Urban Martial Saint

Ou Keren never imagined that she would be rescued in such a situation. Standing at the edge of the cliff, she gasped for breath, then suddenly charged forward to hug Ye Qing tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, unwilling to let go.

No matter how strong she was, she was still a girl. Facing circumstances like this, managing to hold up until now before crying was already remarkable.

However, the scene left Ye Qing feeling somewhat awkward. He wanted to push Ou Keren away, but her grip was too tight, making it impossible for him to break free. He didn’t dare use force, fearing he might hurt her, and could only let her cry for the moment.

Down the mountain, Zhao Chengshuang had already gathered his men and surrounded the entire cliff area according to Ye Qing’s directions. Standing below, he could hear intermittent gunfire from the mountain, but had no idea what was happening up there. It wasn’t until the massive stone at Wang Yue Pavilion slowly rolled down from the peak that Zhao Chengshuang widened his eyes in astonishment and couldn’t help but exclaim, ”Holy shit!”

The massive stone crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust that enveloped the area where the stone collapsed. The swirling dust obscured the entire scene in that area, making it impossible for anyone to see what lay beneath the stone.

Amidst the cloud of dust, the remaining mercenaries quietly slid down the ropes to the bottom of the cliff. They knew it was no longer possible to kill Ye Qing. These men weren’t stupid and decided to escape while the dust provided cover. Moreover, on the other side of the mountain, who knew how many police officers were stationed there? This side was part of their prearranged escape route. Still, the fact they hadn’t been able to kill Ye Qing meant their mission was a total failure!

It had to be said, these mercenaries were indeed cunning to choose this escape route. No one would have guessed they’d flee in such a way—this side was a thirty-plus-meter cliff, utterly barren and exposed to anyone watching from the mountain summit. Who would choose such a spot to escape?

But with the massive stone tumbling down, the dust blanketed this barren area completely. Even if someone were standing on the summit, they wouldn’t be able to see anything below, making it the perfect escape route.

The mercenary captain also slipped out amidst the dense dust and hid in an inconspicuous location, prepared to wait for his men to regroup before making their escape. However, his subordinates had no intention of waiting for him. The moment they reached the ground, they immediately tried to escape the area. Zhao Chengshuang, having surrounded the entire area, had his officers intercept them without hesitation, capturing every single one.

From his hiding spot, the captain was startled by the commotion. Peeking out carefully, he saw police officers rushing in and pinning his men to the ground.

The captain’s face turned pale. He hadn’t expected police to be lying in wait at the bottom of the cliff. By all logic, the officers should have been stationed on the other side of the mountain—why had they come here?

The captain had no time to ponder these questions. The unexpected police presence had cut off his escape route entirely. He dared not move forward, and as he watched the officers gradually closing in, surrounding the area, the captain quickly darted back into the dusty chaos, finding it safer than facing the numerous officers outside.

Meanwhile, Zhao Chengshuang excitedly celebrated capturing six mercenaries. On the mountain, Ye Qing had successfully rescued Ou Keren, and down here, Zhao Chengshuang had nabbed these mercenaries. This operation not only rescued the hostage but also cracked the case—a success far exceeding the case alone. This wasn’t just about a promotion anymore; he might even ascend to a higher position.

While keeping the mercenaries under control, Zhao Chengshuang instructed his men to continue searching the cliff base, then excitedly called Ye Qing, informing him it was safe to come down.

Ye Qing was still burdened by Ou Keren’s tight hug, feeling quite awkward. Zhao Chengshuang’s call provided him a timely rescue. He quickly motioned for Ou Keren to head down the mountain. Ou Keren wiped her tears but still clung tightly to Ye Qing’s arm, refusing to let go.

Initially, Ye Qing didn’t intend to descend. He was guarding against any possible escape attempts by the mercenaries. But to avoid the awkwardness, he decided to escort Ou Keren down. Before leaving, he instructed Zhao Chengshuang to dispatch a team to guard the mountain top in case anyone tried to climb back up and escape.

Zhao Chengshuang immediately deployed officers to the summit from the other side of the mountain as Ye Qing and Ou Keren began their descent. During this time, the mercenary captain quietly climbed back up using the rope. He had been lingering in the dusty area, gradually working his way upward, watching the summit carefully. Seeing Ye Qing and his team leave, he finally ventured up.

