Chapter388-A Backup Plan
The immense shock left Vulture momentarily dazed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Even if this person were incredibly powerful, his physical body couldn't possibly withstand temperatures higher than those around him.
The only possibility was that this man had some unknown ace up his sleeve.
But looking at John's legs, they seemed normal, with no apparent protection.
It was just an ordinary pair of shoes—could these shoes be some kind of magical weapon?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Yet John didn't give him much time to think.
Without any hesitation, he dashed forward and appeared right in front of Vulture.
Vulture's pupils dilated in panic, trying to retreat, but it was already too late.
The next second, he felt a chill on his neck and saw a knife resting against it.
His teeth chattered uncontrollably, desperately trying to make the knife move away from his neck, but the next moment, he felt a sharp pain.
A warm flow slowly trickled down his neck—no need to look to know that the skin had been sliced open.
"Are you ready to talk now?"
John's voice carried a hint of mockery, while Vulture gritted his teeth.
"I'm not a patient man, and if you really want to keep this up, I wouldn't mind ending you right here."
Vulture's hands trembled slightly as he looked at John, utterly baffled as to why he, a cataclysmic-tier warrior, seemed so powerless before a mere platinum-tier awakener.
If John knew what he was thinking, he would surely find it amusing.
After all, with an apocalyptic-tier powerhouse among them, even Vulture couldn't make much of a splash.
"I don't know what you're talking about. As a Space Pirate, is it wrong for me to rob people? If you're going to kill, just kill, why all the talk?"
Vulture snorted coldly, clearly unimpressed by John's threats.
John looked at Vulture, smiled softly, then tugged the knife slightly, sending a wave of intense pain throughout Vulture's body.
"You know, I probably already know. It's just those people you work for who sent you after us, right? I'm just curious what they offered you to make you willing to move against us."
After all, even though their little spaceship had been through a major battle, there was still an apocalyptic-tier fighter on board.
This was not something Vulture, a mere cataclysmic-tier, could compare with.
It was just an encounter, and all his so-called platinum-tier underlings had already fallen to the ground.
Wasn't that proof enough?
Meanwhile, Vulture felt intense pain in his neck, and the blood started to flow uncontrollably as if it wouldn't stop.
It was just a small cut, but why did it suddenly hurt so much?
"I forgot to mention, my knife, though a divine artifact, has a bit of a bloodsucking quirk, so you should understand," John said.
Vulture cursed inwardly.
Understand my ass!
"I'm just a Space Pirate, all I want is money," Vulture said, trying to steady his tone.
But John didn't want to waste any more time.
He thrust the knife into Vulture's wrist forcefully.
Instantly, the sharp pain made Vulture break out in cold sweat, unable to control himself from shouting out loud.
He had endured torture before but had never experienced such agony.
This pain seemed to curl up his soul itself.
"If you're not willing to talk, that's fine. I'll slowly strip the flesh from your bones, slice by slice. Once there's nothing left but a skeleton, I wouldn't mind turning it into a fine specimen," John said.
Although Silver Tear knew John was just joking, she couldn't help but shiver when she heard these words.
It had to be said, this man really did have a knack for intimidation; just a few words had already instilled some fear in her.
Vulture clenched his teeth tightly, unable to comprehend how he had been subdued so quickly.
But soon, he no longer had the mind to ponder these thoughts, as he felt excruciating pain stabbing into his limbs.
John stabbed repeatedly, piercing through him.
Blood flowed incessantly, and Vulture could never have imagined that these so-called reputable factions could resort to such terrifying tactics.
Weren't they students of the Star Cluster Academy?
Weren't they people from Hidden Stars?
Hadn't they always considered themselves the good guys?
But why then could they commit such horrifying acts?
Vulture's mind went blank with pain, his body aching so severely he could barely speak, yet he bit down hard, trying not to show any signs of fear.
But it was too much; the intense pain overwhelmed any other thought.
"Do you think there's also a bounty for the heads of pirates like this one at the Federal level? Maybe I could make a good sum," John said with a cheery smile.
He wasn't usually so terrifying, just now driven to extremes to uncover some information.
"Let's see just how tough this man's bones really are."
"You're too slow; let me do it quicker," Vincent said as he moved beside the man, not hesitating to twist his arm abruptly.
Crack!
The crisp sound of the bone snapping echoed in the air, involuntarily making one's teeth grit.
Vulture's forehead was slick with cold sweat, and he was in such agony that he couldn't even articulate the word 'pain.'
All he could do was grit his teeth and try to endure.
"I'm really curious what they gave you to make you sacrifice so much," John said.
"To think you'd give up even your life. Well, if that's the case, you might as well come back with us to the Federal."
As Vincent spoke, he mercilessly disabled their limbs.
The sound of bones breaking continuously echoed through the air, causing a visceral cringe.
Yet, no one felt sympathy for them; instead, it seemed only right that they suffer this fate.
They had committed countless heinous acts, and this was merely a small price for them to pay.
Upon hearing Vincent's words, Vulture's eyes flashed with a ruthless glare.
If he was going to die, then they would definitely not leave alive either!
"If you think you can extract the whole truth behind this from me, you're dreaming!"
Now with his limbs broken, Vulture lay on the ground, writhing like a maggot in a dark gutter.
"You won't be leaving alive either! You will all die here too!"
Vulture knew there was no way he would leave alive.
Even if these people decided to spare him, Benjamin and his crew were not ones to show mercy.
They would never let him go, so the moment these people boarded the shuttle, it would be a dead end.
But he refused to die without a fight; if he was going to die, he was determined to drag these people down with him.
Vincent noticed Vulture's desperate demeanor and frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss.
But before he could react, he saw Vulture, struggling, pull something from his pocket and bite into it fiercely.
Despite his limbs being broken, he had managed to bite through the object with his teeth.
Instantly, a black mist filled the entire shuttle.
John's pupils dilated dramatically, instinctively trying to grab someone nearby, but quickly found himself engulfed in oblivion.