Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The wind and snow at the cliff edge swirled with ice shards, hitting the assassin's face and obscuring most of his vision.

He crouched less than a meter from the edge of the cliff, peeking out only half of his face, and looked down at the cliff face below.

The overhanging eaves, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, completely blocked the view. All that could be seen was the smooth, ice-covered outer side of the cliff, and the soft sound of wind and snow swirling and rolling down the gravel.

He stared at the cliff face for a few more seconds, his fingertips always on the trigger of his pistol, his breathing extremely soft, listening intently for any sound he might miss.

The frozen ground beside them was struck by Ye Zhuo's arrow, the arrow tail vibrating and buzzing.

The assassin instantly withdrew his gaze, stood up, crouched low, and used the small trees along the roadside as cover to quickly retreat, leaving the position that had just been exposed.

The strange noise just now must have been the pebbles blown down by the wind and snow. No one could possibly climb up to this godforsaken place, and he had no reason to expose himself to that woman's cold arrow for a chance that was almost impossible.

He quickly circled around to behind a pine tree not far behind 2045. This position was not far from the suspended vehicle, allowing him to keep a close watch on the hostages inside, cover most of Aoluya's route to provide reinforcements, and avoid most of Ye Zhuo's firing angles using the vehicle's body. It was an excellent position for an ambush.

He didn't rush to raise his gun, but only peeked out with half an eye, keeping a close watch on Ao Luya's movements.

The wind and snow were too heavy, and Ao Luya kept moving close to the dead corner of the hillside. He made several slight adjustments to his position, but missed the opportunity to make a move. Just when he managed to find a firing line, Ye Zhuo's diagonal ricochet arrow would land on the edge of the cover, forcing him to withdraw.

But he showed no impatience whatsoever, his breathing remained steady, and his fingertip rested on the trigger, like a hunter lurking in the shadows, patiently waiting for the perfect window to strike.

Shen Xun, who was hanging under the eaves, only dared to exhale the breath he had been holding in his throat very slowly and gently after the assassin's footsteps had faded into the distance.

The dozen or so seconds that the assassin leaned down to look around felt like an eternity.

He was hanging in mid-air, more than ten meters high, with only three fingers. His muscles were taut like a fully drawn bowstring, and he even suppressed the trembling of his fingertips, for fear that the slightest movement would attract the attention of the assassins and make it impossible for him to reach the top again.

A wave of soreness surged through the muscles of his entire arm, and the cracked wound on his palm made his vision go black.

He dared not delay any longer; his teammates' lives hung in the balance. With his left hand, he groped for a crevice in the rock, and with alternating force from both hands, he used the strength of his waist and abdomen to stabilize his suspended body. He moved inch by inch across the last half-meter of the suspended section. Only when his left foot finally touched the protruding rock on the vertical rock wall did he completely pass through this perilous ordeal.

The remaining few meters of rock face were not as difficult as the previous precipice, but the rock surface was still covered with a thin layer of ice. Every time he raised his hand or stepped down, there was a deadly danger lurking in the air, so he kept the noise to a minimum.

The blood from his fingertips left tiny golden marks on the rock face, only to be instantly frozen by the cold wind. His old wounds on his wrists and shoulders throbbed with pain, yet his movements remained remarkably steady, without the slightest hesitation.

Finally, with his last ounce of strength, he gripped the frozen ground at the very edge of the cliff top with his fingertips, and using the sound of a gust of wind sweeping through the snow-covered forest as cover, he suddenly exerted force from his waist and abdomen, flipping himself up to the top of the cliff. The moment he landed, he used the rolling motion of parkour to steadily dissipate the force, and in an instant, he ducked and hid behind a pine tree at the edge of the cliff, his steps as light as a cat's.

He drew his peachwood staff from his waist and gripped it firmly in his palm. He quickly scanned the entire scene, taking in the whole situation: the gunman was lurking not far behind 2045, his figure as steady as a rock, his eyes always locked on the speeding Ao Luya, the most deadly threat in the entire scene.

The crossbow-wielding assassin on the roof of the car remained sprawled on the luggage rack, barely giving Ye Zhuo any angle to look at. His gaze darted back and forth between Ao Luya and Ye Zhuo, and despite his injured leg, he maintained a firing stance.

