CHAPTER 67: 65, LISHUI BAY DEAD END

A flash of sword light! A fine sword! Lu Lin’s thoughts couldn’t keep up with its speed, but his Star Skills could. Stone Skin. Evasion. Perception.

Lu Lin felt a sharp edge whistle past him. The passing blade left a stinging sensation, as if his skin had been sliced. An inch-long gash opened on his left arm. Lu Lin, however, had already moved two meters away.

"Interesting," the artist chuckled.

Lu Lin retreated rapidly.

Danger! Danger! Danger!

Sure enough, just as Lu Lin took a step back, the artist’s long sword arrived where he had just been standing. Its tip aimed precisely at his throat.

Only then did Lu Lin get a clear look at the artist’s long sword. It wasn’t a traditional Hua Xia blade but resembled a Western fencing foil—thin, straight, and with a flexible blade that could bend ninety degrees into an arc.

Lu Lin still hadn’t seen where the artist had drawn the sword from.

"Who are you, and why are you attacking me?" Lu Lin didn’t dare to run, trying instead to stall for time.

"Who I am doesn’t matter," the artist answered indifferently and lunged again. "What matters is that you have to die."

Evasion.

But this time, the artist was prepared. With a flick of his wrist, the slender sword bent, its tip darting straight at Lu Lin.

Lu Lin retreated two steps, another red dot appearing on his left arm. It was about the width of an adult’s thumb.

Lu Lin quickly circulated his Star Power to seal the wound, preventing excessive blood loss and the resulting energy drain.

"It was Wang Lihe who sent me," the artist suddenly spoke, seemingly unafraid of exposing Wang Lihe’s identity. "He wants me to take you back alive."

Just as Lu Lin was momentarily distracted by the name ’Wang Lihe,’ the artist’s figure reappeared before him like a phantom.

Stab!

A simple thrust, yet it aimed directly at Lu Lin’s chest.

He couldn’t dodge. There was no way to dodge!

Lu Lin panicked. In his panic, he could only raise the broken knife to block the artist’s fine sword.

CLANG!

A crisp sound rang out. Lu Lin felt a tremendous force travel up his right arm, sending him staggering back five or six steps before he could barely dissipate the impact.

He was horrified. The artist was slender and even wore glasses. How could he possess such great strength?

The artist, seeing Lu Lin block his attack again, showed no sign of annoyance. He held the fine sword, his gaze as tranquil as an ancient well.

"I am an artist, and I hate being interrupted while painting," he said. "A man interrupted me at Jin Hao Group this afternoon, and now he is dead. I finished my unfinished painting on his corpse.

"But I had to wait for you. You took too long to show up, so I had no choice but to bring out my easel and paint.

"But why... why did you have to come back at this time!"

A flicker of emotion finally crossed the artist’s face.

Lu Lin secretly contacted Zhao Lei, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Li through his Personal Terminal. "Urgent! Lishui Bay Community! Come and save me! The attacker is suspected to be a Black Shark Society assassin! They’re here to kill me!"

The artist sighed. But even as he sighed, his expression remained impassive.

"So, you deserve to die, don’t you?" he continued. "To disturb someone’s painting, you must pay a price. Right?"

His words still hung in the air when the artist’s figure reappeared before Lu Lin.

But this time, Lu Lin fought back.

Ten Steps Kill. Broken knife. Seize the Gap. Perception.

This allowed Lu Lin to clearly see the artist’s movements as he seemed to hang in mid-air, striking with his sword.

Kill! Lu Lin roared internally.

He channeled Star Power into his Ten Steps Kill, the broken knife slashing towards the artist’s sword-wielding wrist.

In that instant, the artist’s eyes narrowed. He had intended to react, but it was too late.

WHOOSH.

Lu Lin’s knife swept down. It was just like when he had smashed through the wall the day before, or when he had severed the basketball hoop moments ago. Lu Lin felt almost no resistance as he severed the artist’s right hand.

