Chapter 10

This is a deserted town, with a small river running through it, its waters glowing with a green light. If one disregards the dubious source of the luminescence and the riverbed teeming with life beneath the surface, it could almost be described as a river of rippling green waves.

Due to the abundant water supply, the tenacious shrubs have grown everywhere, surprising in their resilience. Abandoned for several decades, some trees have even grown to be dozens of meters tall. Despite it being morning, the sunlight was intense, but the ruins still exuded a sense of gloom, devoid of any warmth.

On the third floor of a four-story building, a faint green light flickered behind a completely shattered window. Su slowly put down the water bottle in his hand and quietly watched Li, who moved like a cat, silently weaving through the shrubs below. It was clear that she was very familiar with the jungle, her body twisting and landing with almost instinctive precision, allowing her to navigate obstacles most efficiently. Although the delicate dagger in her hand seemed to be her only weapon, the explosive strength hidden in her curvaceous body meant that anything in her hands could unleash tremendous destructive power.

Su's gaze swept over her body, the tight black leather outfit fitting her perfectly, outlining every curve. After that night, Su was very familiar with her body, and it was clear that no other weapons were hidden under the leather. It seemed she had only brought the dagger with her.

"It looks like she wants to engage in hand-to-hand combat." Su understood Li's intentions.

When Li's figure disappeared into the jungle, Su quietly closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually slowed, eventually to one breath per minute. His body temperature also gradually decreased until it matched the ambient temperature. Su drank a few sips of water, finishing the bottle filled with fourth-stage water. He then picked up a freshly plucked leaf, putting it in his mouth and chewing it slowly. The juice of the leaf trickled down his throat, quickly being absorbed.

Su, holding a rifle, entered a semi-sleep state, his almost depleted stamina beginning to recover. Beside him lay a pistol and a neatly arranged row of bullets.

This was a damaged house, and in this ruined area, there were thousands of such rooms. Although Li was an expert in jungle and urban warfare, Su, who had been struggling for survival in the wilderness since he could remember, was confident that he would not leave any traces for her. Finding Su in this jungle of ruins might take Li a week, and she still might not succeed.

Su decided to sleep for a while to rest and wear down Li's patience and stamina.

He had decided to resolve the matter with Li in this jungle. If he couldn't completely end it, her character, as already demonstrated, would ensure she wouldn't give up and would continue to pursue him. Although he was not clear about the true strength of Roxeran Corporation, the fact that it could make Payne Corporation remain silent in the face of such blatant provocation indicated that it was a formidable entity. Once he left this jungle, he didn't know how far he would have to go to escape Roxeran Corporation's sphere of influence.

On this land, besides Roxeran Corporation, there were various other companies and organizations. Although Su disliked trouble, he knew he couldn't avoid dealing with these companies and organizations. Most abilities above the fourth stage were monopolized in the laboratories of large companies and organizations. Roxeran Corporation was a giant that could provide abilities above the fourth stage.

Li, carrying only a dagger, had entered this jungle alone, essentially setting the rules for this game. Su had no choice but to accept. In this jungle, the rules of the game still applied. Outside this jungle, the rules of survival would determine everything.

The man with Li, from the moment Su saw him, was defined as extremely dangerous. He did not want to face this man unless absolutely necessary. In this jungle, it was just Su and Li.

Su no longer thought about it and gradually fell into a deeper sleep.

Li crouched under a bush, her sharp gaze scanning the lifeless, almost identical buildings ahead. Suddenly, a drop of sweat slid from her eyebrow into her eye, causing a sharp pain. Li cursed inwardly and raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

She had been searching the jungle ruins for three hours but found no trace of Su. She was an expert in jungle and urban warfare, having handled guns since she could walk and fought for survival in the wilderness from the age of thirteen. By the time she was sixteen, hundreds of vagrants and bandits had died at her hands. Even the most skilled hunters found it difficult to survive her pursuit. She had never encountered anyone like Su, who left no scent, trace, or clue.

If not for a strong intuition, she might have doubted whether Su had already left the ruins.

The sky gradually darkened.

Li had almost searched every corner of the jungle but still found no trace of Su. However, she felt that someone was watching her, though this was just a feeling, as she saw no reflection in any eyes. Su, like the most cunning and patient beast, was hiding in the dark, waiting for his prey to tire. Li finally admitted that in terms of hiding and tracking, she was not Su's match. If this continued, she would never find him.

Li suddenly stood up and shouted, "Are you even a man! If you have the guts, come out!"

As she expected, a strange sensation appeared in a building about a hundred meters away. To Li's surprise, a spark flashed from a deep window, followed by a loud gunshot that echoed through the ruins, startling a flock of birds that were about to roost.

The hot wind blew through Li's chestnut short hair, and the bullet grazed her head, breaking a branch as thick as a thigh.

