You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

He finally understood why even the two guys brought by Young Master Long, whose abilities had been temporarily elevated to superhuman levels by the drug, were as vulnerable as chickens and dogs in front of this man!
Meanwhile, a small-time thug who had been cowering in the corner, trying to make himself inconspicuous, witnessed the whole thing and was terrified out of his wits.

He watched as Zhao Xiongcheng charged forward like a monster, only to be beaten until he coughed up blood and flew backward, motionless like a broken sack!

Even the intimidating older brother with the gold-rimmed glasses, Zhong Fabai, had his arm broken with a single kick!

He dared not make a sound, scrambling and crawling like a frightened rabbit as he fled the hellish parking lot, frantically rushing towards the secret room where Wang Defa and Liu Shaolong were, seeking help.

The atmosphere in the sealed room was like frozen ice, extremely quiet, so quiet that it was a little unsettling.

The last image on the projected screen was the moment Zhao Xiongcheng was punched and sent flying, spitting blood.

pat!

Wang Defa's obese body seemed to have had its bones removed; he collapsed onto the soft carpet, scrambling behind the sofa, his face deathly pale, his whole body trembling like a leaf, muttering incoherently.

"It's over...it's over..."

Liu Shaolong stood frozen in place, his face not just ugly, but ashen and deathly pale.

His carefully prepared trump cards, the gene serums and equipment he acquired at great expense, were all rendered useless in a single encounter, like two chicks being strangled? How is this possible?!
"Young Master Long! Brother Bai's arm has been broken! Brother Zhao... Brother Zhao has been beaten and is coughing up blood! He's not moving!"

The younger brother who had escaped scrambled back and crashed through the door, his tearful scream piercing the deathly silence like a sharp knife.

This howl became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

Liu Shaolong completely lost his composure. The muscles in his face twitched violently with rage. He pointed at Wang Defa's nose, his voice sharp and distorted with extreme shock and anger, even carrying a crack that he himself was unaware of.

"It's all your fault! Wang Defa! I gave you a chance to be a good dog! And you brought this monster here!!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as if he wanted to devour someone.

Wang Defa huddled behind the sofa, trembling even more violently, unable to utter a single complete sentence.
Liu Shaolong took two deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his sanity, which was on the verge of collapse.

All the trump cards he brought are now useless, and that menacing figure outside could come at any moment!

He must make a decisive decision!
"We can't stay here!"

This is that idiot Yama's lair! That damned madman is definitely coming for him! Let's go! While he's still out there going on his rampage, let's get out of here!

Liu Shaolong practically roared as he gave the order.

He grabbed his handbag from the sofa, not caring about getting his expensive clothes dusty, and scrambled open the side door of the secret room, ready to flee.

boom--! ! !
A loud bang!
The heavy main door of the secret room was violently smashed open as if struck by a battering ram! The twisted and deformed reinforced metal door panel slammed into the opposite wall with terrifying force, then bounced back down, stirring up clouds of dust!

The figure at the entrance slowly emerged from the dust.

Chen Yang stood there, his clothes torn in several places, stained with some dust and a few drops of blood splattered from somewhere, but his posture remained upright, and his face even carried a trace of calm as he had just recovered from intense exercise.

His gaze swept indifferently over the chaotic and dumbfounded crowd, finally landing precisely on Liu Shaolong's back, who was already halfway into the emergency exit.

"Walk?"

Chen Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an undeniable coldness.

Did you ask me?

The heavy metal door of the secret room was kicked and twisted by Chen Yang. Before the dust had settled, the people inside were already terrified.

Gao Junhai, the nominal boss of the Sea Shark Club, had lost all trace of his former ruthlessness. His face was ashen as he looked at Chen Yang, who was approaching step by step, with eyes that seemed to be looking at the living Yama, who was personally taking his life.

Driven by an overwhelming will to survive, he staggered toward the landline on his desk, his fingers trembling as he reached for the three life-saving numbers.

His hand was still an inch away from the microphone when suddenly everything went blurry!
"Clap!"

A thick glass ashtray that was originally on the table flew up out of thin air, so accurately it seemed to have eyes, and smashed hard into Gao Junhai's outstretched palm!
"what--!"

Gao Junhai let out a pig-like scream. His entire hand instantly swelled up to a purplish-black color, and excruciating pain shot through his finger bones, clearly indicating that they were cracked.

"Haven't you learned to listen to people?"

Chen Yang's voice was colder and more piercing than shards of broken glass.

