Chapter Fifty-Seven: Damn, is this what they call loosening the muscles?

Lin Yang took a deep breath, visibly tense; with every step the other took forward, his heart would spasm violently. Having baggage to take care of really makes things inconvenient, he grumbled bitterly to himself.

On the other side, Leng Qing was truly furious, his gloomy expression as dark as a thundercloud. If it weren’t for Leng Nini blocking his way, he would have flung the concealed compressed explosive in his arms without hesitation and blown that infuriating brat to bits.

“Damn it, why aren’t they here yet? Are they trying to get me killed?” Glancing at the time on his phone screen, Lin Yang muttered angrily. When he’d set out, he’d tipped off that scoundrel Chief Wang Er’gou, saying there was trouble at his place, exaggerating wildly that even rocket launchers were involved. But nearly an hour had passed, and the guy still hadn’t dragged himself over.

Wang Er’gou, for his part, was even more exasperated. His night had been utterly ruined, offending some high-ranking figures, leaving him in no mood for romantic pursuits. After sending off several important guests, he’d taken out his frustration on two troublemakers, beating them to a pulp. By the time he went to sleep, dawn was already breaking. Known for sleeping like a pig, he didn’t wake until seven in the evening. After freshening up and enjoying a lavish breakfast-for-dinner, he was eager to make up for lost time with his lover. By the time he emerged from the bath, it was almost nine o’clock.

Just as he was about to mount his conquest, his phone rang at the most inopportune moment. He meant to switch it off, but accidentally glanced at the screen—and that was his undoing. The call was from the important guest he’d dealt with last night. Ignoring it could spell the end of his career, so he reluctantly answered, only to hear a frantic plea for help: a group of armed criminals had broken in to rob and assault. Wang Er’gou was baffled—this brat had so many connections, yet was calling him for help? Still, harboring a thousand questions, he decided to act.

Not helping would be foolish. If he could make that brat owe him a favor and curry favor with those bigwigs, his career would skyrocket. Reluctantly, he groped the plump, firm curves of the beauty in his bed, dragged his heavy form out, hastily got dressed, and scrambled to gather his men to deal with the so-called terrorists.

But most of his subordinates were otherwise occupied in the throes of passion. Interrupted, none were in a good mood, and it took over half an hour to round up the team. No wonder it had been over an hour and they still hadn’t arrived.

Fierce Tiger had also received Lin Yang’s call right away, but was delayed by personal matters. Though he set out a bit earlier than Wang Er’gou, he was so far away in the East District that the difference was enormous.

“Damn it, I don’t believe you’ll stay hidden forever.” After searching himself, a rare cold smile flickered across Leng Qing’s somber face as he gazed at the smoke grenade he’d pilfered from the military. A trace of triumph curled his lips.

Pulling the pin and tossing it, Leng Qing moved with professional skill.

Lin Yang, possessing far sharper senses than normal people, immediately detected a fist-sized, dark object flying toward him. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the glass shard he held with uncanny precision, knocking the object to the corridor floor.

With a hiss, smoke billowed in an instant, rendering vision useless. Suddenly, the three of them were like blind flies, colliding haphazardly.

Ah! In her panic and carelessness, Leng Nini crashed right into Lin Yang.

So soft, so bouncy—this was a normal man’s reaction to a woman’s chest pressing into his back. Though Leng Nini’s curves weren’t as dramatic as Tang Yixue’s, they were still impressive and very firm; it was impossible for Lin Yang to ignore.

He quickly brought his finger to his lips, signaling for silence, then pulled Leng Nini close, covering her mouth gently with his left hand. As she struggled desperately, he whispered, “Quiet! If you make a sound, he’ll pinpoint our location.”

Once Leng Nini calmed down, he outlined the next step of his plan.

Leng Qing had finally met his match; luck was not on his side. The swirling smoke engulfed him as well, making him as blind as the rest. But, being well-trained, he didn’t panic—instead, he lay in wait like a beast, ready for his prey.

Because of the smoke grenade, the reinforcements hesitated to charge in, forced to wait helplessly at the edge of the smoke.

‘Capture the leader first’—that was Lin Yang’s trump card. In the dense fog, his extraordinary senses acted like a thermal sensor, mapping out everyone’s positions with clarity.

After finding a safe spot for Leng Nini to hide, Lin Yang set his plan in motion. The benefits of cultivating true energy were undeniable, and for once, he felt like boasting a little.

