Chapter 171: The Spirit Who Followed Alone

He Tian's figure quickly retreated! At the same time, five throwing knives suddenly appeared in his hand!

Three knives flew forward and two backward, shooting directly at the ghost-like man!

Simultaneously, He Tian rapidly distanced himself... Following the pre-planned escape route, he moved swiftly to withdraw!

An ambush?

How could there be an ambush? Had the opponent detected He Tian’s movements? Or had they already swapped the migratory bird’s identity, using a substitute? Or perhaps… the migratory bird wasn’t their true target; maybe they were trying to lure out an even bigger fish?

These thoughts echoed instantly in Lin Yun’s mind!

Regardless, no matter how strong this ghost-like man truly was, He Tian was clear: the fastest retreat now was the wisest choice!

An ambush here basically meant He Tian’s whereabouts had been exposed! It also meant he might already be trapped within someone else’s encirclement. Under such circumstances, would he stay put and wait to be completely surrounded?

He Tian was no fool!

“Target is escaping! Pursuing now!” The ghost-like man’s face was obscured in the darkness, but the fact that he narrowly dodged five flying knives at such close range proved his formidable skill.

“You must catch him, You! Are you confident?” The ghost-like man was codenamed You.

“Not sure! But I should be stronger than him! Ling, hasn’t your encirclement formed yet?” You said angrily.

“My suggestion wasn’t fully adopted by our superiors! I didn’t expect the target to move so fast! We’ve lost so many men, even the migratory bird was killed! We bear heavy responsibility! You, there’s no use talking now—if we can’t catch him, we will both face the harshest punishment!” Ling’s voice came clearly.

“Damn these bureaucrats!” You cursed as he chased.

“Talking won’t help… Our responsibility is undeniable. You, it’s up to you now! I will hold this side steady! Damn it, we can’t let anyone else escape, or we’re as good as dead!” Ling said sternly.

“Damn it… I think you should abandon that idea of holding down that side and come assist me immediately! This guy’s speed is terrifying, I’m afraid I’ll lose him!” You’s mood worsened.

You and Ling were the two in charge of this detention base.

The migratory bird was undoubtedly a big catch.

Though the migratory bird had loosened his lips, it wasn’t something that could be fully broken in just a couple of days.

After discussion, they leaked the news that the migratory bird had already confessed.

In their minds, China would definitely send people over.

Then, by capturing those sent from China and convincing them through the migratory bird, they imagined uprooting all Chinese agents hidden within Japan.

Such an achievement would be enough to promote both men several ranks!

But despite all their calculations, they hadn’t accounted for how swiftly the other side moved. They had to admit their carelessness...

Though You had been nearby, he only just barely managed to track He Tian, while Ling was still trying to gain support from above. Though he eventually got backing, there was no time to set a large net before everything happened.

One could imagine who bore the blame.

Thus, to make up for this failure, they had to capture He Tian!

“You, I really can’t help you now… I’m too far from you! It’s useless! But I have already reported to our superiors… now is not the time to punish us. The relevant departments will cooperate with you! Keep in contact with them at all times! I’m switching the communication frequency to you now!” Ling said helplessly.

“Damn it…” You shouted angrily.

Staring at the figure ahead, his eyes blazed with murderous intent!

It was this man who had brought You to such a state. How could You not be hated by He Tian?

The migratory bird was killed! The migratory bird hadn’t even revealed any important intelligence yet!

Such a loss…

Just thinking of the consequences terrified You beyond measure!

You was a cultivator at the peak of the third stage of internal energy.

His position was high, no doubt.

But making mistakes meant punishment.

The organization could easily wipe You out—he had no doubt of this.

Thinking this, You accelerated his speed, furious at the incessant arrogant commands blaring through his earpiece. Annoyed, he threw the earpiece away and pushed himself to chase He Tian wildly.

“Hey! Hey! You! You!” The voice from the discarded earpiece shouted frantically, but there was no response.

You’s act of discarding the earpiece also made the authorities lose track of his whereabouts—and with it, any chance to locate He Tian.

