5: Chapter 5 Reversing the Heavenly Gang

The pickup truck bumped along a gravel road for thirty minutes, finally stopping in front of a factory building that had partially collapsed.

Zhao Hu killed the engine, pulled two backpacks from the backseat, threw one to Shen Wei, and shouldered the other himself.

"The Earth-Tooth Rat's nest is usually deep in the mine. They aren't very active during the day, but they'll rush out if they feel vibrations." Zhao Hu spoke as he walked, holding a long-handled battle axe in his hand, "I'll lead the way, Shen Wei will bring up the rear, and you'll be in the middle."

The middle.

Li Zhengyang didn't say a word, following them toward the mine entrance.

It was called a mine, but in reality, it was just a big hole carved into the side of the mountain.

It was dark inside the cave. Zhao Hu fished two headlamps out of his backpack, putting one on himself and giving the other to Shen Wei.

He didn't give one to Li Zhengyang.

"Keep close and don't fall behind," Zhao Hu said without looking back.

Li Zhengyang nodded, his right hand gripping the machete.

After entering the cave, the light faded rapidly.

The range of the headlamps was limited. The rock walls on both sides were damp, and the ground was covered in gravel and standing water, crunching and squelching underfoot as they walked.

Zhao Hu's pace was steady; it was clear he was an old hand. He stopped to listen every few steps.

Shen Wei followed at the rear, her short blade already drawn, her grip on it practiced and skilled.

After walking about a hundred meters, the mine tunnel branched into two paths, one to the left and one to the right.

Zhao Hu crouched down to examine the ground, wiping the dirt with his finger, "There are digging marks on the left. The rat nest is this way."

The three of them turned into the left branch.

After walking another hundred meters or so, Zhao Hu suddenly stopped.

"The rat nest is just ahead," Zhao Hu lowered his voice, "Earth-Tooth Rats are sensitive to vibrations. As soon as anything steps into their territory, they'll burrow out from underground. My plan is…"

He glanced at Li Zhengyang.

"You go first. Walk to that open area ahead and lure them out. Shen Wei and I will provide support from behind, and we'll strike as soon as they pop up."

Li Zhengyang didn't speak.

Shen Wei added, "Earth-Tooth Rats are fast but fragile; they're easy to deal with once lured out. You going alone makes less noise than three people, so you won't flush them all out at once, making it easier for us to pick them off one by one."

It sounded reasonable enough.

But Li Zhengyang looked at the narrow passage, then at the battle axe in Zhao Hu's hand.

A narrow passage, an open area ahead, luring them out.

This was him being used as bait.

Looking at it positively, this was a reasonable division of labor.

Looking at it negatively, if something happened to an uncertified temporary team member, the agency wouldn't even have a record to check.

Dying in the mine and pinning it on the Earth-Tooth Rats would leave no trace.

Zhao Hu might not necessarily have the intention to kill, but making him take the biggest risk while he picked up the easy rewards—that was a very shrewd calculation.

Li Zhengyang looked down at the machete in his hand.

"Fine."

The next second, he turned around.

He turned so quickly that Zhao Hu and Shen Wei didn't even react to why he would turn around.

Then he swung his blade.

Not toward the front, but toward Shen Wei.

The machete slashed horizontally, from left to right, aiming for Shen Wei's neck.

The mine tunnel was narrow. Shen Wei was standing against the right rock wall, with Zhao Hu on her left; her space to dodge was minimized.

She couldn't dodge this strike.

Her short blade was only halfway raised when the edge of the machete arrived.

The machete hacked into the left side of her neck, sinking three inches into the flesh.

When the blood sprayed out, Shen Wei's eyes widened, her mouth agape, but she made no sound.

Li Zhengyang pulled the blade out and quickly struck again.

The second strike landed in the same spot, this time cutting off her breath completely.

Shen Wei collapsed, her short blade falling to the ground with two clattering sounds.

It took less than two seconds.

Zhao Hu was stunned for a beat.

In his six or seven years in this business, he had seen people turn on each other, double-cross, and stab people in the back, but he had never seen anyone so decisive, so ruthless.

"You motherf…"

Zhao Hu's battle axe was raised.

Li Zhengyang didn't give him the chance to finish his curse, charging forward by stepping over Shen Wei's corpse.

The mine tunnel was only so wide; the two of them couldn't bypass each other, so the fight was entirely head-to-head.

Zhao Hu brought his axe down with ferocious force—the full-power strike of a First-rank Martial Master, the axe blade whistling through the air.

Li Zhengyang dodged to the side. The axe grazed his shoulder and slammed into the rock wall, sparks flying and rock fragments peppering his face.

He didn't retreat, instead stabbing back with his blade.

Zhao Hu pulled the axe back to block, the axe handle catching the blade. Their strength collided, and Zhao Hu took half a step back.

Zhao Hu was a First-rank Martial Master.

Li Zhengyang was a Second-Rank Martial Master; they were a full grade apart.

Zhao Hu's expression changed after taking that half step back.

It wasn't because of anger over his killed teammate, but because he felt the gap in their strength.

This kid said he was an Eighth-rank Martial Artist? Bullshit.

"You…"

Li Zhengyang didn't let him finish.

He swung his blade upward; Zhao Hu blocked it with his axe handle.

But Li Zhengyang's left hand was already balled into a fist, slamming into his ribs.

A dull thud.

Zhao Hu's dodging movement was a beat too slow, and he took the punch squarely. Two ribs broke, and he heard the sound of his own bones shattering.

