Chapter 90: Falling Short At The Last Moment? Su Mo Delivers The Finishing Blow
The shadowy figure pinned under Su Mo’s foot was none other than the legendary creature from the Tomb Raiding Chronicles:
Black Flying Bug!
This thing is a symbiotic entity between human and Black Scaled Snake. The method of creation is extremely cruel: a Black Scaled Snake is implanted into the human body at a few years old, growing together with the person. Gradually, the Black Scaled Snake’s bones replace the human bones, making the internal skeleton extremely flexible, able to slither like a snake, and containing deadly poison.
But this thing, like snakes, also has a soft spot!
Its nape is equivalent to a snake’s vital spot!
But ordinary people can’t possibly grab its nape, because its mouth, teeth, and claws all contain deadly poison, and its neck can twist at eerie angles up to 180 degrees.
Only Su Mo!
When it shattered the window and poked its head in to enter, Su Mo swiftly grabbed its nape, then flipped out the window and slammed it to the ground, crushing many of its bones instantly just like pinching a snake’s vital spot when catching it.
Then, he stomped on the vital spot with one foot.
This Black Flying Bug had its bones broken from the slam and was pinned at the nape by Su Mo, immediately collapsing limp and unable to move.
Wang Pang Zi angrily drew a short knife, pointing at the Black Flying Bug’s eyeball:
“Bastard, who sent you?”
Su Mo shook his head and said:
“Asking it is useless; it’s not even a living person!”
Wang Pang Zi and Hu Ba Yi were both stunned.
This thing isn’t even a living person!
The two looked closely at the Black Flying Bug and saw its entire body pitch black—not only its clothes were black, but even its skin was ink-black, and its eyes were bottomless darkness, completely devoid of pupils.
On its gaunt face, the cheeks were covered in black hairs that didn’t look like whiskers but more like the bristles on a Black Scaled Snake.
Moreover, it had no breath of a living person; though it had a nose and mouth, there was no rise and fall of breathing.
When this kind of Black Flying Bug reaches the teens, the original human body dies, ultimately becoming a composite of Black Scaled Snake and Zombie, with only the head retaining some consciousness, completely obeying the commands of its handler and lacking any human thinking.
So Su Mo said asking it was useless, because it was simply a monster that couldn’t even speak!
Zhang Qiling frowned and said:
“This thing was released by someone unknown; the one who let it out must be nearby!”
Su Mo nodded, suddenly exerting force underfoot.
Crack!
He stomped the Black Flying Bug’s neck bone completely to pieces.
“Be careful; this thing dies but doesn’t stiffen—don’t get close to it!”
With that, Su Mo leaped up onto the wall.
The area where he lived consisted of courtyard houses, none very tall. Standing on the wall, he could see far with his eyesight.
After scanning around, Su Mo spotted several shadowy figures darting quickly through a nearby alley, along with low angry shouts:
“Stop!”
Su Mo’s brows slightly raised.
Clearly, Zhang Qishan’s men had spotted the one who released the Black Flying Bug.
Earlier that day, when Su Mo had Zhang Qishan pay the other half of the Sky Lantern fee, it wasn’t entirely extortion; he wanted to gauge Zhang Qishan’s attitude.
If Zhang Qishan paid the other half of the Lighting the Sky Lantern fee, it meant he agreed to use the Ghost Seal as bait to lure out the Wang Family.
Then he would naturally station men near Su Mo’s residence to capture them immediately when the Wang Family appeared!
Zhang Qishan knew that someone together with Zhang Qiling, the Venerable of the Four Factions of Tomb Raiding, Fa Qiu, Mountain Mover, and Xie Ling, could never be from the Wang Family. So after Yin Nanfeng demanded that half Sky Lantern fee from him, he guessed Su Mo’s intent and immediately agreed.
And those shadowy figures in the alley were precisely the men Zhang Qishan had placed near Su Mo’s residence!
Su Mo then leaped from the wall straight onto the rooftop of the house ahead, swiftly moving along rooftops and walls. In a few bounds, he reached the alley flickering with human shadows.
Three burly men in Zhongshan suits had surrounded a shadowy figure, both sides engaged in close-quarters combat.
These three burly men were extremely skilled, their moves ruthless and concise, each strike bearing military characteristics—clearly Zhang Qishan’s men.
The shadowy figure they surrounded, though alone, was also ferocious, holding its own against the three burly men’s assault.
In moments, they exchanged several moves. One burly man, while the shadow resisted his two companions, suddenly kicked viciously from the side, instantly snapping the shadow’s left lower leg.
The shadowy figure stumbled and fell. The other two burly men lunged to capture it alive.
At that moment, several slender snake shadows burst from the shadowy figure’s bosom!
These small snakes were all finger-thick, entirely black with black hairs on their bodies—none other than Black Scaled Snakes!
The small snakes burst from the shadowy figure’s bosom with lightning speed.
The two lunging burly men were instantly bitten by the venomous snakes, feeling their qi and blood stagnate. Knowing the snakes carried deadly poison, they retreated two steps and popped antidote pills into their mouths.
The shadowy figure seized the chance to turn and hobble deeper into the alley. The remaining burly man gave chase but after a few steps, the shadow flung another Black Scaled Snake backhanded.
The burly man dodged urgently, but the shadow, dragging its broken leg, slipped into the darkness deep in the alley. By the time the burly man caught up again, the person was gone!
The burly man stomped in fury, returning to his two companions, only to find their faces shrouded in black qi.
Clearly, the Black Scaled Snake’s venom was extremely potent; even after promptly swallowing antidote pills, they couldn’t fully neutralize the toxin.
At that moment, several figures rushed over from afar. The two leaders, though white-haired, moved with swift and steady steps.
It was Zhang Qishan and Zhang Rishan.
“Where’s the person!”
Zhang Rishan saw his three subordinates and urgently asked.
The burly man who had given chase shook his head helplessly:
“The opponent was too cunning; he got away!”
Zhang Qishan said nothing, lowering his head to glance at the two subordinates bitten by the Black Scaled Snake, then said gravely:
“Quickly take them to the hospital and prepare snake venom antiserum; antidote pills can’t cure Black Scaled Snake toxin!”
Two subordinates who had come with him hurriedly helped the wounded up from the ground and supported them toward the alley entrance.
Zhang Rishan glanced at the distant night, stamping in frustration:
“We didn’t send enough men; never thought he’d slip away!”
Zhang Qishan shook his head and sighed:
“No way around it; too few usable men!”
Though he had once been Shacheng Garrison Commander, after the founding of the nation he no longer held military office. The men under him were only some descendants of Zhang Family members he brought from the Northeast; his truly reliable forces were already few.
For this lure-and-capture, he had stationed men in three alleys simultaneously, three Zhang Family experts per alley, while he and Zhang Rishan personally guarded two others.
But he hadn’t expected the opponent to have Black Scaled Snakes, wounding two subordinates and letting the target escape!
As they spoke, a shadow flashed on the wall ahead, and a figure suddenly soared down from behind it like a bird.
It was Su Mo!
In Su Mo’s hand, he gripped a man in black clothes—none other than the one who had just escaped!
