Wu Qi had already known that some people had been assigned to protect the area around Yuekong Martial Arts Hall.
He didn't know which faction was behind it, but he hadn't cared about such a small number of people.
But now... there were experts hidden among them!
At the thought, Wu Qi's eyes suddenly turned cold. He spun around and glared in Wang Xinlong's direction.
"Wang Xinlong! You set me up!!?"
Wang Xinlong looked completely bewildered. He had no idea what was going on.
Nicholas and Xiao Hong beside him were equally confused.
So the gunshots just now might not have been the work of this old man, Wu Qi?
"I... I don't know anything. Those aren't my people!" Wang Xinlong quickly looked toward Zhong Can.
Zhong Can looked just as lost. If he'd had another card up his sleeve, he wouldn't have been struck head-on by Wu Qi and left kneeling on the ground, badly injured.
"It wasn't me." He fell silent for a moment, then forced out an explanation.
If he didn't speak up, the increasingly hostile looks from both sides made him fear he'd die right here today.
Just as all three sides eyed one another suspiciously, each suspecting the others of making trouble,
Teams of fully armed soldiers in black uniforms finally poured out from around the martial arts hall.
They surrounded the entire hall.
From a distance, countless red laser sights settled on Wu Qi, Zhong Can, and the others.
Farther away, drones rapidly approached and hovered in the sky around them, their cannon barrels aimed at the group as well.
Then a group of extremely well-built Limit Martial Artists appeared behind the soldiers surrounding them. One or two stood in every direction.
All the Limit Martial Artists wore lightweight protective suits. They had various high-tech auxiliary devices strapped to them and carried the weapons they each specialized in.
Wu Qi counted roughly. There were ten Limit Martial Artists alone!
The presence of a Limit Martial Artist was completely different from that of an ordinary martial artist. The vital-energy aura unique to someone who had reached the limits of the human body was something ordinary martial artists couldn't compare to.
Wu Qi's face twitched. He had a bad feeling about this.
He could feel at least fifteen guns aimed at him from different angles.
As for the people he'd brought with him, there hadn't been a word from them. It was obvious they were finished...
The thought that the people he'd brought might all be in trouble made Wu Qi's heart clench.
They were most of Mantis's elite martial artists. If they were all lost, Yingxing City would be left completely defenseless, and Mantis's strength would be crippled.
Wang Xinlong and the other two also grew tense and grave. A new faction had entered the fray, and it clearly hadn't come in peace. They had no choice but to stay on guard.
But while they were still on edge,
the soldiers surrounding them parted slowly down the middle.
A tall, thin man with a plain face and a black trench coat emerged at a leisurely pace.
"I thought you were just fooling around." The man glanced at Zhong Can, then at the bodies scattered across the ground.
"Looks like you took things too far."
Wang Xinlong, Nicholas, and Xiao Hong all saw the man who had entered.
And the moment they recognized his face, their expressions changed from solemn to stunned.
"Wang... Yiyang?!"
They couldn't imagine that the faction entering the scene now seemed to have been brought by Wang Yiyang.
Zhong Can, standing nearby, also felt his pupils contract.
He'd spoken to Wang Yiyang face-to-face before. Back then, he'd even considered killing him.
The teacher's grandson had looked like nothing more than an ordinary office worker.
How could he...? How was this possible?!
The shock made Zhong Can's abdominal wound nearly split open again. He couldn't keep up the pressure, and hurriedly pressed his hand against it once more.
"Yiyang... you... what's going on here?!" Wang Xinlong took a step forward, looking dazed. He knew better than anyone what his grandson could do.
How had Wang Yiyang brought so many people here?
Had he called the police? Had someone tricked him? Or was he not Wang Yiyang at all, but someone else who happened to look like him?
A hundred thoughts raced through his mind, and he lost all sense of logic. Put simply, this makes no sense!
He'd watched Wang Yiyang grow up year by year. How had that familiar young man suddenly become so mysterious and hard to read?
"Grandpa. Brother Zhong Can." Wang Yiyang first nodded to his own side, then turned to the three men facing them.
Wu Qi had now taken his two useless disciples in hand. The three stood together, watching them with cold, wary eyes.
Wang Yiyang smiled.
"Earlier, when I heard Grandpa was taking part in activities for the elderly, I was really happy.
"After all, when you get older, you need something to do. Even if it doesn't accomplish much, exercising your body and mind is good."
He paused, and the smile gradually faded from his face.
"But who could've guessed that you'd keep escalating things? Now it's gone beyond exercise and turned into fighting and brawling!"
As his voice rose, the soldiers around them tightened their grips on their guns. They were ready to fire at any moment.
With at least fifty gun barrels trained on them, no one present could claim they were certain they could escape.
Everyone's skin prickled with pain. Their nerves were constantly screaming warnings to their brains.
But with the guns pointed at them, no one dared move a step.
"Honestly, I don't understand martial arts or fighting, and I have no interest in learning." Wang Yiyang's expression was cool. "It's fine for old people to exercise, but you've taken it too far.
"When you get old, you should stay home and wait for your grandchildren to look after you and see you off. You shouldn't be running around and jumping about outside, thinking you're still young."
