It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

"Long Yucheng...was poisoned and died."

After hearing this, the female assassin tightened the dagger in her hand a little more. Her tone became a little deeper, and she seemed to have a little anger in her voice. She said,

"This is a chronic poison. If you bring his body out, there might be..."

"When we were attacked, he was already stabbed by a poisoned needle. After inhaling the gas, he was stabbed again."

Bai Lin's explanation sounded a bit weak, but it was indeed the truth. Bai Lin didn't want to yell at her for her gloomy mood, so her tone was naturally softer. The female assassin's lips began to fight, as if she didn't know what to say. In the end, she seemed to lose her temper, and completely discarded the meaningless anger from her words.

"Don't argue about these useless things, escape first!"

The author was recently furious with his teammates while playing games and is now in the hospital to vent his anger.

Although I didn't pretend to be angry while playing games, my lungs did explode. The doctor said it was because I was too tall and too thin, and I would be fine after a few days of hospitalization. If there is no accident, I will continue to update, but there may be accidents, so I will let you know in advance.

Chapter 143 A Strong Uninvited Guest

Bai Lin nodded immediately, and then ran after the female assassin. This time the journey was relatively smooth, perhaps because the sword power that Bai Lin sent to them was too strong, and the only attacks they encountered during their escape from the fog were some hidden weapons.

There were also some traps and ambushes along the way. I have to admit, it was quite remarkable that these shadowy figures could set up such a trick in such a short time. However, under Katie's observation, all of this became meaningless.

Unlike the Ice Forest, where the trees are alive and move without warning, the traps here are fixed and can be discovered and avoided in advance with a little care.

"These assassins who attacked us are all cult members who kill without blinking an eye. As long as the price is high enough, they will do anything." The female assassin introduced as she ran.

"Your colleagues?" Bai Lin asked casually.

If Katie wasn't there, she would have found this group of assassins very difficult to deal with. Judging from their methods and skills, they were clearly professionals. If they were hit by some poison or trap, Bai Lin would have been killed easily.

But even if she died, it wouldn't matter.

"I'm not a cultist. They all exchange their lifespan, a part of their body, future misfortunes, or even the misfortunes of those around them for powerful concealment abilities. Assassins like us, registered with the legitimate Adventurer's Guild, are not the same as them."

The assassin retorted bluntly, her tone showing no sign of disdain. Although Bai Lin also thought this sounded quite strange, but...

Isn't the blood-burning skill quite suitable for me? However, Bai Lin quickly responded.

"So, you guys only take commissions like killing monsters. They mainly make a living by killing people, right?"

The female assassin nodded in agreement, apparently meaning that. Although she was far inferior to the shadowy figures who came to assassinate her, both in terms of attire and combat skills, she was still quite reliable, as she brought useful medicine.

"Human survival is already so difficult, yet there are still so many people doing this job..." Bai Lin couldn't help but feel a little emotional, feeling that he was one step further away from saving the world.

The fog wasn't as widespread as expected. Following Katie's instructions, the three of them easily escaped the thick fog. Emerging from the scene, they encountered a charred forest. Facing the toxic gas, Bai Lin quickly covered her mouth. The female assassin did the same and began searching for the other two.

"They're being hunted," Katie said. "Three steps to Bai Lin's right, there's a pool of blood. He might be injured. And this magical feeling is indeed left by that magician."

The female assassin frowned. "Then we must hurry and pick them up. If those two really encounter something, it could easily get into trouble. Blond magician, do you have a way to track their movements?"

"You should worry about yourself!" Katie was about to respond when another deep, hoarse male voice echoed from the sky. Everyone's voice was indistinguishable, right? That's truly professional. Thinking this, Bai Lin took a step forward to the left, standing in front of the female assassin. He thrust his shield sideways, colliding with a mid-length sword that was descending.

"Be careful, their fighting skills can compete with your captain." Bai Lin held the sword across with one hand, as if preparing for a fight, but also as if protecting the female assassin.

The female assassin swallowed hard. This was the first time she'd felt the enemy's strength head-on. She hadn't even noticed the blow just now, and if it hadn't been for Bai Lin, she might have been slashed by it. She immediately grasped her dagger, shifting lightly to the side, blending into the surroundings.

