The Poisonous Scheme Reappears

"You're certainly willing to spend. You actually hired helpers like these."

Ning Ze sneered. There were eight of them. Aside from Zhai Yanko, an Intermediate Warrior, the others' reaction speeds indicated that they were all Warlords. Hiring a squad like this for an assassination would cost at least one billion Huaxia Coin.

Zhai Yanko felt victory was already in his grasp, and the urge to toy with a cat-and-mouse game arose within him. He said teasingly, "You don't need to worry about how much it cost. After you die, Shu Yi will help me pay off the debt."

Ning Ze's eyes narrowed. His gaze turned as cold as an ancient glacier, his entire face stiffening completely. His voice became exceptionally icy. "How do you want to die?"

"Hahaha! How do I want to die?"

Zhai Yanko burst into wild laughter. "Where are the rest of your Warfire Squad? Tell them to come out too. Don't tell me they sensed danger and abandoned their nephew to run away on their own? Looks like your bond isn't all that strong."

Ning Ze tightened his grip on the longsword. He had merely noticed earlier that the group opposite him did not seem to be together, which felt strange, so he had spoken more in order to observe them.

"Are you sure he's a Beginner Warlord?" Ma Jian's voice was low. For some reason, he felt stifled and uneasy, and wanted to finish off the boy in front of him as soon as possible.

The expression on Zhai Yanko's face froze, and he answered honestly, "Yes. He underwent his strength certification just two months ago."

Ma Jian nodded silently, then turned and shouted in a low voice, "Kill!"

At his shout, seven high-level martial artists charged at Ning Ze together.

Ning Ze narrowed his eyes. By now, he had more or less figured out the situation. Six of them had very similar temperaments. The ones standing behind Zhai Yanko were probably people hired by the Zhai Family.

He was very curious about whom he had somehow offended. Judging from their demeanor, those six probably would not say much. Of the eight, he only needed to keep Zhai Yanko and Hong Quan alive.

Ma Jian rushed before him. Seeing that Ning Ze still showed no reaction, his gaze became even colder, as though he were looking at a dead man.

He raised his war saber and slashed down. The strike cleaved through Ning Ze's figure, and Ma Jian's eyes widened in disbelief. He had missed!

At that moment, a silver-white flash of sword light appeared in his pupils. It came with extreme speed and quickly filled his vision. At that instant, it seemed as though his body had lost all sensation. Only pain came from his neck, followed by an even stronger feeling of powerlessness. His body was flying upward, but the Combat Suit below had no head.

A white figure darted through the crowd.

Clang.

The sound of blade meeting sword rang out, snapping everyone back to their senses.

Yet the six dead men could only fall silent. With only their heads remaining, they could not make a sound.

Hong Quan had already stood frozen on the spot. When he came back to himself, he saw his terrified face reflected in the silver-white blade before him.

He could not accept it.

Seven Warlord-level martial artists, every one of them an Advanced Warlord, had been killed in the instant their figures crossed. Six had been beheaded, and even he could feel a thread of icy coldness between the muscles in his neck.

"No!"

"That's impossible!"

"This isn't real!"

In the distance, Zhai Yanko continued screaming in terror and helplessness. He was on the verge of collapse.

Hong Quan felt the reality of it. He looked up and saw that handsome face, its expression ice-cold. Those indifferent eyes stared at him as though he were an ant.

"Tell me who wants to kill me, along with anything that might interest me. Maybe I'll spare you, or spare your family."

Ning Ze asked calmly, paying no attention at all to Zhai Yanko in the distance. An enemy he had once had no way of dealing with was now merely a clown. Here in the Wilderness Area, Ning Ze did not even need to act personally. A flying blade carrying more than 6,000 kilograms of force could kill him instantly.

Hong Quan's thoughts raced. Failing Wang Xing'an's mission meant he had already offended the Underground Alliance. If he survived, he could at least take his family into hiding. Perhaps they might still have a chance to live.

So his answer now had to satisfy Ning Ze.

"That young master is Wang Xing'an, the direct heir of the Wang Family, one of the Underground Alliance's nine great families. I don't know what they intended to do, but it should be related to your girlfriend. He saw a photo of your girlfriend on the train, and after he left Wang Xing'an's place, his phone was gone."

"My name is Hong Quan. I had some ties with Zhai Bifan during the Great Nirvana. After he made his fortune, he hired me as a retainer. The attack your father suffered before was arranged by him. After I refused, he hired the Poison Wolf Squad. He said that with wealth, one could control the fate of martial artists."