His gaze swept over Liu Shaolong, who was lying on the ground, Zhong Fabai, who was leaning against the wall with his broken arm and his face was pale, and Gao Junhai, who was curled up like a shrimp in pain.

"If it happens again, it won't just be the claw that breaks."

He ignored the clenched teeth and claws of his underling pleading for help; his eyes, like icy knives, sliced ​​through the core members of the Sea Shark Society one by one.

"Who provided you with the equipment and medicine? Who's backing you?"

Wang Defa emerged from behind the sofa, half of his bald head trembling so badly he couldn't speak.

"Sir...it's...it's me..."

"Shut up!"

Gao Junhai endured the pain and shouted fiercely, knowing that Wang Defa, this fat pig, was asking for death with his first words.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat the size of soybeans, and he was breathing heavily.

"Great...great hero...master...we...we really don't know! It's...it's a mysterious person who suddenly appeared! Like a ghost!"
He never shows his face, wears a mask, his voice is different, and you can't even tell if he's fat or thin!

Zhong Fabai, clutching his shattered arm bone, nodded painfully in response.

"Yes...that's how it is."

He only sent an intermediary... to meet with us... always from a different place... to give us the tasks, deliver the 'goods'... and then... periodically send people to check on our progress... our 'development'.

"Contact information?"

Chen Yang pressed for an answer.

"One-way!"

Liu Shaolong was also jolted awake by the kick. He didn't dare to argue back, so he quickly answered, his voice trembling and urgent.

"He always sends people to deliver notes! Or to an email address whose exact address we don't know! We can't contact him proactively!"

He can contact us whenever he wants! We have no right to contact him! Really! Absolutely!

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Gao Junhai nodded vigorously.

"He...he's like...a shadow who issues orders! He's watching us...watching whether we're useful...whether we're qualified to work for him!"

Chen Yang narrowed his eyes. The panicked expressions of these people didn't seem fake; they were indeed just pawns on the outermost edge, not even touched by the player's fingers. The clues seemed to have run dry here.

嗏

A faint, yet chilling smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

That smile made the temperature in the secret room drop several degrees instantly.

Gao Junhai and the others felt an invisible chill envelop them, and their skin tightened.

"Hands out.

Everyone.

Chen Yang's voice carried an unquestionable command. How could these people dare to disobey? Gao Junhai endured the excruciating pain and raised his unbroken hand, Liu Shaolong tremblingly raised his hand, Zhong Fabai also struggled to raise his intact right arm, and even Wang Defa, who had been caught in Chen Yang's gaze, quickly crawled out from behind the sofa and stretched out his chubby hand.

Chen Yang pointed his fingers together like a sword, and a nearly invisible, writhing, black aura swirled around his fingertips!
He moved with ghostly speed, instantly tapping Gao Junhai, Liu Shaolong, and Zhong Fabai on the forehead and chest!
In that instant!

All three of them trembled violently at the same time! It was as if a cold, venomous snake had instantly burrowed into their brains and hearts!
An extreme fear and pain, as if their souls were being torn apart, invaded, and instantly branded, made their vision go black, their bodies trembled uncontrollably, and they let out desperate gasps from their throats.

Gao Junhai and Liu Shaolong even lost control of their bladders, their crotches becoming soaked, and the stench of blood filled the blood-soaked secret room.

Wang Defa was so frightened by not being called on that he collapsed on the spot and almost fainted.

A few seconds later, the terrifying sense of invasion disappeared, but a heavy, cold, and seemingly explosive feeling of foreignness was clearly imprinted deep in their souls and hearts!

"Gu! It's a Gu worm!"

Zhong Fabai, a man of great experience, turned deathly pale with despair, and his voice trembled.

He knew this substance was a hundred times more terrifying than any poison! It acted directly on the primordial spirit and vital acupoints!

"A little souvenir."

Chen Yang withdrew his hand, the dark glint disappearing into his fingertips, his tone as calm as if he were talking about today's weather.

"I have planted a 'Heart-Eating Gu' in your souls and hearts. If you see that mysterious person again, or if his intermediary appears to investigate, you..."

He paused, his cold gaze sweeping over the three terrified and desperate faces.

"I will know the moment a thought arises."

These words were like an ice pick, piercing deep into the hearts of the three people!
"If you dare not entertain any thoughts, harbor any illusions, or try to find someone to remove the curse..."

Chen Yang's voice suddenly turned sinister, like a cold wind blowing from the depths of hell.

“I will sense it.”

With a mere thought, the 'Heart-Eating Gu' will instantly devour your hearts and minds, leaving nothing behind. Those people outside are the example.