"I'll wait for the opportunity. I'll leave the front line to you, Dark Knight."

Bai Lin could only smile bitterly at this title. She swung her knife and carefully examined her opponent.

He wore the same tattered black robe as the previous figure, but the tattoos he revealed seemed slightly different, and his sword also had a strange feel. Upon closer inspection, he saw some runes on it, which brought back some unpleasant memories.

Although Bai Lin couldn't understand, Katie definitely knew what the runes on the sword meant. It was reassuring to have such a companion by her side. Bai Lin lowered the sword diagonally and was about to plan his attack path when the opponent turned into a shadow and flashed in front of him.

So fast! Like lightning and thunder, the light is seen before the sound. Before Bai Lin could even register the attack, he was already in front of her. A wicked smile flickered beneath his black mask, slightly irritating her, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. Hastily blocking, Bai Lin's shield was knocked aside after three consecutive hits, and she swung her sword, forcing the opponent to step back and suspend his attack.

With that kind of speed and power, if she tried to use a shield-slash attack, she'd probably take a few hits. If she were acting alone, it wouldn't be a big deal, but the point was that there was no way the other party wouldn't attack Katie.

Bai Lin naturally wouldn't give up her attack rhythm. Before the opponent could change the angle of the stab, she stabbed and slashed, then smashed her shield towards the opponent's abdomen. As for why she hit the abdomen, it was because if she hit the abdomen, she would have enough time to retract the shield for defense. Otherwise, if she hit the head and was attacked on the right side of the body, it would be a waste of time.

There was no doubt that Bai Lin's superb close combat skills had temporarily suppressed his opponent. However, she had noticed that his opponent had been using a one-handed sword to counterattack, his other hand seemingly untouched, which was quite inconsistent with the style of the previous assassins.

This opponent must be no ordinary person. After witnessing his instant kill with a single blow, he still dared to engage in a frontal close combat. This shows that he is very confident in his close combat ability. With this thought in mind, Bai Lin gathered his energy after a gap in his shoulder drop, slightly shifted his center of gravity, and injected power into his left shoulder.

Furious Slash

The already dense, tidal-like attack suddenly lost its rhythm, replaced by an even more violent stream. Overpowering the enemy with force was Bai Lin's forte, and with two powerful slashes, he instantly sealed off the battle area, eliminating the disadvantage of his relatively short weapon.

Of course, the attack would not stop there. Bai Lin took advantage of this opportunity to take a breath and continued to chase the enemy who wanted to retreat. At the same time, he held the sword with both hands, preparing for further pursuit.

Chapter 144: Panic

A swift, furious blow, with the power to shred the opponent, struck the shadow, whose dodging space was limited. After two extreme dodges, the shadow raised his sword and thrust it sideways.

With a crisp, brief thud, the sound of iron clashing rang out. Even this brief, non-direct contact stiffened the shadow's expression and shoulders. Bai Lin, as if seizing an opportunity, slightly tilted her sword downward, preparing to take advantage of the momentum and strike fiercely. However, she discovered the shadow's form suddenly became as ethereal as mist, leaving a trail of afterimages. This momentarily distanced her from Bai Lin, forcing her strike to miss.

Using supernatural abilities, engaging in close combat like this, meant admitting defeat. Conceived of her own victory, Bai Lin's aura surged even further, shortening the stiffness after swinging her sword. This allowed her to retract the sword slightly and block the attack of an unidentified black object that emerged from the shadowy sleeve.

Both sides took a step back. Despite the slight setback, the shadow's expression remained relaxed. "Not bad, quite good."

The young voice rang out clearly, completely different from the previous hoarse voice, so much so that Bai Lin did not recognize it as the shadow's voice at first. Bai Lin's face was not as expressive as the other's. After all, even if he made an expression, the shadow would not be able to see it.

"What? You're not going to hide anymore? You're going to resort to verbal attacks now that you can't win a fight?" Bai Lin didn't even bother lowering her voice, unscrupulously taunting her with her perfect goddess voice. Katie's chant never stopped, and the verbal attacks made it easier for the female assassin to move forward.

