# 404
Chapter 404 – Lin Qiye’s Threat
The golden sword-light finally caught up to the blood-soaked figure. Baili Pangpang caught the falling Molly and felt her faint breath, his face frantic.
“Molly! Molly!!”
Molly’s eyes stayed closed; she didn’t answer.
“When the great roc rides the wind one day, it soars ninety thousand li straight up.”
Whoosh—!!
Lin Qiye chanted softly in mid-air. A roaring updraft burst from below, catching Jialan, Qin Kai, and the three bound members of Team 017 before they hit the ground.
Thanks to the wind’s cushion, the impact when they landed was rough but harmless—except for one person.
Thud—!!
Cao Yuan, wrapped in black killing aura, slammed into the asphalt like a meteor—no buffer at all. His body punched a second man-shaped crater in the road…
The first crater had been made when Baili Pangpang swatted him down moments earlier.
“Heh-heh… cough-cough…”
As the fiendish flames died down, Cao Yuan hacked out a ragged cough. After so long in combat even his mental power was spent; he automatically dropped out of 【Black King’s Annihilation Slash】.
Lin Qiye leaned against a wall, drained, and looked everyone over with relief.
This Gusu City rescue was by far the bloodiest mission the Fifth Reserve Squad had ever taken. Fight after fight, each opponent terrifying; every battle had demanded everything they had.
An Qingyu had died once; Cao Yuan’s mental energy was empty; Jialan was wounded; Lin Qiye himself had fought two above-grade battles in a row—body and mind pushed past the limit.
Nearby lay the grievously injured Molly and Qin Kai at death’s door.
Lin Qiye drew a deep breath and stepped forward, only to stagger and almost fall.
A pair of hands steadied him. He turned: Jialan stood there, jet-black eyes blinking. Remembering something, she quickly looked away, cheeks flushing.
“Thanks,” Lin Qiye managed a smile.
He walked to the curb and looked down. Petrified body parts lay shattered across the sidewalk; at the broken edges, bits of flesh and blood oozed…
His gaze stopped on one stone fragment—half a bewitching woman’s face. Bloody tears ran from empty sockets, staring skyward in rage and unwillingness.
“She’s dead,” Cao Yuan said, swaying over.
“Yeah.” Lin Qiye nodded. “We killed an apostle of an evil god.”
Cao Yuan considered. “That should count as a major merit, right?”
“Add in 【Bell Cranel】 and a Star-Medal is guaranteed.”
“Whew…” Cao Yuan exhaled. “Becoming a real special squad sure isn’t easy.”
A cold wind rose.
Suddenly Lin Qiye sensed something and jerked his head toward the sky down the street.
Grit swirled in the wind, sweeping the empty road. Streetlights dimmed, then went dark; the whole block sank into blackness.
Streams of yellow sand gathered above, slowly shaping a man. He stared down at them, anger flickering in his eyes.
“That’s…” Cao Yuan felt the terrifying pressure and his pupils shrank.
“It’s not over… Don’t move. If I end up fighting him, take the others and pull back.”
Light flashed in Lin Qiye’s eyes. He inhaled, let go of Jialan’s hand, and dragged his exhausted body forward step by step.
Jialan opened her mouth as if to speak, but only a soft murmur came out; he never looked back.
He walked ahead of everyone and stopped in the middle of the street.
In the dark, he lifted his gaze to the figure overhead, eyes calm.
“Nice,” the man ground out with a cold laugh. “You fooled me, stole our crates, saved a garrison team, killed 【Bell Cranel】, killed 【Snake Woman】… You’ve shocked me. Let you grow and Night Watch will have another terrifying special squad.”
Lin Qiye narrowed his eyes. “So?”
“So… today, none of you leave here alive!”
The man raised his hands; wild sand flooded the sky. The pressure of the “Boundless” realm bore down, making everyone frown.
Tap, tap, tap…
Steady footsteps sounded in the dark.
Lin Qiye turned, startled.
A girl in a blue Hanfu robe walked to his right side, blood-soaked fingers gripping half a wooden bow. She stared up at the mighty figure without a trace of fear.
She glanced at Lin Qiye, grinned, and flexed her gore-covered arm in a “strong” pose.
Cao Yuan’s lips curled upward. He sighed weakly, stepped to Lin Qiye’s left, and rested his hand on his saber.
“Qiye, hogging the credit alone isn’t what a captain should do…”
After making sure Molly wasn’t in immediate danger, Baili Pangpang finally exhaled, tore his gaze from her, and glared at the man in the sky.
“Damn it, you dare hurt our Molly? I’m not letting you off!”
He stomped over, looked at Lin Qiye. “Qiye, you say it—slices or julienne?”
Lin Qiye: …
“When did I say we’d fight?” he sighed helplessly.
Though he was moved that the three had risked death to stand with him, he’d never planned to solve this with violence.
Under their puzzled stares he flicked his wrist; three bursts of sorcerous light bloomed, and the three mysterious black cases from the Church of the Ancient Gods appeared in front of him.
He lifted his eyes to the man overhead, mouth curving upward.
“Since they’re weapons that can threaten a special squad, having them makes handling a mere ‘Boundless’ child’s play, right?”
The instant the cases appeared, the man’s face changed.
He’d brought them; he knew exactly what was inside. One held an item meant only against Team Phoenix, harmless to others—but the contents of the other two were more than enough to kill him outright…
He glowered at Lin Qiye, almost exploding.
His own super-weapons, now in enemy hands—and being used to threaten him…
What the hell kind of situation was this?!