Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 275 - Vehicle Assassin

"Henry, have you made the arrangements? We're leaving for Kura City this afternoon. We'll need two cars just in case something goes wrong on the way. Hmm... good... have them sent to the apartment quickly."

Feng Liusi hung up the phone as he stood in the corner of the living room. He glanced at the sofa beside him, where Cassius rested with his arms crossed and eyes closed. His golden tousled hair covered his eyes.

Meanwhile, Saint Feinan was, as always, elegantly brewing tea. Every movement was slow and deliberate, giving off a sense of calm and composure. It was clear that he was in a good mood, as a faint smile played on his lips. His smooth black hair hung down his back, evidently washed and carefully tied into several loops with a band.

They say old trees bloomed in spring, but Saint Feinan seemed to be in even better spirits. Ordinary people could hardly perceive the subtle changes in their bodies, noticing only the big shifts. But a combat artist’s every muscle, blood vessel, and organ lay under their control. They deeply felt any good or bad changes.

Saint Feinan could sense the vitality radiating from his body as he moved, as though a clear spring had washed both his body and mind. It was a feeling of lightness across his entire body.

When he got up that morning, he noticed that all five of his senses had significantly sharpened. The world appeared brighter, as though the dust covering its surface had been wiped away. Greens became more vibrant, reds more vivid, and blacks even deeper. His hearing and sense of smell had also sharpened, making him more alert.

Saint Feinan recalled what Cassius had told him: such changes came from the life magnetic field and would last for a short time.

"Hmm... not bad, not bad..."

He sipped his tea. It was unclear whether he was complimenting the taste of the tea or Cassius, who remained resting with his eyes closed.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door on the first floor of the standalone house. A man, dressed no differently from an ordinary office worker, entered the living room. Feng Liusi motioned for him to sit down, and the two quickly began discussing the intelligence concerning Kura City.

Things seemed relatively stable there, since no major conflicts had broken out in the supernatural world. The Gate Organization and the Blood Spirit Society had both refrained from taking action. The Tulip Antique Exhibition was proceeding as planned, and the Cloud Dog Fist Sect had sent additional personnel.

They had also invited wealthy businessmen, aristocrats, and gentlemen, as well as members of the Eastern Nine Sects from the Covert Martial Arts community. It seemed Cloud Dog Fist was not just interested in hosting the Tulip Antique Exhibition; they also intended to hold an early meeting of the Eastern Nine Sects, possibly in Kura City.

Feng Liusi pondered for a moment, suspecting that this was a response to the threats posed by the Gate Organization and dark creatures. The situation seemed to have grown more complex.

Half an hour later, Feng Liusi had finished making decisions and issued several commands. The man nodded, stood up, and placed two car keys on the table. Cassius noticed a red mark on the man's wrist—it appeared to be a bird of prey emblem?

An eagle? No, a vulture—blood-red.

After the man left, Cassius asked about it. Feng Liusi smiled slightly, "Do you remember the Nightingale organization I mentioned back in Death Canyon? About a decade ago, they foolishly crossed me, and I spent two months hunting them down and annihilating them. That's how I earned the nickname 'Kill Fist'..." He touched his chin with a hint of pride, only to find some slight stubble, causing him to shake his head.

"I killed most of the assassins from Nightingale, but I spared the rest of their personnel. Back then, I took over their bases and outposts across the eastern region and the Hongli Federation. Later, I renamed it the Blood Vulture organization. I've been training members for the past decade and using them as an intelligence agency..."

He explained briefly, without going into much detail, since the Blood Vulture organization didn't play a significant role in their plans. However, Cassius seemed intrigued, and the two continued chatting for a while. When he learned that the Blood Vulture organization had a small outpost in Oak City, Beiliu County, Cassius asked Feng Liusi for a favor.

He planned to place the bodies of his third senior brother Lance and the sect master Belon in coffins and have the Blood Vulture organization's men transport them back to Oak City. He wanted to temporarily store them in the outpost until he could make further arrangements.

The former Wind Elephant Sect headquarters were located in Oak City's outskirts.

Cassius infused both bodies with vibration energy, which would preserve them. The bodies could now last several months without decaying, allowing him time to return.

