Sky-cracking Rider

The third floor of Blood Lake Security Company, the General Manager's office.

The strident alarm siren served as the only background sound to the scenes unfolding on the monitor, heightening the tension and chaos of the smoke-filled site, leaving even the news anchor momentarily speechless.

A skyscraper had collapsed into rubble right before everyone's eyes.

Fortunately, there were only two fatalities and nearly a hundred injuries. Employees of Apocalypse Defense Group who narrowly escaped death were wailing in despair. They couldn't do this job anymore; they weren't warriors, nor did they wish to walk the fine line between life and death.

A guy, covered in Hyakki Yagyo tattoos, looked away from the display screen, toying with a tactical dagger in his hands, and said with an exaggerated tone, "Look! Look! Apocalypse Defense's headquarters actually got blasted, it's unbelievable."

"Such a tall building! Apocalypse Defense is really useless."

A guy with a mohawk, brandishing a scimitar, seemed disappointed by the veteran military contractor's performance.

"Wake up! Apocalypse Defense isn't that weak; they've met a tough opponent. Just wait, there will soon be big news breaking in the circle. When one chicken dies, another crows; it's hard to say which company will step on Apocalypse Defense to climb up."

Not everyone in the room had muscles for brains, after all, and some were quite astute.

In the far north corner of the spacious room, behind a premium-grade desk facing south, a bearded man in a white suit solemnly said, "Perhaps it was the work of Meman Brothers United. The last corporate war nearly caused them to lose face, so this could be their retaliation. After all, Apocalypse Defense doesn't just sit around idly.

A small defense company like ours, Blood Lake Security, couldn't even dream of beating them to the ground like this."

Behind him, was a walnut screen embroidered with flowing red cursive script on a yellow silk background, as vibrant as blood.

"The military is a matter of national importance, the ground of life and death, the path of survival and extinction, one cannot ignore it..."

He was an avid fan of the military sage, Sun Wuzi.

"Speaking of which, what's the situation with Jiu Defense? If it weren't for Apocalypse Defense's covert actions, we probably wouldn't have had a chance to make a move. Hmm, it's been a while since we've heard from that female general manager."

The general manager of Blood Lake Security Company, the bearded man in a white suit, suddenly broke into an unserious smile.

The others in the office immediately caught his drift, each wearing a bizarre expression of mirth.

"If we knew where that old lady was hiding, we could storm in, capture her, and bring her back for the boss to make his wife, hehe. With the boss's brilliant and invincible prowess, we might gain both wealth and the woman, propelling Blood Lake Security to a complete transformation, don't you think?"

"That's a possibility, well said, well said!"

"Don't talk nonsense."

The bearded man in the white suit behind the desk pretended to be dignified, yet the corners of his mouth betrayed his salacious smirk.

"Maybe she's already been captured, living in ecstasy!"

"Tch, tch, you always talk nonsense; you deserve a beating!"

"Maybe she's already hooked up with some top-notch tycoon and is about to make a high-profile comeback."

"That's also true. With an Aircrew Base at hand, a capable combat team, and no shortage of supplies, she indeed has the capital to negotiate with the big shots."

"If only we had acted first!"

Suddenly, a voice sounded from outside the office door.

"It's not too late to act now. Xiao Jiu, give them a greeting!"

"Chirp!"

Just as everyone's gaze involuntarily shifted towards the door, a blinding burst of light exploded in an instant.

"My eyes!"

"Flashbang!"

"Ahh!"

The office was filled with screams and howls; not a single one of the would-be heroes was spared, all caught squarely by the flash.

That saved the use of a Disabling Bomb.

"Handcuff them all, then kneel down!"

A woman with an eyepatch, One-Eye, walked in confidently; it was none other than Hanna Gagel, the General Manager of Jiu Defense whom these clowns had just been discussing.

Following her were Takano Yoshiko, flashing Karate opening stances, and Claude Hughes, the seasoned driver skilled in special reconnaissance and close combat.

Chen Fei, armed with a general-purpose machine gun, guarded the door with Xiao Jiu cheerfully hopping on his shoulder.

Just now, Boss Hana had led Takano Yoshiko and Claude Hughes in a barehanded assault that was a walkover, knocking out dozens of people in one go and storming straight into the office of the general manager of Blood Lake Security Company.

Blood Lake Security was one of several small military contracting companies coveting Jiu Defense's business, with not even a military base of their own, living off scraps and duping laymen to make ends meet. To dream of big bucks, they lacked both opportunity and strength.

Their base just happened to be in Chiara City, so after dealing with Apocalypse Defense, Hanna and the others figured that while they're at it, they might as well deal with this small fry too.

Apart from the people in the general manager's office, the others were knocked out, tied up tightly, and all thrown into an empty room, unable to come out any time soon.

So, when Hanna Gagel appeared outside the office, it was almost time for the finishing move.

As small military contractors, Blood Lake Security's performance was utterly subpar, a complete failure, easily defeated; yet they had the audacity to mock Apocalypse Defense. Shameless.

