Mercenary Tao's Rout

As the world's number one assassin, his pride, his convictions, and the aesthetic of slaughter he had built upon absolute power were today crushed into dust by an unknown brat in the most inconceivable way!

Splitting a Ki Blast with a finger?

This is not martial arts at all!

This is sorcery and heresy!

Shame, rage, shock, and a sliver of fear he refused to even admit to himself coalesced into hysterical killing intent!

He abandoned all technique, unleashing the remaining Ki within his body without reservation, transforming himself into a bolt of white lightning that tore through the air as he lunged straight at Lin Fan!

He had to use his hands, his feet, his teeth—he had to tear this monster into pieces to salvage his crumbling self-confidence!

"Die!!!"

Facing this charge, which resembled a crazed tiger—lacking all form but possessing terrifying power—Lin Fan, who had just unleashed a Geng Metal Sword Qi and was now suffering from severe True Essence depletion and internal and external injuries, kept his gaze exceptionally calm.

With the Foundation Establishment newly formed, his spirit was clear.

Mercenary Tao's movements were no longer untraceable in his eyes.

The violent air currents, the savage expression, and the numerous openings exposed by his loss of composure were all clearly reflected within his divine sense.

He could not meet this head-on!

The gap in power still existed!

But... he could win with wit!

Lin Fan shifted his footwork, and under the drive of his Foundation Establishment True Essence, his improved Wind Control Art displayed a nimbleness far exceeding the past!

He no longer retreated; instead, like a willow catkin, he glided lightly toward the side-front to meet Mercenary Tao's momentum!

At the same time, he did not call upon a large amount of True Essence, but instead highly condensed his remaining strength at his fingertip, aiming at a specific Ki node that Mercenary Tao had left wide open due to his blind rage, and struck out like lightning!

This strike was not for damage, but for... cutting off the flow! A pressure point strike!

Puff!

His fingertip landed precisely on a faint Ki node at the junction of Mercenary Tao's arm and body just as his momentum was at its peak!

The force was not great, but it was just enough to interrupt the momentary fluidity of Mercenary Tao's Ki circulation!

Mercenary Tao's fierce forward momentum stalled abruptly. The surging Ki within his body felt as if it had been pricked by a tiny needle; though insignificant, it was extremely uncomfortable, and his movements involuntarily distorted for a split second!

Now is the time!

A brilliant light erupted in Lin Fan's eyes. Using his last bit of strength and the ingenuity of his Wind Control Art, he suddenly ducked and spun—not to attack, but to... dodge!

He slipped past Mercenary Tao's claw strike, which had slowed down due to the distortion, and at the same time, he hooked and tripped him with a highly concealed movement of his foot!

Mercenary Tao was already charging with great force, and with his Ki flow subtly interrupted, his lower stance became unstable in a way even he hadn't noticed. Then, with this clever trip from Lin Fan—

Whoosh!

This world-renowned assassin lost his balance, stumbled, and was sent careening forward—straight toward the center of the explosion where the two Ki Blasts Lin Fan had split were still dissipating!

And there, although the raging energy turbulence and high-temperature flames had weakened by more than half, they were still lethal!

"What?!"

Mercenary Tao's face changed drastically. He tried to steady himself, but it was already too late!

BOOM!!

He crashed headlong into that ruin of energy!

Instantly, the residual shockwaves and flames found a vent, slamming fiercely into his defenseless back!

"Urgh—!"

Mercenary Tao let out a roar of pain, shock, and rage. Although he promptly unleashed his Ki to protect his body and avoided serious injury, he was left in a sorry state by this sudden secondary explosion. His white clothes were scorched, his hair was disheveled, and a trace of blood even leaked from the corner of his mouth!

More importantly, that assassin's demeanor of having everything under control had vanished completely!

Disheveled! Unprecedentedly disheveled!

He tore himself away from the energy aftermath and landed not far away, panting heavily—not from exhaustion, but from pure fury!

He stared fixedly at Lin Fan. The crazed killing intent in his eyes was almost tangible, but deep down, for the first time, a sliver of unbelievable... fear had taken root!