"You should already know everything else. The Zhai Family doesn't have any illegal businesses anymore. If there's anything you want to know, you can ask me..."

Ning Ze did not hear what came after that. His expression was extremely cold, but rage erupted in his heart like a volcano.

So it had been Zhai Yanko who caused his father's injury!

He turned to look at him, his gaze as cold as ancient ice and as devouring as an abyss.

Zhai Yanko could not help holding his breath. After his madness faded, he felt endless terror. The sight of those heads hanging limply had made his entire body feel numb.

An image involuntarily appeared in his mind: his own fate.

From the waist of Ning Ze's Combat Suit, a slender flying dagger slowly rose.

Hong Quan's pupils contracted when he saw it. He had never expected Ning Ze to be a Mental Master as well. No wonder his strength was so terrifying.

Mental Masters generally grew extremely quickly. Not only did their Mental Power improve, but their bodies were nourished by their spiritual force as well, causing their physical fitness to rise at a rate far beyond that of ordinary people.

Whoosh!

A flash of silver light streaked past. The flying dagger cut across the Communication Watches of the six dead men, completely destroying their communication devices before speeding toward the entrance.

With another whoosh, the flying dagger came to a stop before Zhai Yanko.

"Ah!"

Zhai Yanko was scared out of his wits and shouted incoherently, "Don't kill me!"

"Hong Quan, you deserve to die!"

"Spare me, or your girlfriend is dead for sure!"

"Don't kill me! Otherwise, the Wang Family will never let you go!"

Ning Ze slowly sheathed his sword.

Hong Quan did not dare make the slightest movement, but he added, "His relationship with Wang Xing'an isn't that good. When we entered, even the guards told him to get lost."

Ning Ze said nothing. Instead, he tapped his Communication Watch and called Shu Yi's phone.

The call connected quickly.

"Are you okay? It's not time for our call yet." Shu Yi sounded somewhat alarmed. Martial artists feared accidents most of all. She would rather wait anxiously than have Ning Ze suddenly call her.

"If you're okay, then I'm okay. Are you at home now?" Ning Ze felt much more at ease, and his gaze toward Zhai Yanko grew even colder.

"Yes, I'm home. Did something happen?" Hearing Ning Ze's calm voice, Shu Yi relaxed a little.

Ning Ze said directly, "Tell Dad right now not to go to work for the next few days. Stay in the residential area and don't go out. Wait until I get home!"

"Okay!" Shu Yi agreed without hesitation.

"I still have something to deal with here. Don't worry. It's just an Intermediate Warrior, and I discovered something unusual. I'll explain everything when I get back. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters." Ning Ze reassured her.

"Okay. Get busy, then. I'll call Dad."

"Okay."

The call ended. Ning Ze watched several uncles silently descend from the top floor.

Ning Ze sneered. "Uncle Zuo, he's the mastermind behind the attack on you before. I imagine you'd be more than happy to get revenge."

As he spoke, the flying dagger hovered steadily at Zhai Yanko's neck, slowly cutting open a wound as blood trickled out.

"No!"

Zhai Yanko was terrified out of his mind and screamed, "You can't kill me! My uncle-in-law is from the Wang Family! He'll definitely avenge me!"

Zuo Xingyuan gave a savage smile and slapped him across the face, sending Zhai Yanko's mouth full of blood. Four of his side teeth flew out.

Ning Ze slowly shifted his gaze toward Hong Quan. Without another word, he suddenly moved, throwing a fierce punch. More than 70,000 kilograms of force slammed brutally into Hong Quan's chest.

Hong Quan's pupils suddenly contracted. He offered no resistance at all, only feeling several ribs in his chest snap, as if even his heart had been crushed. His body flew backward, blood spraying from his mouth.

Ning Ze said calmly, "I can tell you didn't want to come, and what you said was more or less the truth. Take my full-force strike, and I'll let what happened when you attacked me before go. Whether you can escape from No. 003 is up to you."

Hong Quan's face lit up with wild joy, and he kept shouting, "Thank you! Thank you!"

As he spoke, he turned and slowly walked outside. He could feel Ning Ze watching him, but he did not dare show the slightest abnormality. He did not even quicken his steps.

Ning Ze narrowed his eyes. This man had dared come to kill him—did he really think Ning Ze would let him go? Releasing a tiger back into the mountains was a mistake he would never make.