"You are a worthy opponent. Only because of this can you hear my true voice." The shadow uttered these words arrogantly, yet somehow Bai Lin felt a sense of conviction. Indeed, the opponent's other hand seemed unused, and the shadow's appearance was due to a blind spot. Even Bai Lin's excellent dynamic vision could not capture its specific purpose. It could be said that the shadow was a mystery to Bai Lin.

He grinned slightly, revealing his white teeth, but there were some black lines on his front teeth covered with something unknown. As the translation system cracked, Bai Lin realized that it was a big word "death". She raised an eyebrow. He really was pretending to be dead.

"Originally, you weren't in the target intelligence, and we simply intended to eliminate you as an ordinary witness. But now it seems that you and the girl on your back are something special. Tell me your names, two young heroines. You possess abilities far superior to that so-called Saint Son, and you must have some background."

The black shadow's words acknowledged the strength of the two men and were a little humble, but still harbored murderous intent. Bai Lin did not think that the other party wanted to let him go, and his attitude was still very cold.

"Why are you asking our names? You don't look like the type who wants to remember the names of your opponents before you die."

The smile on the shadow's face grew even brighter. He laughed heartily a few times and slowly raised his sword. "No, of course I just wanted to build two graves for you. A single grave without a name would be too lonely. But if you two were buried together, perhaps it wouldn't be so lonely after all."

Katie's chanting abruptly ceased, evidently her spell preparation complete. Both her opponent and Bai Lin could already smell the tension before a fierce battle. Bai Lin could clearly hear the beating of his own heart. On this windy night, amidst the perilous forest, a tranquility arose, akin to the moment before a desperate battle.

"For people like us, once our true voices are heard, there's no turning back. It means—"

The opponent's cloak fluttered without a breeze, revealing his sharp gaze from within the hood for a moment. It was the look of a cat sizing up its prey. Bai Lin instantly understood that the opponent was about to strike, so he tensed all his muscles, ready to seize the first opportunity.

"I've made up my mind to never return, what about you?"

The words echoed with the sword's shadow, and this time, Bai Lin clearly saw the beast-like shadow's true form, fully revealed. Beneath the black robe, a shadowy figure fiercely slammed into Bai Lin. Though startled, Bai Lin used her sword and shield to simultaneously block the shadow's attack and her blade. But the shadow, like a living being, suddenly softened into a snake, entwining itself around Bai Lin's blade and charging straight at her face.

Bai Lin didn't hesitate. As her shield deflected the opponent's sword, she suddenly lowered her center of gravity and launched a kick, attempting to force the opponent away. The shadow, clearly unwilling to be hit by Bai Lin's kick, quickly retreated, but the shadow's attack continued. She leaned her body to the side, facing the shadow with her shield while stepping forward. The shadow, not intending to confront the shield head-on, changed its trajectory and launched a bolt of lightning towards Bai Lin's face, clearly aiming for his life.

As a human, no matter how extreme Bai Lin's movement, an object like this, unrestricted by shape, could easily find him again. Therefore, Bai Lin's intention was to completely shatter the shadow, even taking the shadow assassin with him. The shield swept past the blade, which was fixed in mid-air due to the entanglement, igniting a prairie fire. The powerful cutting force instantly scattered the shadow.

Bai Lin took the knife and struck the shadowy figure with a single blow. From top to bottom, the force of a thundering blow left no room for his opponent to seize the rhythm of the battle. The whistling sound of the air and the crackling of flames ignited the atmosphere of battle. In an instant, the attack landed, and the flames radiated, illuminating the dark jungle. A dangerous aura emanated from the jungle. The enemy still had backup, and countless shadows emerged from the trees. Bai Lin retreated, blocking the attack with another horizontal slash.

Her previous strike had landed on the ground, not on her opponent. Looking at the shadow's appearance and the countless shadows behind him, Bai Lin couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat as she felt a suffocating sensation.

