Chapter 264: Open Up, Community Warmth Delivery~

Urban village.

Wang Teng and the others stepped out of the Nan Cheng District Police Station and headed straight here.

It was barely past nine o’clock; most residents had already left for work. In a metropolis like Donghai, apartment rents were exorbitant—many office workers couldn’t afford them, forcing them to settle in places like this urban village instead.

The environment was grim, yet its chief virtue lay in its cheapness.

Life was harsh—not everyone enjoyed the same fortune as Wang Teng and his companions.

They scrimped and saved, cutting every possible expense, only to find that the sum they managed to hoard over an entire year might not even cover a single meal for Wang Teng’s group on the second floor of the campus canteen.

Such was the brutal reality.

Scattered throughout the village were small convenience stores, where one or two elderly men and women sat idly behind counters, sometimes going half a day without a single customer.

The surrounding buildings stood low and hunched, crisscrossed by sagging electrical wires and laundry poles draped with clothes of all kinds.

Wang Teng and his team stood atop a rooftop, gazing toward a slightly shorter building ahead.

Their mentor, Liu Feng, had come along too—but remained unseen.

During operations, he always lingered in the shadows, intervening only if his students faced grave danger.

“This is it!” Yuan Jing checked the precise address provided by the police station and declared.

Lei Hui’s residence stood near the village’s edge—a dilapidated structure, sparsely inhabited.

“Shall we move now?” Hao Zhengxing asked.

“Yes,” Wang Teng nodded. “Few people are around at this hour. A direct strike won’t draw much attention. One of you knocks on the door; the rest take positions nearby. I’ll keep watch, ensuring no civilians wander too close.”

“What excuse should we use to knock?” Li Wendong couldn’t help but ask.

“How about ‘Community Warmth Delivery’?” Wang Teng retorted, deadpan.

“…” The group fell silent.

After finalizing the plan, they wasted no time and sprang into action—only to be halted by another dilemma.

“Who’s knocking?”

They exchanged glances, none willing to volunteer. Clearly, the door-knocker would shoulder considerable risk.

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Wang Teng interjected.

“…” They shot him a look—exasperated, yet dutifully complied. After all, what other option did they have?

And so, several university students engaged in the childish game…

Rock! Scissors! Paper!

Hao Zhengxing drew a deep breath, his face twisting in agony—he’d lost.

Now, the real operation began. Li Wendong, Yuan Jing, and the others took up concealed positions around the house, while Hao Zhengxing strode boldly toward the front door.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

“Open up! Community Warmth Delivery!”

“…”

Wang Teng instinctively covered his face. *You absolute fool!*

**BAM!**

The door exploded inward. A figure lunged out—cold steel flashed, aimed straight at Hao Zhengxing outside.

“Mama mia! Captain, you betrayed me!” Hao Zhengxing froze, shrieking like a slaughtered pig.

Fortunately, his muscles had been coiled tight the moment he knocked—ready to flee at any sign of danger. After all, inside lurked a genuine Two-Star Combat Soldier-class martial artist. He stood no chance.

Seeing the attacker burst forth, he didn’t hesitate—he hurled himself sideways.

Yet the assailant moved with blinding speed. The blade pivoted mid-air, slashing toward Hao Zhengxing’s back.

Then—something strange happened. The strike struck an invisible barrier, failing to graze him.

“Puny thing!” Wang Teng, perched on the rooftop’s edge, smirked faintly, his fingers wreathed in spiraling psychic energy…

The attacker had no idea what had just occurred—his expression instantly hardened with alarm.

Meanwhile, Yuan Jing, Li Wendong, and the others finally reacted, converging upon him with coordinated strikes.

Only then did they clearly recognize the man: Lei Hui—the wanted fugitive.

His first strike failed. Without pausing, he evaded their counterattacks and bolted toward the alley beyond.

“Don’t let him escape!” Hao Zhengxing scrambled to his feet, shouting.

He still believed he’d dodged the blow entirely, unaware he’d just brushed past death’s threshold. Seeing the figure flee, he charged after him without hesitation.

“Be careful!” Li Wendong and the others cried out, sprinting behind.

Wang Teng rose, tapped lightly on the rooftop’s edge with his toes, and launched forward—keeping pace just behind the group.

Hao Zhengxing closed in, swinging his staff down hard at Lei Hui.

Lei Hui staggered momentarily, sidestepping—then the remaining students, who’d been lying in wait, converged, boxing him in.

“Lei Hui—surrender! You’re surrounded!” Hao Zhengxing bellowed.

“A bunch of greenhorns think they can capture me?” Lei Hui sneered. With his seasoned eyes, he saw through them instantly—raw, inexperienced, utterly untested.

His gaze swept the surroundings, subtle yet calculating. He knew this area intimately; now he was merely plotting the optimal escape route.

Though these youths appeared weak, he had no intention of lingering. Someone had come knocking—that meant the police already knew his location. Did he wait for more reinforcements to arrive?

“Stop talking. Attack!” Li Wendong seemed to read his thoughts and roared.

None of them were fools. They surged forward together, weapons flashing, blades and clubs descending upon Lei Hui.

“So I’ll have to spill blood to get out…” Lei Hui’s eyes flared with vicious intent.

Half a year ago, he’d been a law enforcement officer—now a fugitive, hardened by suffering, forged into a true desperado.

His combat blade shimmered with azure light, deflecting Hao Zhengxing’s staff with a flick, then whirled—slashing toward Li Wendong’s throat.

Li Wendong raised his own blade to block—barely surviving, yet sent flying by the sheer force behind the strike.

A Two-Star versus a One-Star—there was no contest in raw power.

Lei Hui pressed forward, aiming to finish Li Wendong off—only for the others to intercept. Forced to pivot, he swung his blade horizontally, driving them back.

Then he locked onto Yuan Jing. Cold fury gleamed in his eyes. He leapt high, raising his blade for a lethal downward slash.

But mid-air, his body jerked—frozen.

“That force again?!” Lei Hui’s face twisted in shock.

Yuan Jing, having earned her place at Huanghai University, was no mere ornament. Seizing the opening, she unleashed her Origin Power—her sword thrust straight for Lei Hui’s heart.

Lei Hui unleashed his entire reservoir of primal energy, wrenching his body sideways by a mere fraction—a desperate, defiant shift.

*Shssss!*

Yuan Jing’s battle-sword plunged into his chest—yet missed his heart, narrowly evading the fatal strike.

Lei Hui was no ordinary brute. No—he was a *wolf-man*, ruthless, feral, unyielding.

A grotesque grin split his face. His palm, thick with surging primal force, clamped down on Yuan Jing’s sword. Then, with a guttural snarl, he spat a geyser of blood-laced saliva straight into her face.

Yuan Jing recoiled in shock, her expression twisting in horror; instinctively, she abandoned the blade and hurled herself backward.

The encirclement fractured—just for an instant—but it was enough. Lei Hui slashed backward in a blinding arc of crimson light, tearing through the gap, and bolted toward the distant horizon.

Yet barely a few strides in, he stumbled—suddenly, absurdly—face-first onto the ground in a clumsy, humiliating fall.

*Shssss!*

The sword still lodged in his mouth now pierced clean through his chest, erupting from his back in a slick, brutal thrust.

“……”