The man did not look like a gang member, but more like a student pursuing his studies at an academy.
He was handsome and impeccably clean.
His expression and manner radiated confidence. Feldman knew that aura well; he had seen it in the nobles of the inner city.
The black-haired young man watched him with a polite smile, his gaze faintly appraising.
Gary stood respectfully beside him, looking every bit the lackey.
"Who are you, sir?"
Feldman frowned deeply, a bad feeling creeping over him.
Then he glanced at Gary again and demanded, suppressing his anger:
"Gary, what is going on here?!"
The burly man did not answer. He stood there like a humble statue.
Chen Lun rose to his feet.
"Are you Councilor Daniel's butler?"
"So some disloyal dog told you a few things."
Feldman sneered.
"But you shouldn't meddle in matters here. You're digging your own grave... whoever you are!"
Chen Lun could not be bothered to waste words on him.
If the man refused to talk, he had ways of making him.
With a flick of his hand, a flintlock appeared in his grasp.
He raised it and pulled the trigger, firing at the two bodyguards.
Bang, bang!!
The lead bullets struck the bodyguards' arms, punching through their suit jackets and drawing blossoms of blood.
Both bodyguards moved fast. The instant Chen Lun drew his gun, they stepped in front of Feldman. They hastily turned and raised their arms to shield their heads, narrowly avoiding shots through the skull.
"Huh?"
Chen Lun was somewhat surprised.
He had not expected two ordinary people to react to his speed.
The two bodyguards grunted as the bullets struck, then swiftly drew guns with their other hands and returned fire.
Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang!!
Their flintlocks, like the one in Chen Lun's hand, were products of the Supernatural Workshop capable of firing multiple shots.
The bodyguards had professional training and seemed to have military backgrounds. Their marksmanship was exceptionally precise, and the repeating firearms made them all the more formidable.
But Chen Lun was faster, darting between tables, chairs, and pillars like an agile cat. Every lead bullet missed, spraying wood splinters and stone dust everywhere.
In a flash, he was already in front of them.
He lashed out with a sweeping kick.
The air howled. One bodyguard's expression changed drastically as he tried to cross his arms to block it.
-but it was clearly futile.
The powerful kick swept into him like an iron pillar, shattering his arms before driving through his chest and back. Bones cracked throughout his body as he flew sideways with a scream.
With several deafening crashes, he smashed through tables and chairs, then disappeared beneath the debris and lay motionless.
[Professional bodyguard (High-Concentration Fruit Honey-enhanced) killed. Gained 100 EXP.]
A notification appeared.
Chen Lun ignored it and twisted aside to dodge a thrusting dagger.
Whoosh-!
The other bodyguard, his face grim, launched a relentless assault on Chen Lun with a short dagger.
As the man left an opening after his fourth thrust, Chen Lun suddenly punched.
His dark-gold fist, covered in Pangolin Armor, snapped the dagger in the bodyguard's hand. A straight punch followed, crushing his chest and abdomen.
The bodyguard spat blood, staggered back a few steps, then dropped to his knees and collapsed.
[Professional bodyguard (High-Concentration Fruit Honey-enhanced) killed. Gained 100 EXP.]
Everything happened in the space of a few breaths, before anyone else could react.
"Shit! A Transcendent?!"
Feldman cursed, turned, and ran for the door.
"Stop him!"
Gary shouted.
The other Iron Fist Gang members, unaware of what was happening, froze briefly before rushing to block the doorway with loud cries.
Seeing his escape blocked, Feldman turned around with a dark expression.
"Do you know what you're doing?"
He stared at the black-haired young man slowly approaching him and spoke in a low voice.
His eye twitched as he watched the scales on the back of Chen Lun's hand slowly recede.
"Even if you're a Transcendent, you can't kill me... you have no idea what you'll be facing."
"So you're saying Councilor Daniel isn't the true mastermind either?"
Chen Lun smiled politely.
"Tell me everything you know."
He activated the hypnotic power of the [Siren's Song], directing it toward Feldman.
A black light burst from inside Feldman's jacket, canceling Chen Lun's mental influence.
Then a rolled-up painting flew out of the lining of his waistcoat and rapidly unfurled in midair.
Rustle!
The crude oil painting depicted a long-haired woman from behind, with four or five indistinct black spirits drifting around her.
"Aaargh!!"
Feldman screamed.
Four or five black shadows flew out of the painting and burrowed into Feldman through his mouth and nose.
"The power of souls... is this the Moon Faction's [Sequence 9: Medium]?"
Chen Lun frowned.
In just a few seconds, Feldman became a "man of black."
Shadows covered his entire body, black smoke rising from him as he glared viciously at Chen Lun.
"Troublemaker, you deserve to die!"
"Are you threatening me?"
Chen Lun gave him a polite smile.
Chapter 47: The trail goes cold
Bam!!
Feldman moved nothing like his usual self, springing forward like a phantom and punching Chen Lun in the face.
Chen Lun's head jolted slightly.
Pangolin Armor covered half his face, and one eye turned into an emerald-green serpent's eye.
The black-haired young man bared a savage grin, even more vicious than Feldman's.
"I thought you had some incredible trump card. Turns out it's just a [Medium]..."
Chen Lun was intimately familiar with the Moon Faction's transcendent sequence pathway. He had followed that very path in his previous life.
[Sequence 9: Medium] Possesses the mystical power to commune with spirits, allowing simple communication with the dead and temporary self-enhancement through souls.
"This isn't your power. It's the power recorded in that strange oil painting..."
Feldman ignored him. With a low growl, he threw another punch at Chen Lun.
Chen Lun shifted aside, easily dodging the attack.
"Empowered by five dead souls? Nothing special."
"Die!!"
Feldman lunged forward, driving his elbow at him.
Smack!!
With a casual sweep of his hand, Chen Lun knocked Feldman's arm aside, throwing his entire body off balance.
"Besides, you're only an ordinary person. How much of that transcendent power can you actually use?"
The black-haired young man's calm voice sounded beside his ear.
Feldman's eyes widened, unable to believe what had happened.
Bam-!!
A blurred afterimage streaked across his vision.
The next second, Feldman felt an agonizing cramp in his abdomen.
Chen Lun sent Feldman flying with a step-in kick. He spun through the air, tumbled twice, and slammed heavily into the floor.
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