These pathetic parasites have no idea what they've truly gained; in fact, they're even plotting betrayal against the very force that lifted them.
It's simply absurd.
"So what? This is Z Nation. No matter how much you've contributed, you're still doomed to the fate of a lowly peasant!" Director Sun sneered, his mind racing for an escape.
Xu Que's icy smile turned feral.
"Are you speaking for yourself or the entire nation?" he asked, his tone sharp as a blade.
"I am the highest-ranking officer in the National Security Bureau," Sun growled. "Of course, I speak on behalf of Z Nation!"
"Excellent. Just what I needed to hear," Xu Que said, pulling out his phone and sneering. "Did you get that? This is the stance of the upper echelon!"
"Who are you speaking to?" Sun's face contorted in rage.
Ignoring him, Xu Que waited patiently. The voice on the other end sighed heavily, as though weighing a great decision.
"We won't stand in your way, but we expect a full account afterward," came the final reply.
At this, a smile crept across Xu Que's lips. The pressure from Mo City had finally broken the resolve of the elite in Shangjing.
"Xu Que, I warn you—" Sun started, but a sickening crack cut him off as Xu Que snapped his neck.
"Far too many words," Xu Que muttered, casting Sun's body to the ground with a loud thud.
Seeing the director's death, the inspectors instinctively drew their guns. But just then, a squad leader's phone rang. His face paled as he listened.
"Director Sun was suspected of treason. The military has granted Xu Que unrestricted authority. All units, return to headquarters for a briefing," the squad leader announced, his voice steadying as the inspectors holstered their weapons.
Xu Que glanced down at Sun's lifeless body with a disdainful smile, then resumed his march toward Shangrong Avenue.
The usual gleam of neon lights had dimmed. Word had spread, and tonight, all the elite heirs and heiresses who frequented this strip were absent, ordered to stay home.
As Xu Que passed a bar, a man in a Zhongshan suit stepped out. He looked refined, around forty, and halted in front of Xu Que.
"I am Murong Chengxuan of the Murong family. I detest the Chen family's filth as much as you do, but walking into their stronghold is suicide."
Xu Que gave him a faint smile. "Thank you, but after tonight, there will be no Emperor Corp—and no Chen family."
"Xu Que, I understand your youthful zeal, but this world..." Murong began.
Xu Que cut him off, his black sword scraping the ground as he unsheathed it. "Youth without fire is hardly youth at all. Why let rotten garbage continue to fester?"
Chengxuan's expression betrayed shock, fear, and incomprehension as he realized Xu Que's power.
It was only when Xu Que disappeared into the distance that Murong Chengxuan understood why he feared nothing. His strength surpassed anything the Chen family could summon.
After a brief pause, Chengxuan took out his phone and dialed. "Father, this Xu Que is unlike any opponent we've encountered. He feels stronger than Qi Shan and the top ten disciples combined."
"Hmm. I see," came Murong Bo's resigned reply. "The Chen family certainly brought this upon themselves, enraging a force like him. Truly, they deserve to be swept aside by history."
"Father, what are our next steps?"
"Tell Cheng and Chong to distance themselves from those families. And as for Xuan'er, she's around Xu Que's age. Send her to Mo City's Qianjing Tower."
With a swift nod, Chengxuan hung up and quickly carried out his father's orders.
Meanwhile, the news had left Chen Tianfang in a daze.
"Damn it! The lapdogs I paid so handsomely have all turned their backs on us!"
"Father, don't worry. We've hired four Class B experts, and two of them are disciples of Kun Di himself. Even if Xu Que has ten lives, he won't survive Shangjing," Chen Yan said.
"Well done." Chen Tianfang nodded approvingly. "And what of the Chisfield family?"
"Tianhui has already dispatched a Class B to the estate. One should be enough for him."
"Good. With five Class B combatants, we have the strength no one else can match."
"Uncle, military and government officials are growing wary of us. Should we consider relocating abroad?" Chen Jun suggested.
"We'll make our stance known once this matter is settled. If those decrepit fools refuse to see reason, I'll bring all of Z Nation to its knees!"
On Huayang Road, less than three kilometers from the Chen estate, Xu Que felt the air grow unnaturally still.
An icy smirk appeared on his lips; he sensed the presence of over twenty Class C ability users lying in wait.
As he passed through a desolate building, a wave of murderous intent surged toward him.
"Courting death," he muttered, his hand slicing the air as a flying sword halted an attacker in midair.
The young man's shock was palpable. He had just mastered the Heaven-rank sword technique, yet Xu Que stopped it as if it were a parlor trick.
Unbeknownst to him, Xu Que had mastered that technique lifetimes ago.
The young man barely registered a stabbing pain in his chest before he crumpled to the ground.
"We've been spotted! Kill him!" shouted a blade-wielding fighter as twenty-two more emerged from the shadows.
Xu Que tilted his head, sizing them up.
In an instant, every one of them felt their bodies seized by an invisible force, as though crushed beneath a mountain.
"What...is that?" a middle-aged man stammered, pointing at the white tiger phantom in the air.
While they gawked in horror, Xu Que made his move. Though he feared not these Class C foes, he couldn't afford a mistake.
With a flick of his sword, three men were impaled before they even knew what had hit them.
"Kill!" cried the swordsman, and the others charged forward.
Though impervious to firearms, Xu Que remained cautious of weapons from beyond.
Dodging two spears, he struck a powerful blow. The unfortunate target barely had time to react before he was flung through the air like a broken kite.