This was a minor task, and Feng Liusi had no objections. He made a quick call to relay the instructions. About half an hour later, a member of the Blood Vulture organization arrived to collect the bodies. Cassius watched as they were carefully taken away.

The three then began packing their belongings from their respective rooms. Since they had only stayed one night, there wasn't much to take. By the time they stepped out of the standalone house, the sunlight had gradually brightened. Across the street, the tiled walls of a three-story building radiated a warm, golden glow.

The three of them got into two cars and left the apartment.

After randomly choosing a restaurant for lunch, Cassius and the others headed towards the outskirts, on their way to the neighboring Kura City.

***

Lilun High-Class Apartments.

Butler, You An and his sister had just set out. They planned to drive directly instead of taking the train.

Kura City wasn't too far from East Sea City, though it was not exactly close either. It was about two hundred kilometers away. In this era, cars generally traveled at forty kilometers per hour, so at full speed, it would take about five hours.

East Sea County was prosperous, with a booming port trade and well-developed transportation routes, both by sea and land. Smooth, paved roads connected the major cities, allowing cars to travel unimpeded.

***

Long black parallel lines stretched across the vast, endless green plains and into the horizon in both directions. These main roads were regularly maintained, with the road elevated slightly above the ground and kept free of weeds. Some sections had trees planted along the sides for protection.

These trees flashed by like fleeting shadows as the car drove on, giving the riders a clear sense of forward momentum.

Two identical black cars drove smoothly on the road, their streamlined shapes sleek and rounded. The black paint gleamed in the sunlight, and silver metallic patterns circled the edges of the doors and handles. On the front hood, a pale gold ring stood proudly as the car’s logo.

At the base of the ring, black letters were arranged together.

"Ring Dream, 109."

Ring Dream cars, manufactured in the 109th year of the Federation. These were upper-mid-range models, which provided an excellent driving experience and an understated yet comfortable interior. The only drawback was the lack of safety features, though that was typical of cars from this era.

Honk~

The two cars honked as they quickly overtook a few slow-moving vehicles. It was around two in the afternoon, with the September sun hovering between hot and mild. Sunlight filtered through the dust and particles in the air, casting a thousand golden beams.

The wind stirred the clouds like an invisible ship, carrying the white cotton clouds aimlessly across the sky.

Saint Feinan was alone in the second Ring Dream car. In the front car, Feng Liusi was driving while Cassius sat by the right-side window in the back. The dark-tinted glass remained rolled up as he gazed outside.

His handsome face was expressionless, and golden tousled hair fell over his sharp brows and eyes. Cassius stared at his own faint reflection in the window. He could see a man grinning maliciously, his eyes bloodshot, with a blood-red bird of prey's claw resting on his shoulder.

He didn't feel fear, as he just quietly stared until the shadow in the glass vanished entirely.

After a moment, Cassius rolled down the window, letting a bit of the fresh air filled with the scent of grass flow in, dispelling the previously stifling atmosphere.

"What's wrong? Feeling down again? Or is it the same as always..." Feng Liusi, who had been driving all along, suddenly spoke up.

"I'm doing alright. This is probably the best I can manage," Cassius lightly tapped his temple, crossing his arms in front of his chest again.

He glanced at Feng Liusi's back and continued, "Aren't we on our way to solving the problem? I have a feeling we'll be in for a tough fight in Kura City."

"All the powerhouses from various forces are gathering there. I suspect the forces of order are already in chaos. We'll have no choice but to fight them head-on at some point."

Feng Liusi nodded; he was already mentally prepared. Frankly speaking, it was fortunate they had encountered and heavily injured Blade Demon Garoro last night. If the encounter had been in Kura City, they might not have had the chance to injure him in the chaos.

If a fight broke out, they would inevitably get entangled with three or four different forces at once. The situation would be like a powder keg, ready to explode with just a spark.

Feng Liusi felt a slight headache as he said, "If I had another month or two, I would've reached the fifth stage of the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist and perfected the fourth killing move, Blood Vulture's Beak. I'm currently at forty-one acupoints, and the forty-second is already loosening. I'm not far from forty-four..."