"So useless!"

Takano Yoshiko rubbed her wrist; having bulldozed her way through from Apocalypse Defense to this little company, she felt utterly unsatisfied with the meek opposition.

The general manager of Blood Lake Security, the bearded man in the white suit with tears still welling in his eyes, grudgingly lamented, "This is not a fair fight!"

Starting off with a flashbang, there was no martial virtue left.

His men were lined up on their knees behind him – well, colleagues should keep in order, after all. Out in the world, they should all be uniform; not asking to be born on the same day, month, or year, but to die on the same day, month, and hour.

"Heh!"

Claude Hughes, the old driver, couldn't help but chuckle. What naive fellows!

Hanna Gagar, having claimed her spot at the head of the table in the Sparrow Nest, casually crossed her legs in a carefree manner and said, "So, how about I give you a chance for a fair duel?"

The opposition was so weak they didn't even warrant her attention—this was mere relaxation, a form of entertainment.

Playing the fool, are they?

"You're saying this?"

The bearded man struggled to open his eyes wide; his vision was blurry, but he could finally make out the scene clearly.

"Rookie, go have some fun with him."

Hanna Gagar called out to the front of the office and casually opened a drawer of the big desk, rummaging around to see if there was anything good.

She found some top-quality cigars, +12 of them!

She pocketed them right away—even if she didn't smoke, they were great for giving out as gifts.

"Me?"

Chen Fei walked in with a universal machine gun and asked in confusion, "What if he gets killed?"

He was afraid of not being able to hold back, slapping someone so hard their head might spin 360 degrees.

Geez, whether the other guy died or not, he reckoned it would scare him half to death—it was just too damn frightening.

Before Hanna Gagar could even speak, the bearded man preemptively declared with forced bravado, "Deserves it if he gets killed!"

Such was the way of the Jianghu—how could one not be knifed? You kill today, I get killed tomorrow; dead men fly to the heavens, immortal otherwise.

Gathering enough resources and connections to start a military contracting business meant reaching a level of life's winners, especially for those freelance fighters. From the top to the bottom, inside and out, none of the small military contractors lacked that fierce air of risking their necks in the blink of an eye.

On the other hand, large military contractors like Apocalypse Defense, once they stepped in, could never step out again. At life-and-death moments, they couldn't match the small contractors' willingness to risk it all, ready to start over with nothing but a beer and a piece of fried chicken from a roadside stall.

Takano Yoshiko regretfully said, "How about you leave it to me!"

Her eyes suddenly brightened up as she sized up Chen Fei, who had put down the universal machine gun and ammunition belt, and said, "Rookie, when you have some time, how about we spar?"

Behind the persona of the good wife and wise mother burned a soul violent in nature and fierce by name.

"Happy to oblige!"

Chen Fei nodded in agreement and accepted the challenge right away.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

With an Indestructible Body that was impervious even to light weaponry, let alone mere punches.

He was also curious to see what level the other's Karate was at.

"Xiao Jiu, a Light Healing Technique, please!"

Chen Fei pointed at the bearded man who was vigorously rubbing his eyes, having just had his handcuffs removed by Claude Hughes.

Since the guy wanted fairness, they might as well give him fairness.

With a snow-white suit, if blood were to splatter on it, hiss, such vile thoughts be gone, be gone, far away...

"Jiu!"

A Light Healing Technique was cast, and its effect was immediate.

The discomfort in the bearded man's eyes rapidly vanished. The bearded man in the white suit blinked vigorously and looked towards Little Bird that Chen Fei had placed on the table—black with gold patterns and a particularly spirited crest. He clearly heard the term "Light Healing Technique."

He couldn't help but inhale sharply.

This was a Magical Beast! And one that could cast "Light Healing Technique" at that!

What an extraordinary strength.

"Ready?" Chen Fei asked, "Are you aiming for a verbal or a physical duel?"

The solver of the problem should be none other than the caster of "Light Burst Flash," and naturally "Light Healing Technique" could restore vision to its original state. Chen struck a lazy pose, waiting for the bearded man to make a move.

"What do you mean by a verbal duel, and how does a physical duel work?"

The man in the white suit looked bewildered.

"A verbal duel means..." Chen Fei pulled out a tactical pistol, cocked the slide to chamber a round, and continued, "You shoot me once, I shoot you once, and whoever falls first loses."

Hiss!~~~~"

It wasn't just the bearded man who widened his eyes in shock; Takano Yoshiko also couldn't help but open hers wide.

You sure you got the right gun? Shouldn't that be a revolver?

This wasn't even close to a verbal duel; exchanging shots was practically suicide. One wouldn't survive a single shot, let alone more.

Swallowing nervously, the bearded man said with a hint of apprehension, "And the physical duel?"

"That's even simpler—just fists!"

Chen Fei raised his fists and shook his shoulders, adopting a boxing stance.

The hearty rush of punching to the flesh was absolutely addictive.

"I choose a physical duel!"

Pop!

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