He abruptly turned to face south, a hint of solemnity creeping into his eyes.
Although the mournful roar from afar was faint and indistinct, even with his hearing ability, he could only faintly hear it without using the power of liquid soul to expand his auditory nerves. However, the ferocious and mad aura permeating that roar was almost tangible, allowing Zhou Ziwei to clearly feel how heavy the suppressed ferocity in that person's... or beast's heart was.
Zhou Ziwei had just shaken off the malevolent aura of tens of thousands of fallen souls, so he was naturally exceptionally sensitive to this kind of aura.
"What's wrong, Ziwei..." Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang both noticed that Zhou Ziwei's expression was off, and quickly came over to ask him.
“Nothing…” Zhou Ziwei pursed his lips slightly and said, “It seems like there’s someone… oh, or something is chasing us.”
"Someone's chasing us, where are they?" Chu Qiutang's face immediately turned grim upon hearing this. As a soldier, she naturally knew the severe consequences that would ensue if Zhou Ziwei's killing of so many M country soldiers were exposed. Hearing that someone was chasing them, she immediately became even more nervous than Zhou Ziwei and Wang Xuewei.
As Chu Qiutang spoke, she jumped onto a rock outside the cave and nervously looked down the mountain.
The place they chose to live was a barren, low hill with hardly any plants on its slopes. So even though it was getting dark, anyone coming down from the hillside should be able to spot them at a glance.
"Stop looking..." Zhou Ziwei chuckled and lifted Chu Qiutang off the rock, lightly touching her slightly flushed face as she did so, before saying, "That person is probably still sixty or seventy kilometers away. You can't see him even if you stare with your eyes wide open."
"Ah..." Chu Qiutang was suddenly hugged by Zhou Ziwei, and was kissed by him in front of Wang Xuewei, which made her a little shy. However, she was then distracted by Zhou Ziwei's words and exclaimed while lying on his chest, "Still sixty or seventy kilometers away...then...how did you know!"
Zhou Ziwei touched his nose and said jokingly, "That guy was howling like a wolf at us, and my ears are pretty sharp, so I heard it... Hmph... It seems he's afraid I'll run away, so he's deliberately challenging me in this way... Hmm... This guy is fast, he's advanced several kilometers in just a short time... At this rate, he'll catch up to us here in no time."
Chu Qiutang's expression changed again, and she hurriedly said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go... You can fly, take us away from the sky, let's see how he can catch up."
Zhou Ziwei shook his head with a wry smile and said, "It's no use... Now that he can find our location, even if we fly all the way back to China, he can still catch up. We can't hide from him forever, can we? Sigh... Since we have to face him sooner or later, then... let's deal with it as soon as possible!"
There were some things Zhou Ziwei didn't say, namely the damned chip in his head. As long as that chip was there, unless he could hide in the space of the pilot dimension again, he probably wouldn't be able to escape in this world, even if he hid on the moon.
The person who is now rushing over can accurately pinpoint Zhou Ziwei's location even from such a distance, and is heading straight for him without hesitation. Therefore, there is no doubt that he is relying on the chip in Zhou Ziwei's head.
The only person capable of using this chip to pinpoint Zhou Ziwei's location could obviously be someone sent by the black market assassin network.
So... what exactly are they trying to do?
Judging from the opponent's swift speed and the powerful ferocity released in his roar, Zhou Ziwei could be almost 100% certain that this person was a master from the black market assassin network, and might even be one of the world's top ten assassins.
The fact that the black market assassin network actually dispatched a top assassin for Zhou Ziwei left him unsure whether to be happy or troubled; this feeling of being valued was not so easy to bear.
However, Zhou Ziwei was certain of one thing: the other side must have had ulterior motives in sending such a skilled fighter, and it was probably not to kill him.
If the black market assassin network wanted to kill him, it would be very simple. They could just remotely control and detonate the chip in Zhou Ziwei's head. There was no need to send a master to fight him first.
So what's left is what the black market assassin network wants Zhou Ziwei to do, and this is likely something Zhou Ziwei is unwilling to do, which is why they sent such a skilled assassin to force him.