Infusing his feet with energy, he moved like a phantom, silent as the wind. In a heartbeat, he was right beside Leng Qing.

The room wasn’t completely sealed, so the smoke was intense, even overwhelming Leng Qing, one of the top members of the Wolf Special Forces. He tried to judge the enemy’s position by the airflow, but it was futile—he didn’t sense Lin Yang’s approach at all.

This time, Lin Yang showed no mercy. With hatred spanning over a decade—old and new grievances alike, and especially after so many innocents had died—he could no longer endure.

To give his foe a taste of his own medicine, Lin Yang launched a fatal strike with his precision throwing knife, aiming for Leng Qing’s wrist to cripple him. Since Leng Qing loved torturing others, Lin Yang decided to let him suffer the same fate. So what if he was the Leng family’s prodigy?

Lightning-fast, with uncanny accuracy, the knife sliced cleanly. A scream tore through the silence, followed by the clatter of something hitting the floor and the erratic discharge of a pistol, the chaos echoing through the otherwise silent hall.

“Young master, what happened?” The men outside weren’t deaf; they recognized Leng Qing’s voice, and only he could have triggered that string of noises. They immediately called out in concern.

But with the smoke still thick, none dared rush in. If they accidentally hurt their young master, the consequences would be dire.

Blinded by rage, Leng Qing emptied his pistol in a wild barrage. Gripping the wall for support, he raised his gun like a club, ready to use it as a weapon. Smart enough to lie low, he growled bitterly, “Shoot! Damn it, shoot! I want that brat riddled with holes, like a hornet’s nest!”

Impulse is a demon, and rage the call of death. Even the calmest person would be driven mad by such torment. Leng Qing was on the verge of insanity, no longer caring about Leng Nini—he just wanted that brat dead.

“Young master, Miss is still inside! If we open fire, and something happens to her, then what?” One of them, still clear-headed and fearless, spoke up. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.

Enraged, Leng Qing hurled his gun at the source of the voice.

Thud—a dull impact, followed by a wail. The unlucky bodyguard outside had his nose smashed in, a testament to Leng Qing’s strength.

Perceiving all this, Lin Yang nearly laughed out loud. Deciding he’d had enough, he stepped in with three swift strikes, finishing Leng Qing off for good.

With his tendons severed, Leng Qing was left a cripple, howling in agony amid the worried shouts of his bodyguards.

When the smoke finally cleared, Lin Yang appeared, dragging the limp Leng Qing into view. Leng Nini clung closely behind him, her face pale with fright—not from the grisly state of Leng Qing, for Lin Yang’s technique left no visible wounds, but from Leng Qing’s harrowing screams. Clinging to Lin Yang was her only solace.

Lin Yang felt both pleased and troubled. Having a beautiful woman pressed against him was a blessing, but as a hot-blooded young man, especially one who’d recently tasted forbidden fruit, the situation was almost unbearable.

Struggling to remain composed, he held the crippled Leng Qing, who was nearly unconscious with pain, and faced the seven bodyguards aiming pistols at his head. He barked, “Drop your weapons, now! Don’t test my patience.” As he spoke, the blade of his deadly throwing knife pressed even harder against Leng Qing’s throat.

Blood welled from a thin cut, and the bodyguards, who had wanted nothing more than to tear Lin Yang apart, now shrank back, tossing their weapons aside and retreating toward the stairs.

To take the head of a general amidst thousands as easily as picking something from a pocket—this phrase involuntarily crossed everyone’s mind, making even the most fearless among them shudder.

Imposing—this young man before them was truly formidable. Perhaps only their demon-instructor Coach Luo could last a few hundred moves against him. To defeat this young madman? None dared bet on it.

A one-sided situation was expected, yet none had foreseen a lone youth overturning everything. Was he a god or a devil? Each wondered silently.

“What do you want?” gasped Leng Qing, his tie twisted tight, pain forcing clarity back to his face. At least he wasn’t like other arrogant young heirs, unable to recognize danger even when it stared them down.

“Oh, nothing much. You just looked like you needed a lesson—a bit of tendon stretching,” Lin Yang replied cheekily.

Leng Qing wanted to die. Was this what he called a lesson? Stretching tendons? He’d be crippled for life!

Suddenly, the shrill wail of police sirens rushed in from the distance.