Dealing with malice

In a lavishly decorated office in Golden Forest City, hundreds of kilometers from Dongjiang City, a young man lounged in a leather executive chair, smoking as he listened to a report from the computer in front of him.

"Boss, we've lost contact with everyone who entered the target villa. We've tried every means of contacting them, but no one has responded..."

Despite the grim report, the young man remained utterly relaxed as he smoked. Unhurriedly, he spoke into a microphone with its voice-disguising function enabled. "Have everyone who hasn't gone inside pull out first. Then arrange for someone to report a mass kidnapping to the Dongjiang City police..."

He promptly ended the call, leaned back in his comfortable executive chair, and took a drag before blowing out a large smoke ring. With a hint of disdain, he muttered:

"This opponent seems to have some ability... but he's far too arrogant. He thinks I can't touch him if he hides inside a building... He's still too green to take me on..."

Yet just as he was plotting a series of moves against Wang Zhifan, something suddenly happened! A hand appeared out of nowhere in the air where he had blown his smoke ring! The instant it appeared, it seized his neck too quickly for him to react and hoisted him up! "Urgh!"

The young man's eyes bulged in shock as the hand clamped around his throat. He instinctively struggled like mad, a dagger with a black-glowing blade appearing in his right hand. He slashed viciously at the hand gripping his neck.

The strange, razor-sharp blade struck the hand hard, but the hand seemed indestructible. It neither loosened its grip nor suffered any damage from the dagger, leaving the young man even more stunned.

Fighting the suffocating pressure around his neck, he