He had not attacked because he wanted this man to go back. He had even held back in that punch earlier.

He knew too little about Earth's peak powers right now. He wanted to see how Wang Xing'an would treat this man, or how far he would go.

Could the Underground Alliance truly cover the sky with one hand?

Could it threaten him as well?

This man was an excellent test subject.

As long as his family remained in Bright Moon Residential Area, they would be completely safe.

He needed someone to scout the way for him and see what methods the Wang Family possessed.

If this man happened to survive, Ning Ze could kill him whenever he wished later.

Zhai Yanko's screams continued, but before long, they fell silent. It was enough to let the uncles deal with him. Ning Ze did not choose to vent his anger on Zhai Yanko. Death was the best judgment he could give this enemy.

"Why did you let that man leave?" Zuo Xingyuan asked in confusion.

Ning Ze said calmly, "Those people were sent by the Wang Family, one of the Underground Alliance's nine great families. I killed Wang Xing'an's men, so I let Hong Quan scout the way for us."

"The Wang Family of the Underground Alliance?" Zuo Xingyuan looked horrified. They had actually provoked people like that?

Everyone fell silent. These people had come to kill them, and Ning Ze had every right to kill them. Even if it meant offending the Wang Family, there had been no other choice.

Ning Ze analyzed the situation rationally. "Uncles, don't let your family members leave home for the next few days. I'll have my father ask someone to investigate first. If necessary, we'll contact Director Dongfang."

"The Limitless Martial Arts School won't be afraid of the Underground Alliance, will it? This time, let's hunt more monsters. Afterward, none of you should come to the Wilderness Area again. Once I enter the Elite Training Camp, he'll be even less likely to dare do anything to us."

Ma Yu nodded solemnly. "At this point, that's all we can do."

Just as Ning Ze was about to say something, one of the dead men's bodies suddenly exploded.

Boom!

Visible purplish-red powder burst outward in every direction.

Ning Ze immediately shouted, "Fall back!" At the same time, he swung the Light Swan Sword and slashed rapidly ahead. Gusts of wind formed at once, briefly hindering the powder.

The members of the Warfire Squad fled the mall. Zuo Xingyuan's expression was grim as he said, "That's powder made from Starry Night Grass and Bloodlight Vine. It was the same back then. We were contaminated by that evolution drug, which drove the monsters into a frenzy and made them attack us."

Ning Ze was furious. Both times, they had used this drug. He could not help suspecting that it was because of the Wang Family that Zhai Bifan had obtained such a vicious thing.

They had used it on his father before, and now they had ambushed them with it as well.

"We ran quickly this time and weren't contaminated by it. Otherwise, we'd be in serious trouble. This is No. 003!" Ma Yu's voice carried a trace of relief. Ning Ze might be able to withstand the siege of countless monsters, but they could not.

Ning Ze stared grimly at the purplish-red powder pouring from the mall entrance. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Let's find somewhere to settle down first and arrange things at home. Once we hunt some more monsters, we'll return to the Base City and stop coming out for the time being."

"Trust me, uncles. At most one year! I'll make the Wang Family afraid to act recklessly in the Base City. After that, I'll make the Wang Family repay their blood debt with blood!"

Zhang Chen said firmly, "Of course we believe you. Let's hurry and find somewhere to settle down. Old Yang's family should move in with mine for now. It really isn't safe in other residential areas."

Yang Chao's expression was also extremely grim. "Those damned bastards are truly lawless. Not even the Base City is safe."

"There's no point saying that now. Let's find somewhere to make arrangements first." Zuo Xingyuan spoke again, and everyone hurried toward the outskirts.

Ning Ze looked back at the rolling purplish-red smoke. He could faintly hear monster roars in the distance. From his experience among monster hordes, that was a sign that the monsters had gone berserk.

He gave a mocking smile, feeling somewhat sorrowful. Humanity struggled for survival in the Base City, while martial artists risked their lives fighting in the Wilderness Area. Yet even at a time like this, there were still scum who lorded over others. They occupied high positions with no one to punish them, used weapons created by humanity, and stopped at nothing to deal with their own kind—even joining forces with monsters!

And his family had been victims. If they had not been ambushed again today, he might never have known that such an enemy existed.

Ning Ze closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Wang Xing'an. The Wang Family! He slowly exhaled the foul air in his chest, then opened his eyes again. A bloody glint appeared in their depths.