Chapter 81: Defying the Heavens

"Are we really going over there?" Yang Ru peered into the distance through her infrared night vision goggles. She could see one person radiating a strong heat signature, and three others with only faint red glows, all lying on the ground—most likely dead.

Fear gripped Yang Ru; she truly didn’t want to go any closer.

They had heard the faint echo of gunfire and tried to reach Gao Wu via radio, but received no response. Han Yang then suggested they check out the situation.

After both teams set off, they had exchanged coordinates, and after setting up camp, reported their positions again. Han Yang and Yang Ru navigated their way through the darkness.

Night had fallen completely. Trees loomed everywhere, the snow lay in heavy layers, and each step sank deep. It took over twenty minutes before they arrived.

From a distance, Yang Ru spotted the bodies and felt a surge of panic—she wanted to turn back.

Han Yang spoke earnestly: "We agreed with Gao Wu. If anything happened, we’d help each other. Now Gao Wu’s in trouble; we can’t just walk away..."

He paused, then added, "But we can’t just charge in blindly. Let’s assess the situation first."

"Han, Yang, hurry over!" Gao Wu’s hoarse voice pierced the darkness, startling Yang Ru.

"It’s Gao Wu," Han Yang said, relieved. If the survivor was Gao Wu, then things weren’t as dire as he’d feared. He took Yang Ru’s hand. "Come on."

When they reached the site, they saw three corpses sprawled on the ground, each one slain in a gruesome manner.

Yang Ru, timid at heart, dared not look for long. Han Yang, by contrast, examined the scene carefully. All three had had their heads blown apart—unmistakably gunshot wounds.

Because of this, he couldn’t recognize who they were.

"What happened here?" Han Yang knew Gao Wu wouldn’t kill without cause. This was a hunter’s assessment—no matter any grudges, Gao Wu wouldn’t act out here.

Besides, this was Gao Wu’s own camp. For three people to show up in the middle of the night made their intentions obvious.

"Wan Cangsong brought two lackeys to kill me. I killed them instead."

Gao Wu spoke plainly; this was Wan Cangsong’s doing, and he had nothing to fear. By any standard—reason or law—it was clear-cut self-defense.

If reason and law failed, then he was a close friend of Song Mingyue, a direct disciple of Master Song. The Wan family might have some power in Yunling, but here in the North, what did they have that could compare to the Song family?

"Wan Cangsong?!" Han Yang was aghast. He remembered clearly—Wan Cangsong was a member of the Hunters’ Association’s supervisory board, one of the officials overseeing this very assessment.

Moreover, Wan Cangsong was a warrior! Gao Wu had shot and killed a warrior with a handgun? That seemed impossible.

With a warrior’s protective energy field, even emptying a clip into him at point-blank range would leave him unscathed.

Han Yang glanced at the bodies, then at Gao Wu, shaken to the core, half-convinced Gao Wu was spinning tall tales.

The young man had somehow acquired a striking crimson mirrored mask, completely obscuring his face. Surrounded by corpses, Gao Wu exuded an air of mystery and danger that sent chills down Han Yang’s spine.

Yet, he sensed Gao Wu was not lying. But this side of Gao Wu was simply too terrifying.

Yang Ru couldn’t hide her nerves either; her beautiful eyes brimmed with unease. She didn’t even dare look at Gao Wu, only giving Han Yang meaningful glances to warn him to be cautious.

She also furtively reached for the pistol at her waist, clearly ready for action.

Gao Wu noticed Han Yang’s taut posture and Yang Ru’s small gestures. He removed his crimson mask and smiled at Han Yang. "You two came all this way to help. I can’t thank you enough."

He wasn’t being entirely polite. Han Yang and Yang Ru had rushed over without knowing what had happened—a testament to their character.

As for silencing witnesses, that wasn’t in his nature, nor was there any need.

The mask was mostly for the experience, not for any nefarious reason.

Truth be told, the mask was quite useful—it could see through darkness and offered excellent protection. Wan Cangsong had delivered it right to his door.

Gao Wu wasn’t squeamish about such things, nor was he overly virtuous. The other party had tried to kill him; what was the harm in taking some loot?

There was nothing to agonize over.

"Are you alright?" Han Yang now noticed the battered, torn state of Gao Wu’s tactical vest.

Just from its condition, it was clear only a warrior could have inflicted such damage. That Gao Wu was still standing seemed a miracle.

"I’m fine, just the clothes are ruined," Gao Wu replied lightly, as he began checking Wan Cangsong and his men for weapons and gear.

As a warrior, Wan Cangsong was well-off. His swords and firearms were all top-grade. He also carried two Thunderhawk pistols—custom gold editions that were quite flashy.

The other two’s weapons and equipment were valuable as well.

Han Yang and Yang Ru watched Gao Wu searching the bodies, uncertain and ill at ease—they’d never been in a situation like this and didn’t know whether to help or look away.

Gao Wu sorted the weapons, selected two golden Thunderhawk pistols and two boxes of ammunition, and found a clean dragonscale tactical vest that fit just right.

As for the rest, though valuable, they were too cumbersome to carry.

Han Yang eyed Gao Wu handling the golden pistols and couldn’t help but say, "Is this wise?"

"It’s fine. I asked them just now—they didn’t object," Gao Wu replied offhand.

Han Yang glanced at Wan Cangsong’s shattered skull. That joke was chilling.

He reminded, "I mean, if you use their things, you might get recognized. As far as I know, the Wan family has serious influence in Yunling. The eldest, Wan Canglong, is a martial master and high up in the Hunters’ Association."