This brat... not only were his methods bizarre, but his timing and technique were so devious and disgusting!

Every strike hit him exactly where it hurt the most! This wasn't a battle; this was being toyed with!

Lin Fan was also at the end of his rope. His body swayed, and he barely managed to stand steady. His face was as pale as paper, but his eyes remained bright, even carrying a hint of mockery as he looked at Mercenary Tao's disheveled and enraged appearance.

"The world's number one assassin..."

Lin Fan spoke slowly, his voice weak, yet every word struck at the heart, "It seems you only know brute force."

"You!!!"

Mercenary Tao trembled with rage, almost losing his mind and charging forward again.

But just as his feet were about to move—

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Piercing siren wails echoed from the distance!

They were drawing closer and closer!

Clearly, the continuous explosions and massive commotion here had finally attracted the West City police, and perhaps even the military!

Mercenary Tao's movements suddenly stiffened.

He glanced at the flashing police lights in the distance, then back at Lin Fan—who, despite his weakness, held a cold, eerie, and sinister gaze—and recalled the boy's endless array of bizarre tricks...

If he continued to tangle with him, even if he managed to kill the brat in the end, he would inevitably pay a much heavier price, and might even be exposed to the official forces... It wasn't worth the loss!

A killer's principle was to complete the mission efficiently, not to perish together!

Disgrace! This was an unprecedented, humiliating shame!

Mercenary Tao's face turned livid, his teeth grinding together so hard they nearly shattered.

He glared at Lin Fan with lethal intensity, as if trying to carve his image into his very soul.

"Brat... I'll remember you!"

He squeezed these words through his teeth, filled with bone-deep venom and a trace of imperceptible flinching, "The debt of the Crane School... will be washed away with your blood sooner or later!"

With that, he didn't hesitate a second longer. He stomped his foot hard and shot into the sky, unleashing his Flight Technique. He didn't even care about his form, stumbling in his haste as he transformed into a streak of white light and sped toward the distant horizon, moving with astonishing speed as if terrified that a single second's delay would bring further complications.

The world's number one assassin, Mercenary Tao... had been forced to retreat!

Watching the white light vanish into the horizon, Lin Fan's taut nerves finally relaxed. His vision went black, and his body, no longer able to hold itself up, collapsed forward.

"Lin Fan!"

A voice filled with tears rang out. Bulma came stumbling over, ignoring the blood and dust covering him, and pulled him into a tight embrace, her voice choked with sobs: "You scared me to death! You idiot! You big idiot! I thought you were done for!"

Lin Fan leaned weakly against her, feeling the genuine concern and warmth, and managed to pull off a difficult smile: "It's okay... for now..."

Far away, atop a high-rise building several kilometers away.

A micro-drone disguised as a ventilation duct quietly retracted its lens and slipped silently into the shadows.

The final footage captured by the drone—Lin Fan shattering the projectile with his fingers, skillfully detonating it to wound Mercenary Tao, and the entire process of Mercenary Tao's pathetic escape.

These images were converted into a data stream and instantly transmitted to the Red Ribbon Army's secret base.

Dr. Gero watched the frozen frame on the screen, especially the moment Lin Fan pointed his fingers like a sword to cleave the Ki Blast, along with the close-up of the energy fluctuations around him that were distinct from "Ki." His withered fingers trembled violently from extreme excitement.

A sickly flush spread across his pale face, his breathing grew rapid, and his eyes burned with a nearly insane, feverish light!

"A brand new energy system... a way of utilizing energy completely different from 'Ki'... efficient, condensed, almost... an intervention at the level of natural laws?"

He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and agitated, "It's not brute force... it's technology! It's a higher level of energy technology!"

"Perfect... simply perfect! This is... the best completion plan tailored for the Android Project! No! It's even better!"

He spun around abruptly and hissed an order to the terrified adjutant behind him:

"Change of plans! Suspend the limit testing on the energy cores of Android 17 and Android 18!" "All resources! Highest priority! Target: Lin Fan! I want all his data! Every secret of that energy!" "Spare no cost!"

His manic laughter echoed through the cold base.

"Bulma... my dear niece... you have truly sent me... a magnificent gift!"