Chapter 99: Since Ancient Times, Sincerity Is the Best Strategy (Part II)

The gunshot rang out, then vanished.

A mutant soldier roared, pulling the trigger and shredding the furniture and walls in front of him. Faren, however, slipped past the violent tongue of fire as silently as a ghost. With a flick of his wrist, he launched a scalpel from his hand, driving it deep into the mutant’s skull. The creature went limp, collapsing to the floor in an instant—a lifeless corpse.

The fourth one.

Faren shook his hand, feeling a touch of fatigue. In his view, mutants were genuinely troublesome and difficult adversaries. Their bodies were packed with muscle and fat, yet their internal organs were small; their hearts were even a size smaller than a normal human’s. Under normal circumstances, this might not matter, but that extra layer of fat and smaller target meant Faren had to spend an extra 0.1 to 0.5 seconds to land a killing blow. For a mutant with their heightened reflexes, that sliver of time could be the difference between life and death.

Moreover, a mutant's heart was not as vital as a human's; even if pierced, they could remain active for three to five seconds, and some berserk mutants could function even longer. By comparison, attacking the brainstem was clearly the safer method.

Yet, this was no easy feat for Faren. His abilities were almost entirely focused on close-quarters combat; he lacked any ranged attacks. Dealing with these mutants required grappling at close range. While humans could never keep pace with Faren’s speed, mutants could. This made fighting them both more dangerous and more difficult, but...

That was exactly what made it thrilling!

Gripping the scalpel, Faren licked his lips. A surge of excitement and exhilaration raced up his spine. The tension and joy of hovering between life and death were addictive. This was it—this feeling was exactly what he craved!

Yes, don't overcomplicate it. Don't think too much. To kill or be killed; the relationship between people, and the relationship between people and other things—it was all so simple. Survival and death—that is the only choice one must make. In fact, all life exists for this very purpose!

Slaughter. Death.

"Thud!"

Another mutant climbed the stairs, roaring in fury as it raised its machine gun and sprayed the area. Faren rolled, narrowly dodging the whistling bullets, his form flickering as he wove through the hail of fire. He pushed off the floor like a taut arrow, leaping toward the mutant.

"ROAR—!"

Seeing Faren lunge, the mutant let out a bellow, swinging its rifle like a heavy blade. Faren’s expression remained unchanged. He flicked his wrist, and several silver glints manifested out of thin air, instantly severing the mutant’s arm along with its weapon, sending the pieces clattering to the floor. Had it been a human, such a strike would have sent them into agonizing screams or unconsciousness, but the mutant soldier seemed to feel no pain. It roared, thrusting its left hand forward and striking Faren’s body. As he was caught, Faren’s fingers twitched; a blood-stained scalpel flew forward, piercing straight through the creature's open mouth and into its brain.

"Thud!"

The sheer impact sent Faren slamming into the wall. He gasped, forcing down the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat. A moment later, he stood up, straightened his coat, and stepped once more into the darkness.

The entire villa fell into silence once again.

"What on earth is going on?"

Standing on a nearby ridge, the mutant leader stared with a grim expression at the darkened villa. Although these mutants possessed superior strength, speed, constitution, and regeneration compared to humans, they were not without weaknesses. They could not use digital networks; they lacked any access, meaning they could not coordinate like ordinary people. Because of this, they were completely blind to what was happening inside.

At first, upon hearing the gunfire, the leader and his men had assumed the fight would end quickly. They believed that no matter how skilled the human inside was, he could not withstand the assault of so many soldiers. If he fled, he would be riddled with holes by their pre-arranged kill zone.

But to their surprise, five or six mutants had been sent in and had gone silent. The gunfire had ceased entirely, leaving only stillness. Without a network, they couldn't know the situation, but they understood that something was terribly wrong.

"A bunch of losers!"

The leader sneered at the villa, raised his gun, and stepped out from cover. Seeing this, Darrell panicked and rushed to block his path.

"Wait, wait! We agreed! We'd take him out right here!"

"What? You think I’ll lose?"

The leader turned, glaring viciously at Darrell. For a mutant, this was the ultimate insult. Swallowing hard, Darrell braced himself and continued.

"If it were a head-on fight, I’d never doubt you. But the situation is different; he’s clearly prepared. He must have set traps inside. Otherwise, how could all those soldiers have been wiped out without a sound? Let’s stick to the plan! If this doesn't kill him, it’ll at least force the bastard out of his kennel! Once he's out, you can kill him then!"

"Hmm..."

Hearing the advice, the leader's expression softened. It was true—mutants had immense strength and speed, but traps were a different matter. While most mutants were single-minded, that didn't mean they were truly stupid; they just didn't see the need to think. Since Darrell said so, the leader saw no reason to take unnecessary risks. Seeing the leader relent, Darrell wiped away a cold sweat and pushed his advantage.

"Good. Let’s do it here, now. Before Vegas catches wind of this, or we’ll have real trouble on our hands!"

"Hmph, a bunch of weak humans. I’ll kill as many as he dares to send!"

With a cold snort, the leader halted and raised his hand. Two other mutants lurking nearby stood up, each shouldering a rocket launcher like a living artillery piece, aiming at the villa. The leader took aim as well, then gestured sharply.

"Fire!"

"WHOOSH—!"

Four rockets erupted in a trail of fire and white smoke, screaming toward their target. In mere seconds, they would reduce the villa to rubble.

The next moment, a flash of lightning descended from the sky.

"BOOM!"

The bolt struck the flying rockets with unerring precision. Amidst the explosions, the four projectiles detonated in mid-air, turning into massive fireballs that illuminated the surroundings. A violent blast wave, carrying intense heat and flames, rushed toward the leader and his men. Even the mutants were forced to recoil, instinctively raising their hands to shield their faces from the searing heat.

"Damn it, what the hell is this..."

Before the leader could finish, the flames before him parted.

A spiked mace emerged from within.