"I checked—there are no Association markings on the guns. They’re unregistered. It’s fine," Gao Wu replied as he opened the two large backpacks. To his surprise, they didn’t contain supplies, but a set of intricate equipment with a fully sealed metal casing—clearly designed to house something specific. There was also a large, fixed battery to power the device.

"What is this?" Gao Wu asked Han Yang.

Han Yang shook his head, venturing, "Medical equipment, perhaps?"

"Let’s take photos. You two get some as well—these are evidence!" Even if he didn’t know what the device was for, Gao Wu was sure it was for something illicit.

He also found three snow wolf tails in the packs and was quite pleased.

Handing two of the tails to Han Yang and Yang Ru, Gao Wu said, "Let’s go. We need to leave the virtual realm immediately."

Wan Cangsong and his crew wouldn’t have dared bring tracking devices if they were up to no good. This matter likely wouldn’t be uncovered immediately.

They had to seize the chance and leave.

No matter Wan Canglong’s background, he couldn’t openly attack the Hunters’ Association. Once they returned to Dongjiang, there’d be nothing to fear.

"Right now?" Han Yang hesitated, glancing at the bodies as if to ask what to do with them.

"They don’t mind the cold. Leave them," Gao Wu quipped, trying to lighten the mood for his anxious friends.

He added, "But if any more of the Wan family show up, we’re done for."

Truthfully, Gao Wu couldn’t understand why the Wan family wanted him dead—just because he’d defeated Wan Cangshan in the arena? That was flimsy at best. But some people and motives defied logic.

In any case, the reason for their enmity didn’t matter. What mattered was putting as much distance as possible between himself and danger.

The situation clear, Han Yang and Yang Ru would be foolish not to leave.

Gao Wu packed his gear, donned the crimson mask, and strode out of camp.

Han Yang and Yang Ru exchanged uneasy glances. They didn’t want to follow Gao Wu, but staying was riskier.

After a moment’s hesitation, Han Yang whispered to Yang Ru, "Let’s just go."

Yang Ru glanced at Gao Wu’s back, apprehension in her voice. "I’m afraid he’ll kill us as well."

Han Yang couldn’t help but laugh. "It won’t come to that."

He still didn’t know why Gao Wu had fought with the others, but he trusted his character.

Besides, if Gao Wu could kill a warrior like Wan Cangsong, he could have killed them outright if he wished—there was no need for subterfuge.

They hurried after Gao Wu, but after a short while, Yang Ru began to struggle. The night was pitch-black, the snow deep, and Gao Wu kept a brisk pace. She quickly ran out of energy.

Her backpack, weighing thirty to forty kilos, felt like a mountain.

"I’ll carry your packs. Han, you help Yang," Gao Wu said, noticing their predicament and taking their loads. His chest still ached, his heart slowly healing, but his endurance far surpassed theirs.

To move faster, he had to help. Han Yang tried to protest, but Gao Wu cut him off, "We’re fleeing for our lives. No need for politeness."

Freed from their burdens, Han Yang and Yang Ru moved much more easily, though inwardly they were awed—Gao Wu was clearly injured, yet his stamina was terrifying. No wonder he’d managed to kill a warrior.

For three hours they pressed on through the darkness, Gao Wu’s mask allowing him to navigate with ease, until they reached the entrance camp of the virtual realm.

Before entering the semi-permanent camp, Gao Wu contacted Song Mingyue. The camp was equipped with a mobile satellite station, allowing for calls and even internet access.

"The Wan family? Alright, I’ll look into it. Don’t enter the camp yet—wait for my word." Song Mingyue was surprised to hear the Wan family had tried to kill Gao Wu.

While he waited, Gao Wu transferred the monitor’s recording to his phone, uploaded a copy to his personal cloud, and sent one to Song Mingyue.

The monitor, mounted on his shoulder, had survived Wan Cangsong’s concentrated attack. The footage was crucial evidence and had to be secured.

Within minutes, Song Mingyue called back: "Wait for me at the camp. I’ll be there before dawn."

The staff from the Hunters’ Association’s three cities were all present. Gao Wu and the others reported to the interim supervisor, handed over the snow wolf tails, and completed registration—thus finishing the assessment.

Normally, the process required reviewing the monitor footage to confirm the hunt was legitimate.

But the Association had been around for nearly a century, and no one took such minor procedures seriously anymore. Besides, Gao Wu and his companions were obviously aristocrats. A formal hunter’s license was nothing special—no one was inclined to be strict.

Back at the Dongjiang camp, the exhausted Han Yang and Yang Ru went to rest, while Gao Wu sought out Shang Zhenglin.

Shang Zhenglin was in his room, reading on his phone, and looked up in surprise as Gao Wu entered. "Back so soon?"

"We ran into some trouble and had to come back to find you, Third Uncle," Gao Wu said, now wearing a new tactical vest with no trace of battle.

Shang Zhenglin looked at him, puzzled. "What happened?"

"Wan Cangsong tried to kill me," Gao Wu replied.

"Hm?"

Shang Zhenglin had only been making small talk and was stunned by the revelation. His face grew grave. "How do you know he meant to kill you?"

"He already attacked me," Gao Wu admitted.

"What?!" Shang Zhenglin was even more shocked. "How did you get away? Where’s Wan Cangsong?"

"I killed him," Gao Wu answered calmly.

To Shang Zhenglin, the words crashed like thunder. The seasoned man stood abruptly, disbelief on his face. "What!"

"Uncle, I had no choice—it was self-defense," Gao Wu explained quickly.

Shang Zhenglin looked at his nephew, who seemed genuinely helpless. For a moment, he was at a loss—this nephew of his was truly something else.