But when Bai Lin saw the smirk on the shadow's face, she understood. At least she couldn't lose in terms of momentum. She roared, "Come on, you bastards hiding in the dark!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a large number of sounds of breaking through the air came from the bushes, accompanied by not only those black shadows that rushed out one by one, but also...

There were rumbling sounds one after another.

The shadowy figure, who had been smiling just a second ago, froze in his tracks when the trees behind him exploded. The waves of explosions, each louder than the last, also restrained the crowd from moving. For a moment, the scene fell into chaos.

Chapter 145 Teleportation Escape

The sudden explosion made Bai Lin instinctively lower her shield slightly. Then, noticing that she wasn't affected, she slowly moved her hands away. The female assassin appeared in her sight, uttering two words with difficulty: "Go!"

"Close your eyes first," Katie said calmly and calmly. Bai Lin instantly realized what she was about to do and immediately embraced the still dazed female assassin, protecting her beneath him. In an instant, a light brighter than daylight shone from Katie's raised hand, illuminating the surroundings like the sun.

Strong light, a substance difficult for human vision to perceive, was incredibly effective when delivered while the opponent was caught off guard and in a state of confusion. Even the few dark shadows that had crept up behind them were reduced to their knees in agony by the glare.

"Open your eyes slowly, let's break through." Katie uttered these words and began to chant the spell again. Honestly, she wasn't entirely satisfied with the scene. After all, she had chanted for so long this time, and it wasn't just a simple flash spell, but one imbued with divine properties. However, the black monsters summoned by the shadows showed no sign of retreating, making her efforts seem futile.

She raised her slender fingers slightly, and a soft green light flowed towards the female assassin. She had a new scar on her body, and Katie naturally couldn't fail to notice it. At this crucial moment of escape, she couldn't afford such a mistake.

Bai Lin's condition must have recovered faster than the female assassin. She immediately stood up and used her right hand holding the shield to roughly clamp the latter, who had not yet recovered, under her armpit, and ran away with big strides. She used her left hand, which was still free to move, to sweep the sword across the shield and swing it towards the path of her charge.

Energy Release Large Fan Slash

As the sword swung out, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and a barrier of sparks rose from the ground in front of Bai Lin. Bai Lin swung the sword, trying not to look at the corpses she had stabbed, and ran away without looking back.

Turning sideways to avoid the fog, Bai Lin carried the other two people into the dark woods.

"How is it, assassin, can you speak?" Bai Lin asked while running, and at the same time turned his head to avoid a flying cold light.

"Um...what's up." The female assassin replied reluctantly.

"How many troops are there over there? Should we go and pick up the remaining two people?" Bai Lin asked the key question: how many troops are there over there?

The female assassin let out a wry smile. Should she go or not? That was the question. She had just met the two of them, and she was hesitant. Was it okay to get rid of them because of her partner's problems?

In the distant jungle, the sound of a mechanism was heard. Bai Lin immediately took a step forward, threw the female assassin to his left hand, and grabbed her tightly. Then, he used his shield to accurately block seven or eight steel arrows.

"Could it be that there are too many enemies and you are embarrassed to let us rescue them?" Bai Lin's casual words hit the mark of the female assassin's inner thoughts. Perhaps out of guilt, her already low voice became even lower.

"Every tree over there makes people feel dangerous. Although I can't be sure of the exact number of troops, but..."

While she was speaking, Bai Lin turned around again, blocked some arrows with his shield, and then followed up with a flying kick. The clanging sound interrupted the female assassin's speech.

"Time is running out, should we save him or not?"

Bai Lin's voice wasn't very loud, and his tone wasn't very harsh, but it made the female assassin feel oppressed. Finally, under this pressure, she closed her eyes and said loudly and sincerely, "Please!"

Bai Lin breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart. She wasn't sure whether to save the man or not; she simply wanted to contribute, not make the decision. She felt she'd regret it later if she didn't, so it was best to let the two closest teammates make the decision.

However, what she didn't know was that the female assassin was somewhat similar to her, and was an emotional person. The assassin's face had turned red after this operation, but no one could see it in the dark.

Katie's chanting ended, and Bai Lin understood that now was the best time.

