As the world's greatest assassin, his pride, his convictions, and his art of killing, built upon absolute strength, had all been crushed today in the most unbelievable way by an obscure brat!
He split a Ki Blast with his finger?
This wasn't martial arts at all!
This was some kind of demonic heresy!
Shame, shock, and a trace of fear he refused to admit even to himself mixed together, turning into a hysterical killing intent!
He abandoned all technique and unleashed every last bit of ki in his body. His entire being became a streak of white lightning that tore through the air, hurtling straight at Lin Fan!
He would tear this monster apart with his hands, feet, and teeth. Only then could he reclaim his shattered confidence!
"Die!!!"
Facing this mad, tiger-like charge—wildly unstructured yet terrifyingly powerful—Lin Fan had just unleashed a [Geng Metal Sword Qi]. His True Essence was greatly depleted, and he was wounded both inside and out, yet his gaze remained remarkably calm.
With Foundation Establishment newly achieved, his mind was clear.
In his eyes, Mercenary Tao's movements were no longer impossible to read.
The violent airflow, the savage expression, the many openings exposed by his loss of composure—all were clearly reflected in his spiritual sense.
He couldn't meet him head-on!
The gap in strength still remained!
But... he could outwit him!
Lin Fan shifted his footing. Driven by Foundation Establishment True Essence, his improved Wind Control Art displayed far greater agility than before!
He didn't retreat. Instead, like a willow catkin, he glided lightly toward the side and slightly forward, meeting Mercenary Tao's charge!
At the same time, he didn't draw on much True Essence. He focused what little strength he had left into his fingertips, spotted a weak point in Mercenary Tao's flow of energy—exposed by his fury—and thrust out a finger like lightning!
This strike wasn't meant to wound. It was meant to... cut off the flow! Strike an acupoint!
Pfft!
His fingertip landed precisely on a faint energy node where Mercenary Tao's arm joined his body, just as he was charging at full speed!
The force wasn't great, but it disrupted the smooth flow of Mercenary Tao's ki at just the right instant!
Mercenary Tao's fierce charge abruptly faltered. The ki surging through his body felt as if it had been pricked by a tiny thorn. The disruption was slight, but it made him intensely uncomfortable, and his movements involuntarily twisted out of shape!
Now!
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Fan's eyes. Summoning his last bit of strength, he used the subtlety of the Wind Control Art to spin into a sudden crouch—not to attack, but to... evade!
He slipped past Mercenary Tao's claw strike by a hair, taking advantage of the brief delay caused by his faltering movement. At the same time, Lin Fan hooked and tripped him with a nearly imperceptible movement of his foot!
Mercenary Tao was already charging too fiercely to stop, and his flow of ki had been subtly disrupted. His stance wavered without him even noticing. Then Lin Fan caught his foot in a clever trip—
Whoosh!
The world's greatest assassin lost his balance. He stumbled helplessly forward, straight toward the center of the explosions left by the two Ki Blasts Lin Fan had split, which had yet to completely dissipate!
The raging energy currents and scorching flames there had weakened considerably, but they were still deadly!
"What?!"
Mercenary Tao's face changed dramatically. He tried to steady himself, but it was already too late!
Boom!!
He plunged headfirst into the wreckage of energy!
The remaining shock waves and flames immediately found an outlet and slammed hard into his completely unguarded back!
"Gah—!"
Mercenary Tao let out a pained cry of shock and fury. He had managed to raise his ki in time to protect himself and avoid serious injury, but the sudden second explosion left him covered in soot. A large patch of the white fabric on his back was scorched, his hair was disheveled, and a trace of blood even appeared at the corner of his mouth!
More importantly, his aura as an assassin who controlled everything had vanished without a trace!
A shambles! Never before had he been so utterly humiliated!
He burst out of the fading energy waves and landed nearby, panting heavily. He wasn't out of breath from exhaustion, but from rage!
He glared at Lin Fan, the mad killing intent in his eyes almost tangible. But for the first time, deep within it, there was a hint of disbelief... and fear.
