Chapter 39: If You Lack Strength, Keep a Low Profile

At Zhao Jian's command, the eight men in black drew their knives and charged toward Xu Yi.

Xu Yi sneered inwardly. He had been suppressing a fit of anger all day, and since Zhao Jian was courting death, this was the perfect opportunity to vent. With a burst of strength from one leg, Xu Yi’s body blurred into an afterimage as he lunged toward the eight men. He was going all out, holding nothing back.

The first man in black to reach him took a heavy punch to the gut. "Ugh!" The man retched, vomiting bile as he collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach in agony. Xu Yi followed up with a brutal kick, catching the second man square in the crotch. The man turned pale, clutching his groin and howling in pain.

The remaining men, who were mid-charge, froze in their tracks, their eyes widening in disbelief. Their legs went weak. This was… far too violent. Terror struck them as they looked at Xu Yi as if he were a monster; they turned to flee.

"Trying to run now? Too late," Xu Yi said with a look of contempt. He accelerated again, catching up to the six men and delivering a punch to each. One by one, they went down, his strikes landing with heavy impact. In less than three seconds, the six men—no match for Xu Yi—lay on the floor, wailing in pain.

"Bang!"

A gunshot shattered the silence.

A gun! Xu Yi shuddered, turning his head to see Zhao Jian holding a pistol, his hands trembling as he aimed it at him.

"Damn you! Move one more inch and I'll blow your head off!" Zhao Jian roared maniacally.

Xu Yi stood still, his eyes narrowing, his muscles coiled and tense as he watched Zhao Jian. Seeing that he had intimidated Xu Yi, Zhao Jian became frantic and excited.

"F***! You think you’re so tough because you can fight? What the hell is that worth? Can you move faster than my gun? You thought I only brought men? I brought a gun! A gun! One shot from this and your life is over!"

Zhao Jian walked toward Xu Yi step by step, the gun leveled, continuing his bluster. "Dammit! If you don't want to die, hand over the bronze ware!" He looked as if victory were already in his grasp.

Xu Yi glanced at him indifferently, showing no sign of fear. He said dismissively, "You idiot. Just holding a piece of junk, and you think you’ve won?"

"I can tell you this in all seriousness: you only have the chance to fire one shot. You’d better aim for my head. If you miss that one shot, I will kill you before you can fire again. Want to test me?"

Zhao Jian shouted in a rage, "Damn you! You brat, you're at death's door and you're still spouting nonsense! Do you really think you're Superman?"

Xu Yi continued with cool disdain, "Then shoot! What’s the matter? Too afraid? You’ve never actually shot a person before, have you?"

Xu Yi had already activated his "Mind-Reading" ability. Zhao Jian was terrified and anxious; having the gun was a mere coincidence. He had never intended to use it, just to bluff. Though he tried to hide his nervousness, his hands were trembling uncontrollably, his palms slick with sweat. In this state, Xu Yi knew there was no way Zhao Jian could land a headshot.

Xu Yi calculated the distance between them. Four meters. At this range, it would take him only a second to take the man down.

Fully aware, Xu Yi goaded him further. "Second Young Master Zhao, do you know what you look like to me? A pathetic trust-fund kid who can't do anything without his parents. You try to play bandit, you try to use a gun—but do you have the guts to pull the trigger?"

As he spoke, Xu Yi flicked a middle finger at him. This provocation pushed Zhao Jian to the brink of a breakdown.

"F***! Shut up! Don't move! You don't know a damn thing! You think I don't dare to shoot? You ignorant piece of trash! You really think I wouldn't dare blow your brains out? If I kill you, no one will ever know!"

"Go to hell! Say one more word and I'll end you right now!"

"Come on then! Shoot!"

With a loud shout, Xu Yi moved with lightning speed, snatching his phone from his pocket and hurling it at Zhao Jian. He then dropped low and charged forward.

Zhao Jian’s face went pale. Xu Yi’s reckless, suicidal charge sent a chill down his spine. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed the trigger.

"Clack!"

The phone hit Zhao Jian’s hand a split second before he could fire.

"Ouch!" Zhao Jian cried out in pain as the pistol was knocked from his grip and he tumbled backward onto the floor. By some twist of fate, the gun slid across the floor and came to a stop right at Xu Yi’s feet.

Xu Yi snatched up the weapon. Zhao Jian’s face turned deathly white. He scrambled to his hands and knees, trying to crawl away in the opposite direction. He hadn't made it more than a few meters when he felt a heavy weight on his back—Xu Yi had stepped firmly onto him.

"Young Master Zhao, where are you going?" Xu Yi’s cold voice echoed in his ears.

"F***! Don't get cocky, kid! I'm a member of the Zhao family! My father is Zhao Dedong, the chairman of the Zhao Group! If you’re smart, let me go and hand over the bronze ware!" Zhao Jian continued to bark from the floor.

Xu Yi’s expression darkened, and he pressed down harder with his foot.

"Argh!" Zhao Jian let out a pained scream, blood spraying from his mouth.

"Damn you, you dare hit me! The Zhao family will never let you go! You're a dead man! I'll skin you alive, pull your tendons out! I’ll violate your woman right in front of you, make you wish for death! Aaaah!"

Zhao Jian shrieked in a frenzy, but no matter how he struggled, he couldn't move an inch. Xu Yi was speechless; the man was a total moron to be acting this arrogant in such a situation.

Xu Yi pressed the muzzle of the pistol against Zhao Jian’s forehead.

"I ask, you answer! If you don't want to die, tell the truth!"

"How did you know I bought the bronze ware at the Ghost Market? How did you find me?"

"Who is the person above you that ordered the Zhao family to find this bronze ware?"

To these questions, Zhao Jian only continued his crazed shouting. "You’re just a nobody! Do you even deserve to know?"

"I’m warning you one last time: let me go, hand over the bronze, and kneel down and beg for mercy, or my family will never let you off."

Xu Yi shook his head. He hadn't expected a straight answer; he had only asked to use his "Mind-Reading" ability. Through it, he realized Zhao Jian knew nothing. He only knew that a powerful figure had commissioned the Zhao family to handle the task. As for who that person was or why they wanted the bronze, he was clueless. Furthermore, Xu Yi discovered that Zhao Jian had acted on his own initiative to ambush him, and the eight men were hired from out of the province.

Did Zhao Jian have any value left?

Xu Yi looked down at him coldly. "One last piece of advice: if you don't have the strength, keep a low profile. You’re dying because you’re too arrogant. Try to be humbler in your next life."

A chill ran down Zhao Jian’s spine. "F***! What are you doing? You wouldn't dare kill me! If you kill me, the Zhao family and the big shots above them will never let you go! How could you dare?"

Xu Yi remained expressionless, ignoring the desperate struggle, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The bullet tore through Zhao Jian’s skull. His thrashing body went limp instantly, lying still like a dead dog. Blood trickled slowly from the bullet hole.

The grisly scene made Xu Yi feel dizzy, but he forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit. He told himself frantically, "I did nothing wrong! Zhao Jian had to die! If I didn't kill him today, he would have killed me tomorrow!"

After a few seconds, the urge to vomit subsided, and the discomfort of taking a life began to fade. He waited for a minute, then stood up and walked over to the eight unconscious men. He finished them off, one by one, with clinical efficiency.

Xu Yi calmly wiped the blood from his clothes and made a phone call.

"Hello, Da Bao. Contact Madman Zhang. I need a cleanup crew."