Thinking of this, Zhou Ziwei snorted coldly, then rubbed his nose hard, turned around and put Chu Qiutang down from his arms. He then said to the two women, "That guy is quite capable, but he's probably not here to fight me, much less for the people who died in the underground base. Don't worry, wait here for me for a while. I'll go meet him and be right back..."
After saying that, Zhou Ziwei leaped down a very steep slope on the left side of the cave. As he jumped, he also let out a long roar in the direction of the person he sensed was rapidly approaching.
However, Zhou Ziwei felt that if he just let out a dry roar, he would be at a disadvantage. After all, the wolf's howl contained a strong sense of ferocity, while Zhou Ziwei had just expelled the ferocity from his soul and could not add that same ferocity to his roar.
Fortunately, Zhou Ziwei no longer had the ferocity to scare people, but there were other things he could add to his roars to intimidate others, such as... soul impact.
So, at the same time as Zhou Ziwei let out that roar, he launched an attack wave of soul roar, and it was the kind of soul roar that condensed soul power into a beam.
This soul roar, when condensed into a beam, can absolutely shatter the soul of an ordinary strong man and kill him in an instant. Even experts would inevitably be affected to some extent.
However, at this moment, Zhou Ziwei and the werewolf Tarrust were more than fifty kilometers apart. Even the most powerful soul attack wave would be weakened to almost nothing after traveling that far.
However, even with only one percent of its power remaining, Tarustev still felt slightly dizzy upon hearing the roar.
Although the dizziness was fleeting, it still startled Tarustov, who involuntarily stopped and looked up in the direction from which the sound came, deeply shocked.
What a master... No wonder the giant fell at his hands. This person is indeed quite powerful, able to conceal his mental intimidation within his voice and transmit it over such a long distance. If you were to be at close range and take that roar from him... even if you don't die, you'd lose half your life!
Tarustev felt a chill run down his spine, his previous contempt completely gone. From this moment on, he began to truly take this potential enemy seriously...
The distance of over fifty kilometers was shortened to just twenty minutes after both sides intentionally approached each other.
Of course... Zhou Ziwei didn't use his true speed. Before confirming the other party's purpose, Zhou Ziwei naturally had no reason to expose his full strength all at once.
As for whether the opponent used their full strength, that's hard to say. Even if they did, being able to maintain a speed of three or four kilometers per minute in such a difficult desert area is already quite terrifying, far exceeding the physical limits of normal humans. At least if they were to show off at the Olympics, they could easily win a few gold medals without any problem.
When the two finally met in a sandy area more than ten kilometers outside the forest, Zhou Ziwei was truly shocked by the other party.
No wonder this guy can run so fast using his physical strength; it turns out he's not human at all, he runs on four legs.
Yes... that thing is definitely not human. No matter how Zhou Ziwei looked at it, he could only tell that it was a particularly large black wolf with a wolf's head, body, and ears. If he had to say what the difference was between this thing and the wolves in the zoo, it seemed that it only had a wolf's tail and was wearing a pair of underwear!
When the black wolf, wearing only its underwear, was thirty meters away from Zhou Ziwei, it suddenly dug its four paws heavily into the sand. In the misty sand, it stood there like a nail, and even the powerful inertia generated by its rapid running prevented it from moving forward even half a step.
The wolf's four taut legs stretched into powerful lines at this moment, and its black fur shook violently in the sand and dust, quickly shaking off all the sand that had accumulated along the way, restoring its original black luster and smoothness.
As Black Wolf stopped, Zhou Ziwei also halted in his tracks. However, instead of using his physical strength to forcibly resist the immense inertial force, Zhou Ziwei cleverly released a wisp of wind energy, creating an invisible soft barrier in front of him, instantly neutralizing the powerful inertial force.
Therefore, Zhou Ziwei appeared much more relaxed when he stopped than the black wolf, which immediately revealed a hint of amazement and resentment in the eyes of the huge black wolf.
The giant wolf straightened its front legs and slightly bent its hind legs, slowly standing up from the sand. Suddenly, its huge mouth opened wide, revealing a bright red tongue and a set of snow-white sharp teeth. It chuckled and uttered a string of fluent and standard English: "You're Dead Ash? You're quite capable indeed. No wonder the giant and Blood Shadow both died at your hands."