After all this exertion, the captain was now panting heavily. But he dared not linger even for a moment. In a hurry, he fled in the opposite direction from Ye Qing, crawling through dense undergrowth down the mountain. Despite the thorny shrubs left him scratched and bleeding, survival was his sole focus. Only hidden within this underbrush could he evade police searches.

Having struggled down the mountain, the captain was now covered in wounds from the thorns, battered and barely human-looking. Yet, he didn’t pause at all—avoiding populated areas, sprinting across desolate fields for over two hours until he was certain no one was in pursuit. Finally, he cautiously found a deserted, abandoned house to hide in.

Inside the house, the captain let out a long sigh of relief, leaning against a wall and slowly sitting down. The sharp pain across his body made breathing difficult. Gritting his teeth, he tore away clothing that had stuck to his wounds, applied medicine powder to stop the bleeding. The pain contorted his face into a grotesque expression.

After dressing his wounds, the captain didn’t lie down to rest but instead retrieved a wireless device from his bag. After adjusting the equipment, he successfully connected with headquarters.

”Captain Jin, do you have something urgent?” A female voice came through—it was the communications officer of the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps.

”Tell the commander…” Jin’s face was ashen, his voice trembling, ”We failed!”

”Failed?” The woman asked in astonishment, ”Was the remote stolen? Or did the deal fall through?”

Jin replied, ”The deal hasn’t started yet. The remote is still in my possession. But all my men… are dead!”

”What happened?” The woman’s surprise deepened, ”Was it Huaxia’s police?”

”No!” Jin gritted his teeth, ”It was someone named Ye Qing!”

”Ye Qing?” The woman’s voice betrayed confusion—she hadn’t heard the name before. ”Who is he? What does he do?”

Jin explained, ”He’s a black-market figure in Shenchuan City!”

”A black-market figure?” The woman’s tone grew incredulous, ”Captain Jin, is it possible for someone like him to… to wipe out all of you? That doesn’t seem possible!”

”Don’t underestimate him. He’s a former Special Forces operative, extremely capable!” Jin paused, then added gravely, ”And King of Explosives is helping him. Inform the commander to be cautious, to…”

The captain’s words were abruptly cut off. The woman waited in confusion before calling out, ”Captain Jin? Captain Jin? Are you there? Can you hear me?”

A moment later, a new voice emerged, calming yet chilling.

”Your Captain Jin is already dead.”

That single sentence was followed by static from the device.

The woman froze momentarily before jumping to her feet, turning quickly to yell, ”Contact the commander! Something major has happened in Huaxia!”

Inside the abandoned house, Jin now lay motionless on the ground, his arms twisted unnaturally. Standing next to him was a short man. The wireless device lay in pieces beneath the man’s foot.

”W-Who are you?” Jin gasped painfully, staring at the man in horror, ”Are you sent by Ye Qing?”

”Ye Qing?” The short man sneered coldly, ”Him? He’s not qualified to meddle in my affairs. Laughable!”

”Then who… who are you?” Jin continued weakly, ”I’m with the Toxic Eel Mercenary Corps. As far as I know, we have no grievance with you. Why…”

”You’re right, you have no grievance with me,” the short man interrupted bluntly, ”But you’ve provoked someone you shouldn’t have.”

”Who?” Jin inquired, breathing heavily, ”Is it Ye Qing?”

”Don’t mention him in front of me. He’s worthless,” the man retorted coldly, ”Your mistake was injuring my young miss!”

”Your young miss?” Jin froze, realization dawning, ”You mean Ou Keren?”

The short man chuckled darkly, nodded, and stepped closer to Jin. ”You’re not as dense as I thought.”

”Ou Keren is your miss?” Jin’s eyes widened in disbelief. ”Y-Your family… who are you all?”

”That’s something you can ask King Yanluo yourself when you get there,” the man sneered as he bent down to survey Jin’s battered body. ”Injuring my miss might have only cost you your life. But harming her so severely enraged my master. A simple death isn’t enough retribution. My master commanded that your demise must be excruciating. Unfortunately for you, this isn’t just about taking your life—it’s personal.”

With that, the short man reached into his pocket and retrieved a small insect. At first glance, the creature appeared harmless, but the man’s grave expression suggested it was anything but innocent—a predator hidden in plain sight.

”W-What are you doing?” Jin stammered in terror, staring at the insect but clueless about its significance. All he knew was that the short man promised a painful death—and he was about to learn exactly what that meant.