Zhao Hu gritted his teeth and retreated, trying to create distance, but the mine tunnel was so narrow, and the rock wall was right behind him.

"I'll pay an extra ten thousand!" Zhao Hu shouted, "The mission bonus is all yours!"

Li Zhengyang's blade didn't stop.

"Twenty thousand! I have savings in my account!"

The second slash came down. Zhao Hu blocked horizontally with his axe, his arms going numb and the web of his hand splitting from the impact.

"What exactly do you want?"

Li Zhengyang finally spoke.

"After I kill you, your money will naturally be mine."

Zhao Hu's axe was knocked away by the third strike.

The gap in Qi and blood between a First-rank and Second-Rank Martial Master was infinitely magnified in close-quarters combat.

Zhao Hu's protective Qi was a layer thinner than Li Zhengyang's, so he was losing every head-on collision.

When the axe flew away, Zhao Hu tried to run.

He ran toward the depths of the mine.

But as soon as he turned, he took a blade to the back.

The machete hacked into his left shoulder blade; it didn't break the bone, but it tore the flesh open.

Zhao Hu stumbled twice, bracing himself against the rock wall to keep from falling.

The second slash hit his waist.

The third slash hit the back of his neck.

When this strike landed, the blade was already rolled.

The ten-pound machete had been swung seven or eight times in a row, and the edge was chipped in several places.

Zhao Hu lay on the ground, lifeless.

Blood spread across the gravel floor, and a stench of blood rushed to his face.

Li Zhengyang stood in place, catching his breath; he felt not a shred of guilt.

Making him act as bait? Go to hell!

Besides, looking at how practiced these two were, they probably scammed newcomers often. They weren't good people, so killing them was just that—killing them.

He looked down at the machete in his hand.

The blade was rolled beyond recognition, covered in blood and bits of flesh. It was of mediocre quality and not very handy for killing people.

He threw it away.

Li Zhengyang flexed his wrist; he had gripped it too tightly, and it was a bit sore.

He fished a headlamp out of Zhao Hu's backpack and put it on.

A rustling sound came from the depths of the mine.

Earth-Tooth Rats.

The vibrations from the fight just now had startled them out.

Li Zhengyang picked up the short blade from beside Shen Wei's corpse; it was also of mediocre quality, but better than being empty-handed.

When the first Earth-Tooth Rat burrowed out of the ground, Li Zhengyang finally saw what the thing looked like.

It was grayish-brown, about the size of a house cat, with exceptionally thick forelimbs, claws covered in mud, and two front teeth protruding from its mouth.

A First-rank Demonic Beast.

Equivalent to the combat power of a Martial Artist.

Li Zhengyang was currently a Second-Rank Martial Master.

A full major realm apart.

When he stabbed down with the short blade, the Earth-Tooth Rat didn't even finish its dodging motion.

The tip of the blade pierced its head, running through it and pinning it to the ground.

He pulled the blade out; the second one burrowed out from under the right rock wall.

One slash.

The third and fourth popped out almost simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right, moving very fast.

Two slashes.

The fifth one burrowed from beneath his feet; the ground bulged into a lump, then exploded, sending gravel flying.

Li Zhengyang stepped to the side, waited for it to show its head, stepped on it, and bent down to finish it with a blade strike.

Five of them; it took less than two minutes.

He cut off the tails of the five Earth-Tooth Rats; the agency required proof to settle the mission, and the tails were that proof.

He stuffed the five tails into his backpack.

Li Zhengyang casually stuffed both of their cash and bank cards into his pocket; he glanced at the other things, but they were useless, so he threw them away.

As for the two corpses, he didn't even look at them again.

Two Martial Artists dying during a Demonic Beast extermination mission was as normal as could be.

Every year, a long list of names hung on the agency's casualty notice board; two more didn't matter, and two less didn't matter.

When he exited the mine, the sunlight outside was a bit blinding.

Li Zhengyang squinted, took off the headlamp, and threw it away.

The pickup truck was still parked in front of the factory building.

The car keys were in his pocket, but he hadn't learned to drive, so he didn't dare to drive it.

He took out his phone and called a car using a ride-hailing app.

Ten minutes later, the car arrived.

The driver was a talkative middle-aged man. Seeing him come out of the mining area alone with a large backpack, he curiously asked a nosy question.

"Young man, what are you doing here? Exploring?"

"Working."

"There's still work to do in the mining area?"

"Temporary."

The driver didn't ask any more questions.

It was already two in the afternoon when he returned to the East City Agency.

Li Zhengyang walked to the front desk; it was still the girl named Liu Ting.

"Mission complete, settlement." He took the five Earth-Tooth Rat tails out of his backpack and placed them on the counter.

Liu Ting looked at the tails, then at him, and checked the records in the system.

"There were three people in your team; why did only you come back?"

"Oh, their gas leaked at home, so they went back to turn it off. They asked me to come and submit this."

Liu Ting looked at him, pausing for two seconds.

"The bonus will be transferred to the team leader Zhao Hu's account for distribution."

"Zhao Hu said to transfer it directly to my card."

"Fine."

After leaving the agency, Li Zhengyang looked down at his phone.

The ten thousand yuan mission bonus had already arrived. Combined with the bank cards he had taken from the two, he had about forty thousand in hand.

Just as he was immersed in the joy of making money.

The next second, his phone rang.

A strange number.

He answered it.

"Li Zhengyang? Speed Loan Treasure reminds you that your loan is three days overdue. Please repay as soon as possible, otherwise, additional interest and penalty fees will be incurred…"