Chapter 166: 166, The price of freedom

When Ren Xiaosu saw the Seed emblem on the other's chest, a chill ran through his heart.

Over this period, he had come to understand what sort of organization the Seed Company was—an entity whose covetousness of the blood of the supernatural had long placed it at the top of his list of those to be most wary of.

Previously, upon hearing that the Li Clan had expelled the Seed Company's people, Ren Xiaosu had sighed in relief, fearing that Chen Wudi's exposure might draw their attention.

Later, both Luo Lan and Yang Xiaojin had said that the Seed Company still had agents hidden within the Ramparts, and tonight, they had even directly targeted him and Xu Xuance.

Xu Xuance asked in a low voice, "The Seed Company?"

By now, Xu Xuance's knowledge of the outside world was clearly not as extensive as Ren Xiaosu's. Ren Xiaosu gave a soft "Mm," replying, "Be careful—they're not good people. They specialize in capturing supernatural beings."

Xu Xuance paused, then said, "So that's how it is."

With that, Xu Xuance drew a gun from his waist. It was the one he had brought out from Rampart 113, barely used along the way.

Though gunfire might attract greater trouble, they could no longer afford to care about such things.

Ren Xiaosu observed the terrain around them—the rooftops were nearly level in height. The four members of the Seed Company had taken positions in the four cardinal directions, as if intending to trap him and Xu Xuance here, refusing to let either escape.

Tonight, they might have to fight for their lives, but the problem was that he didn't want to reveal his shadow-summoning ability in front of Xu Xuance...

A young man laughed, "We've never failed since we took action at dawn. Why not surrender and save us the trouble?"

Xu Xuance hesitated and said, "Action at dawn? It's almost dawn now—your watch must be wrong..."

The youth from the Dawn clearly froze, then realized Xu Xuance might not even have heard of the Dawn organization.

Ren Xiaosu thought, *Where did this fool come from? If you want to fight, just fight—why all the swagger?*

Yet at that moment, Xu Xuance and Ren Xiaosu suddenly raised their hands and fired. The two of them, as if having agreed upon it, showed no hesitation!

The crisp gunshots echoed through the night air, as if to rouse the sleeping Ramparts themselves.

Battle is a matter of life and death—no words, no need to give it meaning, no need to consider consequences. When you are in the midst of battle, you need only consider one thing: how to win!

But at the moment they raised their hands, the targets each had aimed at both dodged sideways, avoiding the bullets. The opponents had calculated their trajectories in an instant, moving with such swiftness that they could react at will.

They didn't even stagger—their heads simply tilted to evade the bullets.

Ren Xiaosu's heart sank slowly. No wonder they had been spouting nonsense; their strength was far more formidable than he had imagined.

He could judge the bullet paths based on the angle of others' aim, but if all of them were this skilled, he and Xu Xuance might not stand a chance.

Though Xu Xuance had his shadow, his physical weakness made him the likely weak link between the two.

Ren Xiaosu looked at the Dawn operative. Earlier, Yang Xiaojin had said that the Seed Company's plans had been disrupted only because the Dawn had not yet arrived—clearly, Yang Xiaojin had been serious.

He silently calculated how to handle the current predicament, but the four around him seemed remarkably calm, showing no urgency, which weighed heavily on Ren Xiaosu.

If they truly wished to flee, he might manage, but Xu Xuance was in peril.

Moreover, now that he had been targeted, would there truly be no lingering consequences?

The other side should have been drawn to Xu Xuance due to Luo Lan's pursuit, but now it seemed they had decided on the spot to capture him. If he left, the Seed Company would likely scour the entire Ramparts for him.

Ren Xiaosu said calmly, "What do you intend to do by taking us?"

"To contribute to the survival of humanity," the lead youth laughed. "Think about it—once genetic editing achieves a breakthrough, your genes may become the progenitors preserved in all human lives. How glorious that would be; all of humanity will remember you."

Ren Xiaosu smiled. "So you're all beneficiaries of genetic editing?"

"Exactly," the youth replied. "To be recorded in history is a great achievement, and the price is merely the loss of freedom."

"What if I choose freedom?" Ren Xiaosu asked, tearing a strip of cloth from his sleeve as if to wrap around his hand. The cloth fluttered in the wind.

The youth looked at Ren Xiaosu and said, "If you choose freedom, you may have to pay a price you cannot afford."

The residents seemed to have awakened due to the gunfire. In the originally pitch-black night, many windows now flickered back to life. Ren Xiaosu believed that it wouldn't be long before the Li Clan or other forces arrived.

Ren Xiaosu grew completely calm. He looked at the youth and said, "The price of freedom makes freedom all the more noble."

In that instant, the fluttering cloth stilled, and the air between heaven and earth seemed to solidify, no longer stirred by wind.

In his heart, Ren Xiaosu silently prayed, *Now.*

In a flash, it was as if a distant killing intent had arrived.

The youth who had been speaking suddenly exploded in the chest, blood spraying into the air, forming a massive radial fan across the rooftop.

A bullet shot from hundreds of meters away, and only when Ren Xiaosu could see the shape of the blood suspended in midair did the thunderous gunshot reach him from afar.

The bright red blood and the heavy night complemented each other perfectly.

Thank you.

Ren Xiaosu laughed, a brilliant smile spreading across his face. He told Xu Xuance, "Take care of the one on the left."

As soon as he spoke, Ren Xiaosu had already leaped toward the rooftop on the right. The encirclement formed by the four had now been breached—this was the path Yang Xiaojin had opened for him!

There would be no next sniper bullet. Ren Xiaosu knew that even with perfect marksmanship, hitting a high-speed supernatural being at hundreds of meters was impossible unless Yang Xiaojin was a god!

So from now on, he could only rely on himself.

Because of Ren Xiaosu's movement, the battlefield split instantly. On the Dawn side, one of the remaining three stayed to deal with Xu Xuance, while the other two pursued Ren Xiaosu.

Ren Xiaosu did not linger on the rooftop. To give it his all, he had to go where no one could see him—that was his greatest trump card!

When Ren Xiaosu jumped into a narrow alley, the two Dawn operatives followed. But when they prepared to give chase, they found that Ren Xiaosu had not fled further—instead, with his lone body, he had blocked both of them inside the alley!

The two stared at each other in disbelief. Where did this youth get the audacity to face them alone?!