"Will that plague still chase us?" Inside a flat house, Okamura Jiro asked with a sinister, trembling voice.
At this moment, beside Okamura Jiro, there were only two ninjas including the Divine Wind Squad's captain left. After fleeing his residence, Okamura Jiro had led the Divine Wind Squad to escape, leaving his bodyguards behind to delay Ye Fan. But before long, Ye Fan came slaughtering his way back—clearly, those bodyguards had met with misfortune.
Forced by circumstance, the three ninjas of the Divine Wind Squad stayed behind to snipe Ye Fan, while Okamura Jiro, under the escort of the squad's captain and another ninja, fled in distress, trying to escape Ye Fan's deadly pursuit.
By now, Okamura Jiro was truly afraid. He never expected the person he underestimated to wield such terrifying killing techniques.
From his use of the term "plague" to describe Ye Fan, it was clear that he was genuinely shocked and fearful.
However, whether he could escape unscathed was something Okamura Jiro had no confidence in.
His biggest worry was dying miserably at Ye Fan's hands; such an outcome would be too frustrating for him.
The Divine Wind Squad's captain and the other ninja exchanged glances full of fear as they listened to Okamura Jiro. The captain spoke anxiously, "I don't know. Hopefully, he's unable to catch up, left behind us."
Such words carry no convincing power whatsoever. How could Ye Fan not catch up with them?
Judging by Ye Fan's displayed formidable strength, whether it was Okamura Jiro or the Divine Wind Squad's captain, they firmly believed it wouldn't be long before Ye Fan caught up—this seemed an inevitable occurrence now.
"Damn it, those foolish Huaxia dogs! Just won't let up." Okamura Jiro cursed to himself.
At this point, he was devoid of energy to blame the Divine Wind Squad for their incompetence because he understood that it wasn't the squad being pathetic—it was the opponent being extremely powerful, a fact he clearly recognized.
The Divine Wind Squad captain and the other ninja's primary responsibility was to safeguard Okamura Jiro's well-being, but they were now powerless, left to fate's whim.
No, it's Ye Fan's punishment they await. The ninjas' only prayer was hoping Ye Fan took the wrong path.
Inside the flat house, besides Okamura Jiro and the three ninjas, there were five corpses, including the elderly, women, children, and men—an entire family, slaughtered in cold blood. In his hasty escape, Okamura Jiro had made his way into this house, brutally killing a family of five to ensure safety. The corpses were still warm, their fresh blood saturating the room.
As for the family's death, Okamura Jiro and the three showed no mercy or sympathy, only indifference.
A moment later, Ye Fan's figure approached the house, and hearing the footsteps, Okamura Jiro and the others sank into despair.
"He's caught up again. There's no hope to escape now," Okamura Jiro internally collapsed.
He fled desperately, hoping to evade Ye Fan's killing intent, but never realized even a glimmer of hope was gone.
"Knowing this, we shouldn't have provoked this plague." The Divine Wind Squad captain and the ninja muttered.
The trio's eyes turned towards the direction of the approaching footsteps, only to see Ye Fan's figure slowly coming nearer.
"Beast." Ye Fan entered the flat, his gaze turning extremely icy upon seeing the five corpses lying motionless.
He could tell this family of five couldn't resist nor did they resist the intruder's attack, sadly slaughtered. From the eyes of the dead, filled with confusion and fury, their hatred towards the assailant was apparent.
"You beasts are unworthy of living in this world." Ye Fan's murderous intent exploded within him.
With that, his figure soared forth, targeting the two ninjas of the Divine Wind Squad.
"Mere ants! Laughable. A mighty warrior like you, caring about the lives and deaths of mere civilians, truly laughable." The squad captain and the ninja's gazes turned fierce, wielding katanas as they charged towards Ye Fan.
"Huaxia dog, die!" One ninja screamed hysterically.
This cry served only one purpose—to vent the shadow Ye Fan's strength had cast within their hearts.
"Bastard." The squad captain spat curses.
Ye Fan clashed with the two ninjas, intertwining figures, spreading heavy killing intent in all directions.
"Boom!" Ye Fan's foot struck a ninja's chest like a sledgehammer, carrying destructive power, instantly shattering the ninja's organs and ribs.
"Baka!" The ninja uttered one last curse, as their figure flew backwards, crashing into a cabinet, shattering upon impact. The ninja was beyond saving, resembling a mass of mud as they collapsed onto the ground, blood spewing from their mouth, twitching twice before becoming motionless.
"Your turn." Ye Fan's gaze turned cold, locking his deadly intent on the Divine Wind Squad captain.
The squad captain's gaze turned fierce, yet his hand holding the katana trembled slightly, revealing the fear he tried so hard to hide.
After two moves, the squad captain met the same fate: death under Ye Fan's assault.
"It's unfair..." his whisper stretched long.
So it was, the Divine Wind Squad, a revered powerful lineup in the Ba Country, composed of six ninja warriors, had all perished.
Who would have thought, the Divine Wind Squad's lineup of fighters was considered even superior to the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps, yet they met a grim end, unable to escape certain death after inciting Ye Fan's wrath.
Okamura Jiro was utterly dumbfounded. Having sprinted all this way, he was exhausted, devoid of strength to keep running.
Moreover, with the entire Divine Wind Squad gone, he had neither the confidence nor the capacity to escape; alone, he was grounded.
"Don't kill me, please don't kill me. Whatever you command, I'll comply; just don't kill me," Okamura Jiro pleaded distressfully, his knees softening, dropping him to the floor.
He had finally reached today, wielding such fortune, yet had barely relished it—not wanting to die.
Ye Fan paid no heed to Okamura Jiro's pleading, kicking up a katana with his foot, which tore through the air, plunging into Okamura Jiro's lower abdomen with a sickening squelch.
In disbelief, Okamura Jiro lowered his head, clutching the unceasingly bleeding wound, helplessly grasping the blade.
Okamura Jiro collapsed on the ground, his breathing gradually weakening as the shadow of death consumed him.
In despair, watching his bleeding, his life, too, gradually slipped away.
Eventually, Okamura Jiro lay in a pool of blood.