Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The wind and snow grew increasingly violent. Old Gu sat in the driver's seat, his eyes fixed on the black SUV speeding down the slope. The stark white headlights stung his eyes, and he almost crushed the steering wheel in his hand. The cold sweat that had just dripped down his forehead instantly froze into ice beads.

As the SUV drew closer, Lao Gu made a decisive move, slamming on the brakes with his right foot. A screeching sound cut through the snow, and the wheels left two charred tracks on the snow. The car shuddered violently before finally coming to a stop.

Old Gu shifted into reverse and slammed the steering wheel all the way to the side. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and he slammed his right foot on the accelerator. The engine roared to life, and vehicle 2045 sped backward.

Just as the vehicle was reversing, the black SUV roared past, grazing the bumper of 2045, and the strong wind it generated almost flipped the vehicle over.

Old Gu gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, until he was sure the vehicle had completely avoided the impact before he could breathe a sigh of relief. But he knew the crisis was far from over.

Like a wild horse, the SUV charged straight ahead, its wheels crushing through snow and gravel as it sped along. Finally, with a loud "bang," it crashed into a thick tree trunk twenty meters away. The tree trunk shook violently, snow fell in abundance, and the SUV was overturned by the enormous impact. The wheels spun in the air, shattering glass and emitting wisps of black smoke.

Before Old Gu could catch his breath, he heard a gunshot. Turning his head, he saw the assassin holding a gun in both hands, aiming it at Shen Xun. Seeing Shen Xun dodge to the side and enter the roadside cover, the assassin immediately turned the gun around, scanning the battlefield back and forth, looking for the next target.

Old Gu's eyes narrowed, his anger burning. He immediately shifted into drive, slammed on the gas, and the 2045 roared as it rammed into the gunman on the hill. The car was like an angry Vajra, determined to knock the killer who had repeatedly created danger to the ground.

The gunman reacted extremely quickly, immediately ducking and rolling rapidly along the ground, his movements swift and agile, barely avoiding the vehicle's impact.

2045's powerful attack missed, but the force was too great, and it continued to rush towards the top of the hill. Old Gu wanted to rush to the top of the hill, turn around, and ram the assassin again, but unexpectedly, the assassin with the crossbow on the roof of the car had already seized the opportunity when he stopped and reversed, and quietly adjusted his posture.

The violent spinning of the vehicle earlier had left the crossbow-wielding assassin on the roof dizzy and disoriented, his head buzzing and his vision blurring. He endured the dizziness, gripped the roof rack to steady himself, and repositioned his repeating crossbow, locking onto Ye Zhuo who was about to reach the ice.

At this moment, Ye Zhuo, holding the Bear Scale Curtain, advanced and was only one step away from the ice surface, preparing to leap down.

A ruthless glint flashed in the crossbow-wielding assassin's eyes. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger, and the crossbow bolt, whistling through the air, shot straight at Ye Zhuo's back with astonishing speed.

Ye Zhuo's keen intuition, honed through years of missions on the border, allowed her to sense the danger just as the crossbow bolt was about to strike her.

Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately pushed off with her feet, exerting all her strength to propel the bear-scale shield in her hand. The shield slid down the ice surface with its momentum, passing over the assassin's head. Using this force, she leaped onto the ice, landing lightly as a swallow on the smooth surface.

The moment she landed, she plunged the long-handled shovel into the ice. The blade embedded itself deeply into the ice, making a soft "crunch" sound. With the resistance of the shovel, she managed to stop sliding and regain her balance.

Xiong Linmu slid down, buying Ye Zhuo a moment of opportunity. The crossbow bolt grazed her back and flew into the distance. If she had been half a second slower, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Just as Ye Zhuo regained his footing, the assassin drew his dagger and charged towards him, giving him no chance to catch his breath, determined to fight to the death.

Ye Zhuo was not afraid at all and dodged with force. In the instant she avoided the attack, she gripped the shovel and slashed down at the assassin. Before the dagger arrived, the shovel had already struck the assassin's neck hard with a muffled "thud". The force was so great that the assassin did not even have time to scream before his vision went black and he fell straight onto the ice, unconscious.

Just then, Ye Zhuo heard another crisp gunshot, clear and deadly.

Her heart tightened, knowing that the armed assassin was still lurking in the shadows. Without a moment's hesitation, she immediately turned and hid under the road embankment, peering out to observe.