His words didn't just make Wu Qi's face darken. Even Wang Xinlong felt his face burn with embarrassment.
"Young man, if we weren't here, do you believe I could kill you with one finger? Anyone here could take you out in a second!"
Wu Qi finally couldn't hold back. Suppressing his anger, he spoke in a low, dark voice.
"Kill me with one finger? Heh..." Wang Yiyang laughed. "A wild boar in a zoo could gore me to death. So what? It'd still be a wild boar. You wouldn't call it a person, would you?"
He pointed at his own head.
"This is the age of technology, old man. You want to fight people barehanded? Do you think we're still in the cold-weapon era from thousands of years ago? Use your head!"
Wu Qi's gaze grew colder as he stared at Wang Yiyang. His fists slowly clenched tighter and tighter.
"What? Don't like hearing it? Believe me, I could say one word and you and your disciples would die right here." Wang Yiyang curled his lip in mockery.
He didn't bother looking at Wu Qi. Instead, he turned his gaze back to Zhong Can.
"Actually, I never wanted to get involved in your mess. As long as nothing happened to the martial arts hall or Grandpa, I didn't care what else you did.
"It's nice for an old man to have something to occupy himself with in his sunset years, isn't it?
"But what happened? You had to push me.
"All I wanted was to live an ordinary, peaceful life, and you wouldn't even grant me that. You went behind my back and stirred up all this trouble."
Even Zhong Can, normally so composed, was now so angry his chest heaved.
How had he never realized Wang Yiyang could be such a smartass? He wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face and shut him up.
"Brother Zhong Can, tell me yourself: you want to fight, right? Why not stay in the martial arts hall and trade blows with each other every day? Why go out looking for trouble?
"You think you're so high-minded, but what are you really? You play in the mud until you become a mud-slinger. You're still just playing in the mud. And all that talk about winning without fighting... If you don't throw the mud, who'll know you're a mud-slinger?"
Wang Yiyang looked at Wu Qi again, his expression mocking.
"You look angry. Your face is so red. What, don't believe me when I say you're playing in the mud? Grandpa wisely retired from the martial world and treated martial arts as a way to cultivate himself.
"But fools like you are different. You think you're impressive? You think you can take on ten people at once, or a hundred? Heh."
Wang Yiyang shook his head with a smile. He took the cigarette Lei Wei handed him, lit it, and took a drag. Then he slowly blew out a smoke ring.
"Do you know how many martial artists the Federation executed by firing squad during the period of transformation?"
He flicked the ash from his cigarette and continued.
"Three thousand five hundred and sixty-four."
At those words, Wu Qi's expression twisted. Wang Xinlong and the others also looked downcast.
Ordinary people knew nothing about this part of history, but people in their circles had heard a little.
Having Wang Yiyang bring it up in front of everyone made all the martial artists feel humiliated.
Even a few experts from the Martial Alliance looked uncomfortable.
The people from Yanhu Sect, however, didn't care. Although they were Limit Martial Artists, they didn't consider themselves martial artists. Martial arts and combat techniques were simply among their methods of killing. Nothing more.
"What are you trying to say?" Wu Qi could barely contain his murderous intent. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Wang Yiyang, as though he wanted to kill him with a look.
"Oh? Nothing in particular." Wang Yiyang seemed only then to come back to himself. "You looked like you were having fun fighting, so I had a thought and said whatever came to mind."
He blinked and looked at the three men. Then he suddenly continued,
"Do you feel any part of your body getting hot?"
"???!!" Wu Qi was shocked. He lifted both arms, still holding his two disciples, and tried to bolt away.
But his movements, usually astonishingly quick, faltered the instant he lifted his leg. A wave of weakness swept over him.
His strength didn't flow smoothly, and his body stumbled, slowed for a moment.
Brrrap!
A storm of gunshots erupted all at once.
Wu Qi's whole body jerked as if he'd been electrocuted. His body stiffened, and he stood straight in place. A few seconds later, dozens of tiny bloodied holes appeared across his chest and abdomen.
"I..." With a thud, he let go of the two men in his hands. He slowly lowered his head and stared at his torso, riddled with bullets.
"Master!!!"
One of Wu Qi's disciples, the red-browed man, let out a furious, anguished roar.
He didn't rush toward his teacher. Instead, his face twisted with rage as he spun around and fixed his gaze on Wang Yiyang.
His right hand flicked out from his sleeve like lightning.
"I'll kill you!!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three throwing stars suddenly shot from his sleeve.
The black, cross-shaped stars gave off a piercing whistle as they flew straight toward the completely unprepared Wang Yiyang.
The new book is out. Thanks, everyone, for voting, collecting, and tipping in advance.
I won't say much more. Lao Gun will do his best to write a good story, and repay everyone for sticking with me all this time~
As usual, here are the friends who tipped over ten thousand points last week.
There were too many other people who tipped for me to list everyone, but no matter how much you gave, I hope you'll spend within your means and not make impulsive purchases. Your support is what matters~
Dust Realm
My Brother Is Called Sanzhe
Not That Year That Day
Like Gun Kai The Most
Star Great Immortality
Pingchuwu
Worried Fritter
Two Two Three Three Three
Zhai Zhu
Under Hongjing River
Before you continue