“Whoosh!”
Callum’s attack was missed, but he didn’t hesitate. He swiftly moved forward, bending his body and pulling out his axe with his right hand.
Valentin’s face slightly changed as he didn’t expect Callum to be lying in ambush. However, he quickly regained his composure, sliding his foot and launching himself towards Callum, taking the initiative.
During the charge, Valentin extended his left hand, a sharp knife spinning in his palm, emitting a menacing aura, a glint in his eyes.
Facing Valentin’s frenzied attack, Callum agilely sidestepped, deflecting the weapon that tore open his own clothes with a swing of his axe.
With another sweep of the axe, Callum completely blocked the knife. Without any hesitation, he shouted as he swiftly struck with his right hand, the light intensifying in the air.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
Valentin didn’t back down and wielded his knife to block Callum’s attacks.
Compared to Callum’s powerful and heavy strikes, Valentin, with his smaller stature, was more agile, making it difficult to control him as he leaped and dodged.
After a series of clashes, both of them felt pain in their hands and their blood boiling, acknowledging each other’s strength.
After another block, Valentin’s left hand revealed a hidden dagger as he threw two silver needles while taking advantage of Callum instinctively evading to close the distance.
Then, the dagger elongated with a whoosh and stabbed towards Callum.
Sly and cunning was Valentin’s style. The white light on the dagger even chilled Callum’s iron-like face.
If that strike landed, Callum would surely be bleeding.
But after making his move, Valentin sensed an indescribable danger. It wasn’t coming from Callum but from behind him. It was purely an instinctive reaction as a blinding light flashed by and the dagger swiftly passed by.
At this critical moment, Valentin unleashed incredible potential and flipped backwards unexpectedly. His agility surpassed that of a fish leaping out of the water.
Valentin successfully evaded Callum’s thunderous strike and landed gracefully like a soaring eagle.
A hint of surprise flashed in Callum’s eyes. He was amazed by Valentin’s unfathomable abilities.
Valentin was also shocked by the sudden turn of events. Someone silently approached from behind him.
A gentle palm pressed lightly.
Valentin couldn’t dodge it completely and only managed to slightly shift his body. But that palm had been planned for a long time. How could it miss the target?
He turned around and saw Darnell. The next second, Darnell struck his side ribs mercilessly.
Valentin trembled as he coughed up blood and staggered backward, feeling the bones in his body crackling with pain.
Before he could steady himself, a large foot came crashing toward him, landing squarely in his abdomen with tremendous force.
It didn’t feel like a kick but more like a thousand-pound hammer smashing into him. By the time he landed on the ground, his abdomen was already bruised and swollen.
The knife in his hand fell to the ground as well.
Valentin couldn’t help but spit out blood uncontrollably. Feeling like he was falling apart, he looked up at Darnell and asked,
“Who are you?”
Darnell wore a mask on his face, so Valentin couldn’t recognize him immediately.
Darnell smiled faintly and replied, “Who I am is not important. What matters is whether you can leave here alive.”
“Only cowards resort to sneak attacks.” Valentin gritted his teeth as he stood up and glared at Darnell and Callum in anger. “If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one.”
“Don’t worry. There will be plenty of opportunities.” Darnell kicked back his knife. “First, hold onto your weapon.”
Valentin hesitated for a moment, not understanding Darnell’s intentions but still picked it up while speaking fiercely, “Who goes first?”
Callum narrowed his eyes and said firmly, “I’ll go first.”
“Thud! Thud!”
As Darnell stepped back several meters with a smile on his face, Callum approached with determination. Valentin kicked both feet together, causing two black objects to fly out.
Callum instinctively dodged them.
Two loud bangs echoed as the black objects landed on the ground, immediately engulfing the area in thick black smoke that obscured everyone’s vision.
“Whoosh!”
Valentin shot out several more black objects, which made the alley even more hazy. Taking advantage of the situation, he made his escape.
He knew that he was already injured and definitely no match for Darnell and Callum. If he didn’t find an opportunity to escape now, he might not be able to get out of there alive.
Callum burst out of the black fog but found that Valentin had already disappeared. He cursed in frustration, “This guy runs so fast.”
However, Darnell paid no attention to it and smiled brightly, “Don’t worry. We will catch him sooner or later.”
“This time, let him go. Besides, I need him to escape. Otherwise, I would have killed him with that strike,” Darnell said with some hidden meaning that Callum couldn’t fully comprehend.
Callum nodded slightly, trusting that Darnell had a plan in mind.
An hour later, news spread throughout the underworld-Radiant Entertainment under the Axe had been brutally attacked by the Apex in disguise as delivery personnel.
The Apex caught the Axe off guard with their swift actions. Over twenty members of the Axe were killed or injured while Radiant Entertainment was set ablaze by Molotov cocktails.
The Axe suffered significant losses.
By the time the Axe elites arrived for support, the attackers had already discarded their disguises and escaped on motorcycles.
Simultaneously, Pierce was ambushed at a hospital but managed to escape through a restroom window.
Half an hour later, Valentin, bandaging his wounds in one of the Axe’s hideouts, wore a grim expression as he listened to various reports.
The thought of the heavy losses suffered by Radiant Entertainment, the two girls who had pretended to be innocent while plotting against him, and the ambush from Callum and Darnell filled him with a deep-seated rage. Ignoring his pain, he slammed his hand on the table.
“This is outrageous! The Apex has gone too far.”
He felt a level of frustration he had never experienced before. “How dare they scheme against me?! Is there no law left?”
This battle had not only cost the Axe dearly but had also brought them shame. After all, for years, it had been the Axe bullying others. No one had ever dared to challenge them.
Who could have guessed that the Apex would strike twice in one day? Valentin felt both furious and pressured.
Even though Rex had been away for a few days, if things were not handled properly by the time he returned, he would certainly face punishment.
Valentin pondered how to retaliate. He stretched his limbs a bit. Darnell’s strike made him spit blood, but that didn’t stop him from moving freely.
“Mr. Sheffield, don’t be angry. The Apex is already on its last legs. They won’t pose a real threat,” the dwarf spoke up, trying to comfort Valentin upon seeing his gloomy expression.
“I’ve heard that Luca’s condition has worsened. He hasn’t stepped outside in a week. Now, his incompetent son and a few old-timers are managing things.”
Valentin’s eyes widened slightly. “Luca is half-dead, yet today he still caused us so much trouble-how is that possible?”
“It’s true,” the dwarf insisted, urgency in his voice. “The Apex’s members accidentally revealed it while buying medicine at the pharmacy this afternoon.”
“The Apex has kept this news tightly guarded, which is why we didn’t know about Luca’s condition. Today’s two attacks were merely the Apex’s last-ditch efforts.”
“They’re trying to use these two victories to suppress our confidence, hoping we won’t dare to act for a while, giving the Apex some breathing room.”
Valentin’s eyes lit up a bit, and he nodded slowly. “That makes some sense. Otherwise, why would they attack us so openly?”
He had found the reason behind the Apex’s victories-desperate struggles for survival.
“Mr. Sheffield, I have another good piece of news. The intel team has pinpointed the attackers’ location.”
“After they vandalized Radiant Entertainment, they fled to an abandoned factory in the suburbs, with fewer than fifty men.”
“If we take two hundred brothers there, we’ll surely wipe them out completely.”
“Good, good! Immediately send people to annihilate them. Otherwise, my anger won’t be soothed.”
Valentin slammed the table, excitement shining in his eyes, a murderous intent emerging. “Not a single one will escape.”
Only by eliminating all those involved could he explain himself to Rex.
Valentin quickly gathered his elite crew, preparing for a big showdown