Ye Zhu hid on the ice below the roadbed, using the terrain for cover to continuously harass the assassin, but was restricted by crossfire and had no stable opportunity to strike.

The 2045's body swayed slightly in the wind and snow, and the small tree branches supporting it were already overburdened and could break completely at any moment.

He did not act rashly. The two assassins, one in front and one behind, one at a high and one at a low angle, formed a crossfire network. If one of them was alerted, the other would surely become desperate and put Lin Jian and Lao Gu at a disadvantage.

He had to wait, wait for the moment when all the killing intent erupted simultaneously, before he could break the deadlock with a single blow.

While Shen Xun lay in wait, the wind and snow intensified, and the 2045 began to shake more violently.

The crossbow-wielding assassin on the roof of the vehicle had already made a tactical assessment.

He had been using the roof rack as cover to lock onto his target, but the car continued to shake violently with the wind and snow, and the small tree branches supporting the car kept creaking and groaning.

He knew very well that the roof was no longer a suitable firing position, and the vehicle could fall at any moment. Staying on the roof would only trap him in a dead end.

Rather than passively being trapped, he decided to take the initiative. He gripped the edge of the luggage rack tightly with one hand, climbed down and pressed himself against the vehicle, his arm muscles tense. Using the momentum of the vehicle's sway, he landed on the snow on the ground.

The dull thud of the car landing, the metallic clang of the car suddenly sinking, and the exclamations of Lao Gu and Lin Jian inside the car exploded in the wind and snow.

Hidden in the wind and snow, Shen Xun precisely seized this perfect window for noise cover. His figure moved forward swiftly like a ghost, the sound of his footsteps falling on the snow completely drowned out by the noise caused by jumping out of the vehicle.

In just a few seconds, they advanced from the edge of the cliff to a position even closer to 2045, less than ten meters away from the earthen slope bunker where the gunman was located, perfectly positioned to deliver a fatal blow.

He crouched low, concealing himself, gripping the peach wood staff firmly as a rock, his gaze simultaneously locked onto the two assassins, waiting for the moment to break the deadlock.

On the other side, when the crossbow-wielding assassin landed, his already wounded leg was severely injured again. The excruciating pain instantly swept through his body. He staggered back a few steps and reached out to grab a tree trunk to steady himself.

The force of his jump caused the already precarious 2045 vehicle to suddenly sag outwards, and the small tree emitted an even more piercing crack, as if it would completely break at any moment.

Inside the car, Lao Gu and Lin Jian froze in fright, their faces turning ashen, and even their breathing became rapid and difficult.

Lin Jian leaned half his body out of the car, his hands gripping a small tree branch tightly. His knuckles were blue, veins were bulging, and blood seeped from under his fingernails. The branch was bent at an exaggerated angle, as if it would break at any moment.

Old Gu strained to keep his weight on the side of the car that was tilted up, yelling, "Hold on! Lin Jian, don't let go! Hold on a little longer, Shen Xun and the others will be here!"

The wind and snow poured into the car through the windows, making the two men shiver with cold, but they dared not relax their grip for even a moment. If they let their guard down, they would face the catastrophic disaster of plunging more than ten meters down to the riverbank.

After regaining his footing, the crossbow-wielding assassin frowned as the excruciating pain in his legs and feet pierced his skin, but the ruthlessness in his eyes remained undiminished.

He glanced down at the arrow shaft on his calf, then looked at the rapidly approaching Ao Luya, quickly assessing the situation in his mind: Ao Luya was riding a white deer at an extremely fast speed. If he and the gun-wielding assassin failed to hit her, and she got close to the suspended vehicle, his injuries wouldn't be enough to withstand the close-range impact. He needed to shoot the white deer first to gain the initiative, while also keeping an eye on Ye Zhuo at the roadbed to avoid being attacked from both sides.

He quickly cocked the bowstring, using the pine trees on the inside of the slope as cover, and aimed at the galloping white deer, his eyes filled with chilling killing intent.

He had calculated the white deer's lead time, and these two arrows were aimed directly at its forelegs. If they hit, the opponent would have no chance of winning and would be able to counterattack by relying on speed.

With a "whoosh," the crossbow bolt tore through the wind and snow, heading straight for the white deer's forelegs.

Ao Luya reacted extremely quickly. The moment she sensed the danger, she yanked the reins sharply. The white deer's front hooves lifted off the ground, and its body slid to the side, drawing a deep arc on the snow, barely avoiding the incoming crossbow bolt.

