Chapter 127: The Fiery Crimson Sword Glow

Moreover, he himself had many questions regarding these two individuals, such as why their targets were Xue Feifei and Tuantuan.

Furthermore, during the recent skirmish, Kong Zhe had noticed that both of them bore a sun-shaped tattoo on the back of their hands.

The moment he saw those tattoos, Kong Zhe was struck by astonishment. He had seen that mark before, and it was all too familiar. He Jie, a man who had spent a month with Kong Zhe on an island in his previous life, had an identical tattoo, though with a slight difference: the one on He Jie’s hand was pure black, while the ones on these two were blood-red.

Could these two be part of the same organization as He Jie?

Kong Zhe furrowed his brow slightly. In his past life, he had heard He Jie ramble endlessly about the organization he belonged to. Kong Zhe hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, but through their long period of interaction, he had gathered that even a man like He Jie was merely a peripheral member.

Back then, Kong Zhe hadn't thought much of it, assuming that no matter how large a mercenary organization might be, it would surely be wiped out instantly in the face of a global apocalypse.

But now, it appeared that was not the case. If these two superpowered individuals were indeed from that same organization, then Kong Zhe would have to re-evaluate the scale of this syndicate. Judging by their behavior, it was clear they were carrying out an assigned mission, which meant the organization was still active.

If this organization had survived the apocalypse, it must have been a massive entity to begin with, perhaps even a behemoth spanning multiple countries.

Kong Zhe also realized something else: back on the airplane, the mission for He Jie and his cohorts had been to kidnap several prominent scientists on board.

That explained why they were after Xue Feifei. The organization had clearly been kidnapping famous scientists around the world even before the apocalypse, and they would naturally not let someone as brilliant as Xue Feifei slip through their fingers.

But if that was the case, why kidnap Tuantuan?

Did she possess some special quality as well?

He shook his head, unable to be certain. Regardless, he had to capture these two and get to the bottom of it.

Tightening his grip on his sword, Kong Zhe’s eyes narrowed. In an instant, he surged forward, bolting out of the safety zone like a flash of lightning.

As soon as he left the safety zone, a massive portion of the restless swarm of rats surged toward him.

Kong Zhe swung his Apocalypse Sword high above his head and brought it down with a heavy, forceful strike.

"BOOM!"

A sound like flames scorching the air erupted.

Amidst the dancing crimson flames, a massive, fire-red sword aura, shaped like a crescent moon, extended forward, cutting through everything in its path. Every spiked rat it touched was instantly obliterated.

Pushing his magic power to the limit, the sword aura spanned over a hundred meters, only dissipating at the feet of the two superpowered individuals in the distance.

The gloomy sky was dyed a deep, vibrant red by the sudden flare, illuminating the surrounding area as if by the midday sun.

With this single strike, Kong Zhe had carved a path through the rat tide toward his targets.

Even after the sword aura vanished, the residual glow of the flames lingered in the onlookers' minds; the blood-like color only deepened the shock felt by everyone present.

Yu Qun and the others not far away stood frozen, staring at the scene, their movements coming to a halt. It wasn't until they were bitten several times by the rats that they snapped back to reality and scrambled to stabilize their formation. However, in a life-or-death battle, such a significant lapse was nearly fatal, and even with their desperate efforts to fend off the rats, it felt like they were already too late.

Behind Kong Zhe, the group of students had their mouths agape in shock, a sense of immense relief rising uncontrollably in their hearts.

It was a good thing they had run away back then. If they had truly stood on the opposite side of him, what would have become of them? There was no need to guess; the sheer power of that single strike was proof enough.

If he were to swing that blade toward a crowd, they, as ordinary people, would be no different from the rats—left with nothing but death.

Beside them, Yang Fang watched the expressions on the students' faces and shook her head helplessly. She knew that while the strike was powerful, it still wasn't the young man's true strength. Recalling the terrifying scene she had witnessed outside the safety zone that day, she felt a shiver run down her spine. If that man were to go all out, it would truly be a power capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Even more shocked than the students were the Explosion Man and the Raincoat Woman. That death-dealing blade aura had reached right to their feet. Although it had exhausted its energy and dissipated by then, they had still clearly felt the aura of death at such close range.

