One Flip of the Butcher Knife, and Even Bullets Had to Change Course

A piercing alarm filled the passage.

Footsteps and the clatter of metal came from around the corner. Bolts were pulled back, and magazines were loaded.

"Twelve people." Sing Sing's ears twitched. "No, fourteen. Two are wearing soft-soled shoes. They're probably technicians."

Riptide was surprised. "Your hearing's that good?"

"When I sold pork, Lao Zhao next door stole three liang of meat from me every day. I learned to tell how much he'd taken by listening to the rhythm of his chopping. That's how I trained it."

As soon as he finished, a row of gun barrels emerged around the corner.

"Fire!"

Without another word, twelve assault rifles opened fire at once.

Sing Sing didn't retreat. He twirled the Pig Butchering Knife in his hand, turned the blade sideways, and slashed diagonally.

The first bullet grazed the back of the blade and flew into the ceiling.

The second struck the flat of the blade, changed course, and hit the wall in a shower of sparks.

The third, the fourth, the fifth.

The knife swept an arc through the air, moving so fast that only a blur of silver could be seen.

The bullets were deflected, their own force used to redirect them. Every bullet had its angle changed just enough to fly past Sing Sing.

Even with Anton on his shoulder, Old Zhou's steps remained steady.

During his three years selling meat, he had carried half a pig to the chopping block every day, rain or shine. That had been much heavier.

Riptide stared in disbelief from behind him.

He had already prepared to provide cover, wind blades poised in his palms, but Sing Sing hadn't given him a chance to act.

Seven steps.

Sing Sing took seven steps to reach them.

The first guard was still pulling the trigger when Sing Sing closed in.

The Pig Butchering Knife flipped, and the back of the blade smacked against the gun barrel, knocking it sideways.

The webbing between the guard's thumb and forefinger split from the impact, and the gun flew out of his hand.

The tip of the knife flashed downward twice, slicing through the vest's shoulder straps and the belt.

The guard's equipment clattered to the floor. He was still standing, but he was already stark naked.

A second guard came at him with his gun raised. Sing Sing turned sideways, letting the muzzle pass him.

Anton nearly slipped off, so Sing Sing bounced him back up to steady him, then used the motion to kick the gunstock.

The stock slammed back into the guard's nose, sending blood splattering.

The third and fourth guards tried to surround him from both sides.

Sing Sing turned halfway around on the spot, his Pig Butchering Knife tracing an arc that cut through their bulletproof vests, gun slings, and the fasteners at their waists.

Both men's equipment fell apart at once. Their guns and ammunition dropped, and their belts were sliced through as well.

One guard's pants fell to his ankles, tripping him. The back of his head struck his companion's knee.

The two men ended up in a heap.

In less than fifteen seconds, eight people were lying in the corridor.

The remaining four guards came to their senses and began retreating.

But the corridor was only so wide, and they couldn't back away as fast as Sing Sing advanced.

Until the last guard was struck on the back of the neck with the back of the blade.

Fourteen people lay on the floor, groaning one after another.

No one was dead, but none of them would be getting up anytime soon.

Riptide stood where he was, the cyclones in his palms dissipating as he withdrew his wind blades.

"What exactly do you do?"

"Agent Ling Ling Qi, Sing Sing, Stephen Chow. Call me whatever you like."

Sing Sing spun the Pig Butchering Knife in his hand and slid it back behind his waist.

"Ever heard of The Cook Ding Cuts Up an Ox? I call this Butcher Ding Disarms Soldiers!"

"Find the joints and load-bearing points, give them a flick, and the whole thing falls apart. There are gaps between structural components, and as long as there are gaps, that's enough~"

Riptide opened his mouth, then decided not to ask any more questions.

The two continued running toward the exit.

As they passed through a sunken corridor, Sing Sing briefly slowed. He noticed a row of different cells on the left side of the corridor.

The walls and floors of the isolation area were made entirely of plastic and glass. Even the door hinges were carbon fiber.

The lights were embedded in the ceiling, with no wiring visible.

Most of the cells were empty. Only the one at the very end was lit.

Old Zhou went over and looked through the bulletproof glass. Inside sat a young woman, around her early twenties.

Her green hair hung loose over her shoulders, and she wore a straitjacket.

