Interest

When Wang Dalong saw Lin Yun's face, his pupils contracted sharply. The fake smile on his face froze at once as he blurted out, "How can it be you?!"

Lin Yun smiled faintly. "Surprised?"

Wang Dalong took half a step back, his face full of disbelief.

He had imagined countless possibilities. He had considered Ghost running off with the money, Ghost dying in an accident, even an enemy impersonating Ghost to set a trap—but he had never imagined that the person standing here would be Lin Yun.

In his eyes, an ordinary high school graduate, even if he had stumbled upon some opportunity, could never be a match for a professional killer like Ghost.

At most, Ghost had botched the job and let this kid narrowly escape with his life.

But judging by Lin Yun's bearing, he clearly had not survived by luck. He had obviously killed Ghost instead, then deliberately set a trap to lure him out.

Impossible.

Wang Dalong frantically shook his head inwardly.

A month ago, this kid had only been at the fourth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm. Even if he improved quickly, he could at most be at the seventh or eighth level now. How could he possibly defeat an experienced killer?

"Stop playing games." Wang Dalong forced himself to remain calm and shouted through gritted teeth, "You dare mess with me? You must be tired of living. Kill him!"

The moment he spoke, Jiang Peng moved first.

He kicked off the ground. Though heavily built, he was anything but slow, his fists as large as sandbags smashing toward Lin Yun's face with a fierce gust of wind.

The six security guards behind him spread out at the same time, closing in from all sides. Their punches and kicks whistled through the air, their coordination seamless.

They were all skilled fighters. Ordinarily, even seven or eight Martial Apprentices could not get close to them. Working together, they believed taking down someone their own age would be easy.

But the one they faced was Lin Yun.

Lin Yun, who had fought ferocious battles against mutated beasts in the ruins of District 33 for a month, who could hold his own against five peak first-tier Shadow Spiders.

Lin Yun neither dodged nor retreated. The Gale Battle Boots lightly tapped the ground as he pushed Wind-Treading Step to its limit, turning into a blur that shot through the gap in the two men's pincer attack.

He drew back his right fist, and the force of Vajra Fist erupted as he smashed it hard into the shoulder of the security guard on the far right.

With a crisp crack of breaking bone, the man screamed as he flew backward and slammed heavily into the ground. His arm bent at a grotesque angle, and he lost all ability to fight on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, the second and third security guards were struck in succession.

Some were sent flying by a punch to the chest or abdomen, while others were knocked unconscious by a hand chop to the neck.

The six late-stage Martial Apprentice security guards could not withstand even a single move from Lin Yun.

Jiang Peng watched with his heart pounding. Gritting his teeth, he threw a punch toward Lin Yun's back, veins bulging across his fist as he poured all his blood and qi into the blow.

Lin Yun twisted aside and met it with a backhanded punch.

Bang!

As their fists collided, Jiang Peng felt an immense force surge up his arm. His entire arm went numb, and he staggered back three or four steps before steadying himself. His tiger's mouth had already split open and begun to bleed.

He was a peak Martial Apprentice and a former soldier. He had always considered himself nearly unmatched among those of the same realm, yet a single punch had completely suppressed him.

"Peak Martial Apprentice Realm!" Wang Dalong cried out, the color draining from his face. "That's impossible!"

It was not unheard of for eighteen- or nineteen-year-olds to reach the peak of the Martial Apprentice Realm. Those top geniuses in the imperial capital had even stepped into the Martial Master Realm long ago.

But Azure City was merely a small third-tier city, sparsely populated and poor in resources. Even he could be considered a first-rate genius here.

More importantly, Lin Yun had only been at the fourth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm a month ago. Even if Ghost had said he broke through to the seventh level in ten days, only one month had passed. How could he have leaped directly to the peak of the ninth level?

Such cultivation speed was simply unimaginable.

Though shocked, Wang Dalong quickly regained his composure.

He gave a sinister laugh and forced confidence into his voice. "Lin Yun, so what if you're a peak Martial Apprentice? Do you really think I only brought these few people?"

Lin Yun knocked Jiang Peng back with a punch, then sneered at his words. His tone remained calm. "You mean the seven people hiding outside?"

Bang!

The instant he finished speaking, someone kicked open the abandoned candy factory's massive iron doors, producing a thunderous crash.

Wang Dalong's heart leaped with joy, thinking Sun Biao had heard the commotion and brought men in to support him.

