Chapter Sixty-Two: The Duel

The next moment, a thin line of blood blossomed at Lin Feng’s neck. In an instant, Xiao Ye, with the blade in his hand, slit Lin Feng’s throat, settling the contest at once.

Lin Feng felt a sudden chill at his neck. Just as he reached out to touch it, he realized with horror that he could no longer breathe. He collapsed to his knees, convulsing.

Xiao Ye tossed away the blade, regarding Lin Feng coldly.

Everyone understood—the duel had ended, and Xiao Ye had triumphed with overwhelming dominance.

The mercenaries under Lin Feng's command stood stunned. Their shock was not only because their leader had been killed, but also because even his underhanded tactics had failed against Xiao Ye. Their blood ran cold.

The victor and the vanquished were clear.

To outsiders, Xiao Ye’s feat of disarming an armed opponent with bare hands seemed perilous, but what they did not know was that his movements were the result of years of muscle memory.

Lin Feng’s eyes were filled with terror and desperate pleading, silently begging Xiao Ye to save him. Blood flooded his airway; he could not utter a word.

“You want me to save you? Lin Feng, not even a god could rescue you now. This is what happens when you cross me. Remember in your next life—don’t ever meet me again.” Xiao Ye looked at Lin Feng, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.

Soon, Lin Feng bled out completely, dying on the spot.

“Is there anyone else who still wishes to reclaim your ‘possessions’?” Xiao Ye spoke coldly after a long silence, addressing the mercenaries before him.

Their leader slain, the mercenaries scattered and fled. The base was left with only the bodies and the members of the Red Dragon squad.

Looking at Xiao Ye, applause and cheers suddenly erupted from the crowd, all in awe of the battle.

“King Xiao, I never imagined there could be someone like you in this world. You have truly earned our admiration.” The leader stepped forward, utterly convinced.

“My task is finished. The rest is up to you.” Xiao Ye gave a few brief instructions, then turned and left the base.

Tonight, Xiao Ye’s name would be indelibly etched into the hearts of these mercenaries.

With the matter on Xue Gui’s side resolved, he took a flight that very night to his next destination for gathering medicinal herbs.

Before landing on the island, Chen Beixuan handed out radios to the group, but hadn’t prepared any heavy weaponry.

“This mission is for the safety of the hostages, so let's avoid fighting if we can. Contact each other via radio if anything happens.”

The group nodded and proceeded to land on the island.

The island wasn’t large—barely three or four square kilometers, even smaller than the one Chen Beixuan took Shen Xiyue to previously.

The eight of them quickly surveyed their surroundings and soon pinpointed where the enemy was located.

Judging by its size, the building here was merely a small base, with hardly any room for personnel.

They moved deeper in, and Chen Beixuan suddenly sensed something was off.

The guards here appeared strict. The farther they went, the more conspicuous the lights became. At every crucial intersection, Chen Beixuan saw fully-armed men patrolling.

The group crouched behind cover. Bai Long wanted to move ahead and take out a few, but Chen Beixuan pulled him back.

“Don’t be impulsive. Did you see what those men carry at their waists?”

The lights shone directly into their eyes; Bai Long couldn’t quite make out the details in the urgency of the moment, nor did he have the mind to check what was strapped to their belts.

On closer inspection, Bai Long was surprised to discover they carried the most advanced equipment from the Western Territories.

“These men are anything but simple. We must be cautious tonight.” Chen Beixuan divided the eight into pairs, forming four teams, each targeting a patrol squad ahead to launch their assault.

The island’s thick grass provided natural cover. The patrol squads only heard a disturbance in the brush nearby before being subdued by the teams.

In barely ten minutes, Chen Beixuan’s group had taken down the outer patrols.

Looking at the immobilized men before him, Bai Long asked, “I’ll ask only once—what are your true intentions? Where is your headquarters?”

Bai Long’s intent was clear—he had no patience for idle talk, only wanted to rescue the hostages quickly.

The answer was even more resolute. The man sneered, almost mocking, then bit down hard.

In that instant, foam appeared at the man’s mouth, a pungent odor wafted forth, and his eyes rolled back as he died.

“Damn it, it’s poison!” Bai Long slammed the ground and spoke to the others.

He hadn’t expected such extremity—the captives refused to surrender and opted for suicide.

Leaving aside the cost of the poison in their mouths, Bai Long was struck by their resolve. These men weren’t patrols but suicide squads meant to stop Chen Beixuan and his team.

Without exception, the remaining teams encountered the same situation.

There was little recourse. Though Chen Beixuan could track their whereabouts, faced with the patrol squads’ mass suicide, he was powerless.

Chen Beixuan realized at once that these people were already aware of their arrival. Why else would they station so many at these paths?

“We need to deal with everyone on the island quickly. Move fast, meet at the base entrance,” Chen Beixuan instructed via radio.

These guards were indeed extraordinary. The two-man squads had little trouble with the islanders, but dealing with them was still troublesome.

They could only resort to stealth and assassination to conceal their movements.

With more suicides by poison, Chen Beixuan’s questions remained unanswered—who were these people? Why had they abducted Doctor Ji?

Sadly, all he received was mocking laughter and cold corpses.

Soon, all the patrol squads on the island were eliminated. There was little resistance, save for a few who noticed Chen Beixuan’s movements, but they too were assassinated.

Since cooperation was out of the question, Chen Beixuan decided to kill them all.

Half an hour later, Chen Beixuan and his companions finally reached their destination—the enemy base.

In front of the base was a large expanse of shrubs. Chen Beixuan wanted to wait for the right moment to storm the entrance.

“Come out. We’ve known you were here for quite some time,” a male voice called from the base, loudly directing his words to Chen Beixuan.

Knowing their presence had been discovered, Chen Beixuan stopped hiding and led the group straight to the base entrance.