Once the two men were freed from their metal restraints, they attempted to resist but were swiftly knocked to the ground by Lao Si's brutal kick.
"Don't even think about running. If you wish to survive, defeat it!" Lao Si growled, pressing the men's heads down into the dirt.
Glaring at the massive metal cage, a sense of dread filled the men's faces.
Before they could react, Lao Si and Lao Fang shoved them into the cage.
The sight of the impending feast stirred the small gang of thugs into excited howls.
In contrast to the wooden, lifeless women, they craved the thrill of bloody violence.
The Star-Shattering Hound growled, its maw opening wide as it lunged at one of the men.
"Chomp!"
The man had no time to react before the beast tore through his upper body in a savage instant.
"Damn it, how could one of them die so fast? They're so pathetic!"
"Lao Si, where did you find these idiots? Didn't they know to dodge and fight back?"
"This is so boring. They didn't last as long as the last three did!"
The gang's crude banter was unrestrained, as though they had long ago come to see human life as nothing more than a plaything.
Meanwhile, the other man in the cage, trembling in fear, could hardly bring himself to struggle. His attempts at calling out for help were futile, as the device strapped to his mouth prevented him from uttering a sound.
Once the first man was devoured, the Hound's gaze turned to the frightened man huddling in the corner of the cage.
The surrounding thugs screamed in excitement, relishing the gruesome spectacle. While they had yet to see the actual fight, the sight of the Hound feasting was more than enough to satiate their thirst for blood.
They reveled in such brutality, as it heightened their rush, sending their adrenal glands into overdrive and filling them with a perverse sense of fulfillment.
Savage, cruel, and bloodthirsty—these were the aftereffects of the bloodline of the Star-Shattering Hound that coursed through their veins.
Once the second man had been slain, the thugs finally left the cage with expressions of satisfaction.
"I told you, Lao Si, couldn't you have caught a few with more fight in them?"
"Yeah, if you can't find anyone else, take me next time. I'm due for a change of women anyway."
The small-time thugs conversed openly, unaware that someone above them was observing their every move.
---
Xu Que retracted his senses and descended into a secluded area.
He had no intention of charging in recklessly. His plan was to dismantle these thugs piece by piece, torturing them in ways too cruel to imagine.
His eyes locked onto the shadowy corner to his left, and with a speed like a panther, he shot forward.
The wind from his movement sent leaves scattering into the air, yet his feet barely made a sound on the stone floor.
In moments, Xu Que had reached the shadowy corner. Two dull thuds echoed through the stillness.
Peering into the darkness, Xu Que caught sight of two thugs. Without hesitation, he leapt up to the second floor of the villa.
Before the thugs even noticed, Xu Que pressed one hand over the mouth of the first thug and the other on his neck.
"Crack!"
In an instant, the thug collapsed, unconscious.
The two thugs downstairs had no idea they had already become prey for a demon.
As they nervously smoked their cigarettes, one of them yawned.
It was that very yawn that sealed his fate.
Xu Que's hand pressed firmly against his throat, and a surge of pain rushed through the thug's brain, causing him to faint in a matter of seconds.
The other thug, sensing something was wrong, lowered his head to investigate just as Xu Que's hand gripped his neck, and with a final, crushing squeeze, he crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
In less than fifteen minutes, all the thugs hiding in the villa had been neutralized.
After securing them, Xu Que left them by Ji Bodao's villa, intent on not letting a single one escape tonight.
Under the cover of darkness, Xu Que approached the villa. After sensing the positions of the four thugs, he jumped lightly, landing inside the villa's courtyard.
Before the two thugs could turn around, they were knocked out cold.
Xu Que moved silently to the back yard and, using the same method, incapacitated two more thugs.
In under a minute, all four thugs in the villa had been dealt with.
Just as Xu Que was about to enter the villa, one thug emerged lazily.
"Yu Ye, what's going on over there?" the thug asked, pulling down his zipper in curiosity.
Unaware that this question almost cost him his life, Xu Que said nothing. With a swift step, he lunged, grabbing the thug by the neck.
The thug, terrified beyond reason, had never seen such swift and brutal action. Before he could even utter a sound, Xu Que squeezed, and the thug collapsed into his own urine-soaked spot.
Xu Que grimaced in disgust before unsheathing his sword and drawing a clean line across the thug's neck.
Unbeknownst to him, the scent of blood triggered the ferocious howling of the Star-Shattering Hound from below.
---
In the basement
Ji Bodao had been in a good mood, but the incessant barking of the damn Hound was starting to irritate him.
"What's going on? Why won't it stop barking?" Ji Bodao growled, his irritation palpable.
"Boss, it seems to be extremely sensitive to blood. And the direction seems a bit off," Tian Qing observed, eyeing the Hound suspiciously.
At these words, Ji Bodao's brow furrowed. He picked up a nearby intercom and began making inquiries.
As static crackled through the intercom, he turned to Tian Qing, his voice sharp, "How many people did the upper management send today?"
"Counting the ones in the villa, there are sixteen in total," Tian Qing responded.
"Something's wrong. Get ready!" Ji Bodao barked.
Hearing the order, Tian Qing immediately understood. He turned to the thirty or so lackeys behind him and shouted, "Someone's infiltrated. Arm yourselves!"
At Tian Qing's command, the thugs dropped any pretense of casualness and rushed up to the upper floors, weapons drawn.
Xu Que, who had just entered the villa, was hoping to take out a few more thugs quietly, but the sound of running footsteps reached his ears.
The thugs burst through the door, and one of them brandished a knife, demanding, "Who are you?"
Realizing that he had been spotted, Xu Que didn't bother to respond. A cold, predatory smile spread across his face as he advanced toward the group.
"Damn, a mute! Kill him!" one thug yelled as the group rushed forward.
Unperturbed, Xu Que drew his sword and, in the blink of an eye, the first thug didn't even see it coming. His head dropped to the floor as his body crumpled lifelessly.
Xu Que had intended to torture these men, but since they'd discovered him, he'd move on to a swift but deadly assault.
In an instant, the villa was filled with the sound of screams.
Xu Que didn't kill everyone. He only took down those who posed a threat to him.
The once peaceful villa district had now become a cacophony of chaos.
After taking down two more thugs, Xu Que scanned his surroundings. Apart from a woman upstairs who was in a state of panic, most of the others were downstairs.
"Didn't expect Ji Bodao to still be obsessed with the Star-Shattering Hound bloodline in this life," Xu Que mused with a sinister grin before pushing open the door leading to the basement.
As the door swung open, the anguished cries from above echoed down into the basement.
"Damn!" Ji Bodao cursed, spinning around to head for the underground laboratory.
The basement, now significantly expanded by Ji Bodao, resembled the early stages of a secret underground base.
As Xu Que stepped down, Ji Bodao had just entered the lab.
With a turn of the handle, the door clicked shut, and their eyes met.