"You..." Zhou Ziwei was startled by the large black wolf that spoke human language. Then, recalling some scattered memories about the world's top ten assassins that he had obtained from Xueying's memories, he suddenly realized and exclaimed, "You are... a werewolf among the top ten assassins? But... what did you mean by 'dead ashes'... I don't understand what that means."
"Your nickname!" Tarustev, the werewolf, grinned menacingly. "Every one of the world's top ten assassins has a nickname. Since you're one of the world's top ten assassins, and you've already climbed to eighth place right out of the gate, you're no exception. Ashen Ashes is your nickname!"
"My nickname is Dead Ashes?" Zhou Ziwei's forehead creased with a few black lines. He said, somewhat speechless, "Which idiot gave me this nickname? It's really awful. And... I don't think I'm some kind of assassin! I don't care about that ranking of the world's top ten assassins. Please call me Mr. Zhou, OK?"
Tarrust laughed maniacally, "That nickname was given to you by Black God. You actually dared to call him an idiot... Haha... I think you're definitely not having a good time now. As far as I know, Black God isn't exactly a magnanimous person... Oh... Actually, whether a nickname is awful or not doesn't matter, as long as it's fitting. Like my nickname, Werewolf... Hmm, that name doesn't seem very elegant, does it? But it's quite fitting, so I like it. I heard you can use an extremely terrifying hidden weapon that can instantly turn a living person into a pile of ashes, so... I think your nickname is pretty good... And now that you've become a member of the Black Market Assassin Network, saying you're not an assassin now... isn't that a bit too late?"
"Wait a minute..." Zhou Ziwei ignored Tarustev's teasing remarks and asked curiously, "Who is this 'Black God' you just mentioned? Is he one of the world's top ten assassins? I don't think I've ever met him. Why would he give me such an unpleasant nickname?"
"You don't even know Black God?" Tarustev smacked his huge wolf mouth a few times and chuckled, "Anyway, you're already Black God's man, so telling you won't hurt... Black God isn't one of the world's top ten assassins, but he's the one who ranks the world's top ten assassins, hmm... Also, his other identity is... the mastermind behind the black market assassin network. Now you understand, right?"
Zhou Ziwei nodded in sudden realization, then looked Tarustev up and down again, and said with a smile, "Alright, let's ignore his black god and white god stuff for now, let's get down to business! Uh... I think you came to me in such a fierce manner, you didn't just want to chat with me, did you?"
Tarustev grinned again, saying, "That's right... I won't beat around the bush with you. This time, Black God personally gave me the order to bring you... and everyone who accompanied you, back to the headquarters of the Black Market Assassin Network immediately... Oh... and also everything you're carrying. Even a single rat dropping is something I must bring back without missing a single one, hehe... I think... you won't object to Black God's order, will you?"
Volume 2: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 419: Extreme Speed
Zhou Ziwei's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and his gaze towards Tarrustev's wolf-like face instantly sharpened. From Tarrustev's words, he could tell that the boss behind the black market assassin network clearly knew something about what had just happened to him, or rather, had a very realistic guess.
Could it be that Black God also knows about the pilot plane? And knows perfectly well that he went to the pilot plane these past few days? If it were Zhou Ziwei who had already captured the chip in his head, then he might have been very willing to go on this trip with Tarustov.
However, that won't work now, and they absolutely cannot take what they're carrying to the black market assassin network's headquarters; it's too dangerous. Furthermore, Black God actually wants to take Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang along as well, so Zhou Ziwei is even less likely to take that risk.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Ziwei shook his head and said, "I'm sorry... I have some things to take care of at home right now. Please forgive me for not being able to obey Mr. Heishin's orders."
"You actually dared to disobey Boss Black God's orders." Tarustev laughed gleefully. "I have to admire your courage... I suppose you also have something Boss Black God implanted in your head?"
Tarustev pointed to his enormous wolf head, grinning, and said, "Aren't you afraid that if Boss Black God gets angry, he might just type in a string of commands over there and your head will suddenly explode into a rotten watermelon?"
"I'm scared... of course I'm scared."
Zhou Ziwei said with a wry smile, "However... there are some things we have to do even if we're afraid, right?"
