Scott did not die unjustly. What he excelled at was stealth, tracking, assassination, and ambush—he was always at a disadvantage in direct combat. Moreover, he was the only one present who was at the initial bronze level, already a notch weaker than William Reed. And after months of life-and-death tempering, William Reed's understanding and mastery of martial arts and swordsmanship were far beyond what they had been when he first started out.

Of course, if the two had faced each other head-on in a clear formation, Scott might have been able to withstand a dozen or twenty moves. Unfortunately, he was careless. A skilled swimmer drowns—perhaps this was fate.

After instantly killing Scott, William Reed felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart, leaving him feeling extremely relieved and exhilarated.

But before he could savor this feeling, a roar like that of a giant beast erupted behind him.

With a dull, thunderous sound, the black giant Ralph Duncan had no time to help and directly hurled his two-handed greatsword. The sharp and heavy sword spun through the air like a wheel, letting out a series of deep whooshing roars.

William Reed, long accustomed to vigilance, instantly channeled his Thunder Battle Qi throughout his body, filling his legs with lightning energy. With a sudden leap, his figure shot out like a bolt of lightning, leaving behind a faint afterimage, and in a flash, he was already three or four zhang away. Almost simultaneously, the sharp sword aura of the two-handed greatsword grazed his afterimage, making William Reed break out in a cold sweat—thankfully, he had reacted quickly enough.

At this moment, William Reed dared not even look back. He immediately pushed his Thunder Flash movement technique to the limit, burning his inner battle qi madly, and dashed away at lightning speed like a series of sudden thunderbolts. He could counter-kill Scott in an instant, but that didn't mean he could handle the remaining two—whether it was Grace Foster or Ralph, in his current state, he was no match for either.

But when it came to escaping, those two who specialized in close combat and brute strength were no match for him. In just a few dozen breaths, William Reed had shaken off the extremely frustrated Grace Foster and Ralph Duncan, disappearing into the vast sea of snow.

Ralph Duncan's already dark face grew even darker. Staring at the faint trail of footprints in the snow, he said angrily, "That kid surnamed Lei is too cunning and ruthless. Right in front of the two of us, he dared to counter-kill Scott. Deputy leader, let's chase him—even if we have to go to the ends of the earth, we have to take him down."

At this moment, Grace Foster had already put away her iron whip, returning to her charming and lazy mature woman's demeanor. She yawned, "If you want to chase, you chase. Scott is dead—who can track him now? I'm not doing such a thankless and exhausting job. That kid's Thunder Flash movement technique has reached a minor level of mastery under the pressure of being hunted. No wonder even Henry Carter fell at his hands."

"Deputy leader, are we not going to avenge Henry Carter and Scott?" Ralph also knew that if he chased alone, even if he could catch up—which was doubtful—he probably wouldn't be able to do anything to that kid. He couldn't help but complain indignantly, "Ms. Bennett really doesn't value the lives of our Free Mercenary Corps. She insists on capturing him alive. Otherwise, that kid would have been dead months ago. And the leader too—why didn't he argue for our case? Why did he have to agree to capture him alive?" Ralph Duncan was among the first to join the hunt for William Reed, and he knew best how quickly William Reed had improved over these months.

"Stupid bear, do you think the leader is as dumb as you?" Grace Foster glared at him charmingly but with annoyance. "Don't be fooled by the Lei family's current decline—a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. They may not be able to stir up big waves, but wiping out our little Free Mercenary Corps would be easy for them. Do you really expect Ms. Bennett to protect us for life? Besides, this was a secret request from Ms. Bennett herself; the Prime Minister hasn't intervened at all. If something really goes wrong, can you guarantee the Prime Minister will step in to save us? We've already done our best—twelve elite black iron mercenaries and two bronze warriors dead. That's enough of an explanation."

Ralph Duncan, though simple-minded, wasn't hopelessly stupid. He broke out in a cold sweat from fear and dared not mention chasing William Reed again. Besides, now that heavy snow was falling again, the shallow footprints left by William Reed were quickly covered, leaving no trace.

As for William Reed, relying on his Thunder Flash movement technique, he sprinted more than ten li in the time it takes to burn an incense stick. But the thunder battle qi in his body had been completely exhausted, and every muscle in his body ached as if about to tear apart, the soreness and numbness feeling like ten thousand ants gnawing at his bones.

The snow was falling even harder, the surroundings a hazy gray, and he could see at most four or five zhang ahead. Unable to run any farther, William Reed staggered into a snow pit, dug a few air holes, and finally relaxed, unable to hold on any longer.

He scooped up a handful of snow and stuffed it into his mouth to replenish his severely depleted water. Then he calmed his breath and focused, recovering his strength bit by bit. The vigilance he had developed over the past few months kept him from letting his guard down for even a moment.