Almost the instant Wen Li was kicked away, a furious power engulfed exactly where she had stood moments before.
Fu Qian watched with his own eyes as Wen Xiuxian's head swelled like a balloon until his entire body burst into a cloud of red mist.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye; after sending Wen Li flying, Fu Qian moved forward to block the angle, and collided solidly with this tornado of flesh and blood.
A thunderous tremor erupted, the intense shock making every organ in his body tremble.
Not only that, the storm seemed to be mixed with countless tiny spikes, which, fortified by the powerful kinetic energy, frenziedly tore everything around to shreds.
Three seconds later, the storm dispersed.
Fu Qian lowered his head and lifted his left hand.
Below his shoulder, the skin had completely vanished, exposing flesh riddled with countless holes, in some places even revealing stark white bones.
I never even took such severe damage in Mortal Kombat!
This thing's destructive power is actually quite impressive!
Within the range of the blood-flesh storm, there was nothing left intact, not even the half-wall affected, which had turned into honeycomb coal.
These assassins really do have extensive capabilities, able to create something with such strong lethality!
However, the injury, though serious, was not fatal.
Fu Qian expressionlessly straightened out the exposed blood vessels.
The next moment, he kicked through the teetering wall with one foot.
Gathering strength and using the recoil of the furious power, he instantly passed through the gap, flashing to the side of a person outside, and kicked out.
It's you!
It didn't matter whether it was Wen Xiuxian or not, the attack just now was not something a hypnotized commoner could deliver.
Fu Qian did not believe that the assassins were so dedicated to their job that they would sacrifice their lives to complete the mission; someone nearby must be controlling it remotely.
So, while he was being showered by the blood-flesh storm, he had all his senses wide open, not missing any trace, and eventually he locked on to a particular aura.
At this moment, the owner of that aura was blending in with the bodyguards who had rushed over, making his way outside.
Boom!
With a kick charged with furious power, it struck with lightning speed and terrifying momentum.
The target could no longer pretend, his body twisted, and in an instant, grew longer by a good margin; then, with an odd pose, he dodged this lethal strike.
However, what greeted him was a hand blurred with blood and flesh.
Splat!
Like a crushed tomato, Fu Qian's nearly fleshless left hand scored a hit with a true Nine Sorcery White Bone Claw on his opponent.
[Thug: Assimilation Progress 1/3]
[With invasion like fire and momentum like thunder, congratulations on beginning to grasp the essence of Thug Form.]
The moment his grip went slack and the target stopped struggling, Fu Qian heard a prompt beside his ear.
At the same time, a warm current flowed through his body.
The sensations from the first use of Thug Form returned, only far more potent than before.
After a surge of violent qi and blood, the exposed bones faintly exhibited a metallic sheen.
The next moment, flesh regrew, wounds healed swiftly, and soon the bones were covered once again.
Assimilation progress one third?
Fu Qian took a deep breath, absolutely certain that he had undergone a transformation.
If another attack came, he was confident he could dispatch Master Ji within ten seconds.
But by that logic, his Thug Form was just getting started, and even now, he had only assimilated a part of it?
"Invasion like fire, momentum like thunder" – was it referring to the way he just took out that assassin?
It could also be a culmination of all his past performances.
And these things that are referred to as the essence of a Thug.
So, it seems, the way to assimilate Thug Form is to become like a Thug himself.
Interesting!
1/3 has already enhanced so much; I wonder what will happen when I achieve full assimilation at 3/3.
Fu Qian silently looked forward to it.
Throwing the corpse on the ground, he retreated back into the room the way he had come.
He glanced at Miss Wen Li, who was struggling to get up from the ground.
The scope of the fleshstorm wasn't too large, and with himself standing in front of her, the lady hadn't sustained much damage.
However, there seemed to be blood on her forehead—could it be from the impact when he had kicked her out?
He couldn't expect too much after all. He wasn't a professional nanny; it was unreasonable to guarantee no harm every single time.
It had to be said that the one who had died for their cause outside had been quite professional, and extremely discreet.
He had felt something was odd about Wen Xiuxian just now, hence he had taken a second look at Wen Li.
This girl's ability allowed her to sense the emotions of the people around her. Being father and daughter for many years, she should have been able to pick up on any anomalies more easily.
Sure enough, it might be even beyond Wen Li's own realization, but the perplexed expression on her face indicated that she also subconsciously felt something was not right with Wen Xiuxian.
"Are you okay?"
Wen Li managed to stand up with the support of the wall, her voice trembling as she asked Fu Qian.
"Was that..."
"It was probably an assassin."
"But he looked like father."
"It's not out of the question that it really was your father."
Considering the opponent's skills in hypnosis and disguise, it was indeed quite probable that Wen Xiuxian had been captured and dealt with by them on his way out this morning.
Wen Li was no fool; there was no need to comfort her with lies.
"He wouldn't have come back so soon..."
Wen Li mumbled subconsciously, then suddenly froze on the spot, her body rigid as she bent down to pick up something.
It was a watch, deformed by the explosion, with countless tiny, honeycomb-like holes on it.
A wave of agonizing wails filled the air, and Fu Qian heard a familiar prompt sound in his ears.
[Containment Failed]
[Sanity shattered, Wen Li has lost the potential for advancement]
...
This can actually happen!
Back in the warehouse, Fu Qian looked up at the sky speechlessly for a minute, feeling the joy of leveling up slightly diluted.
Even with Wen Li alive, the mission could fail?
Realizing that the deceased was indeed Wen Xiuxian, her emotional breakdown was understandable.
But her sanity shattering—had she gone completely mad?
Silently choosing the playback of the event, Fu Qian quickly fast-forwarded through his journey thus far and came to a conclusion.
Escort missions really shouldn't be undertaken!
Thinking back, this mission may not have featured werewolves or evil gods like before, but it was no less perilous.
The Wen family might appear glorious on the surface, yet danger lurked in every corner. Wen Li herself was as fragile as glass—survival was not an easy feat.
Now, there was even the possibility of failing without dying.
Protecting two people was definitely more challenging than protecting just one.
And neither Wen Li nor her father were the type to easily be bossed around; getting them to obediently follow plans was no easy task.
The situation was complex.
Fu Qian fixed his gaze on the cocoon patterns of black and white on the Mist Gate.
When faced with an issue so entangled and full of pitfalls at every turn, the best solution wasn't to stubbornly proceed but to change the approach.
For example, Shura Mode.
[1 SAN Point consumed, attempting containment again]
[...1%...3%...10%...50%...98%...100%, containment scene loading complete]
"Don't look around!"
Captain Gu's familiar voice came through.
Looking at the intact Wen Family Mansion, Fu Qian took a deep breath.