But when he looked up, the delight on his face instantly froze.

More than twenty men surged inside like a dark tide, all dressed in black jackets with vicious expressions.

The leader was a gaunt-faced man with a gloomy gaze. He had someone in one hand—Sun Biao, who should have been waiting outside to provide backup.

Sun Biao's face was bruised and swollen, and his body was covered in injuries. He was nearly unconscious.

The leader was none other than Gray Bro of the Black Tiger Gang.

"Young Master Wang, stop waiting. We've already taken care of your people outside." Gray Bro tossed Sun Biao to the floor, then quickly walked over to Lin Yun with a respectful attitude. "Young Master Lin, we're not late, are we?"

Seeing the faint tiger-head tattoos on Gray Bro and the others' chests, Wang Dalong went cold all over. Even his voice trembled. "The Black Tiger Gang... You're working with the Black Tiger Gang too!"

He never imagined that Lin Yun had not only killed Ghost, but could also get the Black Tiger Gang to act for him.

The Wang Family was one of Azure City's four great families, but the Black Tiger Gang was an underground force that had never played by the rules. If they truly intended to kill him, he might really die here today.

While his mind was in chaos, the situation in the factory had already been decided.

Jiang Peng had already been steadily forced back. Now that he saw their reinforcements captured, his concentration broke, and openings appeared everywhere.

Lin Yun seized the opportunity, charging forward with Wind-Treading Step and driving a punch into his chest.

Jiang Peng let out a muffled groan. His breastbone caved in, and he flew away like a battered sack, crashing heavily at Wang Dalong's feet. He coughed up blood and could no longer get back up.

Lin Yun dusted off his hands and slowly walked toward Wang Dalong.

Wang Dalong backed away again and again in terror until his back hit the cold wall. With nowhere left to retreat, he shouted fiercely to hide his fear, "Lin Yun, what are you trying to do? I'm the eldest young master of the Wang Family! If you dare touch me, the Wang Family won't let you off!"

"Kill you."

Lin Yun's tone was flat.

Wang Dalong collapsed onto the ground and kept scrambling backward. His back struck the wall, and he curled into a ball.

His voice shifted from a roar into a tearful plea, incoherent and desperate.

"Lin Yun... no, Brother Lin! Spare me! I'll never pursue what happened to my brother Second Tiger again! I'll give you however much money you want! I can get you all the Wang Family's money! I can kneel and kowtow to you..."

He truly fell to his knees, pressing his forehead against the dust-covered floor. His voice was choked with snot and tears, making it impossible to tell whether he was begging for mercy or trying to comfort himself.

"I'll do anything you want... I'll be your dog... I'll agree to anything..."

Lin Yun looked down at him and remained silent for two seconds.

During those two seconds, Wang Dalong thought there was hope. Amid the misery on his face appeared a faint, ingratiating smile as he struggled to raise his head.

He wanted an answer.

Lin Yun shook his head.

"You're not worthy."

Before the words had faded, he drew back his right fist. The force of Vajra Fist erupted without restraint as he drove it straight into Wang Dalong's chest.

Wang Dalong did not even have time to scream. He flew backward as if struck by a massive hammer, slammed viciously into the wall, then slid limply to the floor.

A large section of his chest had caved in. Bloody foam continuously spilled from his mouth, his eyes were wide open, and after twitching twice, he fell silent.

Dead on the spot.

Gray Bro watched from the side, his heart tightening.

He had long known this young man was a ruthless figure, but he had not expected him to act so decisively. The eldest young master of the Wang Family was killed without the slightest hesitation.

Fortunately, he had known better than to truly clash with him back at Huimin Residential Compound. Otherwise, he would have been the one dead.

"Young Master Lin, what should we do with these people?"

Gray Bro pointed at Jiang Peng and the several security guards groaning on the ground, asking in a low voice.

Jiang Peng and the still-conscious guards were scared out of their wits. They scrambled to their knees and begged for mercy, swearing they would never reveal a word of what had happened tonight, so long as their lives were spared.

Lin Yun swept his gaze over them without any expression.

These men were all loyal diehards of the Wang Family. Keeping them alive would sooner or later become a problem.

He could not be bothered to deal with them himself, so he turned to Gray Bro. "Handle it as you see fit."

With that, he picked up the cloth bag he had brought and turned to leave.