"Very good!" Tarustev's smile vanished, and he suddenly shook his head viciously, saying, "I didn't realize that after disappearing for three years, your courage has only grown. Your strength must have improved considerably in these three years! Well then, let me, the werewolf, test what gives you such audacity... My God... Could it be that you've found a way to control that damned chip in these three years?"
Zhou Ziwei had maintained a composed demeanor, but when he heard Tarrust's words, his expression changed drastically, and he asked in horror, "You're saying I... have been missing for three years? What... what do you mean by that?"
Tarustev looked at Zhou Ziwei in surprise and said, "For the past three years, you've completely evaded Boss Black God's control. Even Boss Black God's chip tracking system couldn't find a trace of you. Three whole years... it's like you've vanished into thin air. What else could it be but disappearance? Hehe... I wanted to have a good fight with you three years ago when I heard you killed the giant, but I didn't expect you to be a coward for three years. Tsk tsk... even Boss Black God's chip tracking system couldn't find your whereabouts. You really have a way with people... But... you can hide for three years, but you can't hide forever. Didn't Boss Black God still find you now? Haha... After I got this news, I immediately asked Boss Black God to send me to capture you. It's best if you don't cooperate, so I can fight you openly... Hahaha..."
"Three years... It's actually three years! How is that possible?"
Beads of cold sweat seeped from Zhou Ziwei's forehead. Although he found it hard to believe that Tarrust was telling the truth, his intuition told him that Tarrust seemed to have no reason to deceive him with such a lie that could be exposed at any moment.
Three years... He remembered that from the moment he entered that black hole space until he was suddenly transported to AFH by Robot 006, only three days had passed in total... Although a day on that pilot plane seemed to be much longer than a day on Earth, it couldn't possibly be equivalent to a year! The difference was just too great.
If all of this is true, then Zhou Ziwei can only be thankful that he was lucky this time. From the moment he fell into that dimension, he actually found a way back by accident in just three days. This is something that others may not be able to do with the same good fortune.
I recall the old leader saying when introducing the mysterious cave on Mount Kashgar that someone had entered the cave more than 50 years ago, and that person returned 50 years later, but when he came out, his appearance was exactly the same as it had been 50 years ago.
At the time, Zhou Ziwei had suspected various possibilities, such as... the person who came out might not have been the one who went in at all, but could very well be that person's grandson, only that his appearance was very similar to his grandfather's when he was young.
For example... in that mysterious world, there are powerful anti-aging drugs that can keep a person's appearance young forever... but Zhou Ziwei never imagined that there was a completely different concept of time in that world.
One day there is equivalent to one year in this world... Ah... The original explorer reappeared after fifty years, but in reality, he had only stayed in that world for fifty days. In such a short time, a person's appearance would certainly not change much.
Thinking about this, Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but feel more certain of Tarustev's words, and at the same time, he couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate. He was glad that he hadn't hesitated after triggering the opportunity to open the dimensional portal. If he had been a little more greedy at the time and wanted to get more good things from that world... then he would have had to wait another fifteen years if he missed this opportunity.
How long would fifteen years in that world be converted to in this world? Hmm... if a year in that world's calendar is also 365 days... then fifteen years there would probably be equivalent to at least five thousand years in this world.
Oh my god, Earth's recorded history is only about five thousand years old. If Zhou Ziwei travels back five thousand years, he'll be incredibly frustrated. And who knows what level Earth's technology will have reached in five thousand years? Maybe all the technology Zhou Ziwei brought back from the pilot plane will be useless by then...
“Your emotions are fluctuating a lot!” Tarustev couldn’t help but sneer when he saw Zhou Ziwei’s uncertain expression. “That’s a major taboo for an assassin. Little brother Dead Ash, it seems you’re still a bit green…”
“Don’t call me dead ashes.” Zhou Ziwei glared at Tarustov with some annoyance and said, “I’ve already said… I’m not an assassin, please don’t judge me by your standards.”
Tarustev said dismissively, "I've already said it... Now that you've joined the Black Market Assassin Network, you have no choice... If you really want the right to choose, then I can give it to you. You can choose now... to obediently take the two people you're with, along with everything you have, and come with me... or let me beat you half to death first, and then I'll drag you and your friends along the way?"
