"I'm going to kill you!"
Lei Yun's eyes turned bloodshot as he completely lost his mind. He felt that Qin Feng had trampled all his dignity beneath his feet and crushed it to pieces in front of all the elites. This humiliation was worse than death.
An even stronger surge of lightning power erupted from his body. This time, he was prepared to use his family's secret art and settle things with Qin Feng at any cost.
"Lei Yun's gone mad!" someone cried out. "He's going to use Thunder God Descends!"
The stunned onlookers finally came back to their senses, and discussion broke out all around them:
"What... what's going on? How did Lei Yun's Thunderclap Palm suddenly fizzle out?"
"What kind of sorcery did that Qin Feng use? I only saw him lightly tap his right thumb against his palm, and then the lightning scattered!"
"Wicked. Too wicked!"
An older team member frowned deeply and stared hard at Qin Feng. "Something's wrong. There was no sign of spiritual power erupting from his body. How did he do that? That feeling... it wasn't like he broke the technique. It was more like... an 'order'? An order for the lightning to go out? How is that possible?!"
"It should be some kind of special talent," someone else analyzed. "I've heard that some people are born with a special sensitivity to energy and can find flaws in an opponent's techniques."
"But isn't that too absurd? The Lei Family's Thunderclap Palm has been passed down for a hundred years. How could it have such an obvious weakness?"
As everyone argued, Lei Yun roared recklessly, "Qin Feng! If you've got the guts, come with me to the Life-and-Death Arena! We'll sign a life-and-death contract and have a fair duel!"
The entire meeting room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.
The Life-and-Death Arena was the final means the Special Cases Department used to settle serious internal disputes. Once a life-and-death contract was signed, it meant one side would not rest until the other was dead.
Things had begun to spiral out of control, turning from a simple spar into an invitation to a duel to the death.
Wang Jianguo's expression darkened completely. "Lei Yun! Do you know what you're saying?!"
"I know exactly what I'm saying!" Lei Yun's voice was hysterical. "He humiliated me! He humiliated our Lei Family! This hatred cannot be shared beneath the same sky!"
Yet Qin Feng remained as calm as ever. He even picked at his ear. "A duel? That's something kids play at. Besides, can you even beat me? Stop wasting everyone's time. I'm in a hurry to get off work."
Those casually spoken words completely lit the powder keg.
The lightning around Lei Yun turned violent. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his reason was utterly swallowed by his surging bloodlust.
"Thunder God Descends!" He pressed his palms together and began chanting his family's secret incantation.
Terrifying lightning power gathered within his body. This was a forbidden art of the Lei Family. It would cause enormous damage to the user's body, but its power was equally astonishing.
Wang Jianguo's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to intervene, he realized that Lei Yun's aura had already broken past a certain threshold.
At that critical moment, a woman's voice came from the doorway, cold as frost and as though it could freeze one's very soul:
"Stop!"
Shen Bingyue entered the briefing room with a face as cold as ice.
Wherever she passed, the temperature plummeted. A nobility and authority originating from deep within her bloodline made everyone present feel their hearts tremble. The weaker team members even found it difficult to breathe, as though their spiritual power had been suppressed by the chill and could no longer circulate smoothly.
Her talent, [Ice Breath], was unleashed at full force. A thin layer of white frost formed across the entire floor. The metal tables and chairs made cracking sounds as rapid cooling caused them to contract.
Even more terrifying was the pressure radiating from her body. This was not mere suppression through strength, but the innate majesty of the Shen Family of Ice City bloodline. That noble, aloof presence made people instinctively want to lower their heads in submission.
Her icy gaze swept across the room before settling on Lei Yun. Her tone was stern. "A Class C extermination mission is imminent, and you're fighting among yourselves here. Do you want everyone to be buried with you?!"
Most of the team members lowered their heads beneath Shen Bingyue's pressure, not daring to meet her eyes.
The Shen Family of Ice City was renowned throughout the supernatural world.
But Lei Yun was consumed by anger. Blinded by rage, he actually stiffened his neck and retorted, "Captain Shen, this is a private grudge between him and me! He humiliated me first!"
Shen Bingyue's eyes turned cold, and an even more powerful pressure descended.
The temperature in the room dropped again. Even their breath emerged as white mist. Ice began forming along the walls with sharp cracking sounds.
"A private grudge?" Shen Bingyue's voice was like ten-thousand-year ice. "Bringing up private grudges during a mission—are you trying to defy military orders?"
Lei Yun finally felt a true threat. The killing intent radiating from Shen Bingyue made him feel like prey being watched by an ancient ice dragon. But he was already riding a tiger and couldn't get off. If he backed down now, he would never be able to hold his head up in their circle again.
"I... I only wanted to prove my strength!" Lei Yun gritted his teeth. "Is the Special Cases Department going to protect some outsider of unknown origin?!"
Those words completely enraged Shen Bingyue.
She took a step forward, and the chill around her became even more piercing. "Unknown origin? Qin Feng is a collaborator personally recommended by Magistrate Cui. By calling him unknown, are you questioning Magistrate Cui's judgment?"
Lei Yun's face instantly went pale.
Magistrate Cui was one of the upper echelons of the Special Cases Department, with unfathomable strength. He could not bear the charge of questioning a magistrate's decision.
"I... I didn't mean that..." he began to stammer.
"Then what did you mean?" Shen Bingyue pressed forward step by step. "Publicly provoking a collaborator, ignoring mission discipline, and intending to engage in a private fight. According to Special Cases Department regulations, you have already committed three serious offenses."
The surrounding team members began to sweat for Lei Yun. When Shen Bingyue got serious, even Director Wang had to keep his distance.
"Captain Shen." Wang Jianguo finally spoke, attempting to ease the tension. "Lei Yun was just impulsive. Young people are hot-blooded. That's normal."
Shen Bingyue turned to look at Wang Jianguo. There was not a trace of warmth in those ice-blue eyes. "Director Wang, your subordinate intended to engage in a private fight on the eve of a mission. You think that is normal?"
Wang Jianguo was left speechless.
Shen Bingyue's gaze returned to Lei Yun. "I will give you two choices. First, apologize to Qin Feng immediately, then get out of this mission team. Second, I report this to headquarters right now and hand you over to the military tribunal for defying orders."
Lei Yun's expression became even uglier. The first choice meant lowering his head to Qin Feng in front of everyone, which was more unbearable than death. The second choice was even more frightening. The military tribunal was no joke.
Just as he was caught between a rock and a hard place, Qin Feng suddenly walked to Shen Bingyue's side and spoke to her in a relaxed tone, as though chatting with a friend. "Forget it."
He waved a hand, but his eyes remained on Shen Bingyue, a helpless smile on his face:
"Captain Shen, don't stoop to his level. Kids throwing tantrums is normal. Once they're done making a fuss, they still have to go home and do their homework."
It was as though he was not speaking for anyone else to hear, but merely making small talk with Shen Bingyue.
Yet it was precisely that utter disregard, that tone which defined Lei Yun as a little brat throwing a tantrum, that instantly shattered Lei Yun's final psychological defense.
His face flushed red, then turned deathly pale. His fists clenched with cracking sounds, but he could no longer utter a single word.
Because he knew that before Qin Feng and Shen Bingyue, he did not even qualify to be their opponent.
Before you continue