pjbooks Chapter 26 Assassin Organization Attacks
Chapter 26 Assassin Organization Attacks
The Dark Night Organization's eighteenth-floor underground hall.
The man in the black robe remained seated behind the conference table, motionless.
On the table in front of him lay Jiang Chen's file. The boy in the photo had handsome features and gentle eyes, looking no different from any other seventeen-year-old high school student.
But the man in black robes watched for a long time.
"Boss." A voice sounded from behind. It was the short figure who had retrieved the documents earlier. "The mission has been assigned. The third team is in charge, and it's expected to be completed within three days."
The man in black robes did not speak.
"Leader?" the voice asked, sounding puzzled. "Is there a problem?"
The man in black robes remained silent for a moment.
"Tell the third group not to underestimate the enemy."
"Underestimating your opponent? A powerless individual?"
Have you seen the crime scene investigation report for the Liu family massacre case?
"no."
The man in the black robe pulled a photo from the folder and pushed it onto the table.
That's an aerial view of the ruins of the Liu family estate. Hundreds of acres of mansions, reduced to scorched earth. Pavilions, terraces, artificial hills, and ponds—all gone.
What do you see in this photo?
The short figure leaned closer for a look and frowned.
"There is no trace of residual spiritual energy. There is no explosion epicenter. There is no trace of energy collision." His voice gradually became solemn.
"This isn't a fight. This is a crushing defeat."
He stood up and walked to the window—or rather, a huge display screen. The screen showed real-time surveillance footage of Jiangzhou City, a dense grid covering the entire city.
"Notify the third team," the black-robed man's voice was deep. "The target's level has been upgraded to S-rank. The operation plan has been changed to long-range sniping; close combat is prohibited. If the sniping fails, retreat immediately and do not linger."
"S-rank?!" The short figure's voice changed noticeably. "Leader, he's only seventeen..."
He was interrupted before he could even utter the words "powerless person".
"Are you questioning my judgment?"
"I wouldn't dare," came the reply, the voice trembling noticeably.
"Then do as I say."
"Yes."
The short figure disappeared into the shadows.
The man in black robes stood in front of the screen, looking at the night view of Jiangzhou City.
His gaze fell on an ordinary residential area in the east of the city—that was the direction of Jiang Chen's home.
"Jiang Chen," he murmured the name, "what exactly are you?"
No one answered him.
On the screen, Jiangzhou City was brightly lit, just like any other ordinary night.
But the man in black knew that this night was just the calm before the storm.
...
Three days later. Jiangzhou.
On the top floor of an abandoned residential building in the south of the city, three dark figures lurked in the darkness.
They were no ordinary assassins. In the Dark Night Organization's ranking system, each of these three members of the Third Group was a battle-hardened A-level Awakened. In any city, they would be a force to be reckoned with.
There were no lights on, no conversation, and even their heartbeats were suppressed to less than ten beats per minute. The three people looked like three lifeless corpses, blending seamlessly into the surrounding ruins.
The sniper is called Night Owl, a peak A-rank Awakened. His abilities are "Eagle Eye" and "Penetration"—not only can he magnify his field of vision a hundredfold, seeing as if it were daytime at night, but he can also see through walls, armor, and all obstacles. His sniper rifle is the "Kiss of Death," specially made by the Dark Night Organization. Each bullet is polished from an A-rank spiritual energy crystal, and upon hitting a target, it will create a spiritual energy blast field with a diameter of ten meters, powerful enough to kill an A-rank Awakened.
The observer was named Han Chan, an A-rank Awakened with the ability "Absolute Perception"—the ability to sense the aura fluctuations of any living being within a 500-meter range, and even accurately determine the opponent's strength level, ability attributes, and heart rate. He closed his eyes, concentrating intently on perceiving everything around him.
The backup is called Mantis, a peak A-rank Awakened. His abilities are "Iron Body" and "Super Strength"—his entire skin can harden to an alloy level in an instant, and his strength is enough to overturn a tank. He is one of the top five strongest close-combat fighters in the Dark Night Organization and has killed an S-rank monster with his bare hands.
Three A-level Awakened individuals are facing off against one "powerless individual".
This configuration is unprecedented in the history of the Dark Night organization.
Three days ago, when the leader raised the target level to S-level, Night Owl refused.
"Boss, the three of us are going to kill a high school student?" he said on the comms, his tone clearly displeased. "This is an insult to us."
The leader offered no explanation. He simply repeated the order: "Target level S. Snipe from a distance, no close combat. If the sniping fails, retreat immediately, do not linger."
The owl didn't understand at the time. But now, after three days of observation, he still doesn't understand.
For three days, they kept Jiang Chen under full surveillance.