Her arms were crossed and secured against her chest, and her fingers were individually wrapped so she couldn't move a single one.

She sat cross-legged on the floor in the very center of the cell, her back straight and her chin slightly raised.

Riptide urged him on from behind. "Come on! The alarm's been going for almost three minutes! Stryker's reinforcements will be here any moment!"

Sing Sing said nothing, staring at the green-haired woman for five seconds.

This woman's locked up in a metal-free cell, which means her ability has something to do with metal or magnetic fields.

An ability related to metal, put to use in infrastructure, would mean...

Bending rebar!

Welding metal!

Operating tower cranes!

If she can control magnetic fields...

Then there's precision alignment of high-speed rail tracks, assembly of steel segments for undersea tunnels, cable pulling for major bridges...

Oh my god! She's a walking all-purpose crane!

Even if she doesn't have any abilities at all, taking her back to serve food in the construction site cafeteria would save the cost of a temp worker.

Since I'm already here, how can I leave empty-handed?

That's basic professionalism.

"You go first. Turn right at the second fork ahead for the exit. I'll be there in a minute."

Riptide grew anxious. "Are you crazy? If we don't leave now, we'll..."

Sing Sing lowered Anton and shoved him into Riptide's arms, his expression serious. "One minute. Carry your brother out first. I'll be right behind you."

Anton's weight made Riptide stagger a step, and before he had a chance to curse him out, Sing Sing was already facing the cell, studying something.

The green-haired woman in the cell raised her head and narrowed her eyes.

She had lost track of how long she'd been in this laboratory. Stryker's people came to draw blood and run tests, attaching all kinds of instruments to her.

She had tried to break free, but the material of the straitjacket had been designed to counter her ability.

Now a man had suddenly appeared at the little window, leering at her. She wasn't sure whether this was some kind of new experiment.

Sing Sing examined the structure of the door lock: plastic catches, no electronic components, and a purely plastic mechanical mechanism.

Four rotating bolts had to be turned simultaneously with a special key to open it.

Sing Sing restrained his qi, raised his right foot, and kicked the very center of the door.

"Crack!"

The catches couldn't withstand the impact. All four bolts popped out of their slots at once, and the seemingly sturdy door fell inward.

The green-haired woman stared at him in astonishment. It was just an experiment—did he have to tear down the door?

Sing Sing stepped over the door and crouched down in front of her.

Up close, the woman had beautiful features, but her face was pale and her lips were chapped.

She had dark circles under her eyes, from malnutrition and long-term sleep deprivation.

The woman spoke first, her voice a little hoarse. "Who are you?"

"Me? Your new boss!"

Sing Sing chuckled, then went behind her to examine the straitjacket. There were seven clasps on the back.

Sing Sing slipped his fingers into the gap in a clasp and used his qi to wrench it apart.

With a crack, the clasp broke, and the straitjacket came loose and slipped off the woman.

The green-haired woman moved her fingers, bending and stretching all ten as her joints cracked.

When she stood up, she was half a head shorter than Sing Sing. Even after being freed, she remained defiant. "I'm not going to thank you."

Sing Sing waved a hand, went to the doorway, and poked his head out to look around. "I didn't ask you to. Follow me. We'll talk once we're out."

"Why should I go with you?"

"You don't have to. You can stay here and wait for Stryker's people to come back and tie you up again. I broke the straitjacket, so next time they might use something sturdier. Ma'am, you wouldn't want to be tied up by force, would you..."

Footsteps came from the beginning of the corridor.

The green-haired woman didn't hesitate for long before deciding to follow him.

Her fingers spread slightly at her sides, and the metal pipes and wiring buried in the walls began to tremble. The corridor lights flickered.

At the fork ahead, Riptide was pacing anxiously with Anton on his shoulder. When he saw the green-haired woman behind Sing Sing, his expression became especially colorful. "You picked up another one?"

"Hey! What kind of thing is that to say? This is called recruiting talent!" Sing Sing took Anton back from him and hoisted him onto his shoulder again.

"Come on, turn right. The exit's up above."

The three people who could move, plus one who was unconscious, climbed up through the exhaust duct.

The green-haired woman climbed at the rear, watching the man ahead of her, who could still move quickly with someone on his shoulder.

She didn't know where he was taking her, but at least it was better than staying in the cell.