It was indeed a pity. If Feng Liusi had fully digested his accumulations, Cassius would have an expert at Blade Demon Garoro's level on his side! At that point, Feng Liusi's odds against Garoro would be around forty-five to fifty-five.

They would be considered peak-level experts of the same tier. Since Death's Fang Force specifically countered immortality, a peak-level Blood Fist could probably take on the entire Blood Spirit Society alone!

When he saw Feng Liusi's somewhat rueful expression, Cassius suddenly said, "I'll help you. Life vibration energy can speed up your training. Right now, your body is around forty years old. There's still room to regain more of your youth. If you can return to the peak physical state of a thirty-year-old, the breakthrough you need one or two months for could be compressed into one week. Besides, I need a large amount of life vibration energy myself in a short period of time. I'm not far from breaking through to the Qi realm of a veteran combat artist. If we get enough life vibration energy, I could make another breakthrough within a few days. And with Saint Feinan regaining his youth as well..."

He smiled slyly, "We'll be the main competitors."

Feng Liusi hesitated before asking, "Are you suggesting?"

"The Blood Spirit Society," Cassius replied bluntly. "When we get to Kura City, we should take the initiative to take down their Blood Nest. The life vibration energy from those grotesque bugs is incredibly nourishing. Since they enjoy hunting and parasitizing humans for sport, we'll turn the tables and hunt them for fun."

A slightly twisted smile appeared on his face. Unknowingly, the roles of predator and prey had reversed. Cassius didn't mention the other option; after all, Black Ops Agency also had certain channels. He would bring it up when the time came.

Feng Liusi didn't even need to think about it and nodded immediately, "Their life forms disgust me... We'll do it your way."

After a moment of silence, he glanced at Cassius through the rearview mirror. "If anything goes wrong with your fist technique training, make sure to tell me. Don't let it turn into another incident like last time..."

"I know my limits," Cassius nodded. "If I lose control, you and Saint Feinan can team up to subdue me. If I can't keep killing and stimulate the Qi of my split personalities, the state will gradually fade, and the other two personalities will eventually regain control."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, they heard a collision behind them. Cassius frowned and looked back, only to find that the car Saint Feinan was driving had been forced to the right by a sedan.

It swayed to the left and slammed into Saint Feinan’s car again, causing the door to cave in and cracks to spread across the glass. Meanwhile, the windows of the sedan were fully rolled down, and two men had raised black firearms from inside.

They were wearing sunglasses, but it didn’t hide their cold and ruthless faces.

But at that moment...

Bang!

A crystalline blue whip shot out, wrapping around half of the car's body like a living creature. The tip sank into the car, and flung it into the air with a violent jerk. The car spun five hundred and forty degrees before crashing down. The car skidded down the road upside down, sending sparks flying and leaving a long, black skid mark behind it.

The car shook slightly as a hand flopped lifelessly out of the window, the handgun clattering on the ground. Scarlet blood began to seep out, staining the shards of glass on the ground as it sketched out the remnants of a shattered life.

Saint Feinan smirked as he landed on the ground and retracted the whip, casually flicking off the dust. The whip automatically coiled around his waist, transforming into a belt.

"Sending this kind of trash? Even with guns, they're nothing but useless scum..."

In the other car, Cassius furrowed his brow. It was unclear whether the attackers were from the Blood Spirit Society or the Gate Organization. It seemed like the trio's movements had been tracked.

But then, a troubling realization struck him. He always seemed to get attacked while traveling in vehicles. Whether it was in the real world with Shadow Demons chasing him, or during the time-travel incidents from the past.

It was like vehicle assassins.

It was becoming a curse.

Rubbing his temples, Cassius suddenly narrowed his eyes, focusing on something ahead. A blue car had been driving leisurely in front of them, and a figure in the passenger seat suddenly leaned out of the window.

They had a large, dark object on their shoulder.

"Damn, a rocket launcher!"

"Feng Liusi, jump!"

Cassius kicked the car door open with one swift motion, launching himself out like a leopard. Feng Liusi dove through the passenger side window, landing amidst the shower of glass.

Boom!!!

A massive fireball erupted as the car exploded into flames.