The purple light of the teleportation scroll had barely begun to expand when it was torn to shreds by the wind pressure of a giant axe.

  Spatial ripples distorted for a half-second before shattering into countless sparks, dissipating in the rain. The two assassins were pinned in pce, the muddy water beneath their feet seemingly frozen. Their bodies were still locked in the posture of crushing the scrolls.

  Three Berserkers closed in from three directions simultaneously. The giant axes did not ssh; instead, they struck with the ft of the bdes.

  The assassin on the left had his chest cavity colpse instantly. Ribs pierced through his leather armor, protruding from his back. His body was smmed into the mud, leaving only one hand exposed, twitching twice before going still.

  The one on the right reacted half a beat faster, unleashing his full combat qi in an attempt to resist.

  The pale white qi shield sted less than a second.

  The Berserker's axe sliced straight through the shield, cleaving both the man and his qi. The bde bit into his colrbone and carved downward all the way to his waist.

  The assassin’s upper body split in two, falling to either side. Internal organs slid out of the incisions, mingling with the rain and mud.

  From start to finish, the three Berserkers’ movements were crisp and efficient, devoid of any hesitation. After the execution, they retreated to their original positions, resting their axes on the ground as the rain washed the blood from their bck pte armor.

  Lin Yuan stepped forward, looking down at the remains.

  Seven corpses, plus Vance’s from before—eight in total. There were scattered weapon fragments, the residue of the broken teleportation scrolls, a few high-quality concealed weapons, and the wrecked carriage in the distance.

  In the system interface, the "Resource Recovery Station" icon was glowing with a dim, dark red light.

  "Recycle."

  The moment Lin Yuan issued the command, a dark red light circle with a diameter of three meters appeared on the ground. The mud inside the circle began to rotate slowly, forming a funnel-like depression.

  The first corpse was the first to be pulled in.

  The dull sound of bones snapping echoed from deep within the light circle, followed immediately by the sharp screech of metal being crushed. The concealed weapon vest the assassin wore, the short bde at his waist, and the poison powder bottles hidden in his boots were all ground up together.

  Karl knelt in the mud, clutching his bleeding stump. His face was a mess of rain and cold sweat, looking utterly devastated. He watched as the corpses were sucked into the light circle one by one, his lips trembling so much he couldn't speak.

  The second. The third.

  With every corpse ground up, the numbers on the system panel jumped.

  【Recycled Iron-Level Assassin Corpse ×1... Obtained Energy Points: 80】【Recycled Silver-Level Assassin Equipment Fragments ×3... Obtained Energy Points: 120】

  The fourth. The fifth.

  Vance's mangled flesh was fished out of the mud, spttered organs and all, and pulled into the light circle.

  【Recycled Silver-Level Assassin Corpse (Incomplete) ×1... Obtained Energy Points: 200】【Recycled Magic Teleportation Scroll Remnants ×2... Obtained Energy Points: 150】

  Lin Yuan then turned his gaze toward the scrapped carriage. The wheels had fallen off, the frame was snapped in the middle, and shattered wooden pnks and iron fittings were strewn about.

  "Take that too."

  The light circle expanded, dragging the entire wreckage of the carriage inside. The sound of splintering wood and the dull crunch of bending iron mixed together, sting for about ten seconds.

  【Recycled Transport Carriage Wreckage ×1... Obtained Energy Points: 50】【Recycled Iron Wheel Set ×1... Obtained Energy Points: 30】

  Once all recoverable items were cleared, the light circle shrunk and vanished. Only bloodstains thinned by the rain and several deep wheel ruts remained on the ground.

  Lin Yuan opened the system panel, staring at the figures.

  【Current Energy Points: 1630】

  He stood there for two seconds.

  One thousand six hundred and thirty points. Eight corpses and a pile of scrap metal had yielded sixty percent more than the thousand points he had gotten from his initial ten silver coins.

  Lin Yuan slowly turned around, his gaze drifting over the two hundred Berserkers standing silently in the rain.

  Enemies were not a threat.

  Enemies were mines. They were resources waiting to be extracted.

  The more people they sent, the more soldiers he would have. The cleaner he killed them, the richer he became.

  Lin Yuan exhaled, rain dripping from his chin. He opened the troop summoning panel.

  【Steel Crossbowman: 15 Energy/unit】

  He needed ranged firepower. Berserkers could tank and chop, but they were insufficient when facing flying enemies or mages who kept their distance.

  "Summon fifty Steel Crossbowmen."

  【Energy Points consumed: 750. Summoned Steel Crossbowmen ×50.】

  Behind the Berserker phanx, space rippled again. Fifty figures emerged in sequence.

  These soldiers were half a head shorter than the Berserkers but wore the same bck pte armor. The difference was the steel arm-crossbow fixed to their right arms; the strings were already drawn, and the bolt grooves held three cold-gleaming, armor-piercing short bolts.

  Two spare quivers were crossed on their backs.

  The fifty crossbowmen formed five columns in the rain. There was no talking, no audible breathing, only the faint metallic click of the crossbow mechanisms locking the strings.

  Lin Yuan nodded and then opened the system mall.

  【Beginner Healing Potion: 10 Energy/bottle】

  He bought one.

  A thumb-sized gss bottle appeared in his palm, containing a pale green liquid, with fine water droplets condensing on the gss.

  Lin Yuan walked over to Karl and knelt down.

  Karl’s stump had turned white from the rain. The blood at the broken bone was no longer gushing, but it was still seeping out. The old butler’s face was ashen, his teeth biting his lip, veins bulging on his forehead.