"Can we go now?"

"Yes." Following the female assassin's response, Bai Lin placed her on the ground. She gently patted the female assassin's shoulder and said, "Take good care of her."

Katie probably knew what Bai Lin was going to do, but this time she didn't refuse, instead giving him a look of affirmation. She gently stepped off Bai Lin's body, and as her legs touched the ground, a large amount of blue fire spread out from under her feet like roots. A strong gust of wind blew out from the center of the magic circle beneath her feet, causing it to vibrate violently.

"I'll wait for you over there by the flowers. You'd better not die." Katie said something very strange in a gentle tone. But Bai Lin understood it. She waved her hand and walked out of the magic circle.

"I'm fine, but please don't get into any trouble."

"Wait..." The female assassin seemed to have sensed something was wrong and was about to say something when Katie's voice drowned her out.

"If you're so worried, why don't you take me with you?"

The latter's tone remained frivolous, as if this wasn't a life-or-death farewell, but simply a trip out for fun. Bai Lin laughed heartily twice and took another step forward. The scene before the female assassin completely distorted, and in the blink of an eye, she and Katie appeared in another corner of the forest.

A "bang" sounded, the sound of the female assassin's knees colliding with the hard mud floor, and her already weak body became weak and limp.

How could it be... She went there alone, wouldn't that mean she would die? Her own companions, in exchange for the death of others? What kind of behavior is this? If that's the case, it's better not to save them!

She placed her hands on the ground, her eyes watering. Although she had fainted from those tentacles long ago, she still had some idea of ​​who had saved her. Why, after drawing their swords on their first meeting, would he still go to such lengths to help her, even to this extent?

"What's wrong with you?" Katie crouched down and wanted to check on the assassin. The female assassin gritted her teeth.

"How can you still be so calm? She's your companion. Don't you have the slightest concern about her leaving with such a fearless attitude towards death?"

"Oh." Katie said in a daze. This seemingly indifferent attitude made the female assassin inexplicably angry. Just as she stood up and prepared to argue with Katie, she found that the other party had a harmless smile on her face.

Then she said in a joking and inexplicably infuriating tone, "I forgot to tell you, Bai Lin can be resurrected after his death."

Chapter 146 The Difficult Boss

Eh?

Like a flash of thunder in her mind, the overabundance of thoughts and information finally crumpled into a ball, leaving behind only the emptiness of a blank sheet of paper. The female assassin's mind was like this, a blank sheet of paper. And then, as the emotion burst forth, the blank space in her brain finally burst forth like liquid. What emerged was, naturally...

Damn, what a waste of tears.

Katie saw the female assassin's face twitching strangely, and she didn't dare laugh too loudly. She just waved her hand and chanted softly, and two stone benches emerged from the ground.

"Okay, sit down and rest for a while. Your blood volume is low, and my healing skills are not very effective in replenishing blood. Let's rest for a while and chat. Maybe we can take advantage of this opportunity to get to know each other better."

The female assassin, who had recovered from her shock, seemed unable to accept the reality all of a sudden. Emotions are a fluctuating process. If too many waves all hit the same sea level, it would be equivalent to no fluctuation at all.

Just like the pastor's dullness before, the female assassin also seemed to be in a trance. She slowly stood up and sat on the stone bench, saying with a sense of powerlessness and a bit of obedience,

"it is good."

-

"What to do, chase or not?"

A dark figure stalked out from the burning woods. His exposed skin was stained with ash and blood, and had significant burns. His hoarse voice echoed through the woods. Although not loud, it was powerful enough to drown out the roar of the flames.

"...The damage is heavy. Those two weren't even on the mission target. It's unnecessary."

Another hoarse voice answered, silently emerging from the side of the previous shadow. The latter appeared less distressed, with few injuries. It seemed the explosion caused by the female assassin was mainly for the loud noise, not to kill them all.

As soon as the words fell, the dark shadow that had previously confronted Bai Lin swung his sword and hid it under his black robe. He also said in a hoarse voice,

"Let's just forget it. It's too dangerous to continue. With our appearance, we can't go wrong even if we miss one or two witnesses."