Going to school, coming home from school, eating, shopping, playing games at home—no detail was overlooked.
The conclusion is: this goal is as ordinary as it gets.
There were no spiritual energy fluctuations, no counter-surveillance awareness, and nothing special about him. He was just an ordinary high school student, a "powerless person" ridiculed by the whole world.
"Boss." Han Chan opened her eyes, her voice low, "The target has left his house and is heading south. He is expected to enter the sniping range in ten minutes."
Night Owl peered through the scope toward Jiang Chen's house.
Three hundred meters away, a boy was walking slowly under the streetlights. He was wearing a school uniform, carrying a backpack, and holding a cup of milk tea in his hand, glancing down at his phone every now and then.
The crosshairs of the scope were placed on the back of his head, and Night Owl's finger rested on the trigger.
At a distance of 300 meters, his accuracy rate is 100%.
"Nothing unusual about the target," Night Owl said calmly. "No spiritual energy fluctuations, no guarded posture, no counter-surveillance actions. Just an ordinary person."
"I told you the leader was overthinking it," Mantis scoffed in the channel. "Three A-ranks killing a high school student, what will become of us?"
"Shut up," Night Owl said coldly. "The leader's orders are the highest command. If he says S-rank, then it's S-rank."
"Alright, alright..." The mantis shrugged dismissively. "Then tell me, how do we fight?"
The owl remained silent for a few seconds.
"As planned. Long-range sniping, one shot to kill. Retreat immediately after the kill, without lingering."
"clear."
"clear."
All three entered combat mode simultaneously.
Night Owl's breathing slowed, his heart rate dropped from sixty beats per minute to thirty, and he was like a sophisticated killing machine, waiting for the perfect moment to fire.
Three hundred meters... two hundred and fifty meters... two hundred meters...
"Wait," Han Chan suddenly spoke, her voice tinged with alertness, "Something's up."
Night Owl's fingers paused slightly.
"What's going on?"
"One hundred and fifty meters behind the target, there is someone following him." Han Chan's voice became serious. "Female, around eighteen years old, S-rank ice-type talent, strong spiritual energy fluctuations, she is Shen Qingxue from the Shen family."
Night Owl frowned.
Shen Qingxue. The eldest daughter of the Shen family, an S-rank ice-type talent awakener. She transferred to Jiangzhou Academy three days ago and took the initiative to sit next to Jiang Chen. The Dark Night intelligence network had already discovered this.
But her appearance was not part of the plan.
But if this matter involves the Shen family, to be honest, it could be quite troublesome.
"She's tracking her target," Han Chan said, lowering her voice even further.
"About eighty meters from the target, in a concealed state, is she secretly protecting him?"
"An S-class genius protecting a powerless person?" Mantis scoffed in the channel. "Is this young lady of the Shen family out of her mind?"
The owl did not laugh.
He was thinking.
Shen Qingxue's appearance complicated what was originally a simple task. If Jiang Chen were to be assassinated, Shen Qingxue would definitely intervene. Although her S-rank ice-type talent had only been awakened less than a month ago, S-rank is S-rank—not something to be easily ignored.
Moreover, if Shen Qingxue dies, the Shen family will definitely investigate. At that time, An Ye will not only be facing a powerless person, but also the wrath of an entire powerful family in the capital.
"Boss, what do we do?" Han Chan asked. "Should we cancel the operation?"
The owl remained silent for five seconds.
"Don't cancel." His voice was cold and hard. "The target has entered the optimal sniping position; this is the only chance. Leave Shen Qingxue to me. After sniping Jiang Chen, retreat immediately and don't get entangled with her."
"clear."
"clear."
Night Owl repositioned his aim at Jiang Chen's head.
At this moment, Jiang Chen had reached the entrance of the alley. The alley was short, about fifty meters long, with old residential buildings on both sides. There were no streetlights, and the lighting was dim. His building was at the end of the alley.
This is the best sniping position—the alley is unobstructed, and there is a straight line from the sniping point to the target location with no obstacles.
The owl stopped breathing completely.
His finger rested lightly on the trigger, feeling the travel of a fraction of a millimeter.
Three...two...one...
"Be careful!"
The warning cicadas' cries rang out on the channel, their voices filled with unprecedented tension.
Night Owl's fingers suddenly paused, and his pupils contracted sharply.
In the scope, a white figure rushed out from the side of the alley, moving at an astonishing speed—it was the full power of an S-class awakened being. Ice-type spiritual energy condensed into a path of frost beneath her feet, allowing her to traverse a distance of more than ten meters in 0.3 seconds.
She rammed into Jiang Chen, pushing him three meters away.
boom!
Gunshots rang out.
