Dragon Clan: Avoid the College Entrance Examination to Slay the Dragon

Chapter 92 Each Achieved Their Own Goals

Gu Yi slowly rose, supporting himself with the Tilted River Blade. The dangerous aura emanating from the other man even surpassed that of the third-generation monster he had encountered in Baltimore. But he had a hunch that this man didn't seem to intend to truly kill him.

Black scales spread across his body like a tide, and Gu Yi suddenly leaped up from the ground. The white fox-man swung his katana vertically the instant Gu Yi charged forward, an invisible pressure descending like a thousand-pound hammer striking his shoulder. In the brief moment of hesitation, the blade, carrying the force of wind and thunder, slashed down upon him!

"clang!"

The River-Piercing Blade clashed with the katana, and Gu Yi was forced to his knees by the immense force. The ground cracked under the pressure, and the blade trembled, emitting a mournful cry. Veins bulged beneath his black-scaled skin; he could clearly feel the opponent's blade gradually breaching his defenses.

The golden eyes erupted with a blazing light like molten lava, and the boy roared as he raised his leg to kick. The white fox man used the momentum to leap backward and deflect the force, and the suffocating sense of oppression dissipated.

Gu Yi spat out the blood and foam from his mouth, pointing the tip of his knife at the enemy: "Continue."

The white fox man remained standing still, sword in hand, like a samurai statue standing under the moon.

"Counter-attacking is indeed suitable for you, but time isn't on your side." Gu Yi panted, adjusting his breathing, while reaching for his lower back, where the specially made Colt Python from the equipment department was hidden. Gu Yi simply lacked confidence in his marksmanship, so he hadn't used it before, but now it might have a surprising effect.

The body, clad in black armor, suddenly lowered, the River-Piercing Blade tucked into its waist, and Gu Yi assumed the starting stance for the Iaijutsu.

The white fox-man's pupils contracted slightly. Both bodies simultaneously assumed the starting stance for an iaido slash, moonlight condensing into a cold silver line at the hilt of the sword.

The moment the rubble rolled down the broken wall, the two dark figures collided with a deafening crash!

Just as the blades were about to meet, Gu Yi abruptly stepped back. As the white fox man realized he'd been tricked, the .0.44 Magnum gun had already opened fire. The specially designed bullets drew six streaks in the air; one missed, three were parried by the katana, and the remaining two struck him precisely in the chest.

"Ding! Ding!"

The metallic clang was crisp and clear, like the sound of bells ringing out, as deformed bullets fell from the white fox-man's body. Gu Yi looked at the wisps of smoke rising from the other's chest, his Adam's apple bobbing laboredly beneath the scales: "This kind of defense... are you even human?"

He could sense that since that strange skeletal state, the masked man's defense, strength, speed, and other abilities had all been greatly enhanced.

The white-skinned man glanced down at his chest, then suddenly reached for his earpiece. Almost simultaneously, Gu Yi's blade was already at his face—

"boom!"

The katana swept across with a whooshing sound, its unprecedented force slamming Gu Yi into the rubble. Reinforced concrete shattered from the impact. The boy coughed up blood as he struggled to his feet. His sneak attack had failed; his opponent's strength had increased several times over in an instant!
Gu Yi burst forth from the rubble once more, reappearing in front of the white fox-man. He suddenly noticed the man slightly tilting his head, one hand on his earpiece. This minute movement caused the boy's pupils to shrink—that eerie incantation was about to activate again!

The moment the white fox-man looked up, Gu Yi felt a chill run down his spine. That familiar suffocating feeling was like an invisible hand gripping his throat, and he almost instinctively kicked off the ground and retreated. Almost simultaneously, the white fox-man's clothes suddenly fluttered in the still air, and for the first time, he began to actively pursue him.

The boy strained to create distance, his afterimage leaving a black trail across the street. The white-skinned man pursued relentlessly, each swing of his katana precisely cutting off Gu Yi's escape route. The reinforced concrete walls crumbled under the force of the blade's energy, and dust and debris exploded along their path.

Just as Gu Yi had calculated the counterattack distance and was preparing to launch a sudden attack, a deafening roar of an engine tore through the night sky. A modified jeep, like a steel behemoth, crashed through the street corner fence, and a man wearing an Akita dog mask on the roof fired a heavy machine gun wildly, the bullet belt drawing a crimson fire net in the night sky.

"Surprise!"

Amidst maniacal laughter, Gu Yi spun around to avoid the barrage of bullets. The hail of bullets churned two rows of smoking bullet holes in the asphalt road, and the jeep roared through the center of the battlefield. The white-clad man, his clothes fluttering, lightly stepped into the car door, his figure floating into the back seat like a falling leaf.

"Don't try to escape!"

