In the narrow corridor, four Blood Clan guards hurriedly turned around, only to see dark muzzles already aimed at their foreheads.
At such a close distance, facing a barrage of bullets, they were completely unable to make any evasive moves. This was despite being Blood Race Nobility with a physical constitution and reaction speeds far beyond ordinary people. They could only watch helplessly as the muzzles spat fire. Bullets of varying types and sizes twirled into their foreheads and, under the special effect of the Flesh Cutter, carved out a large chunk of flesh and bone from thin air.
The four headless corpses collapsed to the ground almost simultaneously. Of the eight pale arms attending to Miss Chai, two immediately set to work. They began kneading the four Blood Tribe corpses like dough, forcefully combining them into one large lump before stuffing it into the backpack inventory. This way, it only occupied one inventory slot, so there was no need to worry about running out of space.
As the eight arms shot and killed the four Blood Clan guards, Li Ang, who was standing at the corner of the corridor, watched as Caesar Zemis was about to run down the stairs. He abruptly pulled out the Barrett M82A1, supported the gun with his hand, and propped its butt against his shoulder. Holding his breath and concentrating, his pupils behind the scope suddenly contracted, and his finger fiercely squeezed the trigger.
BOOM—!
The sound of the anti-materiel sniper rifle rang out. The 12.7 mm bullet left the gun barrel at a muzzle velocity of 853 m/s, crossing most of the corridor and heading towards the Blood Clan viscount.
This time, Caesar Zemis could not dodge it.
The elongated bullet pierced straight through his left knee. The immense force, akin to a hydraulic press, blasted his entire thigh into pulp.
Missing a leg, he screamed in agony. He rolled along the red-carpeted floor like a tumbling gourd, tumbling forward for seven or eight meters. A trail of crimson blood was left on the ground; even the marble-tiled ceiling was stained crimson.
Caesar Zemis, feeling blood rapidly draining from his body, finally understood the sheer panic and desperation that those common people he had sucked dry felt in their final moments.
He squeezed out the last bit of Blood Ability from his body, barely managing to stop the gushing blood from his femoral artery. But his body was completely drained of strength. Pale-faced, he lay on the ground, listening to Li Ang's approaching footsteps.
Is this the end?
Caesar Zemis had no strength left even for an expression. His brain flooded with numerous, jumbled fragments of memory. Scenes of the past flickered before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
If he still had the strength to speak, he would certainly have struggled to turn his head, look at Li Ang, and ask, "Who exactly are you, lady? Do we have some kind of feud or grudge?"
BOOM—!
Suddenly, the ground far in front of where Caesar Zemis lay erupted.
Amidst the smoke-filled air, an imposing figure vaguely appeared. He was a burly, middle-aged man with a well-groomed beard and sideburns, dressed in a proper robe. Just moments before, he had used his palms, burning with Blood Ability flames, to tear open the concrete and stones, shooting up from below to float in the corridor.
He was Elias Zemis, Caesar's uncle, an Earl of the Blood Clan, and one of the most powerful awakened members of the Zimmich Family.
Lying on the ground like a dead dog, Caesar suddenly felt a spark of hope. With energy from an unknown source, he lifted his head, stretched out his arms, and shouted, "Save me, Uncle!"
Elias Zemis, his expression dark, didn't respond. He merely flew forward rapidly. As he slammed both palms forward fiercely, the red robe behind him instantly liquefied into droplets, becoming a crimson torrent rushing toward the sprinting Li Ang.
"A monster hunter? Was it The North or The Church that sent you?" Elias Zemis roared furiously. "How dare you attack the Zimmich? Do you not fear it will start a war?"
"If you want war, I'll give you war; I have a myriad of brothers on the frontline!" Li Ang shouted loudly. The Spider Claw arms behind him continued to fire, providing cover. Meanwhile, his own feet kicked against the wall, his body vaulting between the walls and ceiling like a monkey as he narrowly avoided the surging blood below.
"Bro, you're losing way too much blood," Li Ang yelled, waving his long spear and directing the Bone Blade towards this formidable foe whose aura alone made his scalp tingle. "I suggest you use Sophie's super comfy, ultra-absorbent, overnight pads for young girls! The pink ones would really suit a cold-faced, suit-wearing guy like you!"
"You refuse to talk, huh? I'll make you talk."
Expressionless, Elias snapped his fingers. The surge of blood on the ground instantly wrapped around Caesar Zemis, rolling him away. Then, Elias casually waved his hand, releasing a mass of blood that solidified into a circular shield before him. It easily blocked the Bone Blade aimed straight at his brow.
The Bone Blade was halted by the blood shield, unable to advance a single inch. Li Ang vibrated the spear, unleashing all his Ripple Energy in a burst, and once again drove the blade toward the blood shield!
"Hmm?"
Elias felt his Blood Ability shield rapidly disintegrating under the Ripple Energy, and his expression couldn't help but change. He turned his palms into fists and struck out fiercely.
The shield instantly shattered and liquefied, merging with the pool of blood on the ground. It then re-condensed into two giant fists that nearly filled the entire corridor, swinging ferociously at Li Ang.
One fist hammered down but struck only air.
Before the fists landed, Li Ang had already used the returning Bone Blade of his Triangular Bone Tipped Spear to snag Caesar Zemis by the neck, yanking him closer. Simultaneously, Li Ang retreated rapidly, disappearing around the corner of the hallway in the blink of an eye.
After dealing with the small fry, the old one shows up. That cold-faced man in a suit has an overwhelmingly strong presence. If I get entangled with him, I'll eventually be overwhelmed by the endlessly reinforcing Blood Clan troops.
No choice. Time to run.
As Li Ang fled down the hallway, he retracted his long spear. He then pressed the [Virulent Poison] Dagger against Caesar Zemis's neck and asked coldly, "Where did you put Eileen Raphael's body?"
This scion of the Blood Clan understood the gravity of the situation, even though he had no idea why this woman—who seemed to be a monster-hunting matron—wanted him dead. Nor did he know why she was asking about the girl he'd killed a few days ago. It's better to remain silent. If I confess and lose my leverage, the blade at my neck will likely end my life with a single slice.
He resolved to clench his teeth and say nothing. But Li Ang couldn't be bothered with idle chatter. The [Virulent Poison] Dagger flashed. It cleanly sliced off Caesar's remaining leg and then bit deeply into his left shoulder.
"Speak now, or you'll lose both your arms too."
Caesar's right leg, still in its trouser half, tumbled to the ground. Even his shoe went flying.
Instantly, blood gushed from the new wound. Sweat beaded on Caesar's brow as he let out a piercing, agonized scream, "The eighty-ninth! The eighty-ninth floor!"