29. Chapter 29: Outbreak

In the eyes of Wang Yiyang, combat, strife, or struggle—

They all boil down to a few steps.

First, gather intelligence.

Second, weaken the opponent.

Third, strengthen oneself.

Fourth, strike the enemy's weakness with one's own strengths.

Although his mind only held basic information regarding Mister, the Minister of Security, those past experiences of struggle and schemes were merely brief, simplified summaries.

Yet, after summarizing them over this period, he discovered a pattern.

In the internal struggles within Mister, the victors mostly acted according to this rule.

Only a very, very small fraction of people relied on luck to barely succeed. Moreover, the success of such people was usually fleeting, and they would quickly fall thereafter.

And now, he was executing these steps one by one.

Several days ago, he had already arranged for people to release a colorless, odorless, and invisible trace amount of gas into the martial arts hall.

This gas caused little harm to the body; its only effect was to create significant obstruction and sluggishness when the blood boiled and qi and blood circulation reached its peak.

In other words, this gas had no effect on ordinary people.

But for martial arts experts like Zhong Can and Wang Xinlong, it had an indescribable suppressive effect.

Of course, Wang Yiyang's target was only Zhong Can, not anyone else.

Therefore, he had long ago quietly had people add an antidote that neutralized the gas into his grandfather Wang Xinlong's liquor.

Wang Xinlong was fond of alcohol and drank a few cups every morning and evening.

Zhong Can, however, did not touch a drop of alcohol.

So, creating such a disparity was actually a very simple matter.

"Through the external vital sign scanner, we have confirmed that the people from Mantis have arrived early and are currently engaging Zhong Can," Lei Wei reported quickly while following Wang Yiyang.

"For Mantis to be able to mobilize so many people despite being so heavily wanted, it seems their hidden strength is not small," Wang Yiyang nodded.

He took the electronic binoculars handed to him by a bodyguard, held them to his eyes, and looked toward the open space in front of the martial arts hall from afar.

The open space was a mess.

Zhong Can was like a blood-red shadow, lightly and continuously leaping and flickering among the many martial artists of Mantis.

Every shift in position brought one or two screams and wails.

Blood and severed limbs were scattered everywhere.

Before Zhong Can, the martial artists of Mantis were like infants, completely unable to resist.

Every punch and palm strike he delivered could easily shatter the offense and defense of the Mantis martial artists.

Even if the opponent tried to flee, it only cost him a few extra steps.

"Impressive," Wang Yiyang praised.

"Truly impressive," two strong, tall men with crew cuts approached slowly from the side, lowering the binoculars in their hands.

"Minister Wang, this cooperation didn't mention that our opponent would be at this level. Don't you think our appearance fee should be increased?"

The older of the two men with crew cuts spoke with a hint of trepidation.

Both of them were wearing gray-white tank tops and loose trousers. A black character for "Tiger" was embroidered on the left side of their chests.

It was clear they were the leading experts from the Yanhu Sect team.

"Impossible," Wang Yiyang shook his head. "Zhong Can was already poisoned by the nerve gas I released in advance; he cannot maintain his peak state for long. This is also the key reason why he is frantically clearing the field now.

If you cannot even take down a situation where you hold such an overwhelming advantage, then I might have to reconsider any future cooperation with the Yanhu Sect."

The two men with crew cuts fell silent for a moment before picking up their binoculars to watch again for a while.

"Still this fierce even after being poisoned? It seems this money won't be easy to earn..."

Wang Yiyang smiled without a word. If he could get money just by standing there, why would he hire so many people?

At this moment, the movements of Zhong Can in the distance were gradually beginning to slow down.

He had just taken out more than twenty people in succession and had exchanged dozens of blows with his teacher, Wang Xinlong, consuming a massive amount of energy.

Naturally, he had reached the point of exhaustion.

Of the Mantis martial artists, only Red Eyebrows and another alluring young woman remained to confront him head-on.

On the open ground, every punch and kick from the three was like a thunderbolt; as they collided, they emitted explosive sounds like rolling thunder.

From afar, one could still see circles of faint white dust exploding outward as the three engaged in combat.

A large amount of air waves, stirred up by the dust, drifted and scattered in all directions.

"What an exaggerated display of combat," Wang Yiyang remarked with admiration.

"This is the kind of strength only a Limit Martial Artist above the Bright Light stage possesses; ordinary martial artists are nowhere near this level," a master from the Yanhu Sect standing nearby said in a low voice.

The two of them were specifically assigned to guard Wang Yiyang to prevent any high-level assassins from striking.

Wang Yiyang gazed into the distance at the scene on the open ground, which looked like something out of a martial arts film, and felt a sudden wave of emotion.

Before his rebirth, his grandfather had been murdered, the martial arts gym had burned down, and he himself had been framed in a car accident by a shadowy hand.

But now, regardless of who that shadowy hand was, the situation was firmly under his control.

Whether it was Mantis or Zhong Can, neither could stir up any more trouble.

"Shall we head over?" the flat-topped martial artist asked in a low voice from the side.

"No. Maintain a safe distance. I am not like you martial arts practitioners; I wouldn't be able to withstand even the slightest shockwave," Wang Yiyang laughed.

He was not the kind of fool who insisted on appearing at the last moment to explain his own schemes.