Seeing this, Gu Yi's golden eyes ignited with boiling lava, and he pushed Time Zero to its limit. The wind pressure tore his black hair into straight lines, and the boy transformed into a golden streak of light, beginning his pursuit. On the street distorted by the Time Domain, the modified car's taillights trailed blood-red afterimages, and the distance between them was visibly shrinking.

Just as they were about to touch the rear of the car, the white fox-like man suddenly appeared on the roof like a ghost. He looked down at the pursuers, and a kind of ancient, ferocious beast-like pressure descended! The parked cars around them were as if they were being slammed by an invisible giant hand, their metal shells emitting a teeth-grinding twisting sound, tires bursting one after another, and the nearest cars were directly crushed into iron discs.

Gu Yi felt as if a ton-heavy hammer had slammed into his shoulder; the Time Zero domain crumbled inch by inch under the terrifying gravity. The boy's knees slammed heavily into the ground, and only by carving a ten-meter-long trench with his River-Piercing Blade could he barely stop his retreat. When he coughed up blood and looked up, he only saw the taillights of the modified car flash twice at the end of the street before disappearing completely into the neon lights.

"Damn it!"

Gu Yi slammed his fist into the cracked ground. He immediately tried to contact his senior sister, only to realize with a start that his earpiece had been knocked off during the collision. The night wind brushed past his sweat-dampened temples, and wisps of smoke rose from his body.

"Cough cough cough," the boy staggered toward the steps beside the lamppost, his black scales receding like the tide, revealing bleeding wounds on his body.

He waited for a while, and soon three black SUVs pierced the night. The lead SUV braked suddenly in front of Gu Yi. The other two turned on their hazard lights twice and sped away.

Walker stepped out of the car, his footsteps shattered by broken glass. "Well done, we've secured the target."

"Don't comfort me, team leader. It was Senior Sister who did a good job." Gu Yi staggered to his feet, leaning against the scabbard.

“If you hadn’t attracted that masked man, Vivian wouldn’t have been able to catch him either.” Walker reached out and pulled Gu Yi up.

Gu Yi swayed as she steadied herself. "That man is very strong, extremely strong. I don't think he used his full strength."

“But the other side didn’t achieve their goal, so you still won in essence.” Walker took out a spare headset and handed it over.

"Team leader, you're just as good at comforting people as the principal." Gu Yi reluctantly took the headset and put it on.

Walker didn't reply, but simply opened the car door: "Get in."

Gu Yi climbed into the back seat. "Team leader, where's senior sister?"

"I've already arranged for him to be sent for treatment." Walker nodded, signaling the driver to start the car.

"Senior sister is injured?"

"My wrist was grazed by a hidden weapon, but the main injury was from the overexertion of my spiritual power. The Holy Judgment puts a great strain on my mental strength."

Gu Yi gazed at the streetlights flashing past the window and murmured, "I still don't know about Senior Sister's Word of Power."

Walker glanced at him sideways. "Gu Yi, you always act like a lone wolf, taking on everything. In this operation, you probably didn't even consider needing Vivian to participate in the battle, did you? But the battlefield is full of surprises. You need to understand your comrades and learn to entrust your back to them. Director Schneider isn't going to send a pretty face to your side."

The moonlight streamed through the car window, creating a clear distinction between light and shadow on Gu Yi's profile: "I understand."

“What’s interesting is that you act like a lone wolf, but when I get to know you, I find that you’re not someone who keeps people at arm’s length. I feel that you actually crave connection. Have you ever noticed this contradiction yourself?” The neon lights flashing past the car window exploded and then faded in Gu Yi’s pupils. After a long while, he uttered a few words: “I haven’t thought about it in detail.”

"I should think about it." Walker leaned back in his chair.

Amidst the vibrations of the tires rolling over speed bumps, the boy suddenly spoke: "What do we do now?"

“Wait.” Walker leaned back with his eyes closed. “We’re tracking them, but,” he let out a half-sneer, “the hybrids who could suppress you head-on are probably long gone by now.”

·
The man in the white fox mask raised his hand and fastened it to his chin, the metal clasp clicking softly. As the mask peeled away, moonlight outlined his sharply defined jawline. Beneath his cold, stern brow, his phoenix eyes were like frozen, deep pools, and his high, straight nose cast a sharply defined shadow on his profile. He tilted his head slightly and asked in Japanese, "Sakura, the target is lost?"

The short-haired woman in the passenger seat turned her head, her neck appearing even more slender in her black tactical uniform. "As per your orders, when headquarters agents intervene, their lives must not be harmed, and the target must be abandoned if necessary." Dark red bloodstains were seeping onto her shoulder, but this did not affect the cool tone of her voice as she reported.

“You did the right thing.” The man nodded.

Suddenly, the sound of fabric rustling came from the side. The man wearing the Akita Inu mask shrank his neck and raised his hand: "Um... Young Master, Miss Sakura's left shoulder is injured."

"You're injured?" The man leaned forward abruptly. "Sakura, where are you hurt?"

