The deeper Team 7 walked into the Shadowfen Marsh, the more hostile the environment became. The air grew thick and wet, heavy with the smell of rot and a sharp, metallic tang hinting at dangerous gases. A persistent grey mist swirled around them, cutting visibility down to only about twenty meters and making sounds seem muffled and strange.

  "Stay close!" Jian Feng ordered, his voice sharp, his usual arrogance muted by the oppressive atmosphere. "Ren Jie, Mei Xia, keep scouting, but stay within ten meters. Watch for Vipers – this mist is perfect for ambushes!" The two scouts nodded grimly, while Jian Feng’s followers, Ming Hao and Lu Chen, continued to cast suspicious glances towards Kai. Kai himself walked near the rear, just ahead of Lu Chen, feeling the stinging quality of the air and mentally preparing his disguised rebreather mask if needed.

  They were navigating a particularly dense area, the ground slippery with hidden moisture, when Ren Jie shouted from just ahead, "Viper!"

  From the murky water beside the path, a large Marsh Viper, easily three meters long with dark venom dripping from its fangs, exploded into view. It lunged with incredible speed, not at Ren Jie who spotted it, but directly towards the main group where Ming Hao and Kai walked.

  "Beast attack!" Jian Feng yelled. Ming Hao reacted as expected, raising a protective Qi shield. But the viper's attack seemed aimed unnaturally towards Kai. In that exact moment, Kai felt a hard shove from behind. It was Lu Chen, pretending to stumble in the confusion, deliberately pushing Kai into the path of the attacking viper.

  It was a clear setup. There was no time to think, only react. Kai's System Combat Module flared ( -10 Points. Debt increasing), identifying the lethal threat and suggesting countermeasures.

  As the viper's fangs shot towards his chest, Kai ignored traditional defenses. His hand moved to the bulky bracer on his wrist – the disguised Grapnel Launcher. He fired it instantly, aiming low. The small hook shot out, embedding itself firmly in the muddy ground right near the viper's thrashing tail section. As the hook anchored, Kai yanked hard on the high-tensile line connected to his bracer.

  This sudden, strong pull on the line, anchored near the viper's rear, didn't stop its forward momentum completely but violently jerked its trajectory. The viper's body was pulled downwards and sideways. The fangs, aimed at Kai's heart, missed, hissing past his shoulder as the serpent's head slammed harmlessly into the mud beside him.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  While firing the grapnel, Kai used the momentum from Lu Chen's shove to twist his body. He lashed out backward with his foot, stomping hard and precisely on Lu Chen’s ankle just as Lu Chen was 'recovering' from his fake stumble. A sickening CRACK echoed, followed by Lu Chen's genuine scream of pain as his ankle snapped, sending him collapsing to the ground.

  These actions took less than two seconds. The viper, hooked and having missed its strike, began thrashing wildly. Ren Jie and Mei Xia quickly engaged it with their techniques. Jian Feng stared, momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events – Lu Chen screaming on the ground, and a strange hook embedded in the mud near the viper. What was that wrist device Kai wore?

  Kai stepped back toward the groaning Lu Chen. "Careful on this slippery ground, Junior Brother Lu," Kai said coldly. "Let me help make sure you don't attract more trouble while you're injured." He dropped one of his small, crafted spheres – a Pressure Fog Orb – near Lu Chen's hand. Then, Kai 'accidentally' stepped back onto the orb.

  With a loud hiss, thick white vapor instantly billowed out, completely enveloping the injured Lu Chen. "What now?!" Jian Feng yelled, distracted from the viper fight.

  "Just using an 'Obscuring Talisman' to protect Junior Brother Lu from further attacks while he's vulnerable, Senior Brother!" Kai called back innocently, stepping clear of the fog. Lu Chen was now hidden and effectively neutralized.

  The others quickly finished off the viper. Ming Hao glared furiously at Kai, while Jian Feng strode over, his face like thunder, ignoring Lu Chen's muffled groans from the fog. He pointed first at the grapnel hook near the dead viper, then at Kai’s bracer.

  "Explain that device, Kai," Jian Feng demanded, his voice tight with controlled anger. "And the 'talisman' used on Lu Chen."

  Kai calmly retracted the grapnel line back into the bracer with a soft whirring sound. "It's just a 'Rescue Line Bracer', Senior Brother," he replied smoothly. "Standard climbing gear, useful for rough terrain. As for Junior Brother Lu, he stumbled badly. The fog is just to ensure his safety while his ankle is tended to." He gestured towards the dead viper. "Good thing we handled that beast so quickly, don't you agree?"

  The explanation was flimsy, barely plausible. Climbing gear existed, fog talismans existed, but the timing and execution alongside Lu Chen's sudden injury were highly suspicious. Jian Feng clearly didn't believe him but couldn't definitively prove malicious intent amidst the chaos of the viper attack. Ren Jie and Mei Xia looked uncomfortable but stayed silent.

  "Fortunate," Jian Feng bit out. "Ming Hao, check Lu Chen. Ren Jie, Mei Xia, collect the viper materials. Kai… try to be less clumsy. You attract trouble." He turned away abruptly. His plan to eliminate Kai had failed spectacularly, costing him a functioning team member and revealing another of Kai’s strange and effective tools.

  Kai took a steadying breath ( another 10 points drained by the module ). He bent down as if examining the ground, retrieving his grapnel hook while discreetly pressing a small tracker tag into the mud near where Lu Chen had fallen. The team regrouped, one man down, the hostility now thick and palpable. The Shadowfen Marsh mission had just become far more dangerous.