Li stood still, her face pale. She had thought that with Su's intelligence, he would understand her game rules. If he used a gun, she would have to call in Rigore.

However, the broken branch not only scattered wood chips but also a bit of foul-smelling liquid. Li took a step to the side, avoiding the rain of foulness. She caught a drop of the liquid and sniffed it. Besides the stench, she detected a bitter taste characteristic of a neurotoxin. The air had already oxidized the toxin, reducing its potency, but from the remaining traces, she could infer its original intensity.

Then, she saw a creature she had never seen before, boneless and fleshy, moving by wriggling and with strong camouflage and color-changing abilities. From the well-developed muscle fibers in its remains, this palm-sized creature could move swiftly and even shoot itself like an arrow when necessary. The neurotoxin it possessed could kill within seconds.

Li's face turned grim. After several hours of stealth and searching, her stamina and alertness had significantly declined. If the creature had pounced on her just now, she would likely have become a non-decaying corpse, slowly being drained of life.

Su's shot did not seem to break her rules. More importantly, it exposed his position. Li's eyes flashed with excitement and cruelty, and she charged towards the location of the shot like a black panther.

"Maybe I'll leave him some dignity when I catch him..." Li thought, the flames in her eyes burning brighter.

In less than a minute, Li was standing in the room where Su had been hiding. She looked silently at the rifle, pistol, and rows of bullets on the ground. Su was no longer there.

She scanned the room and suddenly leaped out of the window, hooking the top of the window frame with her hand as she passed through. She used the momentum to rise, and her black high-heeled boots touched the fourth-floor window sill, and she stood on the roof.

The roof was empty.

Without hesitation, Li rushed to the corner staircase, kicked open the locked door, and ran down the fire escape. As she passed the second floor, she suddenly raised her right leg and kicked the opposite wall, abruptly stopping her momentum. Her upper body leaned back to an extreme angle, almost parallel to the ground, making one doubt if she had any bones.

Li looked down the corridor and saw a shadow flash at the end.

Li sneered, retracted her right leg, and walked down the second-floor corridor, her high heels tapping on the dusty floor, the sound like the drumbeat of death.

As she stepped out of the corridor, a tungsten steel dagger suddenly stabbed at her ribs from the left. Li's delicate dagger switched from her right hand to her left with incredible speed, blocking the incoming dagger. She extended her right hand and grabbed for Su's throat!

The tungsten steel dagger and the small dagger intertwined at high speed, both trying to push the other to the side to clear their path. In that brief moment, the two daggers had already exchanged over a dozen blows, showing that both were equally skilled with daggers.

Their other hands were not idle. Su blocked Li's right hand with his left arm and grabbed her arm. However, she shook it off and punched at his chest.

Su blocked with his left arm and raised his right leg to block her kick. Suddenly, he saw the sneer in her eyes and felt a strong sense of alert!

Li's right hand paused in the air, but her kick suddenly changed to a powerful kick, striking Su's right leg! The force from her boot, enhanced to the fourth stage, erupted, sending Su flying backward, crashing through the door and into the room.

Li walked calmly into the room, now having locked onto Su's movements, ensuring he wouldn't escape easily. The unexpected kick had likely caused cracks in his leg bones. In their previous direct contact, Li had estimated Su's physical strength and controlled her force with great precision.

When Li entered the room, she found it was a large room with a desk and a few iron-framed chairs. Su stood in the corner, having taken off his shirt and was unwrapping the bandages around his upper body, now down to the last wrap around his waist, exposing his entire upper body. He was barefoot, his military boots neatly placed next to his shirt and the unwrapped bandages.

Su's upper body was filled with almost perfect muscle lines, exuding strength without appearing overly muscular. His skin, in particular, had a soft ivory white, smooth like high-quality jade.

Li's eyes lit up, and she habitually raised her eyebrows, whistling at Su. After a burst of unrestrained laughter, she continued, "It seems you're quite sensible, taking off your clothes on your own! But you should keep resisting; it'll be more fun that way!"

At that moment, Su, now wearing only a camouflage pants and a bandage covering half his face, seemed to comply and charged at her!

Just then, the sky completely darkened, the last bit of light disappearing. The already gloomy ruins fell into darkness, with only some glowing plants casting a faint light, luring unsuspecting insects to their doom.

In the room, it was almost pitch black. For Su, with his low-light vision, this was sufficient.

Li sneered, using the faint light from the window to see Su's approaching shadow. She did not dodge, taking a heavy punch to her abdomen and then sweeping her leg in a powerful kick. Although Su quickly dodged, her leg still grazed him, causing him to stagger back a few steps. Su's punch was heavy, landing solidly on Li's abdomen, but she only felt a sharp pain and then acted as if nothing had happened.

With that punch, Su realized that Li's body had at least second-stage defensive enhancements.

Su suddenly took a deep breath, the sound hoarse and rough