24 leaped lightly mid-run, twisted the knife, and swiftly slit the throat of an oncoming person. Just as they landed, the still bloody blade swung upwards, slicing open the body armor and chest of someone beside them, blood spurting out. Seemingly dodging with a sideways movement, the knife in their hand inadvertently plunged into another person's heart. The soldiers' counterattacks often grazed past 24 but failed to inflict any harm. In everyone else's eyes, it seemed like a near miss, but in her eyes, the distance was already calculated.
36's movements were much simpler. Rushing into the crowd and standing still, they drew their combat knife. A sideways chop cleaved a person and their blocking gun in two. The soldiers didn't have time to be shocked by this terrifying strength. 36 spun on the spot, landing a right fist on the chest of a two-meter-tall black soldier. The soldier, strong as a bear, was sent flying and collapsed, unable to get up. In front of 36, hand-to-hand combat was no different from suicide.
1 disliked flashy moves; every strike was more direct and effective. A straight stab killed one, followed by a left turn to slice another's carotid artery. An downward chop killed another, then an upward diagonal slash to the right, changing direction to a left slash. One person's right leg was severed first, then their chest slashed open. They seemed like ordinary, simple movements, but linked together, the angles of attack were unimaginable.
13's blade only sought lives. Attacked from front and back, the knife thrust forward. The enemy blocked with their own blade. 13, with imperceptible speed, switched to using the knife's pommel. The impact still forced the enemy back a step. Using the recoil, the knife swiftly stabbed backward. An unexpected blow; the person behind had no time to react, the blade already deep in their throat. Pushing off with their feet, 13 spun, the neck-severing blade returning to the front. The person in front had just regained their balance from the impact, becoming a perfect target. The knife ended another life without suspense. A near-mad soldier charged at 13. With a flick of the finger, the knife flew out, the full blade piercing his right eye. Before he could fall, 13 stood straight beside him and pulled the knife out. The four eyes on their helmet flashed, continuing to search for targets.
Slowly, the soldiers awoke from this world of blood, perhaps into madness. Some raised their guns and fired. Most bullets passed through their own comrades before reaching the special operatives, but the unaimed, wild shots couldn't harm them. Most bullets were dodged or blocked by armor. However, those hit but not killed angrily turned their weapons on the comrades who had injured them. The scene, as expected, became increasingly chaotic.
After about 10 minutes, the hall fell silent again. Corpses littered the floor, the beige carpet transformed by blood—the color of blood.
The one-eyed man, watching the monitors, trembled involuntarily. Not from fear, but excitement. So excited he crushed the communicator in his hand. Over 200 retired special forces members from various countries had only held out against four people for ten minutes. Only two words could describe them—masters.
"Finally killed them all." 36 sat down on a sofa now stained red.
"I'm not participating in this kind of job next time," 24 complained, looking at the bloodstains matching her armor.
"No time left, only 10 minutes. Upstairs!" 1 ran towards the luxurious staircase. 24, 36, and 13 quickly followed. There was only one large door on the second floor, the same size as the main entrance, so 36 "knocked" again. After the bullets, the door fell to the ground. 13 cautiously stepped into the doorway.
The room was dark, without light, a good place for an ambush. Suddenly, a thick calf kicked towards 13's head from above the doorframe. 13 reacted quickly, raising both hands to block with their armor. But the ambusher's strength exceeded 13's imagination; they were forcefully kicked back 3 meters. Before 13 landed, 36 leaped up swiftly, punching their right fist through the three layers of solid wood paneling above the door, but missed the person. Because after delivering the kick, the attacker had jumped down to the ground. 24 drew the twin pistols from their back with incredible speed. The attacker casually deflected them left and right with one hand, making the guns miss their target. Seeing two teammates thwarted and one miss, 1 quickly followed up with a spinning side kick. The attacker casually slapped it away with one hand, and 1's foot fell powerlessly to the ground. 36, having landed from the doorframe, was about to attack again but stopped, because…
"Don't move!" 13 commanded coldly.
The attacker also stopped, taking two steps back into the room. They clapped their hands, and the lights came on. Only then did they realize this was an empty room of about two hundred square meters, devoid of furniture, paintings, or anything else, except for a spiral staircase standing upright at the back.
"You've come to a place you shouldn't have," said the one-eyed man. He had removed his shirt, wearing only white martial arts pants and cloth shoes. His upper body, besides muscles like carved bricks, was covered in scars large and small, telling tales of hardship.
"I don't know who you are?" 13 wiped a trace of blood from the corner of their mouth, walked to the door, raised the long-unused COOL-FIRE, and aimed. "We came to kill Black Dragon. Anyone in the way must die."
"Sigh…" The one-eyed man shook his head with a sigh. "Seeing your skill downstairs, taking out over 200 special forces soldiers barehanded, I thought you were truly strong. Turns out you're just trash who dares not accept a challenge and relies only on weapons."
"Sorry, I don't have much sense of shame. Chen Bian's troops are coming soon, no time to play with you here." 13's finger rested on the trigger.
"If you're afraid of his troops, you can rest assured. He planned to use a borrowed knife to kill from the start. So he'll only intercept you on the perimeter. Of course, that's if you can leave alive," the one-eyed man stared straight at 13.
"Let me handle this, okay?" 36 pushed down 13's gun.
"What do you think you're doing?!" 1 reprimanded sternly.
"Lately, I've been sparring with martial artists. But I haven't found a strong opponent. I really want a fierce fight!" 36 looked at 1, eyes gleaming with desire.
1 wanted to continue lecturing but was stopped by 13.
"Can you win?" 13 asked.
"I wouldn't lose even if I took off my gear and fought him!" 36's firm tone radiated confidence.
"Then hurry up! We can't fully trust his words." 13 holstered their gun.
Excitedly, 36 began removing their body armor, slowly walking towards the one-eyed man in the center of the room. This was a true clash of flesh against flesh, without a trace of modern influence.
"His mother died giving birth to him. His father raised him. His father was a renowned martial arts master, once holding an undefeated record of 127 challenges. But in the 128th challenge against an underground boxing king, the defeated opponent couldn't accept it and pulled out a gun, killing him. 36 was only 8 at the time." 24 walked over to 13 and 1, speaking softly, "Perhaps that's why he extremely dislikes using guns to kill unarmed martial artists."
"How do you know that?" 1 asked blankly. Personal files in the special forces were top-secret national intelligence.
"Don't forget I'm the top computer hacker attacker in the entire school!" 24's smile seemed exceptionally cold. "I know your file too, want to hear it?"
"Better not," 1 shook their head frantically.
"That person is strong!" 13 suddenly looked at the one-eyed man and said calmly, "When entering the door just now, I didn't sense his presence at all."
"Hmm…" 1 also looked at him. "Judging by the movements, the kick that hit you was Taekwondo, deflecting 24's shots and blocking my side kick was Tai Chi."
"He won't lose…" 13 looked reassuringly at 36, who was now standing before the one-eyed man. "He's very strong too. 36's fists only command submission!"
At this moment, 36 and the one-eyed man bowed deeply to each other.
"Although I don't want to fight a kid, your performance just now tells me underestimating you would be a huge mistake, so I will use my full strength," the one-eyed man said with a smile.
"Are you done talking? Can I kill you now?" 36 replied with a smile as well.
"Nobody likes a cocky brat!" With that, he lunged forward...