Chapter 64: Gathering Clouds (II)

In this era devoid of god-level card forgers, possessing a spiritual power higher than Long Yin’s—who had already reached SSS-level—what did that mean? It meant the other party’s spiritual power might be SSS-level! Long Yin’s thin frame was even weaker than Dodge and Gongliang Yi’s. Having taken care to protect them both, he was more grievously injured than either. Now, with someone’s hand around his throat, he had no strength to resist—he couldn’t so much as move a finger, able only to show a look of pain.

A hoarse, aged voice sounded from the man in black: “Does it hurt? Is this all that SS-level spiritual power amounts to?”

Through his pained eyes, Long Yin saw that the other had eyes vast and deep as the sea, full of ancient wisdom. The man’s gaze was placid, and there wasn’t the slightest hint of murderous intent about him, yet the hand gripping Long Yin’s neck tightened inexorably. Long Yin felt he was on the verge of death, barely comprehending what the man was saying.

He gritted his teeth—SS-level spiritual power, and yet he couldn’t break through the other’s mental restraints!

The man was elderly—far from young! An old man with SSS-level spiritual power was not someone Long Yin wouldn’t know about. His fingers dug into the earth as he struggled to breathe, his whole body wracked with pain.

“SS-level spiritual power, tsk tsk. After you die, those two little friends over there are next, then the young man hiding in the tree, then those forces protecting you…”

The man’s indifferent words, tinged with an almost mocking cruelty, stabbed at Long Yin’s sore spots one by one. A cold, harsh light flashed in Long Yin’s eyes as his SS-level spiritual power flared out of control, injuring himself in his recklessness; blood welled from the corner of his mouth.

“Tsk tsk, how can you achieve anything with such a reckless heart?” The old man extended a withered finger and tapped Long Yin’s forehead. His mind cleared for a moment, and he thought he saw the old man smile. The man’s lips moved, as if saying something, but Long Yin could only watch helplessly as consciousness faded and he slipped into unconsciousness.

When Long Yin turned over and his palm brushed against a touch as familiar to him as his own heartbeat, he sat up in delight. “Little Hammer!”

Little Hammer turned his head. Tears filled Long Yin’s eyes as he embraced the grinning bear, whose broad paw gently patted Long Yin’s back. A deep, rough voice spoke: “Yin, I’m back!”

Long Yin’s hands unconsciously tightened in Little Hammer’s fur. Buried in the soft coat, his emotions surged. “I couldn’t protect them. They’ve all been taken away—every last one…”

Little Hammer, though his fur was being pulled painfully, endured it silently and patted Long Yin’s back to comfort him. “Yin, you’ll find them. What’s certain now is that the person wasn’t from that mysterious faction, but from another. Since he only took the others and left me here with you, that proves he isn’t truly hostile to you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be seeing me now—we’d be meeting underground, not here!”

“What is he after?” Long Yin raised his head, the weakness in his eyes hidden away, replaced by a bright and angry intensity.

“It seems more like a test,” Little Hammer mused aloud.

Long Yin was stunned, then covered his mouth in surprise. An observer’s perspective was clearer—he’d let himself be unsettled by the man’s words, but now it made sense. No wonder he hadn’t sensed any killing intent from the other. But then, who was this man, and why take his people? Was he enemy, or…?

Little Hammer’s words opened a new path of thought for Long Yin. Soon, his bright eyes shone with a different light. He looked closely at Little Hammer, his tone full of satisfaction. “You’ve grown stronger, Little Hammer!”

A moment ago, Little Hammer had been dignified and solemn; now, he scratched his head in embarrassment and broke into a silly grin. Seeing this, Long Yin felt an inexplicable ease and, hugging him, said sincerely, “It’s good to have you by my side.”

Little Hammer pushed away Long Yin’s nuzzling head, rumbling, “Yin, be serious! What’s your next move?”

Knowing Little Hammer was embarrassed, Long Yin smiled slightly and followed up, “Do nothing.”

Little Hammer’s shyness faded, replaced by confusion. He shook his head. “I don’t understand, Yin. Your people have been taken, the Crown Prince and that mysterious faction are still at large—doing nothing is just waiting for death, isn’t it?”

Long Yin shook his head. “Little Hammer, the situation isn’t as I first estimated. The sudden appearance of this mysterious faction means they’re not our enemies for now, but their relation to the Crown Prince and the other mysterious force is hard to say. I don’t believe in coincidences—this group’s arrival is surely connected to the events of today. They may even have come specifically for that mysterious faction. One mysterious force was enough to shatter us—injuries, abductions, our group left in ruins. I can’t see through it all. Perhaps there are even more forces involved. This is a battle of titans, and as the fish in the pond, we’d best keep our heads down and watch for now.”