At this moment, Shen Xun had caught up with the fleeing assassin. The assassin brandished his dagger and launched a frenzied counterattack, but Shen Xun used his staff as a sword to suppress him relentlessly, giving him no chance. A moment later, the dagger clattered to the ground, followed by a precise strike with the peach wood staff on the assassin's elbow and knee joints. With a few soft cracking sounds, the assassin's joints dislocated, and he screamed as he collapsed to his knees, unable to resist any longer.

On the other side, Aoluya, riding a white deer, was giving chase to another fleeing assassin. The assassin was incredibly fast and desperately trying to escape, but he still couldn't shake off the white deer behind him. Knowing he couldn't outrun the white deer, he immediately stopped, turned around, and used the roadside as cover to quickly set up his crossbow, aiming it at Aoluya. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger, and the crossbow bolt shot straight at Aoluya's face.

Ao Luya reacted extremely quickly, immediately raising her shield and swinging it. With a crisp "clang," the crossbow bolt struck the shield and bounced off, landing in the snow on the ground.

Before the assassin could reload and fire again, Ao Luya yanked the reins of the white deer and gave a low shout. The white deer understood, and with a burst of speed, it leaped off the ice, its body arcing through the air.

The moment she landed, Ao Luya turned around and threw the deer bone knife. The hilt of the knife struck the assassin's forehead precisely, instantly turning his forehead into a bloody mess. He then let out a muffled groan and passed out.

Without hesitation, Ao Luya picked up her deer bone knife, mounted the white deer, and quickly located the limping assassin who had been trampled by the deer. The assassin staggered towards the woods, his movements slow, but he still fled with all his might, occasionally glancing back to check Ao Luya's position. Ao Luya's eyes turned cold. She yanked the reins sharply, and the white deer leaped effortlessly onto the roadside. It sped off towards the assassin, quickly closing the distance and catching up to him from behind.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the crisis escalated once again.

After dodging Old Gu's impact, the gunman quickly rolled behind a large tree. Using the trunk as cover, he cautiously peeked out, his eyes fixed on 2045, who was rushing towards the top of the slope.

He gripped the pistol tightly with both hands, aiming at the rear tire on one side of the vehicle. He knew that if he shot out the tire, the vehicle would lose control. The slope was steep, and once the vehicle went out of control, it would be impossible to control at the current speed. It would slide off the embankment and plunge into the river below, at which point Old Gu and Lin Jian inside the car would surely die.

Without the slightest hesitation, the gunman pulled the trigger. Two shots rang out, the bullets striking the rear tire of vehicle 2045. With a muffled thud, the rear tire burst, instantly creating a large hole. The vehicle lost its balance and began to sway violently, like a leaf in the wind, threatening to overturn at any moment.

Old Gu's expression changed drastically. He gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, using all his strength to control the vehicle and try to keep it in place so as not to slide off the high embankment.

However, the slope was steep and slippery, and with the raging wind and snow, the vehicle lost the support of the rear wheels and was difficult to control. The vehicle body kept tilting towards the edge of the slope, and the tires slipped on the snow, making a screeching friction sound.

Lin Jian sat in the passenger seat, gripping the handrail tightly, his face pale. He shouted to Lao Gu, "Steady! Slowly adjust the direction!" Lao Gu gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and manipulated his hands and feet with precision, trying to slow the vehicle down, but the car continued to tilt.

Finally, with a loud "bang," 2045 crashed into a small tree at the edge of the slope. The tree shook violently, and snow fell down before the car finally came to a stop.

At this moment, half of the vehicle was already suspended in the air, with a steep river beach below. The cold wind howled and swept past the suspended vehicle, making it seem particularly dangerous.

Old Gu and Lin Jian clung tightly to the handrails inside the car, their bodies pressed against their seats, barely daring to breathe. They were terrified that if the vehicle shook even slightly, it would plunge into the riverbank and be smashed to pieces.

Seeing this, the gunman behind the tree curled into a smug grin, slowly emerging from behind the tree. He raised his pistol again, aiming at the suspended vehicle, his eyes filled with mockery, ready to pull the trigger at any moment and end the lives of Lao Gu and Lin Jian.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Ao Luya was chasing the assassin who was about to enter the woods. Shen Xun and Ye Zhuo had just subdued their respective opponents when they turned around and saw the suspended vehicle and the armed assassin. Their hearts tightened, and without thinking, they immediately rushed towards the vehicle, wanting to save Lao Gu and Lin Jian before the assassin fired.

The wind and snow continued to rage, and the sword hanging overhead was about to fall again.