True Solution of the Sword Dao

With a faint sound, the dagger was easily pulled out from the chest of the man in the black suit. Blood sprayed instantly from the wound on the side, turning into a mist of vivid red.

The holder of the dagger was a tall woman with her hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing only a deep purple tube top and black leggings. She gently wiped the blood from her blade. Around her was a castle hall as luxurious as those in ancient Europe, with the ground covered in pungent bloodstains. Dozens of corpses in black suits lay scattered on the floor, most of them still clutching firearms.

"The Osland Family, truly fragile," the woman’s voice carried a hint of faint arrogance, cold and indifferent.

Her footsteps moved lightly and carefully among the bodies, avoiding the blood on the ground. Her black leather boots were completely free of any bloodstains.

Suddenly, from among the bodies, a man struggled to rise, his face covered in blood.

"Jila... Jila Osland... why... why?"

The woman turned her face slightly, catching a glimpse of the man behind her with the corner of her eye.

"Why?" like a sculpture, her facial features glistened with a faint golden hue under the sunlight from outside the door. "So weak," she said, a trace of pity forming on the corner of her mouth as she strode out of the hall.

Boom!!

No sooner had the woman stepped out of the hall than her figure vanished, and the magnificent building behind her suddenly turned into a massive inferno.

In the distance, atop a church bell tower, a middle-aged man in a black priest’s robe smiled as he watched the enormous flames reach for the sky.

"Jila, you are the angel from the Abyss. This is the flame of your sin," he murmured softly. His golden hair, which fell over his shoulders like tassels, shone under the sunlight, dazzling and almost blinding.

*************

Thud!!

A thick file was slammed down on the brown desk.

"Look at this! What do we do now? Jila wiped out two major families in a single day, over four hundred dead! Not even international terrorists would dare to be so bold!" a middle-aged man exclaimed frantically, his eyes the same hue as his hair color.

"They’re just the Mafia after all; dead means dead, what’s the harm?" the red-haired woman with her hair in a ponytail said lazily, sitting at her desk. "Just have the Special Division deal with the witnesses, and that’s that."

"You make it sound so easy!" The man picked up a glass from the desk and drained it in one gulp. "Four hundred people! Do you know how many social connections are involved? How much turmoil it could cause? The people from Special Division can only erase memories! Can erasing memories settle the impact?"

"Send someone. If you had listened to me about Auston earlier and had set an ambush, we definitely could have caught Auston!"

"Don’t worry, Mark. There are people from the Special Division handling Jila’s case, aren’t there? Anyway, it’s not our jurisdiction. Why bother about what’s happening in Italy?" The woman lit a cigarette, composed.

"It’s not just about that, it’s..."

"Alright, I get it, Mark. Go handle the situation in Manchester first. I’ll deal with Jila’s issue," the woman interrupted.

"But..." Mark was still reluctant, but ultimately he restrained himself and left the office. He left the thick file on the desk. On the first page, the photo of a woman with a sculptural face, her gaze sharp as a hawk’s, and the corners of her mouth slightly curved in a scornful smirk, as if she were mocking anyone who saw the photo.

The red-haired woman, a cigarette between her fingers, watched the smoke rise in a straight gray line, her gaze fixed on the portrait in the document, lost in thought.

Below the portrait, a line of information clearly recorded:

Jila Osland. The Shadow Spider abandoned by the light. Leader of the organization ’Spider,’ ranked thirteenth in the world. Exact combat power unknown.

After a long while, the woman sighed.

"If that doesn’t work, we’ll just have to report to the higher-ups..." Mark could never know that she had already dispatched several groups of people, all of whom had been annihilated. "If only Shunyan were still around," the woman murmured softly.

In the past, such tasks could have been handled by hiring Shunyan, but now she had to deal with them herself. Europe’s top talent, who could’ve thought he’d fall so soon, especially at the hands of someone from the East named Yan Fei. If he hadn’t fallen, Shunyan might have already advanced to C level by now.

************

Coastal City suburb of Hua Nation at night,

A van sped along the road, its path illuminated by the laptop’s display.