They were already struggling to hold their ground against the rat swarm, and now that the young man had set his sights on them, they would have fled without hesitation if not for the fact that their mission target had been snatched back. The only reason they hadn't retreated was that the girl was simply too important—so important that her value far exceeded their own lives. If they fled now, they would face the organization's ten cruelest punishments.

At the mere thought of the organization's methods for dealing with deserters, they couldn't help but tremble. The idea of running away was instantly cast aside.

Kong Zhe didn't care what anyone else thought. After unleashing that devastating strike, he pushed off the ground and charged toward them like a falling star chasing the moon.

Seeing the god of death rushing toward them, the Explosion Man and the Raincoat Woman were seized by panic.

Even within the safety zone, neither of them had been able to handle him. Now that they were outside, the young man could use his abilities without restraint. And could someone so powerful have weak abilities?

One look at the previous blade aura told them it was impossible.

The Explosion Man gritted his teeth and, putting his full force into it, began throwing stones at Kong Zhe continuously.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

A constant series of explosions erupted around Kong Zhe, but he didn't hesitate. He zigzagged left and right, dodging the blasts while continuing his forward rush.

Soon, he was within striking distance.

Suddenly, Kong Zhe felt his foot snag. His momentum faltered for a split second.

Kong Zhe frowned and looked down; his ankle had been tripped by a rope made of pure water.

The material was incredibly soft, and he broke free with a slight effort.

However, when he looked up, he saw several stones floating right in front of his face.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The dust and smoke from the violent explosions completely enveloped the spot.

Although the Explosion Man had succeeded in his attack thanks to his partner's coordination, he dared not let his guard down.

He waved his hand to blast away the nearby rats while staring warily at the smoke in the distance.

He knew the young man couldn't have been taken out so easily; otherwise, there would be no need for them to be so afraid.

Several seconds passed, and there was still no movement from within the smoke. Just as the Explosion Man began to doubt himself, a voice rang out.

"Look out above!"

The Raincoat Woman's cry made the Explosion Man look up instinctively. What he saw next left him paralyzed with terror.

Without anyone noticing, the young man had appeared in the air directly above him. He was holding his sword high, his eyes devoid of emotion, and he brought it crashing down toward his body.

In that moment, the Explosion Man felt as if he were truly facing the grim reaper. He had no time to dodge. And judging by the young man's expression, he clearly had no intention of avoiding the self-destruct effect; he was determined to kill him on the spot, even if it meant taking the blast head-on.

It’s over. This time, it’s really over...

"What are you standing there for!"

At the critical moment, the Explosion Man felt himself being shoved violently aside. Before he could react, he felt a spray of water droplets before him.

The young man had already sliced the Raincoat Woman, who had stepped in to block him, clean in half. But that wasn't all. Just as he seemed about to escape the strike with his partner's help, a long, fire-red blade aura extended from the tip of the young man's sword and slashed across his body.

"AAAH!"

The Explosion Man screamed as he was sent flying, rolling onto the ground in the distance. A clean, neat wound marred his body; his right shoulder and arm were completely gone, leaving only a charred, even stump. The smell of burnt flesh reached his nose, and the intense heat had cauterized his wounds before the blood could even spray. The excruciating pain proved too much, and he blacked out instantly.

"Dammit!"

The Raincoat Woman reformed where she stood, immediately witnessing her partner's tragic state, and cursed under her breath. The situation was dire; the young man's power far exceeded their expectations.

Noticing in her peripheral vision that the young man hadn't stopped after his attack but was continuing to charge toward her companion, intent on finishing the job, she grew even more frantic and rushed to intercept him.

"WHOOSH!"

A flicker of light cut through the air. The Raincoat Woman’s eyes narrowed, and she instinctively rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

A small, smoking hole appeared exactly where she had been standing just a moment before. This left her with lingering fear, and she turned a dark, furious gaze toward the giant snake.

Atop the snake, Xue Feifei had already shouldered the weapon capable of harming her and was taking aim.

"WHOOSH!"

Another shot rang out. The Raincoat Woman leaped violently to avoid it. This time, she dared not stay in one place and began jumping continuously.

That woman wasn't targeting anyone else—only her. It was clear the grudge ran deep. The Raincoat Woman cursed inwardly.

But there was no time to dwell on that. Seeing Kong Zhe walking slowly toward the unconscious Explosion Man, the Raincoat Woman’s eyes darted, and with a splash, she transformed into water and vanished from the spot.