Chapter 51: Spider Silk

Shen Ye glanced at the pear-blossom needles scattered across the floor. These needles were as fine as ox hair, and gathering them all would take time. The four opponents had arrived too quickly, leaving no room for cleanup. Thus, he sat calmly and waited.

The four experts soon appeared on the thirty-third floor, entering the doorway of the vast office. The first was a young woman over 1.7 meters tall, stunningly beautiful, with slightly narrowed phoenix eyes and an imposing, authoritative presence. The second was a young woman no taller than 1.5 meters, with an incredibly youthful face—appearing only thirteen or fourteen—but possessing a massive bust. The third was a rotund monk who looked anything but righteous, and the fourth was a tall, thin Daoist with a similarly lecherous look in his eyes.

Judging by their auras, none of them were weaker than the ruthless Du Sha. Of course, in a true one-on-one duel, the outcome between them and Du Sha remained uncertain. Upon entering and seeing Du Sha lying on the ground—his left hand severed, his body riddled with chopsticks, and one driven through his temple—the four could not help but gasp.

Before this battle began, none of them had believed the "Chopstick Hero" could be a match for the ruthless Du Sha. Du Sha was a fighter of the Five-Bag rank, a notorious assassin who had killed several peers of equal standing. Based on his fight against the "Thunder Mage" Yang Feikuang, the Chopstick Hero was estimated to be at the Fourth-Bag rank. The gap between the Fourth and Fifth ranks was as vast as heaven and earth, not to mention that Du Sha’s combat experience far surpassed that of the Chopstick Hero. Who could have foreseen that the Chopstick Hero would win, with Du Sha dying a miserable death while the Chopstick Hero remained completely unscathed?

Such a massive disparity left the four speechless for a moment, unable to believe their eyes. Yet, Du Sha’s corpse lay there in plain reality.

After the shock subsided, the leading woman with phoenix eyes gazed at Shen Ye. "Chopstick Hero, we finally meet."

"You use the word 'finally.' Are we close?" Shen Ye asked, amused.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Nangong Zhu, a team leader of Special Operations Group C here in Guangzhou. After the Lu the Beggar case, it became clear that ordinary police could not handle you, so I took over this investigation. Since I took charge, you have committed many crimes. I could never uncover your true identity, but it doesn't matter now. Regardless of who you are, you will be arrested today, and all the mysteries surrounding you will be unveiled," Nangong Zhu said coldly.

A glint of dark light flickered in Shen Ye's eyes. "Special Operations Group. After I eliminated Li Jinguo, I obtained some intelligence. It said the Ten Great Sects are the powers of the Jianghu, while the Special Operations Group represents the government. I didn't expect to meet people from the Special Operations Group so soon, and four team leaders at once. Even for the Special Operations Group, team leaders like you shouldn't be that common."

"So, when I posted the death notice, you had already guessed I would come here and set an ambush?"

"Correct," the busty girl who stood just over 1.5 meters tall nodded. "I am Tong Chuchu, a team leader of Special Operations Group C. Chopstick Demon, that you forced us to mobilize four team leaders is already a massive display of force from our Special Operations Group."

"Amitabha, you’ve even delayed me, Monk Jierou, from eating my meat—it was a fragrant pot of meat. So, you had best surrender," the fat, irreverent monk said, pressing his palms together.

The tall, thin Daoist with the shifty eyes grinned. "Chopstick Demon, you have nowhere to run now that we have blocked the door, so just surrender quietly. Though your ability to kill the ruthless Du Sha was beyond our expectations, you must have exhausted yourself significantly. None of us are inferior to Du Sha."

"Furthermore, the four of us share a Four-Symbols Formation; once combined, we can exert the power of a Six-Bag rank. The gap between the Five-Bag and Six-Bag ranks is quite significant. Surrender."

Nangong Zhu’s hand was already on the hilt of her sword—the Cicada Wing Sword. Her blade was as thin as a cicada’s wing, and her swordsmanship was as fast as lightning. Tong Chuchu’s hands were already on her two Emei piercers; by choosing such an unorthodox weapon, she signaled that her martial arts path was inherently devious and unpredictable.

Monk Jierou did not carry a weapon, but he suddenly produced a large ball and tossed it into the air. It began to expand, growing segment by segment until it took the form of a Zen staff. In ancient times, weapons were what they were; practitioners often walked around carrying heavy gear. In this high-tech modern era, specialized researchers had long since created various "weapon spheres." Normally just a sphere, they would quickly transform into the desired weapon when released. This allowed modern Jianghu figures to blend in with normal people without having to lug around conspicuous, heavy equipment.

Modern weapon spheres operated on the same basic structural logic as those from the year 3000, but the latter were far superior. For instance, Shen Ye’s pair of gauntlets could fit his hands perfectly, down to the millimeter—something modern spheres could not achieve. Moreover, his gauntlets could continuously alter their form and possessed various special functions like thermal, cold, and electrical insulation, while also enhancing attack power. Modern spheres were limited to a single form. It was like comparing a 286 processor to an i7; they were both CPUs, but the difference was unimaginable.

Monk Jierou gripped his staff and looked at Shen Ye. "Chopstick Hero, you had best surrender. Otherwise, the combined power of the four of us is no joke." His physique seemed to swell, and holding the staff, he looked like a lion.

The lecherous Daoist also held the hilt of his long, thin sword. "Chopstick Hero, even if we capture you, we won't kill you. After all, our Special Operations Group needs talents like you. It's better for you to surrender. Besides, you truly have no way out."

Shen Ye pondered to himself. It had not been five minutes since he killed Du Sha; his "Great Strength" skill was still grayed out, and his physical stamina was significantly drained from the day's fighting. One-on-one, his chances against any of these four were slim. One-on-four, his odds were zero.

But!

Shen Ye looked at a tall building in the southeast and smiled. "Do you think you can definitely capture me?"

"Of course," Nangong Zhu nodded calmly.

"You have no wings to fly away," Tong Chuchu declared.

"Don't bother stalling for time. If you actually escape, I, this monk, will truly swear off meat," Monk Jierou said in a low voice.

"You can't escape," the Daoist sneered. "If you can get away, I'll eat my own horsetail whisk."

"No wings to fly away?" Shen Ye smiled, genuinely amused. His left hand, with a movement almost too subtle to perceive, aimed at the hundred-meter-tall building to the southeast.

*Whoosh!*

A white line shot directly toward the hundred-meter-tall building at a speed invisible to the naked eye.