He gestured with his chin toward the parking lot outside the door.

Pfft!Pfft!Pfft!
Gao Junhai, Liu Shaolong, and Zhong Fabai could no longer hold on. Their legs gave way, and they all knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.

"We wouldn't dare! Please spare our lives, sir! We wouldn't dare!"

"must!
We will notify you as soon as possible!

"The moment they show their faces! I will immediately! Immediately tell you using the method you taught me! I will not dare to hide anything in the slightest!"

Zhong Fabai's fear overwhelmed the pain of his severed arm, and he shouted the loudest and most urgently, afraid that if he was even a fraction of a second too slow, the Gu worm would gnaw at his brain.

"Go and clean up your own territory."

Chen Yang stopped looking at the puppets who were almost crippled and cast into the abyss. He stepped over the carpet, which was still covered in dirt, broken glass, and urine, and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor like a ghost. He left behind a mess in the secret room and several "leaders" who looked like they had lost their parents.

# # #
The crisp air carried a rich aroma of medicine and a faint scent of earth and grass, a stark contrast to the bloody stench of the underground casino.

Li Rou stood under an ancient tree brimming with spiritual energy, her eyes closed as she sensed something. The Living Yama sat on a stone bench nearby, being carefully fed a medicinal soup to regulate his internal organs by his daughter.

Chen Yang's figure appeared silently in the center of the blessed land, carrying a faint smell of gunpowder and blood.

"Mr. Chen!"

When the Living Yama saw Chen Yang, he struggled to get up, but Chen Yang waved him off.

"Is the matter resolved?"

"The daughter of the Living Yama," a girl named Liu Mei asked in a low voice, her eyes filled with gratitude and concern.

Chen Yang briefly recounted what had happened in the Sea Shark Gang's stronghold, focusing on the mysterious force's conspiracy to support Liu Shaolong and others in order to reshuffle the organization.

"Gene serum...that kind of thing that can instantly boost combat power?"

After hearing this, the Living Yama's face didn't show much anger, but rather a deep bitterness and profound weariness.

He looked at his body, which was recovering but far from its former state, and sighed deeply.

"Alas. Times have changed. We 'ordinary people' who fight and kill, rely on our martial arts skills and connections to make our way in the world, are truly like clay chickens and earthen dogs in the face of such inhuman power and methods...utterly vulnerable."

He seemed to have aged considerably in an instant.

Liu Mei bit her lip, her eyes slightly red.

"Not necessarily."

Chen Yang walked to the stone table on the other side of the ancient tree and casually scooped up some spiritual spring water to wash the dirt off his hands. Water droplets slid from his fingers and disappeared into the spiritual herbs.

"You need people for fighting and killing, and you also need people for guarding your home. You've been around for so many years, and your territory, connections, and old subordinates who are familiar with all sorts of people are your foundation."

Upon hearing this, the Living Yama was taken aback, and a glimmer of light rekindled in his eyes.

You mean…

"You're behind the scenes."

Chen Yang shook the water droplets off his hands, his gaze calm and steady.

"To stabilize morale and maintain your existing network of relationships, you need a new batch of people who can keep things in order and adapt to the new era's rules."

He gave instructions to Li Rou, who was walking over from the side.

"Li Rou, select another batch of people using the same method you used last time. They need to be reliable, have decent character, and most importantly, be 'loyal' enough."

"clear."

Li Rou nodded decisively.

"Through screening, basic training, and instruction, a usable basic combat force can be formed within ten days."

Chen Yang said to the Living Yama.

"Have her handle the location, manpower, and rules of engagement. From now on, all personnel changes, territorial handovers, and any tricky situations requiring 'force' to resolve will be handled by the people she's trained. You just need to focus on being your 'shadow Yama' and manage the 'personal favor ledger'."

The living Yama's murky eyes lit up.

Although he's crippled, his decades of experience in the underworld are still there!
This is much better than completely ignoring him!
"Good! Good! Thank you so much, Mr. Chen, for saving my life! Liu Mei, kowtow to Mr. Chen on behalf of your father!"

He became excited.

Just as Liu Mei was about to kneel, she was supported by an invisible, gentle force from Chen Yang.

No need.

Each gets what they need.

He then frowned as he looked at the vast, blessed land.

"It's just that getting in and out of this place is too troublesome."

It always takes a lot of effort for me to tear open the entrance.

Upon hearing this, Li Rou raised her head, a strange look in her eyes. (End of Chapter)