Chapter 34

Among the mountains.

Underground.

In a vast, dark, and deep warehouse.

This place is under strict protection; one cannot enter without the proper procedures, and would be immediately arrested and sent to a secret military court to be sentenced to immediate execution for treason.

In the quiet warehouse, a voice suddenly sounded:

"Wu Xiaode..."

"His parents were soldiers and have already died; it's been too long to find out the details."

"This boy is quite ordinary in every aspect..."

"Why did he jump out at that critical moment and ruin our plans?"

Li Zheng looked at the information displayed on the screen and murmured softly.

Suddenly, the screen flickered, and an encrypted communication request appeared in the center of the screen.

Li Zheng's expression turned serious, and he immediately opened it.

Instantly, video windows appeared on the screen.

Those powerful figures, whose every move could shake the entire country, were all gathered online, looking at Li Zheng together.

A voice, sometimes hoarse and sometimes sharp, immediately sounded:

"Your mission has failed."

"Yes, it was my momentary oversight. I didn't expect things to turn out that way. Please punish me," Li Zheng hurriedly knelt down, speaking in a devout tone.

However, those powerful figures in the video windows had no intention of reprimanding him.

Some of them even smiled at Li Zheng.

"Punishment... is unnecessary. You did well," the voice said.

Li Zheng was taken aback and said softly, "I didn't complete the assassination... why..."

"Because you successfully found their hidden guardian."

The screen displayed Wu Xiaode's photo.

"To completely cut off the Zhao family's lineage and obtain their power, no one knew what preparations they had hidden in the dark."

"This time, you found him, which is very good."

Li Zheng listened attentively and asked, "Then what should I do next?"

"To kill Zhao Junyu, you must first eliminate his guardian. Go and kill Wu Xiaode, and bring his head back to report."

"How should I do it?" Li Zheng asked.

"That's why you're here."

"Can I really... use it?"

"Yes, we authorize you to use it—go, kill Wu Xiaode, and let the blood of the royal guardian be the prelude to our revolution."

The call ended.

The screen went completely dark.

Li Zheng's furrowed brows relaxed.

"Trash blocking my path..."

"Now is the time for you to die."

"When you die, you will understand that some things are untouchable, and some people are not to be provoked!"

He casually closed the interface and brought up another operation screen, rapidly tapping on it with his fingers.

After a while.

A long row of prompts appeared on the operation screen:

"Permissions granted, activation authorized!"

"Action approved!"

"Use of advanced weaponry approved!"

"Weapon system password verified, weapon lock released!"

"Capital high-altitude navigation plan loaded!"

"Combat support units ready!"

"Weapons on standby!"

"Waiting for orders—"

Li Zheng looked at the long row of prompts, feeling the weight on his shoulders.

—This is something that can only be accomplished with the combined efforts of all the powerful figures. Otherwise, who could use this weapon?

He took a deep breath and said softly, "Activate the weapon, enter combat readiness."

A faint hum echoed in the darkness.

In the air, a giant steel hand appeared silently, descending and hovering just one centimeter above the ground.

Li Zheng jumped onto the steel hand.

The hand rose silently.

Flashes of electronic light illuminated the darkness, then merged into a pair of cold, lightning-tinged eyes.

Light began to fill the entire warehouse.

The giant steel mobile armor, over ten meters tall, opened its cockpit.

Li Zheng leaped from the steel hand into the cockpit, rapidly tapping on the control panel.

The cockpit door slowly closed.

Boom!

In the deafening roar, the giant steel armor shot upward.

High above the underground mechanical warehouse, the launch ports had opened, revealing the blue sky outside.

"Time: 10:00 AM."

"Assassination mission begins!"

"Target location locked."

"Selecting flight path, entering stealth mode, releasing silencing waves."

"Preparation—departure—"

The giant steel armor shot into the clouds, suddenly becoming silent and invisible, vanishing in an instant.

...

"Stay for lunch before you leave," Qian Mingkui said.

"Thanks," Wu Xiaode said.

The little girl looked at him suspiciously and said, "You're not here to beg for food, are you? To be honest, we're almost out of food too."

"Xiao Shi, don't talk nonsense," Qian Mingkui scolded her.

"Why don't you join us? My dad is a man who even dares to fake accidents for money," the little girl boasted, then ran back to continue her homework.