Little Hammer’s eyes brightened, his deep voice tinged with excitement. “So, the threat from the Crown Prince’s people isn’t such a crisis for you now?”

Long Yin nodded, then shook his head. “The situation is unclear; things might turn for the better, or grow worse. If that mysterious faction turns against me, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Little Hammer’s excitement faded, replaced by heaviness. He scratched his head, dejected. “So there’s nothing we can do?”

Long Yin considered, then shook his head. “Not exactly.”

“What can we do, then?”

“Stick to the original plan—strike at the Crown Prince!” Sensing Little Hammer’s doubts, Long Yin continued, “For now, that group isn’t our enemy, but the alliance between the mysterious faction and the Ji family is definitely a threat to us. Whatever that other force wants, we can only rely on our own strength to deal with the Ji family.”

“Then where do we go?” Little Hammer asked.

Long Yin smiled. “Didn’t you just come from the Spirit Fox Squad? The people guarding that outpost are still there. Compared to wandering around, it’s safer to regroup there, gather information, and find temporary shelter.”

Little Hammer nodded. “Alright, let’s go there first.” As Long Yin nodded, he pulled out a compact communicator and began contacting his people. When messages started pouring in, Long Yin was surprised to find that, besides himself, no one else seemed aware of the mysterious faction’s presence. He drew a sharp breath. How had they managed that? He couldn’t believe a force capable of taking most of his people consisted of only a handful, but in truth, that was his mistake. The mysterious faction was indeed few in number—they simply weren’t ordinary people. They had misled him on this point, and Long Yin had yet to realize it.

He sent out his location, and soon those nearby began converging on him. Perched on Little Hammer’s shoulder, Long Yin kept his eyes glued to the screen, messages coming in every few seconds—from his own people, and from allied factions.

Compiling the information, Long Yin quickly realized that these mysterious operatives had not only blended in among the senior students but had disguised themselves so well that, unless they revealed their true, brutal nature, no one would suspect the person they’d known for years was someone else in disguise. With this, Long Yin had every reason to believe that the Crown Prince and this faction had not joined forces recently; their conspiracy likely stretched back much further. Just how long had they been plotting?

As he studied the data, Long Yin realized that if the operatives could hide among upper-year students, what was to stop them from infiltrating the card forgers’ academy as well? His face paled at the thought, realizing he’d underestimated their numbers. He quickly messaged those approaching, warning them to avoid all academy students, whether upper or lower year, but it was already too late—two more teams failed to respond.

Long Yin clenched his fists in fury. The academy had suffered heavy losses this time. Judging by their methods, their enemy was ruthless indeed.

He knocked his knuckles against his head, forcing himself to review the information again. In a situation where every second’s delay could cost his side dearly, he couldn’t afford to react slowly. Seeing Long Yin’s anger and self-reproach, Little Hammer walked lightly and steadily, careful not to disturb him.

As the reports kept coming, it became clear that both his own people and allied forces were under attack—all because they’d overlooked the threat hiding among the academy students. But even knowing some students might be enemy agents, it wasn’t possible to treat every student as a suspect—such restraint meant losing the initiative. Against enemies as ruthless as these, losing the initiative meant losing lives.

How to break this vicious trap? Long Yin couldn’t bring himself to give a kill-on-sight order—if he did, the Card Forgers’ Guild would be the first to object.

He rubbed his temples and could only reiterate his orders: avoid all academy students, and if unavoidable, exercise extreme caution.

“Now all we can hope for is that the mysterious faction brings good news. I really did underestimate the shamelessness of humanity,” Long Yin said helplessly.

Little Hammer replied gloomily, “Humanity’s greatest trait is its lack of limits. Just when you think they’ve gone as far as possible, the next moment they shatter your expectations.” His training with the Spirit Fox Squad had left him with a deep understanding of this truth.

Long Yin shook his head with a wry smile. Facing such an enemy was truly exasperating.

Was there really no way to deal with them? Multiple factions were being chased down—those enemies must be laughing at their own cunning. Long Yin lowered his lids, deep in thought. There was no such thing as perfect defense—only death traps unseen. There had to be some way. They’d come for him eventually, wouldn’t they? Then let him be the bait! Surely, after such devastating losses, the other factions would see the crisis for what it was.

Having reached a decision, Long Yin began quickly relaying his plan. And at the very moment his order went out, far away in the Green Ridge Mountains, the Crown Prince was already playing with the freshly received intelligence, a smile upon his lips.