  "Young Master... these soldiers..."

  "Don't move."

  Lin Yuan pulled the stopper and poured the potion over the cross-section of Karl’s stump.

  The moment the green liquid touched the wound, the seeping blood stopped. Tiny granutions of flesh began to sprout from the surface of the bare bone, growing outward at a speed visible to the naked eye. Muscle fibers grew from both sides of the section, intertwining and weaving together, yer after yer.

  Karl’s entire body shook violently; he let out a low growl, his fingers digging into the mud.

  In less than thirty seconds, the stump was covered by a yer of new, tender flesh. The bone had not been restored, but the wound was completely healed and no longer bleeding.

  Karl stared bnkly at his stump. What should have been bare bone and torn muscle was now sealed by a yer of pinkish new flesh.

  He suddenly looked up at Lin Yuan.

  "Young Master... you are..."

  "Get up, there’s no time."

  Lin Yuan pulled Karl up, ignoring the question.

  He walked back to the center of the clearing that had been a battlefield moments ago and stopped. A new function icon had appeared on the system panel: 【Remnant Soul Extraction】.

  Required materials—fresh corpses or residual soul imprints of combatants at Silver-level or above.

  Vance was Silver-level. He had been dead for less than ten minutes.

  "Extract Vance’s remnant soul."

  【Detecting Silver-level Assassin "Vance's" soul fragments, extracting...】【Extraction successful. Remnant soul consciousness retention: 37%. Limited information reading avaible.】

  A ball of greyish-white light rose from the bloodstains on the ground, hovering before Lin Yuan. Inside the ball was a distorted face—Vance’s. The face was twisted and warped, showing a look of extreme struggle and agony.

  Lin Yuan reached out and squeezed the light ball.

  "I already know who sent you. I'm asking a second question."

  The grey-white light ball struggled fiercely, but it was held fast by Lin Yuan’s fingers.

  "Where is the entrance to the Winter Wastend? Who is waiting there to intercept me?"

  With every word he spoke, his fingers tightened. The face inside the light ball began to crack, fragments falling from between his fingers.

  Vance’s remnant soul emitted a series of broken, hoarse wails. It wasn't speech, but rather a stream of information being forcibly squeezed out.

  Lin Yuan closed his eyes and received the data.

  Three seconds ter, he opened his hand. The light ball shattered into dust and was washed away by the rain.

  "Heifeng Fortress." Lin Yuan turned to Karl. "Do you know this pce?"

  Karl’s lips moved.

  "I know... it’s a military fortress on the border of the Winter Wastend, belonging to Baron Loding. Young Master, that Baron has at least three hundred permanent guards and a beginner magic defense array..."

  "Vance’s remnant soul told me that Baron Loding has been bought by the Lin family."

  Lin Yuan interrupted Karl.

  "He has gathered five hundred men to blockade the only entrance to the Winter Wastend. Lin Zhentian gave him a bounty of two thousand gold coins on the condition that my head is sent back to the Imperial Capital."

  Karl’s face turned even paler.

  "Young Master, we must take a detour! If we take the Ice Valley to the east, it’ll take seven more days, but we can avoid..."

  "Detour?"

  Lin Yuan looked back at him.

  "Karl, do the math. I have two hundred Berserkers and fifty Crossbowmen. Heifeng Fortress has five hundred guards and one third-rate Baron."

  He paused.

  "The fortress also contains the gold vault the Baron has plundered for years, complete sets of weapons and equipment, and walls built of stone and iron. How much do you think all that is worth if I throw it into the recovery station?"

  Karl opened his mouth but couldn't find any words.

  Lin Yuan had already turned away, facing the direction of Heifeng Fortress.

  "We aren't taking a detour. We’re going to sack his home."

  He raised his right hand and gave a forward wave.

  Two hundred Berserkers stepped forward in unison, followed closely by the fifty crossbowmen. The dull thud of iron boots on the mud merged into a heavy, rhythmic drumbeat, pushing forward steadily through the rainy night.

  These soldiers needed no rest, no food, and no torches for light. Their eyes glowed dark red in the darkness, and their synchronized steps never missed a beat.

  Karl was picked up by a Berserker with one hand and hoisted onto a shoulder to follow the march. The old butler looked back at the battlefield washed by the storm; there was no longer any trace of a corpse.

  All the flesh and iron had been swallowed by that youth into some invisible abyss.

  Clinging to the Berserker’s shoulder, Karl couldn't help but shudder.

  Two hundred and fifty dead soldiers marched in column through the night, the sound of cshing iron armor swallowed by the rain. There were no lights, no commands, only the sound of footsteps crushing the mud.

  They were advancing at full speed toward Heifeng Fortress.

  Meanwhile, fifty miles away in Heifeng Fortress, Baron Loding was reclining on a soft couch by the firepce. A dancing girl in thin gauze curled at his feet, peeling honeyed grapes for him. The wood in the firepce crackled, the firelight reflecting off his greasy, fat face.

  A letter y open on the table. In the corner of the paper was the family crest of the Lin family.

  Loding picked up a wine gss and swirled the deep red liquid.

  "That trash fourth young master... he’s probably been hacked to pieces by Vance and fed to the wolves by now."

  He grinned, revealing teeth stained purple by the wine.

  "Two thousand gold coins for nothing. That old man Lin Zhentian is truly generous."

  The fmes in the firepce flickered.

  The storm outside the fortress grew heavier. On the city walls, the guards huddled under shelters to nap. No one noticed that on the northern horizon, a dark red line of light was slowly approaching.