Qian Mingkui got up from the ground, dusted off his sleeves, and said, "Don't mind her. Her mother left us for someone else because she thought we were poor. I'm a man and don't know how to teach her—but she learned on her own and is always the top of her class."

"Self-taught and still top of the class? She must be very smart," Wu Xiaode praised.

"Haha, too kind, too kind," Qian Mingkui laughed, his eyes squinting.

"Brother Qian, why don't we spar?"

Wu Xiaode couldn't resist inviting him again.

—His body still itched from time to time.

But now he could scratch, pinch, and grab, so it was okay.

The itch wasn't important; what was important was that it constantly reminded him that he still had a wall whose function he hadn't determined.

Sparring with someone might give him some inspiration.

"No way," Qian Mingkui shook his head.

"Why?" Wu Xiaode asked curiously.

"There's only me and Xiao Shi here. If I get hurt, who will take her to school? To be honest, we live in the outskirts of the city, which used to be a suburban area with poor security," Qian Mingkui explained.

Wu Xiaode thought about it.

Bang—

The door to the martial arts school was kicked open.

A young man with a thug-like appearance stood at the door, looked inside, and said, "Fatty Qian, it's time to pay this month. Pay up now."

Qian Mingkui's face changed, and he ran up, lit a cigarette for the man, and said slowly, "Brother Wang, please give me a few more days. I have a payment coming in soon."

"Hurry up, or else Brother Xiao Yi will get angry, and we can't afford it. You won't be able to live in peace either," the young man said.

"Sure, sure!" Qian Mingkui nodded and bowed.

"Right, you know the consequences," the young man blew smoke in his face and turned to leave, but then heard another voice from inside the martial arts school:

"Wait."

The young man turned and looked at the teenager standing next to Qian Mingkui.

"Are you talking to me?" the young man asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Wu Xiaode sized up the young man and looked at Qian Mingkui, probing, "Protection money?"

"Of course, no matter what you do in this neighborhood, you have to pay Brother Xiao Yi," the young man said impatiently.

Wu Xiaode asked curiously, "Fatty Qian, you run a martial arts school, and you have to pay these thugs?"

"Old friends, we help each other, we help each other," Qian Mingkui said, frantically giving him a look.

Wu Xiaode shook his head and walked toward the two men, saying, "This won't do. If your school's founder saw this from heaven, he'd be furious. Come, let me stand up for you."

Before Qian Mingkui could speak, the young man laughed, "You? You're just a kid. I'll teach you a lesson today—"

He pulled out a machete from behind his back.

Wu Xiaode's eyes widened.

This is using a weapon.

Using a weapon is a serious aggravating factor in the law. Once involved, a minor issue becomes a major one, and a sentence of less than three years becomes more than three years.

This shows how dangerous using a weapon is.

—You can't control your weapon.

Two people arguing and fighting, swinging fists, and tripping each other, might end up with bruises and a trip to the police station for mediation.

But if one person has a weapon, it's different.

In the heat of the moment, they might lose control and strike, and it's over.

In reality, even famous fighters, when faced with a weapon, are at a disadvantage.

Let alone ordinary people.

Actually, the bones in the human body are soft, like a living fish, which is quite flexible.

A fish's bones only harden after it's on the plate.

So, when a knife or dagger pierces the human body, there is little resistance.

Once the body is pierced, its defense mechanisms kick in.

The effect is—

You realize you've lost all your strength and can't move.

Unless you're a person with explosive adrenaline, you can't resist.

Most people, once stabbed, can't move at all.

In other words—

The human body is full of vital points. Once stabbed, you lose your ability to resist.

So, when you see someone pull out a weapon, you must be on high alert.

Wu Xiaode's demeanor suddenly changed. He lightly clenched his fists, and a killing intent emanated from him.

He was on guard.

In the past, if someone pulled out a weapon, he would run first.

—We're all ordinary people; who would risk their life?

Now, it's different.

Qian Mingkui saw his killing intent and hurriedly said,

"It's not necessary, it's not necessary—look, is this really necessary—"

Wu Xiaode stopped him, took two steps forward, and said to the young man, "Come on."

The young man took a step forward, and Wu Xiaode's fist was already on his face.

Smack!

A crisp sound.

Nose bleeding.

The young man covered his nose and took two steps back, saying in a muffled voice, "You'll regret this. Brother Xiao Yi won't let you off."

Then he ran away.