There is a dedicated road leading to the Emerald Court Private Club. Now, it's already past eight in the evening, and both sides of the road are lined with dazzling, bright streetlights. The entire club is brilliantly lit. As the alarm blared, burly men in black swiftly sprang into action, each taking up their posts with practiced coordination. These men in black are elite bodyguards from the "Iron Vanguard," the private security force of the Three Great Houses of China. Thanks to the immense power and wealth of the Three Great Houses, members of the Iron Vanguard are essentially their personal guards!
Most of the Iron Vanguard members are elite fighters selected from the military and famous martial arts families by the Three Great Houses. Each one is highly trained, experienced, and exceptionally skilled. As soon as Murong Shanhe's warning came through, they immediately locked down every passage leading out of the Emerald Court Private Club. Anyone trying to leave would have to face these Iron Vanguard experts.
Shawn Young pushed himself to the limit, chasing after the shadowy figure. The figure moved with incredible agility—leaping and darting through several doors in a flash. The speed was electric, the movements as nimble as a monkey, leaving Shawn both shocked and impressed. It was the first time he'd seen someone use such a swift and agile technique, almost inhumanly flexible!
Soon, the shadowy figure had reached the closed gates outside the Emerald Court Private Club. But instead of slowing down, the figure raised his right hand—"Whoosh!"—a diamond-shaped metal object shot out—"Thunk!"—and embedded itself right in the seam of the metal doors.
"Boom!" A deafening blast erupted—the closed metal doors were blown open by a powerful explosion. The shockwave reverberated down the corridor. The shadowy figure, clearly experienced, dodged to the side and crouched against the wall, avoiding the blast. As the doors blew open, he slipped out. Shawn Young, caught off guard and chasing close behind, was hit by the shockwave and staggered back several steps before steadying himself, his chest pounding. But now he could see clearly—the shadowy figure was actually a masked ninja!
Just then, another person rushed out behind Shawn Young. He turned to look—it was Fiona Nangong. Shawn hadn't expected her to move so quickly.
"Careful, that guy's a ninja! He just threw an explosive shuriken! Are you okay?" Fiona Nangong caught up and asked Shawn Young with concern.
"I'm fine, I know he's a ninja. But what the heck is that explosive shuriken? It's even more powerful than a grenade!" Shawn Young quickly asked Fiona Nangong.
"It's one of the special weapons used by elite Japanese ninjas. They modify the usual diamond-shaped shuriken by adding a powerful explosive tip. Ninjas only use them in special situations!" Fiona Nangong explained.
"Oh—I see! Are you okay? What happened to you?" Shawn Young quickly noticed that the side of Fiona Nangong's cheongsam was torn all the way up to her thigh, revealing glimpses of her fair, glistening skin. His heart raced, but curiosity got the better of him and he asked.
"I did it myself. Otherwise, how could I keep up with you guys?" Fiona Nangong blushed as she explained.
"Oh—" Shawn Young suddenly understood. No wonder she could run so fast in a cheongsam—it was "custom-modified."
"Boom—boom—boom—boom!" Several huge explosions rang out in quick succession. Shawn Young and Fiona Nangong exchanged glances, both stunned. Apparently, that fleeing ninja was using explosive shuriken to blast his way through the closed doors!
"Hey, kid, stop ogling me and go catch that ninja! Who knows how much intel he stole—if he escapes, we're screwed! Hurry up!" Fiona Nangong shot Shawn Young a glare, then twisted her body and dashed out ahead.
"Boom!" The last gate was blasted open by another explosive shuriken, shattering with a thunderous crash and sending dust flying everywhere.
"Bang—bang—bang—bang!" A hail of gunfire erupted, bullets streaking like fiery snakes toward the blasted doorway. The Iron Vanguard bodyguards stationed outside opened fire.
But after the fierce shooting, with smoke still lingering and the Iron Vanguard guards reloading, the shadowy figure suddenly darted out—leaping into the air, both hands flinging—"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" A shower of golden light scattered in all directions.
"Crack—crack—crack—crack—crack!" The bright streetlights lining the road were instantly shattered, plunging the whole passage into darkness. The Iron Vanguard guards never expected this—before they could react, the ninja had already used qinggong, his body darting and leaping like a swallow diving into the forest, vanishing into the greenery and sprinting deep into the woods.
At that moment, all the Iron Vanguard guards were left dumbfounded. There were hardly any people stationed in that greenery, and none of them expected the ninja to break through such tight security!
Shawn Young and Fiona Nangong quickly gave chase. They saw the ninja's figure disappear into the darkness of the woods. Fired up by the ninja's impressive skills, Shawn's competitive spirit surged—he shouted, channeled his Qi into his legs, stomped the ground, and shot forward like a startled swan. After a few leaps, he was hot on the ninja's heels, not letting him get away.
The ninja dashed into the woods, sprinting at full speed, but soon realized he couldn't shake Shawn Young. Shocked, he leaped up, tapped his toes on a tree, spun gracefully in the air, and landed lightly, standing his ground. His cold eyes fixed on the approaching Shawn Young.
Shawn Young charged up and stopped four or five meters in front of the ninja. The ninja stood calmly, staring at him. In the darkness, the ninja's eyes glowed with a cold light, like a wolf or a tiger, filled with killing intent.
Shawn Young tensed, bringing his hands to his chest and gathering his Qi, fully alert. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen this ninja somewhere before—the aura and those eyes felt strangely familiar!
Just then, footsteps and flashlight beams swept through the woods from outside. Shawn Young looked up and saw two Iron Vanguard bodyguards rushing in, flashlights in one hand, pistols in the other, running toward him.
"Hmph—" The ninja snorted coldly, reached behind, and drew a long, gleaming blade. As the ninja unsheathed it, Shawn Young immediately felt a wave of oppressive energy. He looked closely—the blade was different from a typical Japanese katana. It was long, thin, perfectly straight with no curve at all, and in the darkness, its edge shimmered with a black light, rippling along the blade and radiating an intense, chilling aura!
"Ah—they're over there! I see them!" The two Iron Vanguard bodyguards quickly spotted the ninja and Shawn Young, shouting as they rushed over.
As the two got closer, the ninja's blade vibrated with a crisp "buzz," sounding almost like rain on banana leaves. Shawn Young was startled and shouted a warning to the Iron Vanguard bodyguards: "Don't come any closer! Watch out—"
Unfortunately, his warning came too late. Before he finished speaking, the ninja flashed forward—"Whoosh!"—like a demon in the night, suddenly appearing between the two Iron Vanguard guards.
Before the two could react—"Swish!"—a streak of black light flashed across their bodies and vanished.
The next moment—a horrifying scene unfolded. The two Iron Vanguard bodyguards' bodies suddenly split in half, their upper halves flying through the air while their lower halves staggered a few meters before collapsing. Their organs spilled out, and the thick stench of blood instantly filled the woods!