The crossbow bolt pierced the frozen ground, and the splashing snow blinded the white deer. It snorted uneasily and slowed its pace by a fraction.

On the other side, Ye Zhuo's gaze kept switching back and forth between the two assassins, and the composite bow in his hand was always ready to fire, not daring to relax for a moment.

When the crossbow-wielding assassin shot at Ao Luya, she wanted to take the opportunity to strike back, but the assassin used the tree trunk as cover and had no opening to shoot.

Meanwhile, the gunman behind 2045 continued to adjust his position under the cover of the car, constantly searching for the angle to lock onto Aoluya.

She could only occasionally fire distracting arrows to disrupt the gunman's aiming rhythm, but she could never pose an effective threat.

She knew that her position was too passive. If she rashly showed herself and aimed precisely, she would definitely be attacked from both sides by the assassins. She could only harass and restrain him like this and hope that Shen would find a breakthrough.

The wind and snow lashed her face, turning her cheeks red with cold, and her fingertips were already numb, but she still gripped the compound bow tightly, staring intently in Ao Luya's direction, fearing that something might happen to her.

The gunman behind 2045 remained firmly behind cover, searching for an opportunity, showing no impatience. Ao Luya was slowed down by the crossbow bolts, his movements momentarily halting, but he still did not rashly fire.

This angle is still obstructed; if we miss, we'll alert the enemy, and it will be difficult to have such an opportunity again.

He adjusted his breathing slightly, then took half a step to the side, finally avoiding the obstruction of the slope, and Ao Luya's figure was completely exposed in his aiming line.

He held his gun steadily, waiting for the moment when the white deer would take another step. That was the moment when Ao Luya was least likely to change direction, and also the best opportunity for him to deliver a fatal blow.

At this moment, Aoluya was riding the white deer, readjusting its direction and cutting diagonally along the side of the mountain. The white deer's four hooves flew, and snow sprayed everywhere, but it was completely unaware that a deadly attack had already locked onto it from behind 2045.

The assassin's eyes turned cold as his fingertip tightened on the trigger. He had anticipated Bai Lu's movements; this shot was unavoidable.

Ye Zhuo, who was hiding under the roadbed and occasionally peeking out to observe, instantly sensed this deadly killing intent.

She knew that the gunman had found the perfect shooting window, and Aoluya had no chance to dodge this shot.

Her heart tightened suddenly. Without thinking, she immediately leaned out, disregarding her own safety. The composite bow was drawn taut like a full moon, and a carbon fiber arrow was aimed directly at the gunman, attempting to save Ao Luya with this arrow.

The crossbow-wielding assassin had been keeping a close eye on Ye Zhuo's movements ever since he shot Ao Luya. A cold glint flashed in his eyes when Ye Zhuo suddenly appeared. He had been anticipating this woman's interference and was waiting for this moment to reveal herself.

Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly adjusted the crossbow, aimed at Ye Zhuo who had poked his head out, and with a sudden burst of force, a crossbow bolt shot straight at Ye Zhuo with a sharp sound that tore through the wind and snow.

Almost simultaneously, all three parties made their move.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out, shaking the wind and snow. The gunman's finger was firmly on the trigger, the bullet leaving a scorching trail as it hurtled towards Ao Luya's chest. "Whoosh!" Ye Zhuo's arrow pierced the air, its sharp sound tearing through the wind and snow, aimed directly at the gunman's wrist, attempting to interrupt his fatal shot.

The crossbow-wielding assassin followed closely behind, the dark blue, poisoned arrowheads flashing a cold light in the wind and snow as they shot towards Ye Zhuo's face.

Three deadly attacks intertwined amidst the swirling snow, the sounds of gunfire and arrows whistling through the air colliding, instantly casting a life-or-death crisis over the entire battlefield. Shen Xun, who had already advanced to the optimal attack position, narrowed his eyes, gripping his peach wood staff tightly, ready to strike.

But just then, his nose twitched slightly, and a familiar yet chillingly eerie aura quietly spread with the wind and snow.

The aura was chilling and bone-piercing, just like the eerie feeling that had appeared several times before. It carried a kind of otherworldly coldness, which made his heart sink suddenly, and his figure, which was about to rush out, suddenly stopped.