Chapter 157: Urban Warfare (Part 1)

Although Li Wensheng did not continue to dwell on it, a trace of lingering worry remained in the back of his mind, fearing that the elimination of his pain would cause a dulling of his keen perception.

However, this concern was quickly disproven; the removal of pain had not affected his awareness in the slightest.

As he approached a fork in the alley, Li Wensheng took a step forward and instantly threw himself backward.

The moment he retracted his foot, a samurai sword radiating a chilling glare cut sharply downward through the driving rain.

The blade was dangerously close to Li Wensheng, so close that he could feel its icy aura.

With a swift downward slash, the attacker immediately pulled the blade back.

Then, a woman of peerless beauty emerged from the other side of the alley fork, gripping a samurai sword.

She wore a petite business suit which, drenched by the pouring rain, clung to her body like a tight bodysuit, accentuating her slender, serpent-like figure.

Li Wensheng was a man, after all. Even as he retreated, he could not help but cast a few extra glances.

After backing up several meters, he stopped, reined in his focus, and cast a glance behind him.

To his rear, the ten masked men had emerged from the previous alley fork, drawn their samurai swords, and were advancing toward him.

Seeing this, Li Wensheng unslung the sniper rifle from his back, tossed it aside, and drew a dagger from beneath his raincoat.

In the narrow alley, caught in a pincer attack, using a firearm would be suicidal—especially since the woman's speed was by no means inferior to his own.

The woman made no move to stop Li Wensheng's action; she simply kept her eyes locked on him.

The ten men halted when they were still ten meters away from Li Wensheng.

Seeing the dagger in Li Wensheng's hand, the woman revealed a sweet smile capable of captivating most men.

"Li-san, I never truly believed you were capable of killing that good-for-nothing, Shimayama Osamu. But judging by the reaction you just used to evade that strike, I believe you had what it takes to dispose of that piece of trash."

The woman spoke fluent Mandarin, without a hint of stiffness, as if it were her native tongue.

Li Wensheng looked the woman up and down, feigned a regretful shake of his head, and critiqued, "You're attractive enough, and your figure is decent, but your voice is truly grating—like fingernails scraping against a wall. It's much too harsh."

"Heh-heh." Far from being angered by the remark, the woman burst into a bright, carefree laugh.

After chuckling a few times, she reined in her laughter and said with a brilliant smile, "Thank you for the compliment, Li-san. In the past, when everyone was unaware of your identity, you could remain in hiding. But now that your true allegiance has been exposed, you have nowhere left to run. Furthermore, as a traitor to the Nationalist Party, the vast expanse of China no longer holds a place for you. I wonder what plans you have for the future?"

Li Wensheng was astonished. "Are you trying to recruit me? I just killed your Emperor, and yet you still want to recruit me?"

"The Emperor can always be replaced, but a talent like you, Li-san, is truly one of a kind. Moreover, with your assistance, the goal of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere can be realized in no time at all. Li-san, for the sake of our shared prosperity, I sincerely invite you to join the Empire on behalf of the Imperial forces."

In an instant, Li Wensheng understood the Japanese strategy. Given his current notoriety, if he were to defect to Japan, Chinese morale would plummet drastically. Those who were hesitant to become traitors would immediately turn collaborators, and the resistance spirit among the populace everywhere would be severely undermined.

"Tsk tsk, I honestly don't know whether to call you pragmatic or completely devoid of national dignity. I killed your Emperor, and you still want to recruit me? Aren't you afraid of an outcry from the rank-and-file soldiers?"

"The ordinary soldiers will understand that this serves the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. As for national dignity..." The woman paused briefly before smiling, "Li-san, over the past century, not a single one of your emperors has died at the hands of foreigners, but do you truly believe your country retains any dignity today?"

Her mocking words caused Li Wensheng's expression to instantly turn grim.

"Li-san, I sincerely invite you to join the Empire on our behalf."

The woman extended her invitation once more. Her previous words had stripped Li Wensheng of any mood for banter. He replied in a deep, resolute voice, "Keep dreaming!"

