Chapter Seventy-Two: Paying the Price for One’s Mistakes

Chapter Seventy-Two: Paying the Price for Wrongdoing

Wang Yuan closed his eyes.

The two men showed no hesitation, preparing to strike.

Suddenly, a shadow from above grew closer. They looked up, stunned. A massive stone was falling from above.

Both hurried to block it, but one, unable to dodge in time, was crushed by the rolling force of the boulder and tumbled down the slope.

"Third Brother!"

The remaining man shouted in alarm.

Suddenly, danger struck.

He spun around quickly.

Behind him stood a man.

The man, his expression grim, gazed at him.

"You caused the stone to fall," he said calmly.

"What?" The assassin hadn't yet grasped Shen An's meaning.

Suddenly, his body bent double as he saw the other's fist appear at his abdomen. Agonizing pain shot through his organs, as if his insides were churning violently.

"Who are you?"

He finally recognized Shen An's face.

"Shen An." His face turned pale with terror.

"Heh, you know me. That makes things easier," Shen An said softly.

Crack!

A scream rang out as his ribs were broken.

He retreated rapidly, trying to put distance between them.

But Shen An, relentless as a shadow, followed close behind.

At the same time, Shen An struck like a cannonball, attacking from all sides—blows and kicks raining down with incredible speed.

The man's body was soon battered beyond recognition.

When Shen An stopped, the man collapsed like a heap of mud, limp and lifeless on the ground.

"Mr. Shen, forgive me."

Wang Yuan, seeing Shen An's blood-red gaze, was seized by terror.

He watched Shen An arrive, saw him kill the assassin without offering any chance to escape.

"You started the stone?" Shen An lowered his head, his gaze fixed on Wang Yuan.

"No, I swear. I had no strength left to move it. It was them, really! Please, have mercy. I was being hunted by them—I know where their hideout is."

Shen An stared silently at him.

Suddenly, below, the assassin crushed by the stone convulsed.

With a crash, the boulder shattered.

"Who dares interfere? Courting death." The assassin, breaking the stone, looked up.

At this moment, Shen An's gaze shifted downward; their eyes met. The assassin's pupils shrank sharply, his peripheral vision catching the lifeless body of his fallen comrade.

It had only been seconds since he was pinned, and the other assassin was already dead.

"Damn it, how could it be him?" Confused and alarmed, he spun around and fled without hesitation.

Yet, as soon as he turned, he saw Shen An behind him. Their eyes met again.

"Die!" Without hesitation, seeing Shen An before him, he knew escape was impossible.

He unleashed his strongest move without delay.

Yet, facing his brutal attack, Shen An merely arched his brows, then pressed down with both palms.

Crack!

The man's eyes glazed over; blood welled from his scalp, his body shrank, and he slowly collapsed.

With a single strike, Shen An ended him.

Wang Yuan, watching from the mountain top, nearly wet himself in fear.

"My god, that was terrifying!"

His body trembled uncontrollably.

"Go now. Leave this place, rest for a while, then seek out Mu Linqiu. You know what to do."

Shen An spoke.

Wang Yuan nodded repeatedly.

"Remember, no matter how strong you become, if you follow me and kill ordinary people—no matter who you are—I will not forgive you."

He glanced at Wang Yuan, who nodded again and again.

"Tell them this as well."

Shen An instructed him, replenished Wang Yuan's depleted energy, and sent him away.

The man with the golden mask sensed the deaths of the two he had dispatched.

The moment they died, he received the message.

"Shen An appeared and saved Wang Yuan," he read.

This was the last message sent by the two slain assassins.

They had a special internal communication channel.

When he tried to contact them again, both were dead.

Those who have died cannot receive messages—this was one way they determined life or death.

"So, Shen An is not in Silver City now," he said suddenly. "Since that kid isn't in Silver City, this is a rare opportunity."

Xu Tianming sat on the sofa, as usual.

"I just had someone check—he's indeed not in Silver City. Wherever he is, I think this is an opportunity not to be missed."

"He might be waiting for us. If so, let him wait. Future Technology, without Shen An, is nothing to worry about."

The two plotted for a long time, both leaving with smiles.

"I saw him descend from the sky to save the guide, and later, he kept saving people."

The young man spoke excitedly to the camera.

"I heard several huge stones fell from above just now. Is that true?"

"Yes, but it was man-made. Someone was running up there," the young man recalled.

"What about the rescuer? Where did he go now?" the reporter asked again.

"After saving people, he looked up. I asked if he was searching for someone; he didn't reply. Later, I saw him appear on the mountain—I guess he went after them."

The young man, visibly excited, recounted everything he knew.

"Well, this incident is a good starting point. Awakened ones saving people makes for a great story, and the public shouldn't be kept in the dark—reveal some details appropriately," said an elderly man with white hair behind the reporter.

"Director, I understand. This came from above—they want to build a positive image."

"But is this person truly good?" the female reporter asked.

"I don't know. We shall see. I believe such a person isn't a villain."

Night, cool as water.

His gaze seemed to shine, casting light into the night sky.

Because of the falling boulders, tourists had left the area early.

At night, almost nobody remained—save for two people in an old building atop the mountain. Shen An found no other traces.

Bai Weiwei and her group had not appeared.

Perhaps it was because of him; Shen An was unsure.

Or perhaps, this time was different—there were no signs of tremors as before.

In previous incidents, there were always tremors; this time might be different, Shen An surmised.

He had watched the two in the old building for a long time. He sensed fluctuations from the old Taoist.

The old Taoist seemed extraordinary. Shen An did not linger, fearing discovery.

Time passed slowly as Shen An observed, waiting for the right moment.