But the artist seemed to feel nothing. He ducked, caught the severed hand with his left, then tossed it aside, retrieving only the fine sword.

Lu Lin stared, stunned. What in the world? Is he that tough?

But the artist merely smiled indifferently. No blood flowed from the stump of his right arm; instead, a section of metal skeleton was exposed.

A prosthetic limb.

The artist’s right hand, and indeed his entire right arm, was a prosthetic limb.

"Kid, didn’t your parents tell you not to just chop off someone’s right hand?" the artist said with an indifferent smile. "For some people, their left hand is more terrifying than their right hand. Fire!"

The artist raised his left arm, and a huge ring of fire erupted around them.

The neighborhood residents who had gathered to watch the spectacle retreated one after another. The fire unleashed by the artist incinerated everything it touched. It burned the plants on the ground, the trash cans, streetlights, and Electric Battery Cars in the residential area. Wherever the flames touched, they blazed fiercely.

The onlookers retreated further and further. Some who recognized Lu Lin quickly ran towards his home to inform his parents.

"Lu Lin, you’re not bad," the artist said. "Being able to force me to use my left-handed sword technique means that even if you die, you can be proud.

"Moreover, I heard you’re a genius? So tell me, how does it feel to be killed by someone who isn’t even a Level 1 Star Nucleus Warrior?"

Not even a Level 1 Star Nucleus Warrior?

Lu Lin didn’t believe it.

His opponent’s sword speed was incredible, and his physical strength and speed were top-tier. He even casually waved his hand and created a huge ring of fire. And he claims he’s only Zero Level? Who would believe that?

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Lu Lin didn’t dare speak. He stared at the artist unblinkingly, his grip on the broken knife so tight his palm began to sweat.

"Alright, let’s end this," the artist said. This time, he didn’t attack while speaking. "After completing this mission, I suppose I’ll have to adopt a new identity again."

Instead, he waited for Lu Lin to compose himself before walking towards him, step by step.

THUMP.

THUMP, THUMP.

For some reason, Lu Lin felt as if the artist before him had transformed. Previously, he had the air of a slender, agile swordsman; now, he seemed to have become a heavily armored infantryman, wielding a large shield and a Wolf Tooth Stick.

WHOOSH—

A violent gust of wind erupted. The artist actually wielded the fine sword as if it were a Wolf Tooth Stick. With each swing, the wind howled, carrying immense, crushing force.

Knowing this blow would be difficult to parry, Lu Lin gripped the hilt of his broken knife with both hands to meet the fine sword.

BOOM!

Even gripping the knife with both hands, Lu Lin could barely maintain his hold. His arms felt as if they weren’t his own—aching, numb, throbbing, and swollen!

How is this possible? It’s just a Western-style long sword, weighing only a few hundred grams! How can it produce such an effect?

Lu Lin was aghast.

Yet, there was no trace of emotion on the artist’s face as he continued his relentless assault.

WHOOSH—

The wind howled again. Lu Lin once again raised his broken knife to meet the attack.

This time, Lu Lin felt as if his arms were about to snap. His arms hung limply at his sides; he couldn’t even hold the broken knife steady, and it clattered to the ground with a BANG.

Lu Lin stumbled backward, his mind a complete blank.

What should I do? I’m going to die. This time I’m really going to die.

This artist is clearly a deranged, psychopathic killer! Wang Lihe at least said the artist should bring me back alive. But this madman wants to kill me simply because my return interrupted his painting! Reasoning, pleading, or arguing with such a person is useless. You either kill him, or he kills you.

Lu Lin racked his brains but could find no way out of this predicament.

Stone Skin couldn’t block it. Perception was useless. War Cry wasn’t needed. Evasion couldn’t dodge it.

Lu Lin realized with despair that none of the Star Skills that had previously made him a little proud, even complacent, were of any use now.

At this moment, it wouldn’t matter if Lu Lin had two Star Veins, three, five, or even ten; none of them would help in the slightest.

He still had ample Star Power within him, but right now, it was utterly useless.