Sakura tore open half an inch of her coat collar, revealing a blood-soaked bandage. "Left shoulder, the bulletproof vest covered it. The people at headquarters deliberately avoided vital areas."

"Return to base and deal with it immediately." He glanced at the rearview mirror. "Yaksha, Raven—Mask."

The tall, thin man driving the car ripped off his Shiba Inu mask with one hand, revealing cunning triangular eyes. The burly man in the back seat also hurriedly removed his Akita Inu mask.

"Were those four vehicles cleaned up?"

Yaksha patted his chest and exclaimed, "It's absolutely cleaned up! You know, Crow and I are veterans at this kind of thing, we guarantee they'll be completely clueless."

How many people came this time?

“Twelve people, all of them elites. They’re registered with the Execution Department,” Raven said.

Yaksha scratched the back of his head and muttered, "Why are those crazy Ghost Clan members suddenly coming to South America to snatch people from headquarters?"

Before he could finish speaking, Raven's cold laugh cut him off: "Idiot! Did you fall asleep again during the mission briefing on the plane? That guy named Rodrigo has what the Ghosts want. If the Ghosts hadn't made such a big fuss this time, would the young master have come to South America to arrest him personally?!"

Yaksha immediately bowed his head: "I am so sorry! Young Master, if you need me, I will commit seppuku immediately."

"That's enough." The young master raised his hand to stop the argument.

"Yes!" The two quickly bowed their heads.

After a while, the crow spoke up: "Young Master, what do we do now? We've lost our target too."

“It’s alright. We got the information we needed in the car. Our main purpose here is to stop the Ghost Gang from taking him away, so whether he is taken away by headquarters or us, as long as he doesn’t fall into the hands of the Ghost Gang, the outcome is the same.”

The crow lowered its head and replied, "Understood!" After a pause, it cautiously asked, "So, what should we do now? Return to Japan?"

The young master closed his eyes and nodded: "That's right. Headquarters will soon launch a city-wide search. We must leave the country before dawn."

Yaksha hurriedly pulled out his phone: "Understood! I'll contact the airport right away." Before he could finish speaking, Crow snatched the communicator from his hand.

"Fool! Are you trying to expose the young master's whereabouts by booking a plane ticket at a time like this? I think you've been turned by headquarters and want to sell the young master out! Go commit seppuku!" Crow's temples bulged with veins.

Sakura's cool voice came from the passenger seat: "The evacuation route has been planned, and we have a rendezvous point on the Guatemalan border." She turned slightly to ask, "Young Master, shall we activate this route?"

“Follow the route you provided.” The man leaned back in his leather seat and rubbed his temples. “I need to rest for a while.”

Yaksha stretched his neck and whispered, "Young Master is actually this tired."

Crow glanced at the young master's slightly furrowed brows in the rearview mirror and said in a low voice, "Looks like we've run into a tough opponent!"

“Indeed a formidable foe.” The young master suddenly opened his eyes. “The newly appointed S-rank commander of the headquarters lives up to his reputation.”

"Whoa!" Crow was so startled that the steering wheel jerked. "Young Master actually gave such an evaluation?"

"Look! That kid really did leave a wound on the young master! When was the last time I saw the young master injured?" Yaksha recalled, counting on his fingers.

"I don't remember. Young Master has been invincible for so long that I've almost forgotten the concept of being injured." Crow shook his head.

The man shifted to a more comfortable position. "The S-ranks at headquarters possess some kind of controllable dragon transformation ability."

"Huh?" The crow nearly crashed into a roadblock. "Dragonization? Doesn't that mean his bloodline has gone berserk?"

“It’s impossible for him to maintain his sanity while in a berserk state. He was meticulously calculating tactics the entire time, even using firearms in conjunction with knife skills to set traps,” the man said softly.

Sakura turned around. "Should we investigate this?"

“Investigate thoroughly after returning to Japan.” The man’s gaze pierced through the windshield and fell upon the dark sky. He chuckled, “Principal Angers… truly a man of unfathomable depth. He actually managed to find the successor to Time Zero.”

The crow probed, "Which is stronger, that S-rank kid or the Inuyama family head's 'Setsuna'? Young Master, didn't you often train with him to gain experience in combat against speedsters?"

“Completely different fields.” The man shook his head slightly. “Setsuna pursues the ultimate speed burst, while Time Zero is more cunning. The combat experience with Setsuna cannot be fully applied to Time Zero.”

Yaksha slapped his thigh and shouted, "Who cares! This time, the young master has gained practical experience in fighting against zero time. He'll surpass old man Angers sooner or later!"

“Never.” The man’s voice suddenly turned icy as he stared at the stiff faces of the people in the rearview mirror. “Don’t make an enemy of Angers. You haven’t seen him. That man has a coal mine in his heart. Once his anger is ignited, it will not be extinguished until it burns the enemy or himself.”

(End of this chapter)