Chapter 56: The Path of the Thieving God

"You guessed it."

The conductor raised an eyebrow. "Too bad there's no prize."

"You actually dared to hijack a train?" Jiang Qin said, his peripheral vision scanning the surroundings. "Do you even know where this train is going?!"

"Winter Harbor, the Ancient Armory of the Martial Path, right?"

The conductor walked over to the female attendant who had transformed into Zhong Yaoguang, tossed his white gloves into the pool of blood, and chuckled. "Otherwise, why would we need to steal your faces?"

"So your target is the Ancient Armory of the Martial Path..."

Jiang Qin’s heart jolted. He lunged for his pistol and pulled the trigger repeatedly at the conductor!

"Break the windows and run in different directions!!"

Bang, bang, bang—!

The moment the gunfire erupted, Chen Ling pulled a short blade from his sleeve and smashed the window beside him with the hilt. Shards of glass and howling cold wind surged into the carriage.

He leaped out without a moment’s hesitation!

While Jiang Qin was buying time, Chen Ling had already guessed his plan. With the enemy outnumbering them and both ends of the carriage blocked, there was no way out but the windows.

Jiang Qin was equally fast; he shattered the window beside him with a shot and dove out, heading in the exact opposite direction of Chen Ling.

As for the other peer, his mind wasn't as sharp. It wasn't until Chen Ling and Jiang Qin had already jumped out that he finally reacted and scrambled toward the window.

In that brief moment of hesitation, a bullet precisely pierced his skull, and he slumped to the floor.

The conductor looked at the broken windows on both sides, his expression darkening. He exchanged a glance with the male attendant and said calmly:

"I’ll go after the veteran law enforcer; you go after the rookie."

"Got it."

Both figures vanished from the carriage simultaneously.

The other attendant stepped forward, placed a hand over the dead peer’s face, and gradually transformed into his likeness.

"Law enforcers from the Third District, interesting," the four "law enforcers" by the window said leisurely. "Unlike those four idiots from the Fifth and Sixth, who were gone in an instant—no fun at all."

"It was that rookie who discovered the clues," the "law enforcer" sitting opposite him replied.

"He doesn't look simple either... Number 13 won't fail, will he?"

"Fail? What are you joking about? Number 13 is already at the second stage of the 'Path of the Thieving God.' That rookie doesn't even have a Divine Path; how could he possibly fail?"

"...True."

"Stop talking and come help me clean up the bodies. This blood is everywhere; it's disgusting."

“……”

……

Amidst the swirling snow,

Chen Ling crouched on top of the train, watching the figure that had charged into the snow like a headless fly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Yes, he hadn't actually run away...

Although he didn't know the principle behind it, since this train could move across the snow without tracks, jumping off and running on flat terrain would be impossible to outrun the train, especially while being pursued.

Therefore, he chose to pretend to break the window and escape, while actually grabbing the edge of the train beneath the window and quietly climbing back onto the roof.

The most dangerous place is the safest place.

Chen Ling crouched and moved toward the very rear of the train. The train had six carriages in total, and the last one was a complete blind spot. As soon as the train moved far enough away from his pursuers, he could get off silently and leave.

"Fire-Tamperers... is their target also the Ancient Armory of the Martial Path?" Chen Ling thought as he moved, recalling everything that had just happened.

"Could it be that they are also after the foundation of the Martial God Path?"

Chen Ling didn't know much about the Fire-Tamperers, but judging by Jiang Qin’s reaction, it seemed the entire organization consisted of users of the "Path of the Thieving God." They stole the identities of rookie law enforcers to infiltrate the Ancient Armory, which was essentially the same as his own plan.

"The law enforcers from the Fifth and Sixth Districts must have been wiped out. Counting the attendants and the conductor, that makes exactly eight people..."

"No wonder they only let law enforcers from the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Districts board. They had the numbers all calculated."

"I wonder if Jiang Qin managed to get away?"

Chen Ling made his way through the cargo cars. He was now quite far from the passenger cars, and with the wind and snow, he should be in a blind spot. Just as he was about to jump off the train, a figure climbed up from the very end, panting heavily.

"I was wondering why I couldn't find you... you're pretty good at hiding, aren't you?" The male attendant was drenched in sweat, staring at Chen Ling with a vicious, cold gaze.

Chen Ling: ...

[Audience Expectation +3]

Damn, it seems this villain is a bit smart.

Chen Ling drew his gun without hesitation, aimed at the attendant, and pulled the trigger!

Bang—!

The gunshot was drowned out by the roar of the train and the wind and snow.

At the same time, the attendant sneered, showing no intention of dodging, and simply walked slowly through the last carriage toward him.

The bullet had left the chamber, a gray shimmer flashed through the void, and he was unharmed.

Chen Ling’s brow furrowed immediately.

Through his [Secret Pupil], he saw the bullet vanish the moment it was about to touch the man... followed by a crisp clinking sound as it dropped onto the roof of the carriage.

The vanished bullet fell from the attendant’s palm, struck the steel surface of the train, and rolled away, disappearing.

Chen Ling watched the figure approaching and pulled the trigger again!

Bang, bang, bang—!

Successive gunshots rang out.

At such close range, not a single bullet could touch the attendant’s body; they vanished into thin air as if by magic...

"You think guns can hurt me?" The attendant sneered. "Kid, the power of a Divine Path is not something an ordinary person can contend with."

He raised his palm casually, and several bullets fell out one after another, dropping powerlessly into the snow.

Just as Chen Ling was about to make a move, the attendant raised his hand and grabbed at the void.

The gun in Chen Ling’s hand vanished instantly!

The next moment, the gun was in the attendant’s hand, the black muzzle aimed at Chen Ling’s forehead.

Surprise flickered in Chen Ling’s eyes.

This was the first time Chen Ling had seen a Divine Path ability other than the Martial God Path. The opponent seemed capable of stealing anything around him from a distance, including high-speed bullets and the gun he was holding in his hand...

Is this the power of the "Path of the Thieving God"?

"Learned something new?" The attendant seemed to enjoy the shock on Chen Ling’s face and smiled slightly. "Then it’s time to hit the road..."

Bang—

Orange muzzle flash flickered, and a bullet instantly left the chamber.

Almost simultaneously, a blur flashed by. A dark brown coat cut an arc through the wind and snow, leaping across half the carriage in a flash. The cold glint of a short blade bore down on the attendant’s eyes!

"I have learned something," Chen Ling said calmly in the wind.

"And you, indeed, should hit the road."