove to the side at the last second, rolling just beneath the beast’s sweeping claws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demonic Beast slammed into the ground, smashing through crates and barrels, landing dead center inside the trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"NOW!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gun fired, striking the blackpowder and then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FWOOOOOOOSH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ignition line lit up like a comet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a single moment, the beast froze, realizing something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KA-BOOOOOOM!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire street exploded into a pillar of flame and smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shockwave threw bodies and debris across the district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Refugees were knocked flat even from dozens of meters away. Shattered stones rained from the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire roared so hot that metal warped and screamed as it melted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world went white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ash drifted down like snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mangled chunk of the Demonic Beast’s skull landed near a broken lamppost, still smoldering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was dead!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They actually did it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Hong Tao!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man crawled to his feet, coughing from the smoke, eyes wide as he scanned the wreckage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where’s Hong Tao!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, there was no answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—a hand burst up from under a pile of broken bricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cough—ugh... I’m alive, damn it...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao dragged himself out, face blackened, armor torn to hell, bleeding from half a dozen places—but alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd erupted into cheers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some wept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others collapsed in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And above it all, Hong Tao just lay back on the rubble, grinning like an idiot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Told you it’d work.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>RRRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cheers died in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the smoke and flame, a figure moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Massive, Swaying and Still Breathing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shadow loomed behind the pillar of fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—two glowing crimson eyes blinked open inside the haze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man’s voice cracked as the charred remains of the demonic skull were kicked aside like a pebble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t its skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A misfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A second beast, smaller, maybe already wounded and dragged into the explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not the one that they were targeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real one was still standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-scaled Grade-3 Demonic Beast stumbled forward, body torn open in half a dozen places, scales cracked, one arm dangling limp and useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But alive and Furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its blood hissed as it dripped onto the searing ground, steam rising from its flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"SOLDIERS! SHOOT!! SHOOT IT NOW!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bullets—everything they had left—rained toward the beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the beast didn’t give a damn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It ignored the pain, ignored the storm of steel and fire, ignored the soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its eyes locked on one thing only.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao blinked as he saw the beast emerge, one broken horn jutting from its ruined head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tch!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to move. His body didn’t respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to roll. One leg refused. His arm wouldn’t lift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he knew it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast snarled, body shaking, claws scraping the ground as it dragged itself forward like death incarnate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of the soldiers broke and ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others stayed and fired, screaming through tears, doing anything to slow the thing down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like death itself was crawling toward Hong Tao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao didn’t scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t beg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just looked up, defiant even now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast loomed over him—each ragged breath releasing a storm of heat and stench, blood and smoke swirling in the air like a funeral shroud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao couldn’t move. His body was ruined. Bones crushed, muscles torn, blood pouring from countless wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground trembled as the Demonic Beast raised its good arm, claws catching the firelight, casting monstrous shadows across the rubble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Death, coming with the final blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast reared back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its claws fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And tore through flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood splashed across the broken stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao didn’t flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain didn’t matter anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not when everything had already gone numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nooooo!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The refugees who saw this couldn’t help but scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao, their second leader, and for some, a life saver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Bai Zihan was the main guy for saving everyone, Hong Tao also did his part with rescuing anyone he could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was ready to make sacrifices, not because he was brave but because it was needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the last second, they had hoped for the impossible but that impossible never came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soldiers also understood the pain of losing their important one and have respect for Hong Tao who was willing to sacrifice himself to save others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they knew that it wasn’t time for them to mourn for their death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shoot! Aim for its head!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers didn’t stop shooting the Grade-3 Demonic Beast, not because it was effective, but because it was the only thing that they could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao lay there, staring up at the darkened sky. The edges of his vision flickered, dimmed, then blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world around him spun into chaos—screams, gunfire, the crumbling of stone—but it all sounded far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like echoes in a dream he was no longer part of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His breath came shallow. Slow. Fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast staggered forward, still dragging itself with burning hatred, blood pouring from its broken form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Tao’s gaze didn’t follow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had done his part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no regrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first rays of morning pierced the smoky ruin, light spilled across the battlefield like the world itself was holding its breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast paused, sensing something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth stilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure stepped through the smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cloaked in the rising sun, with golden light dancing across scorched stone, Bai Zihan emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demonic Beast turned to face him, snarling, wounded—yet still defiant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hong Tao saw none of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fading eyes caught just one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That silhouette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That impossible, untouchable presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the final time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>",1513,"2026-05-28T18:17:14.491Z","2026-06-01T04:28:34.960Z",1,"novelbin.me","b11dde68106f374d6f28d42f50fceadacab4ed535850bcfac2a800b049b0e282","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-153","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-151",580,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fturns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-cover.jpg"]