Zhou Ziwei's face turned cold, and he snorted coldly, saying, "I choose... to let you die!"
When Zhou Ziwei uttered the last word "death," he suddenly unleashed the Soul Roar attack. A surge of soul energy carrying the aura of death rushed straight toward Tarustov with an extremely strange fluctuation.
Tarrust was undoubtedly a very astute expert. Although the Soul Roar attack was invisible and formless, it was still a kind of energy attack. So when it was released from Zhou Ziwei's brain, it still produced a very subtle energy fluctuation in the air.
This subtle energy fluctuation immediately alerted Tarustov. Although he couldn't immediately determine what it was, he instinctively leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack of the Soul Roar.
Tarustev felt an invisible energy fluctuation brush past him and disappear without a trace in an instant. After a slight pause, he finally understood what it was.
This… was actually the same strange attack method that Zhou Ziwei used when they were more than fifty kilometers apart, interspersed with his roar. A terrifying force that could make him dizzy even from an attack more than fifty kilometers away—if he had been hit at close range just now, the consequences would probably have been…
Tarustev felt a chill run down his spine. When he looked at Zhou Ziwei again, the contempt in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced by boundless fighting spirit and intense killing intent... Although Black God had given him orders not to kill this person, he didn't mind making a small mistake in the battle and "accidentally" taking the kid's life. At most, he would take everything on the kid, along with his two companions and their belongings, back to headquarters without missing a single item.
Tarustev could tell that Black God only cared about everything Zhou Ziwei carried. As for the man himself... well, he was dead. Black God wouldn't do anything to a veteran assassin from the black market assassin network for the sake of a rising star, would he?
"Roar—" Tarustev let out an angry wolf howl, then lay down on the ground again, and started walking on all fours, circling around Zhou Ziwei. After running lightly on the soft sand for a few moments, his agile figure suddenly became faster and faster, and finally turned into a blurry black line.
That's fast!
Even when Zhou Ziwei amplified his visual perception to ten times that of an average person, he was still able to pinpoint Tarrust's location. However, because Tarrust moved so quickly within a small area, he was still just a blurry shadow in Zhou Ziwei's eyes.
"Whoosh—" The blurry black shadow probably sensed that its speed had increased to a certain extent, and that Zhou Ziwei would have no chance to pinpoint its exact location. In a flash, it swiftly closed in on Zhou Ziwei and stretched out its two wolf claws to grab at Zhou Ziwei's face.
Before making his move, Tarustev had already vaguely sensed that Zhou Ziwei's silver suit was probably not simple, so when Tarustev attacked, he tried to target only the exposed parts of Zhou Ziwei's body.
That's so fast, it's hard to imagine how this guy did it.
Even with his vision enhanced to this extent, Zhou Ziwei could only see Tarustev flash by, leaving him no time to dodge. In his haste, he could only raise his arms and cross them in front of his head.
With a "clang," two sharp wolf claws slammed into Zhou Ziwei's arms, sending up a burst of dazzling sparks.
Tarustev missed his attack and immediately flipped backward, retreating more than ten meters away. He then stopped, half-lying on the sand, and looked at Zhou Ziwei's two arms with some horror.
How could there be no signs of damage on it? You have to know that his two wolf claws are his most powerful weapons. Even hard granite would be torn to pieces by his full-force claw attack. But... he just grabbed Zhou Ziwei's arm with both claws, and he didn't even tear the other man's clothes. This is too unbelievable.
What kind of clothes were they? Metal? But even if they were metal, they couldn't possibly be this stiff, right? Besides... those clothes looked incredibly soft and comfortable; at least on Zhou Ziwei, they didn't feel stiff at all...
Tarrust stared at Zhou Ziwei with a somewhat bewildered expression for a moment, then his figure flashed, and he once again quickly circled around Zhou Ziwei. This time, he planned to use a faster and more ruthless attack, aiming to crush Zhou Ziwei's head. That way, no matter what strange things were on Zhou Ziwei's clothes, as long as the other party didn't have time to use his arms to defend himself, then no matter how sturdy his clothes were, they would be useless.