Chapter 3: Battle

Night had fallen, blanketing everything in silence. The hospital ward was in a state of semi-lockdown; outsiders could not enter unless accompanied by new patients.

But this isolation only deterred those who adhered strictly to rules. On the first floor, a short blade silently sliced through the glass of a bathroom window, creating a small hole. A hand reached in, opening the window from within.

Two figures slipped through the window, their movements fluid and practiced. They seemed intimately familiar with the hospital layout. Not far from the bathroom, they opened a door and slipped inside a room.

When they emerged again, they were clad in blue nurse scrubs.

The addition of two new nurses to the ward went entirely unnoticed.

Exchanging gestures, one of them approached the nurses’ station. With lightning speed and deadly precision, he pressed his fingers against the neck of a nurse just as she was about to raise her head. She slumped forward instantly, unconscious.

Using the nurse’s access privileges, he swiftly reviewed patient information, locating their target.

“Scar, it’s 209 on the second floor,” he whispered to his companion. “Get ready, Black Leopard won’t go down easy!”

“Boss, Black Leopard is seriously injured. No need to be so cautious!” Scar replied, unconvinced.

Despite his words, Scar instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his knife.

The man known as the boss now wielded a rune-inscribed short spear. Together, they ascended the stairs swiftly and silently, one step ahead of the other.

As they approached room 209, the boss gestured for Scar to take the lead.

Scar drew his blade and gently pushed open the door with the flat side.

In that instant, a fireball erupted from within.

Black Leopard had just awakened, discovering his hidden treasure was gone.

For this very treasure, he had risked everything—his life hanging by a thread during their escape.

Fleeing back to the city, he hadn’t even spared a thought for his own magical artifacts, instead forcing the precious item into his wound.

He suspected the doctors might have taken it away, planning to confront them the next day for answers.

Just then, he sensed movement outside his hospital room. His injuries were severe; at less than half his usual strength, with one leg badly damaged. Though reattached, it would be some time before he could use it properly.

Thus, he chose magic—specifically spells like Fireball. If anyone in the hospital detected its signature, help would soon arrive.

With a thunderous boom, Scar sliced through the fireball.

The fireball had been too close for comfort. Although Scar managed to bisect it in time, the ensuing explosion of flames still engulfed his body.

Li Zhen jolted awake at the sound of the exploding fireball. His senses immediately picked up several spiritual objects’ auras emanating from the room next door.

Based on his limited experience, he discerned that one aura was akin to the dark green tree branch, another resembled the previous B26 model body inspection device. The final two auras were weaker, likely indicating low-grade first-rank spirit artifacts.

An explosion followed by multiple spiritual objects appearing in the middle of the night? he thought. Something must have happened in the neighboring room.

He swiftly slipped off the bed, curling into a tight ball beneath it.

In this world he’d come to understand, danger lurked around every corner. As merely a 12-year-old boy, neither ordinary adults nor cultivators were adversaries he could hope to face.

Having finally been granted a second chance at life, he fully intended to enjoy it to the fullest in this realm.

Scar let out a blood-curdling scream as he staggered backward, desperately channeling spiritual energy to extinguish the flames consuming him.

Meanwhile, the boss wielded his rune-inscribed short gun. Unable to spot the black leopard directly, he unleashed a barrage of shots within the room.

Upon seeing the rune short gun, Black Leopard overturned the hospital bed, positioning it in front of him.

Though the bed couldn’t block the enchanted bullets from the rune short gun, it did shield his boss’s line of sight.

With a muffled groan, one of the enchanted bullets still managed to strike his abdomen.

Realizing he couldn’t continue like this, he disregarded his injuries and mustered all his strength to fling the hospital bed towards the door. At the same time, he hopped over on one leg, pressing himself tightly against the wall beside it.

He simultaneously cast another fireball spell, ready to attack the two men outside at any moment.

“Black Leopard, we’re just here for some money,” the boss called out grimly. “Hand over that Winged Wood, and my brothers will be on their way!”

From his vantage point, he couldn’t see Black Leopard, but they couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer in the hospital. The commotion earlier had been too loud; security forces would arrive soon.

Black Leopard remained silent. Even if he claimed he didn’t have any Winged Wood now, they wouldn’t believe him.

The boss gestured to Scar, who produced and activated a Diamond Talisman. A faint golden aura shimmered around him.

Swinging his blade, Scar effortlessly cleaved through the hospital bed blocking the doorway.

As he stepped inside, a fiery orb loomed before him.

Well-prepared, he sliced through the fireball with a single stroke. The exploding flames fell upon his Vajra Shield, completely unable to harm him.

The Black Leopard’s body followed the fireball, lunging at Scar.

After being injured, all items on his person had vanished, leaving him reliant solely on his physical body for combat. For a cultivator, this severely limited his ability to exert his full strength, especially given his numerous grave wounds.

His only thought now was to fight desperately, vowing to take at least one opponent down with him.

Scar swung his blade towards the Black Leopard’s head. Unyielding, the leopard merely tilted its skull, causing Scar’s strike to land on its shoulder instead—a blow that nearly cleaved from shoulder to chest.

Seizing this opportunity, the Black Leopard found himself almost face-to-face with Scar.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, which ignited into flames as it struck Scar’s Vajra Shield. These flames, fueled by vital essence, were immensely powerful, instantly shattering Scar’s protective barrier.

Then, the Black Leopard embraced Scar, his body engulfed in roaring flames, transforming him into a living inferno.

Scar never anticipated such desperation from the Black Leopard. He had initially believed that his Vajra Shield would hold long enough, giving his boss ample time to intervene.

Both Scar and Black Leopard had transformed into blazing figures of fire. Scar thrashed wildly, slamming into the wall with Black Leopard in tow.

Li Zhen felt a sudden jolt rock the room, followed by a large hole appearing in the shared wall between two hospital rooms as two silhouettes burst through, engulfed in flames.

Three rune bullets struck Black Leopard’s head in quick succession. His skull exploded, but his body remained tightly clutching Scar.

“Scar!” The boss rushed forward, desperate to save him, but it was too late.

The inferno ignited by Black Leopard’s final act was too powerful; Scar lay motionless, his life extinguished.

Unwilling to waste any more time mourning Scar’s death, the boss searched Black Leopard’s corpse thoroughly. He then returned to the patient’s room for another meticulous search, yet still found no trace of Winged Wood.

Returning once more to Black Leopard’s body, he unleashed a fierce kick, venting his fury at this fruitless loss.

He’d failed to secure the item, sacrificing one of his own in the process.

Suddenly, the boss turned his gaze towards the bed. He’d reviewed the nurse station records earlier, aware that a patient should have been occupying this very space.

Back at the nurses’ station, he’d disabled the surveillance equipment, emboldening him to commit murder within the city limits.

But if there were witnesses, he didn’t want to risk becoming a wanted fugitive on the Security Bureau’s most-wanted list.