The bullet grazed Shen Qingxue's back and struck the wall behind her. The explosive force of the A-grade spiritual energy crystal bullet blasted a two-meter-wide hole in the wall. Brick and stone fragments scattered like cannonballs, and the shockwave sent trash cans flying into the air.
Shen Qingxue groaned as the explosion ripped the back of her clothes, revealing large patches of charred skin. Blood gushed from the wound, instantly soaking her entire back.
If she hadn't pushed Jiang Chen away in time, the bullet would have hit him squarely in the chest.
The power of an A-grade spirit crystal bullet is enough to turn everything within a ten-meter radius into dust.
"Damn it!" Night Owl gritted his teeth, his voice filled with suppressed rage.
A dark figure flipped and jumped from the third-floor window.
At a height of twenty meters, the praying mantis landed like a feather, without making a sound. The moment it hit the ground, its body hardened into a "steel body," and a layer of dark gray metallic luster appeared on its skin.
He stood at the alley entrance, looking at Shen Qingxue ten meters away.
"S-rank talent." His voice was deep, with a hint of amusement. "Unfortunately, it's still a novice."
Shen Qingxue gritted her teeth and stood up. The wound on her back burned like fire, and her left arm was also cut by shrapnel from the explosion, leaving several deep cuts that exposed bone, with blood dripping from her fingertips.
But she did not back down.
Ice-elemental spiritual energy condensed in her palm, and the moisture in the air instantly condensed into countless tiny ice crystals, reflecting a cold light in the dim alley.
"Jiang Chen, run!" Her voice was hoarse, but unusually firm.
She had never seen these people before, but she had heard of them. Judging from their attire, they were members of the Dark Night organization.
It seems that Liu Mingxia actually used the power of the Dark Night Organization!
There was no response from behind Shen Qingxue.
Shen Qingxue didn't have time to think, because the mantis had already moved.
His speed wasn't fast, but each step was like a mountain collapsing. His fist, reinforced by a body of steel, carried enough force to pierce through tank armor, smashing towards Shen Qingxue's face.
Shen Qingxue dodged to the side and slashed horizontally with her ice sword. The blade struck the mantis's arm, sparks flew, the ice sword shattered, and only a shallow white mark remained on the mantis's arm.
"A peak A-grade steel body." Shen Qingxue's heart sank.
Her ice sword could cut through steel plates, but it couldn't pierce this person's skin.
The mantis's second punch has arrived.
This punch was three times faster than the first one. Shen Qingxue had no time to dodge and could only gather the remaining ice-type spiritual power in front of her to form an ice shield.
boom!
The ice shield shattered.
Shen Qingxue was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall behind her. The wall cracked, and rubble fell. She spat out a mouthful of blood, staining her school uniform red.
"cough……"
She slid to the ground, gasping for breath. Every part of her body ached, and her vision blurred.
But she still struggled to her feet.
"You can still stand up?" The mantis was somewhat surprised. "Little girl, you've got some tough bones. But..."
He walked towards her step by step, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly.
"You can't withstand the third punch."
Shen Qingxue stared intently at him, her ice-elemental spiritual energy re-condensing in her palm. But she knew she couldn't hold on much longer.
The first punch shattered her ice shield, the second punch damaged her internal organs. What would she use to block the third punch?
But she couldn't back down.
Jiang Chen was right behind her. If she backed down, Jiang Chen would die.
"I told you!" Shen Qingxue gritted her teeth, her voice hoarse.
"You can't get through!"
That was a promise to the Shen family. She also knew that if she wanted to be on good terms with Jiang Chen, she had to gain his approval or favor.
The mantis sneered and raised its fist again. This time, it used its full strength—a perfect combination of steel body and superhuman strength. The power of this punch was enough to smash a heavy truck into scrap metal.
Shen Qingxue closed her eyes.
It wasn't giving up, but rather gathering her last strength. Her ice-type spiritual power surged wildly within her; she was going to concentrate all her power on that final strike—even if it meant mutual destruction.
Fifty meters away, a window on the third floor.
Night Owl's scope had been repositioned around Jiang Chen.
Shen Qingxue was entangled by the praying mantis; no one could stop his bullets anymore. His finger rested on the trigger, his breathing steady, his heartbeat even.
Three...two...one...
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the view through the scope suddenly changed.
Jiang Chen raised his head and glanced in his direction.
At a distance of 300 meters, Night Owl's "Eagle Eye" ability allowed him to see every detail of Jiang Chen's expression.
He saw it—those eyes.
Those eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. There was no fear, no anger, not even a trace of tension.
It's like looking at something insignificant.
But it was those calm eyes that made Night Owl's entire soul tremble.
It wasn't a metaphor; he was genuinely trembling. At that moment, he felt as if he had fallen into an abyss!