Damn it!

At the same time, countless officials cursed You.

He Tian was oblivious to all that was happening behind him.

He only wanted to escape—again and again!

His running was like an arrow, scaling walls and climbing stairs as if on flat ground.

At this moment, He Tian displayed the qualities of a soldier king.

A soldier king symbolized formidable solo combat ability, and now, he fit that role perfectly.

He Tian had already put considerable distance between himself and the base.

He had even left the city behind, reaching the true outskirts.

Yet the ghost-like figure behind still followed.

However, the faint siren wails previously heard had completely vanished.

“I can’t shake him!” He Tian chose narrow alleyways rather than main roads, and avoided intercepting vehicles to rush out.

That might have been faster, but the opponent’s quick reaction would likely result in being trapped.

But now...

It seemed possible.

Still, before that, the man behind had to be dealt with; otherwise, He Tian could never vanish without a trace.

He Tian was well aware that many in Japan cultivated internal energy, each with unique traits. Especially those with special abilities were known as ninjas.

During the last century’s invasion of China, they shattered the divided Chinese internal energy community.

If it weren’t for the eventual unification that suppressed the Japanese internal energy faction’s arrogance, the outcome of that war would have been unpredictable.

But history had not recorded these details.

That war caused heavy losses on both sides.

Japan proved its strength in internal energy cultivation, while China painfully reformed, creating a still somewhat united internal energy community.

Moreover, a group of powerful internal energy cultivators was placed under state control.

This prevented any other forces from using this power to threaten China.

Therefore, He Tian was not surprised that the pursuer was a third-stage internal energy cultivator he could not easily shake.

Having observed carefully and confirmed this, He Tian made up his mind… he would eliminate this man!

But the location had to be chosen by He Tian himself.

Now, with no other movement besides the pursuer, He Tian gained a clear understanding of whether he was surrounded.

Realizing this, he had no lingering worries.

So, after leaving Tokyo and reaching the open countryside, He Tian stopped.

From downtown Tokyo to here, roughly twenty kilometers.

Twenty kilometers of full-speed running left He Tian drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

Internal energy cultivators were formidable, with endurance far beyond ordinary people, but they were not gods.

They, too, felt fatigue, sweat, and breathlessness.

You was the same—perhaps even more exhausted than He Tian.

But You was unwilling to give up. He believed his strength still surpassed He Tian’s.

Well, You’s judgment was somewhat presumptuous, but as someone on the brink of the fourth stage of internal energy, such confidence was natural.

Whether reality matched You’s belief was another matter.

Now that He Tian had finally stopped running, You rejoiced inwardly.

The two men stood facing each other, both gasping heavily, neither speaking.

“Why aren’t you running anymore?” You asked, calming slightly, eyes fixed on He Tian with venom.

“Do I still need to run? Your people... won’t appear here. It’s just you. Taking you out is simple!” He Tian aimed to shake his opponent mentally.

“Taking me out? Hahaha... you’d better surrender obediently and come with me...” You laughed loudly, even switching to Chinese.

“Are you dreaming?” He Tian looked surprised. “Don’t you realize you’re already in a dangerous spot?”

“What did you say...” You instinctively glanced around.

He Tian’s heart skipped a beat.

Could You be suspecting He Tian had laid an ambush here?

“Hahaha, You, you came here yourself! Clearly, your side has already abandoned you... no one is coming to help!” He Tian smiled slightly, deliberately planting this seed of doubt.

Since You’s mind had shifted, if He Tian didn’t widen this crack, he’d be wasting the opportunity.

You’s face turned grim.

He remembered throwing away his earpiece.

No wonder no one had come to back him up.

They had lost the signal.

Conversely, there seemed to be an ambush set by the other side here.

No wonder this man stopped here.

You felt his heart sink deeper.

“Hahaha, don’t move yet. Let me deal with Japan’s internal energy expert!” He Tian laughed loudly.

Bluffing or not, as long as it worked, it was a good tactic.