No Need for That

"Bang!"

The rocket launcher's tremendous recoil nearly knocked Long Tai off his feet.

He staggered half a step backward, a smug smile spreading across his face.

At that moment, Han Bing and the others nearly descended into chaos as they watched the rocket burst from the barrel.

Although Liu Feng was a Gene Warrior, he was still flesh and blood. Against such powerful modern weaponry, he seemed painfully vulnerable.

In that split second, Han Bing turned to look at Liu Feng.

On his young, handsome face was a calm composure far beyond his years.

Huh? What was going on?

The rocket was already right in front of him. Why did he look so confident? Could it be...

A thought flashed through Han Bing's mind, and he instantly looked up.

Above their heads, tens of thousands of Silver Insects formed a Silver Insect Shield taller than a man in the blink of an eye, blocking the space in front of Liu Feng.

"Boom!"

With a deafening explosion, a fierce burst of flames instantly engulfed Liu Feng.

After the explosion came a sizzling sound, like flesh being burned to a crisp.

Watching the dazzling explosion before him, Long Tai curled his lip in contempt. His gaze swept over Han Bing, who had fallen to one side, and he snorted. "Hmph, I never expected this. A mighty Gene Warrior, dying right here. Still, dying at my hands is an unparalleled honor."

Long Tai thought Han Bing had merely hoped to escape his life of exploitation by relying on this idiot Gene Warrior who had appeared out of nowhere.

Deep down, with heavy modern weapons hanging over his head, Han Bing still would not dare rise up against him.

So, now that this idiot Gene Warrior had been blown to bits, there was no need to wipe them all out. He could spare Han Bing and let him continue working for him.

"Han Bing, put down your weapon now. For the sake of our long friendship, I might still spare your life." Long Tai held his head high, staring at Han Bing with contempt.

"Spare my life?" Han Bing, who had been knocked to the ground by the rocket's blast wave, curled his lip. A mysterious, unsettling smile appeared on his face. "No need for that!"

"What did you say?!"

Hearing that answer, Long Tai became so furious that his beard practically shook loose.

"Han Bing, you're turning down a way out and insisting on walking straight into hell. Since you still refuse to see reason, don't blame me for forgetting our old friendship!"

As he spoke, Long Tai picked up a rocket from beside him and moved to load it into the launcher.

The men behind Han Bing saw the rocket launcher in Long Tai's hands, and their legs went so weak with fear that they could not move an inch.

"B-Boss, have you lost your mind? One rocket from Long Tai, and we'll all be minced meat!"

"Exactly, boss! You saw what just happened. Even a Gene Warrior like Liu Feng couldn't withstand that rocket!"

"Boss, I'm begging you, please back down! I'm still young. I haven't even been with a woman yet. I don't want to die!"

As Han Bing listened to his brothers' desperate pleas, his expression only grew firmer.

"Beg for mercy? Never!" Han Bing stared fixedly at Long Tai a short distance away, his eyes like those of a warrior prepared to face death. "I've suffered all this exploitation because I had no backbone. Even if I die without a grave today, I won't keep bowing and scraping like the coward I used to be!"

Long Tai stared at Han Bing, stunned for a moment, then raised the rocket launcher in his hands.

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll send you on your way!"

With that, Long Tai lined Han Bing up in his sights.

Just as he was about to fire, a swarm of insects gleaming with silver light suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

What?!

Impossible!

Long Tai's mind fell into chaos. It felt as though his brain had been flooded with water; he could make no sense of it.

"Wasn't he already dead? Why are there still insects appearing? Could it be..."

Before Long Tai could work out the answer, a familiar figure walked out of the lingering smoke.

Liu Feng's clothes were neat and clean, as though nothing had happened.

"Y-You... who the hell are you?"

Liu Feng's thin lips slowly curved into a mocking smile.

"The man who's going to take your worthless life!"

The instant the words left his mouth, Liu Feng raised his automatic rifle and sprayed bullets toward Long Tai.

The sudden attack caught Long Tai off guard. Although he ducked behind the wall in time, a bullet still tore a gaping hole in his calf.

"Aah! You fucking bastard! How dare you hurt me!"

Gritting his teeth, Long Tai tried to stand up and fight back, but Liu Feng, Han Bing, and the others outside the wall kept laying down suppressing fire. He had no chance to retaliate.

Just then, one of Long Tai's men beside him suddenly cried out in horror.

"Aah! The... the insects are coming!"

Long Tai looked in the direction the man was pointing. Without his noticing, the overwhelming swarm of Silver Insects had already reached the space above their heads.

Though each insect was only the size of a fingernail, Long Tai had witnessed their power. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of them had devoured more than a dozen living people, leaving nothing behind.

Though Long Tai did not want to admit it, he knew perfectly well that his glory days were over. What mattered now was finding a way to snatch a chance of survival from the hail of bullets and the Silver Insects filling the sky.

Suddenly, Long Tai's eyes lit up. His gaze settled on a battered jeep in the residential complex's courtyard, its modifications still unfinished. Perhaps this was his ticket out alive.

With that thought, Long Tai waved to the man beside him, signaling for him to lean closer.

"Boss, what is it?"

Long Tai paused, then shoved the loaded rocket launcher into his arms.

"Brother, do you trust me?"

At those words, the man's eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Boss, I'd walk through fire and water for you without a second thought!"

"Good! That's my brother!" Long Tai nodded in satisfaction and continued, "See that jeep? Use the rocket launcher to draw their fire. I'll bring the jeep over, and we'll break out together!"

The man accepted the rocket launcher with grave solemnity, looking every bit like someone entrusted with a mission in a moment of crisis.

"Don't worry, boss. I'll get it done!"

With that, he shouldered the rocket launcher and prepared to fire over the wall. Seeing this, Long Tai dared not delay. Fighting through the tearing pain in his calf, he limped toward the jeep.

With a roar, the jeep's engine sprang to life. But Long Tai did not take his brothers with him to break out as he had promised. Instead, he floored the accelerator and charged straight toward the complex's back gate.

(End of chapter)