Free Web NovelChapter 214: Chapter 138: Keeping You All Neat and Tidy
The next instant.
CRACK!
BANG! SPURT!!
A cloud of blood mist erupted from his body!
It was as if a savage power had bored into his body, pulverizing his muscles and bones and forcing a bloody spray out of his very pores.
WHOOSH!!
The security chief’s feet left the ground as he was sent flying back over ten meters, crashing through the villa’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
The moment he hit the floor, another spray of blood mist erupted. He skidded for another seven or eight meters before his body finally came to a stop near the sofa.
Ruan Hui froze, his eyelid twitching.
He glanced down. The security chief, an Elite Level Peak, was staring wide-eyed, no longer breathing.
His black combat suit was soaked in blood. A hole had been punched nearly clean through his brawny chest, as if his heart had been obliterated by that single blow.
The atmosphere grew tense. The look in Mei Ning’s and the others’ eyes shifted, and they were overcome with an inexplicable urge to flee.
Soon, RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
The sound of submachine guns erupted once more. The remaining guards were still firing, trying to use the momentum to kill the intruder.
However...
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A series of metallic clangs rang out!
The intruder didn’t even seem to move, yet the bullets striking his body ricocheted as if they were hitting a steel plate.
Beneath his bullet-torn black clothes was a powerful physique, corded with muscle.
Veins bulged from his skin like coiling serpents. He had actually withstood a hail of bullets with nothing but his own flesh and blood.
"Super... Superpower Level?"
Mei Ning trembled and staggered back.
Lin Zhou and the others beside her wore similar expressions as fear began to creep into their eyes.
"Impossible!"
However, from the side, Guo Yun suddenly roared in terrified disbelief.
’Why would a mighty Superpower Level expert come to assassinate us?’
’Or is he here to assassinate Ruan Hui?’
His shout briefly snapped everyone back to their senses, and Ruan Hui’s eyes narrowed.
’Blocking bullets with your body isn’t exclusive to the Superpower Level. Some at the Elite Level Peak who cultivate body-hardening Secret Techniques can do it too.’
The thought flashed past.
Suddenly, the black-clad figure outside vanished.
An instant later.
"ARGH!!"
Another scream rang out, this time from the floor above.
Everyone’s hearts jumped. They quickly looked up to see several guards who had been positioned on the upper floor die one by one, smashing through windows and plummeting into the living room below.
Then, to the sound of steady footsteps, Lu Chao, wearing a black mask, slowly strode into view on the magnificent second-floor landing.
His gaze swept down, scrutinizing Ruan Hui and the others in the hall below.
’With [Adrenaline] already active, his heart hammered in his chest. He felt more powerful than ever, unafraid even of someone at the Superpower Level.’
’[Resilient Body] was also working at full capacity, recovering his stamina and extending his operational limits as much as possible.’
"Ruan Hui... Hah. If I kill you,"
"...I imagine Ring City would fall into chaos for quite some time, wouldn’t it?"
he said, his voice deliberately lowered to a coarse, unpleasant rasp, like grinding gravel.
At his words, Guo Yun and the others flinched, while Mei Ning’s group instinctively took a step back.
’This man came to assassinate them on a rainy night just to throw Ring City into chaos?’
"Who are you, sir?"
Ruan Hui asked, his brow furrowed as he fought to remain composed.
His mind raced with speculation as he tried to stall for time.
But Lu Chao wasn’t interested in talking.
He vaulted over the railing, ignoring the six- or seven-meter drop, and landed on the ground floor.
As if waiting for this exact moment, a glint flashed in Ruan Hui’s eyes, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smirk.
Lu Chao’s instincts screamed that something was wrong.
WHOOSH!!
The sound of slicing air came from his left and right. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the glint of sharp blades.
The two mantis-like biological weapons that had vanished reappeared, lunging at him from the corners of the ground floor.
The black scythes that served as their arms were coated in a liquid that looked like venom.
They moved so fast they were practically blurs, aiming straight for his neck and abdomen.
CLANG!!
And then, that crisp sound rang out again.
The silver-steel scythes struck him as if hitting solid steel of the same make. His body, fortified by [Rock] and [Iron Bones], was strong enough to ignore most threats, to say nothing of the enhancement from his [Frenzy State].
Ruan Hui froze. Mei Ning and the others’ pupils constricted in shock.
Before they could react.
THUD!!
Lu Chao’s feet hit the ground as his arms shot out.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!!
His hands, covered in python-skin gloves, came down like twin sledgehammers, instantly smashing the two mantis-like biological weapons to pieces.
The floor tiles shattered, and spiderweb cracks spread out from the point of impact.
Shattered limbs and silver-steel blades from the biological weapons flew everywhere. Shrapnel grazed Guo Yun and a few others, making them cry out in pain.
The venom on the fragments seeped into their wounds, invading their bloodstreams and nervous systems. Their faces turned a deathly shade of blue-purple.
