The morning sun was still gentle, its rays pouring down and casting a cold glint on the blade of the dagger.

Gorzo, standing beside the sleazy-faced man, narrowed his eyes. He swiftly moved behind him, his arm rising in a blur. In an instant, the sharp edge of the dagger was pressed tightly against the man's neck.

As Gorzo's arm exerted force, the blade gently sliced through the skin. A line of blood spread across the pale neck like a blooming red lotus.

The sleazy-faced man first felt a piercing coldness at his neck, the icy touch causing his body to shiver uncontrollably. Incredulity, fear, pain, and relief—a multitude of expressions intertwined on his face, erasing its usual sleaziness. Of course, at that moment, as the blood spread, his life also came to an end.

Chen Pingchuan frowned, his gaze fixed on the blood slowly trickling down the blade, his mind filled with confusion.

What's going on with these two? Weren't they partners? Why the backstabbing?

Unable to figure it out, Chen Pingchuan simply voiced his doubts. "Bro, what are you playing at? Did you kill the wrong guy? Wasn't this sleazy-looking fellow your partner?"

Chen Pingchuan stared intently at Gorzo's face, trying to find an answer in his expression.

Gorzo didn't answer. He simply smirked calmly.

Then, his legs exploded with power. The once-flat roadside cracked into a spiderweb pattern under his step. Using the ground's recoil, Gorzo charged toward Chen Pingchuan with a lightning-fast speed the naked eye could barely follow.

BANG! BANG!

Two deafening gunshots shattered the silence.

Chen Pingchuan's smile froze. He stared in astonishment at Gorzo, who had already returned to his original position, now holding the guns that had been in Chen Pingchuan's hands just moments before.

Chen Pingchuan had never imagined that one day, someone would disarm him.

After all, with his current physical condition—be it his physical strength, nerve reaction speed, or coordination—he was already approaching the peak of a Level Three. This meant that even when facing an ordinary Level Four Genetic Enhancer, he had the strength to fight, and even turning the tables wasn't out of the question. Yet, this man, Gorzo, had managed to disarm him without any warning, giving him no chance to dodge.

From this, there was only one possibility. Damn it. A master with Level Five strength is pretending to be a grunt. He's a cowardly lurker, playing the pig to eat the tiger. Truly despicable.

Chen Pingchuan silently cursed Gorzo in his heart, but he also realized that the man seemed to have no intention of killing him. Even so, the feeling of having his life in someone else's hands made Chen Pingchuan extremely uncomfortable.

As for why he didn't use "Skillful Thief" to gamble on his chances, Chen Pingchuan despised such behavior. Gamblers never die a good death!

Without any outward sign, Chen Pingchuan secretly moved his right hand behind his back and made a few quick gestures toward the armored vehicle not far away—signals that only he and Liu Haofeng understood.

This was why Liu Haofeng hadn't appeared. Just a short while ago, the two had communicated briefly. To be safe, Liu Haofeng had returned to the armored vehicle, ready to activate the energy shield at a moment's notice. This was their backup plan, and who would have thought it would actually come in handy?

Gorzo saw all of Chen Pingchuan's supposedly secret gestures.

However, he didn't seem to mind. He first tossed the guns he had taken from Chen Pingchuan back to him, then spoke slowly.

"I mean no harm. Judging by your expression, you seem to have a grudge against the Black Skull, which is why I stepped in. Besides, given the circumstances, even if I hadn't done anything, you wouldn't have let me off easy, right?"

Hearing this, Chen Pingchuan's expression turned a bit strange.

This sneaky bastard is blaming me for forcing him to reveal his strength? But thinking about it, that does seem reasonable.

Chen Pingchuan flashed a grin, though his tone was full of displeasure as he began to rant, "I don't know anything about a 'Black Skull'. All I know is that a bunch of psychopaths parked their car in the middle of the road, and their idiotic stunt wrecked my precious ride.

"I told them to pay up, but not only did they refuse, they tried to attack me. I had no choice but to kill them all.

"So these psychopaths are the 'Black Skull' you're talking about? With a name like that, they must be seriously sick in the head."

Gorzo ignored Chen Pingchuan's rant. Since he wasn't there for the fight, he mistakenly attributed Chen Pingchuan's victory to the power of the armored vehicle. He continued his performance.

Gorzo recounted everything he had seen and heard over the last six months, detailing the evil deeds committed by the Black Skull Legion and emphasizing their ruthless methods.

"The why of it doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you've stumbled into some serious trouble."

Gorzo wasn't manipulating the information or hiding key details about the Black Skull Legion. He was simply exaggerating the threat they posed to give Chen Pingchuan a sense of crisis. That way, he could logically propose joining Chen Pingchuan's team.

Moreover, Gorzo had already prepared his follow-up lines. He predicted that Chen Pingchuan would eventually ask why he had hidden his identity. When that happened, he could naturally reveal the fabricated story about his background. His sister had unfortunately gone missing. As her older brother, he had endured countless hardships following the trail she left behind, finally finding a clue at the Black Skull Legion's base. Since his enemy was numerous and powerful, he chose to bide his time in the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity to save her.

In this story, everything was true, except for the non-existent sister and his impure motives. It was true that he had come from a distant place. It was also true that he had joined the Black Skull Legion six months ago to lie in wait. Gorzo had even found a substitute for his "sister" among the camp's tragic female captives.

This kind of lie—nine parts truth and one part falsehood—is theoretically very difficult to see through.

But the problem was, Chen Pingchuan had an edge.

Chen Pingchuan looked at the man, who was staring at him intently, his eyes filled with hope, and for no apparent reason, he felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't know why, but the vile words of those grunts suddenly echoed in his mind. For the first time, he felt that having a good memory was a form of torture.

Thus, Chen Pingchuan couldn't be bothered to ask why the man was being such a sneaky bastard.

It's always the same old story. Avenging his parents, searching for his missing sister, rescuing a damsel in distress...

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