As an ordinary person without the strength to truss a chicken, it was better to hide in the rear and wait for the dust to settle before making an appearance.

Hearing this, the group twitched their lips and fell silent.

The fully armed elite soldiers surrounding the area began to close in step by step.

Drones in the air were also quietly shrinking the perimeter.

In the distance, snipers gradually shifted their crosshairs onto the living people present.

"Wait." Suddenly, Wang Yiyang felt something was wrong.

Through his binoculars, Zhong Can's movements were indeed becoming slower, and the Mantis martial artists were sustaining more and more injuries.

But for some reason, he felt a lingering sense of unease.

With so many casualties among the Mantis members, why were they still fighting to the death without retreating? Were they not afraid of dying?

This doubt flashed through Wang Yiyang's mind, and he immediately became vigilant.

He furrowed his brows.

"Is there any unusual activity on the scanner?" he asked quickly.

Lei Wei, standing to the side, was startled by the question. She quickly pressed the communicator at her collar and asked in a low voice.

But there was no sound from the other end; it seemed the soldiers responsible for monitoring the entire scene had completely lost contact.

Lei Wei's expression changed. She immediately began contacting all the team leaders.

Just as she became alert and realized something was wrong, the Limit Martial Artist experts from the Yanhu Sect and the Martial Alliance also sensed that something was amiss and gathered around Wang Yiyang to protect him.

Squads of soldiers quietly converged around Wang Yiyang's vehicle.

However, Wang Yiyang paid no attention to these things. Instead, he kept his binoculars fixed firmly on the ground in front of the martial arts gym.

The scene where Zhong Can and the two Mantis leaders had been fighting had completely changed.

Zhong Can was clutching his abdomen, kneeling on one knee, with blood dripping continuously through his fingers.

The two Mantis members also looked pale, supporting each other, barely able to stand.

One leg of each had lost all sensation; their knees were completely shattered, with nothing left inside but bone fragments.

Yet, the true core of the scene was no longer Zhong Can, nor Wang Xinlong, and certainly not the two severely injured Mantis leaders.

It was a sturdy old man with white hair reaching his waist, standing perfectly straight.

The old man was shirtless, his bronze-colored muscles covered in various scars and wounds.

He wore only a pair of black trousers, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his muscles looking as if they were forged from refined copper, devoid of any bulkiness.

"Zhong Can. Is this the answer you intended to give me?" The old man's expression was calm, devoid of emotional fluctuation. He merely watched Zhong Can quietly.

His two disciples, the red-browed man and the enchanting woman, stood behind him, but he did not even shift his gaze toward them.

Zhong Can slowly released his abdomen; the wound that had been bleeding just moments ago had now temporarily closed, stopping the flow of blood.

This was an advanced muscle control technique, capable of forcing muscles to contract and seal wounds in a very short time.

He squinted at the long-haired old man, saying nothing, but the invisible aura around his body began to condense once more.

The long-haired old man shook his head slightly in disappointment, shifting his gaze away from Zhong Can and onto Wang Xinlong, who had caught his breath nearby.

"Wang Xinlong, long time no see." They actually knew each other.

Wang Xinlong, currently supported by Nicholas and Xiao Hong, stared at the long-haired old man with an equally gloomy expression.

"Are you... Wu Qi?" He recognized the other's identity.

Many years ago, they had been fellow disciples studying martial arts under the same master.

Back then, the two had actually had a decent relationship. But later, due to differences in their philosophies, they had gradually walked down two different paths.

Wu Qi stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Wang Xinlong.

"It's been so many years, yet you're still as weak as ever."

"Weak? I am merely upholding what I believe in!" Wang Xinlong stood up, straightening his back, his aged face flickering with a complex array of emotions.

"What you believe in? Turning martial arts into a fitness routine?" Wu Qi sneered. "Since ancient times, we have been killers, masters above the masses! Our reputations are built upon the blood of the weak. And yet, you actually wanted to turn martial arts into a gym workout?"

He pointed a finger at Zhong Can.

"Look at what a mess you've made of a promising talent! Is this the ideal you wanted to uphold? To forcibly suppress the will of someone pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts?"

Wang Xinlong looked at Zhong Can as well, his eyes filled with disappointment and silence.

"The times have changed..."

"That doesn't mean it's time for us to exit the stage entirely!" Wu Qi interrupted him, spreading his arms wide.

Chi chi chi chi chi!!!

In an instant, a rapid succession of gunfire erupted.

Wu Qi's expression shifted, his figure instantly blurring into a gray shadow as he dodged left and right, swiftly vacating the spot where he had been standing.

The ground where he had stood was now riddled with a cluster of bullet holes.

By the time the gunfire ceased, he was already twenty meters away from Wang Xinlong and the others.

In the distance, a series of sharp, rhythmic gunshots also broke out.

The gunfire appeared abruptly, but it vanished just as quickly, and the previous silence returned.

Wu Qi's face turned ugly. He reached up to press the button on his collar communicator, but there was no response from the other end.

He immediately thought of something ominous, his eyes growing increasingly dark.

He had brought eighteen of his most skilled disciples this time; these martial artists had undergone the finest assassination training, and taking out those unknown rabble in the vicinity should have been effortless.