Lin You lay beside it, watching the screen anxiously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Don’t be nervous. It’s better to relax a bit before a fight," Jack patted Lin You’s arm, handing him a piece of chewing gum.

"Thank you." Lin You took it over, it was just an ordinary green gum. She peeled it open, put it in her mouth, and began to chew slowly. A cool aura immediately emanated from her mouth, seemingly relaxing her a bit.

"When I first started fighting, I was just like you. Back then, our team leader wasn’t me. It was the team leader who gave me a piece of gum too," Jack said with a smile.

"Your previous team leader?" Lin You asked curiously.

"Yes," Jack nodded. "That was the happiest time of my life."

"So where is your team leader now...?"

"He died during a mission. A high-explosive bomb blew off his lower body," Jack said calmly, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes.

"I’m sorry," Lin You also fell silent.

For mercenary squads like Jack’s, losing members was quite common. Before entering the field, they were prepared to face death at any moment. Squads like their Night Demon, whether in the East or the West, were numerous. Typically, besides taking on such assisting tasks, they either help governments solve troublesome problems and incidents or face extremely complicated investigative cases. They often encountered unknown dangers. That’s why some squads would sign long-term cooperation agreements with top-tier powerful individuals or tycoons. For them, it was the most suitable retirement plan.

After all, the profession itself was high-risk, high-reward. Almost no one made it to fifty years old. They either died prematurely or retired due to injuries.

Feil quietly explained this data and information to Lin You in a whisper.

"Someone like Shunyan, a publicly recognized genius, is two tiers above these mercenaries. These people are actually just ordinary members of the Inner World. Beyond them, there are Elite Levels, and then there are titled elites like Shunyan’s tier. That’s the difference between the two. Shunyan alone could easily take down three to five of their squads," Feil carefully explained to Lin You, "Each level might not seem vastly different in strength, but the same strength can result in completely different levels and effects depending on who wields it. That’s the difference between an elite and an ordinary person. Generally, a title is warranted only at grade C. From this, one can see Shunyan’s level of genius. Although I don’t know why, Shunyan had given up on capturing us at the time. But I must let you know, the kind of opponents you will be facing in the future."

Lin You nodded her head and was about to reply.

Suddenly, Jack let out a low cry from the side.

"They’re here! Be alert!"

Lin You immediately focused and held her breath, staring intently at the highway.

At the far left end of the highway, on the pitch-black road surface, a car light slowly turned around the corner, the bright headlights slowly moving towards them.

Jack on the side was already hoisting something that appeared to be a rocket launcher, starting to adjust and calibrate it. Behind him, Anuowa softly said "okay," clearly, her preparations were also complete. Chris’s voice also came through the intercom.

"I’ll cover Little You." Lin You’s name had not been directly communicated to them; instead, they were instructed to call her "Little You" without specifying which You.

"Get ready, Little You," Feil whispered quietly.

Lin You nodded her head, staring intently at the slowly approaching minivan.

The minivan rapidly approached, and Jack and others focused, waiting for the moment the van passed by them.

The sound of the engine grew clearer and nearer. Lin You could even see a man and a woman in the driving seat. The man was chewing gum, and the woman had earplugs in.

Finally, the van whooshed past in front of Lin You.

Bang!!

The rocket from Jack’s shoulder launcher flew out, fiercely shooting towards the van. But faster than them, four people had already jumped out of the van in advance. The vehicle was harshly knocked askew by the rocket’s impact.

Boom!!

Firelight instantly illuminated all the surroundings. The van, with the fire from the explosion, skewedly crashed into a tree trunk on the side of the road.

"Move!!" Jack discarded the rocket launcher and swiftly pulled out a prepared black long gun from his backpack.

Lin You stood up and rushed towards the four people who had jumped out. Wisps of white cold air continuously curled around her. Her progress since the last time was quite noticeable; even without amplification, she could reach this level, almost entering D grade.

"Feil!"

"Yes!"

The black cat gently jumped, instantly transforming into a black bracelet in mid-air, directly worn on Lin You’s right wrist.

"Magic Girl Lin You!! Transform!" Feil shouted.