Chapter 143: The Breakout

As the sword energy closed in, Qin Chuan’s expression grew exceptionally grave. Had he been at his peak, the female ninja’s strength would have been of no concern to him. But now, the Nine Yang Energy within his body had become a constraint; he had to reserve the vast majority of his internal force to suppress it, forcing him to act with caution against a master like her.

Of course, that was all it was—caution.

A moment later, the female ninja, who had expected to slay Qin Chuan on the spot, stared with utter disbelief. The sword energy, which could easily cleave stone and shatter monuments, had come to a dead halt half a foot from Qin Chuan, as if it had struck an invisible wall of energy. No matter how much force she applied, it could not advance even an inch.

"Nani?"

Unable to believe her eyes and finding it impossible to break through his defense from the front, she retreated a few steps, leaped half a meter into the air, and delivered a powerful downward strike at Qin Chuan’s head.

*Clang!*

With a piercing sound like metal striking metal, the ninja’s long sword was blocked once again by the energy radiating from Qin Chuan. This time, however, Qin Chuan did not intend to let her off. He thrust his right hand forward with lightning speed, aiming for her wrist.

The ninja, caught in the middle of a mid-air strike and having exhausted her momentum, was unable to react in time. Qin Chuan seized her firmly.

"Let go!"

Qin Chuan exerted a slight force, and the ninja’s entire arm went numb. The sword slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground. Without a shred of chivalry, Qin Chuan swung her over his shoulder; before she could even land, he moved faster, driving a vertical punch into her abdomen.

Though she instinctively crossed her arms to block, the force of the blow slammed her hard against the floor.

"Ugh!"

She let out a muffled groan, her body spasming from the intense pain. Yet, thanks to her rigorous training, her resilience far exceeded that of an ordinary person. Ignoring the agony, she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Qin Chuan’s follow-up stomp, which gouged a hole in the floor.

*Crack!*

The tiles shattered. Qin Chuan swept his leg, launching several broken tiles at the rolling ninja like projectiles.

"Damn it!"

The ninja cursed, palms striking the floor to propel herself into the air, but her shoulder was clipped by one of the shards. Blood began to flow from a three-inch-long wound, and she couldn't help but gasp.

"The Hokushin Itto-ryu school has truly run out of talent in your generation. It lives up to its reputation, though—you only have one move, with no follow-up capability."

Qin Chuan’s cold mockery left the ninja burning with shame, wishing she could vanish into a crack in the ground. She forced herself to stand, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, and whipped her arm toward him.

"Die! Die! Die..."

Clearly pushed to the brink, she unleashed a barrage of star-shaped shuriken and needle-like weapons at Qin Chuan like a violent storm. Qin Chuan moved like a butterfly dancing through a garden; whenever a projectile threatened to strike a vital point, he would evade at a bizarre angle. At one point, he even caught a shuriken in his teeth with audacious flair.

With a sharp jerk of his head, he sent the projectile flying back toward the ninja’s brow like an arrow from a bow.

"This... how is this possible?"

Stunned, she barely managed to dodge, the shuriken grazing her scalp before burying itself deep into the wall.

"Do you want to continue?" Qin Chuan asked coldly.

The ninja glared at him in silence, then suddenly threw two marble-sized spheres onto the ground in front of him.

*Bang! Bang!*

Two plumes of purple-black smoke erupted, carrying a strange, pungent scent. Qin Chuan quickly held his breath. When the smoke cleared, the ninja was nowhere to be found.

Qin Chuan did not pursue her; his priority was to rescue the researcher. He turned and headed for the innermost room, the door of which was locked from the inside.

"Whoever is in there, stay away from the door! Move back!"

Qin Chuan shouted a warning. Muffled whimpering came from inside. Hearing soft footsteps retreat, he delivered a powerful kick to the door.

*Crash!*

The door collapsed. Qin Chuan caught a glimpse of a man tied up, a towel stuffed into his mouth. He bore a striking resemblance to Zheng Xingguo from the dossiers, though his face was deathly pale and his exposed skin was bruised and swollen from obvious torture.

"Zheng Xingguo?" Qin Chuan asked tentatively.

The bound man nodded repeatedly, still wailing through his gag. Qin Chuan moved quickly to his side and pulled the towel from his mouth.

"Are you sent by the organization to save me?" the man asked, his face full of surprise.

Qin Chuan nodded and asked in turn, "Where is Wei Baochuan?"

"I don't know. We were separated after they took us into secret custody," the man sighed helplessly.

Qin Chuan felt a surge of disappointment, but the situation was critical. Holding to the principle of saving whoever he could, he quickly untied the man.

"Um... comrade, could you carry me for a bit? They tortured my legs, and I can't walk well," the man pleaded.

Qin Chuan didn't hesitate, hoisting the man onto his back. He stepped out into the hallway, which now had its lights restored, and found himself facing a squad of hotel security guards.

"That's him! He destroyed the hotel property! Don't let him get away!"

At the security captain's command, the guards lunged forward like mad dogs. They charged in fast, but they retreated even faster—Qin Chuan threw several of the ninja's shuriken he had collected. Due to the immense force behind them, the guards were sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Qin Chuan carried Zheng Xingguo toward the stairs. He avoided the elevators because he had already contacted Ling Qingxue, asking her to hack the power system and create a distraction; he knew another blackout was coming.

As expected, just as he reached the fifth floor, the lights went out again. However, he ran into several security guards carrying flashlights. Though they lacked modern firearms, their numbers were significant, and carrying Zheng Xingguo made movement awkward, forcing Qin Chuan to exert considerable effort to fight his way through.

Soon, he broke through to the first floor—the most heavily guarded level. Seeing over a hundred guards blocking his path, Qin Chuan gritted his teeth and charged into the crowd like a tiger into a flock of sheep, pushing toward the hotel’s main entrance in the southeast.

The reality proved that when the gap in strength is absolute, sheer numbers cannot compensate. The guards were nothing more than a disorganized rabble, and after a few of Qin Chuan’s charges, they were scattered in defeat. The air was filled with cries of pain as they fell in waves.

As he neared the main entrance, Qin Chuan suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.

*Killing intent!*

Qin Chuan’s heart tightened. To his shock, the source of the killing intent was coming from his own back.