"Ruan... Ruan Hui..."
"The... the antidote... save me..."
Guo Yun and the other three either staggered about, gasping for breath, or collapsed to the floor, desperately grabbing at Ruan Hui’s trouser leg and begging for help.
Off to the side, Mei Ning and Lin Zhou’s pupils constricted at the horrifying sight, a chill seeping into their hearts. But Ruan Hui, standing at the very front, paid his men no mind. He simply stood there, frozen in a stupor.
"He really is at the Superpower Level..."
His face was grim, a deathly pallor spreading across it.
’To withstand silver-steel blades with your bare body... only someone at the Superpower Level could do that.’
This was completely beyond his calculations.
As he was lost in thought, Lu Chao strode forward and stopped in front of him.
His gaze showed not a flicker of interest in Ruan Hui. Instead, it passed over him to land on Mei Ning and the others cowering behind him.
"S-Sir..."
"Please, have mercy."
Mei Ning’s voice trembled as she pleaded, her face pale. Gone was any trace of the arrogance she had displayed back at Ring Academy.
At her words, a glint appeared in Lu Chao’s eyes, and he stopped walking.
A flicker of joy appeared on the faces of Mei Ning and the others, but it vanished when he suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Ruan Hui.
"Kill him, and I won’t take your lives."
Lu Chao said calmly, his voice devoid of all emotion.
Ruan Hui’s eyes went cold, a mixture of shock and fury swirling within them.
Behind him, Mei Ning and the others froze, their expressions flickering with hesitation.
"S-Sir,"
Xu Feng trembled and quickly spoke up. "Could you, please, ask for something else..."
SPLAT!!
A mist of blood erupted as his head exploded.
Mei Ning and the others were spattered with hot blood, freezing where they stood.
Even Ruan Hui’s pupils constricted. He was rooted to the spot, not daring to move a muscle.
"One last chance."
Lu Chao said in a gravelly voice, slowly pulling back his fist.
’The repercussions of killing Ruan Hui would be significant. I need to conceal my identity.’
’If I can get his own people to tear each other apart, that would be even better.’
"Three."
He held up three fingers. After his breakthrough to the Elite Level, his [Frenzy State] now lasted a full six or seven minutes. He still had more than half of that time left—more than enough.
"Two."
As he spoke again, Mei Ning, Lin Zhou, and the others trembled, torn by indecision.
Finally, he counted, "One."
Lu Chao hesitated no longer and prepared to strike.
"Sir, spare me!"
Lin Zhou suddenly roared and lunged at Ruan Hui!
He put all of his Martial Arts Power into a spinning kick, activating a Martial Skill that whipped up a howling wind. It was clear he was fighting for his life.
’Killing Ruan Hui might lead to a miserable end for them and implicate their families.’
’But if they didn’t act, they would die right here, right now.’
The instant they saw him take the lead, everyone except Mei Ning snapped out of it, gritted their teeth, and made the same choice.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!!
Several figures swarmed forward to attack. The scene was so familiar it reminded Lu Chao of his own encounter back at Ring Academy.
As he was being surrounded, Ruan Hui seemed to realize something. Torn between shock and fury, he finally made his decision.
"Lin Zhou, it seems you have a death wish!"
BANG!!
He threw a punch, intercepting Lin Zhou’s kick.
His Elite Level strength far surpassed the others. In a matter of moments, he had subdued Lin Zhou and grabbed him by the neck.
He hesitated, considering his options.
’Killing Lin Zhou wouldn’t benefit him, either. He could clearly see that Lu Chao was just trying to sow discord.’
However,
"Whoever."
"As long as you kill him, you can leave immediately."
Lu Chao suddenly said, goading them.
Hearing this, the murderous intent on the faces of the other attackers intensified, their hesitation gone.
Within seconds, Ruan Hui was thoroughly enraged.
SNAP!
Lin Zhou’s eyes went wide as Ruan Hui snapped his neck.
And then,
BANG! BANG! BANG!!
He snapped the necks of the others who had attacked him or caved in their chests, and they staggered to their knees.
The sound of their wet, gasping breaths grew fainter and then fell silent.
"Sir..."
Ruan Hui suppressed his murderous rage and stared into the eyes behind Lu Chao’s mask.
’The Biotechnology Company would be alerted the moment something happened to his security team.’
He tried to stall for time again. "As long as you let me go, I’ll..."
BANG!!
A gunshot rang out, and a bullet struck him in the back, right where his heart was.
Ruan Hui swayed, stumbling as he turned to look incredulously at a spot seven or eight meters away.
Mei Ning, who hadn’t moved until now, had somehow put some distance between them and picked up a black pistol from one of the dead guards.
The bullet had struck its mark, seemingly piercing his heart.
"Cousin, I’m sorry..."
Mei Ning trembled, holding the gun with both hands. Her face was ashen. "I want to live, too."
BANG! BANG! BANG!!