"Sigh!"

The woman let out a sigh. In the blink of an eye, her demeanor shifted entirely; the smile vanished from her face, replaced by a dense, suffocating murderous intent.

"Then please go die, Li-san."

As the words fell, she lunged forward like an arrow released from a bow, appearing before Li Wensheng in a flash, raising both hands to bring her samurai sword down in a vicious chop.

The strike was blindingly fast, resembling a flash of lightning.

Yet Li Wensheng was no slower. He sidestepped to evade the blade, while his dagger darted out like a venomous snake, thrusting swiftly toward her wrist.

The woman crossed both hands, defying the center of gravity as her blade abruptly shifted mid-air from a downward chop to a horizontal sweep, slashing toward Li Wensheng.

She made no attempt to dodge the incoming dagger; if Li Wensheng refused to dodge her sword, it would result in mutual injuries.

However, Li Wensheng chose to retreat. Trading a dagger thrust for a potential slash from her long sword was clearly a bad bargain.

Pushing off slightly with both feet, he leaped backward over a meter, his back pressing firmly against the alley wall.

The moment he retreated, the woman pressed the attack. Pivoting on one foot, she gripped the samurai sword with both hands and slashed downward at him once more.

This time, Li Wensheng did not retreat. The instant the blade descended, he lunged forward, closing in on the woman's flank, his dagger thrusting straight for her throat.

Close-quarters combat is fraught with peril; once an opponent breaches your defenses with a short weapon, the entire dynamic changes.

Facing a dagger as swift and lethal as a striking viper, the woman had no time to retract her sword to parry. With the blade aiming directly at her throat, and unwilling to trade injuries, she had no choice but to step back.

Seeing her retreat, Li Wensheng pressed his advantage, following her closely as his dagger thrust again toward her throat.

She had never formally trained in melee weapons, having always relied purely on her superior physical attributes to overwhelm opponents. Yet against Li Wensheng, her physical edge proved useless.

As the incoming dagger flashed toward her, her heart was filled with confusion. Why was Li Wensheng's speed so terrifying? She had consumed top-tier enhancement drugs—and had even taken a second dose—yet in terms of sheer speed, she was merely on par with him.

Confusion was useless, however, and this was hardly the time for it. Suppressing her doubts, she switched from a two-handed grip to a single-handed hold on the sword and reached out with her bare right hand to grab the dagger.

Seeing her attempt to block the blade with her bare hand, Li Wensheng slightly slowed the thrust of his right hand while curling his left hand into a fist, driving it fiercely toward the lower left side of her heaving chest.

The dagger was aimed at her throat, and the fist was hurtling toward her heart, causing the woman's expression to alter dramatically.

Clang!

The samurai sword dropped to the ground as the woman frantically brought her right hand up to block Li Wensheng's incoming fist.

A glint flashed in Li Wensheng's eyes as he retracted his right-hand dagger and channeled his entire strength into his left arm.

Bang!

Fist and palm collided, generating a shockwave of kinetic energy that shattered the raindrops within a radius of several centimeters.

Instantly, the woman was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string.

Bang!

She crashed heavily into the wall behind her, punching a large hole through the brickwork before finally coming to a halt.

"Pfft!"

Amidst the rubble in the courtyard, the woman spat out a mouthful of blood. Glancing at her right hand—whose bones had been completely shattered and crushed flat—and feeling the faint, erratic beating of her heart, she was gripped by profound terror.

Terrified by the sheer magnitude of Li Wensheng's strength, terrified that even two doses of the elite formula could not defeat him, and terrified of what kind of monster his physical constitution truly was.

Having blasted the woman away with a single punch, Li Wensheng bent down to pick up the samurai sword she had dropped, stepping forward to finish her off. However, the ten men who had remained motionless until now suddenly surged toward him like a volley of sharp arrows.

Li Wensheng instantly halted his advance, turned to face the oncoming group, swiftly returned his dagger to its sheath at his waist, and transferred the samurai sword from his left hand to his right.