This brat... His methods weren't just bizarre. His timing and tactics were so sharp and infuriating!
Every move hit him where it hurt most! This wasn't a fight. It was mockery!
Lin Fan was at his limit too. His body swayed, but he managed to stay upright. His face was as pale as paper, yet his eyes remained bright, even carrying a hint of mockery as he looked at Mercenary Tao's furious, disheveled state.
"The world's greatest assassin..."
Lin Fan spoke slowly, his voice weak, yet every word struck home. "Looks like all you've got is brute force."
"You!!!"
Mercenary Tao shook with rage, on the verge of charging forward again without a second thought.
But the instant he started to move—
Wee-oo, wee-oo, wee-oo—
The piercing wail of sirens sounded in the distance!
And they were getting closer!
The explosions and commotion here had finally drawn the attention of West City's police, and perhaps even the military!
Mercenary Tao abruptly froze.
He glanced at the flashing lights in the distance, then at Lin Fan, who looked weak but had a cold, unsettlingly strange gleam in his eyes. He also thought of the boy's endless array of bizarre techniques...
If he kept fighting, then even if he eventually killed the brat, he would have to pay a far greater price—and might even end up exposed to the authorities... It wasn't worth it!
An assassin's principle was to complete the job efficiently, not to die alongside his target!
Humiliation! An unprecedented disgrace!
Mercenary Tao's face turned ashen. His teeth ground together with a crackling sound, as if he might shatter them.
He gave Lin Fan a venomous glare, as though he wanted to carve his face into his soul.
"Brat... I'll remember you!"
He forced the words through clenched teeth, filled with deep-seated hatred and a trace of barely concealed fear. "The Crane School's debt... will be repaid with your blood sooner or later!"
With that, he didn't hesitate for another moment. He stamped hard and soared into the sky, using the Flight Technique. He didn't even care about his posture; he shot off toward the distant horizon in a hurried, unsteady streak of white light, moving so fast that it was as if he feared something else might happen if he slowed down for even a second.
Mercenary Tao, the world's greatest assassin... had been forced to retreat!
Watching the streak of white light vanish on the horizon, Lin Fan's taut nerves finally relaxed. His vision went black, and his body could no longer hold out. He crumpled forward.
"Lin Fan!"
Bulma's voice rang out, choked with tears. She came stumbling over and, without caring that he was covered in blood and dust, threw her arms around him and held him tight. Her voice was choked. "You scared me to death! You idiot! You big idiot! I thought you were done for!"
Lin Fan leaned weakly against her. Feeling her genuine concern and warmth, he struggled to manage a smile. "It's over... for now..."
On the roof of a high-rise several kilometers away.
A miniature drone disguised as a ventilation duct quietly retracted its lens and slipped soundlessly into the shadows.
The final footage captured by the drone showed the entire sequence: Lin Fan splitting a Ki Blast with his finger, cleverly using the explosion to injure Mercenary Tao, and finally driving him to flee in disgrace.
The footage became a stream of data and was instantly transmitted to a secret Red Ribbon Army base.
Dr. Gero watched the frozen image on the screen, especially the moment Lin Fan held two fingers together like a sword and split the Ki Blast, as well as the close-up of the energy fluctuations around him, so unlike "ki." His thin fingers trembled violently with excitement.
A sickly flush spread across his pale face. His breathing quickened, and a nearly frenzied light blazed in his eyes!
"A brand-new energy system... a method of application entirely different from 'ki'... efficient, concentrated, almost... an intervention on the level of laws?"
He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse with excitement. "Not brute force... technology! A higher level of energy technology!"
"Perfect... absolutely perfect! This is practically... the ideal enhancement for the Android Project! No—even more than that!"
He spun around and barked an order at the adjutant standing rigidly behind him:
"Change of plans! Suspend the extreme energy core tests on 17 and 18!" "All resources! Highest priority! Target: Lin Fan! I want all his data! Every secret of that energy!" "By any means necessary!"
His manic laughter echoed through the cold base.
"Bulma... my dear niece... what a wonderful... gift you've given me!"
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