185: Chapter 185 A cornered dog will jump over the wall

The night in Kyoto was filled with brilliant neon lights, illuminating this thousand-year-old ancient capital as if it were day.

But behind the bustling Zhuque Avenue, deep within the sprawling ancestral home of the Qin Family, a suffocating low-pressure atmosphere permeated the air.

Inside the side meeting hall, a precious blue-and-white porcelain teacup was smashed ruthlessly onto the floor, shards flying everywhere.

"Going too far! This is simply going too far!"

Qin Hai's face was contorted with rage; although his right hand, wrapped in thick bandages, was suspended against his chest, his left hand gripped the corner of the table so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Ever since Lin Fan had used that bizarre floor to shatter his hand bones at the South Suburb Warehouse, Qin Hai had become the laughingstock of Kyoto's entire upper-class circle.

Those representatives of noble families who usually treated him with utmost respect now looked at him with a hint of mockery in their eyes.

What was even more unacceptable to him was that that bastard Lin Fan had actually used the incident as advertising material.

Rumors were spreading everywhere that even the Mountain-Cleaving Earth-Shattering Palm of the Second Elder of the Qin Family couldn't break the floor of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion; just how high-grade must those materials be?

Affected by this, the turnover of the construction material stores and low-end weapon shops under the Qin Family had been slashed in half over the past two days.

Many customers who had originally booked the Qin Family's renovation teams would rather pay the penalty for breach of contract just to cancel their orders, turning instead to inquire about what the "New Martial Arts Special Strategy Department," which hadn't even officially opened yet, was actually selling.

"Second Master, please calm down."

A trusted butler dressed in black carefully handed over a hot towel and whispered, "That Lin Fan has a military background, after all. It's indeed difficult for us to move against him openly. As for General Ye Canglan's side..."

"Shut up!"

Qin Hai snapped his head around, his eyes bloodshot like a beast driven into a corner. "So what if he has a military background? This is Kyoto! This is the world of the noble families!"

He panted heavily, his chest heaving violently.

"If it doesn't work openly, then we'll go through the shadows."

Qin Hai's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a bone-chilling frost. "As long as he dies in an 'accident' or a 'martial arts world vendetta,' even if General Ye Canglan wants to investigate, what can he do to the Qin Family without evidence?"

The butler was startled and instinctively took half a step back. "Second Master, you mean..."

Qin Hai took an unmarked black card from his robe and threw it onto the table with a sharp clack.

"Contact the 'Shadow Fang' organization."

"Tell them I want the top-tier package."

"Tonight, I want to see Lin Fan's head, and I want that damned warehouse turned into a pile of rubble!"

The butler's pupils constricted as he looked at the black card.

Shadow Fang was a top-tier assassin organization active in the underworld; as long as the pay was sufficient, they even dared to kill Grandmasters.

"Yes, Second Master." The butler didn't dare say more, picking up the black card and retreating in a hurry.

Qin Hai walked to the window, looking at the pitch-black night outside, a cruel arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Lin Fan, your floor is indeed very hard."

"But I want to see if your life is as hard as your floor."

Meanwhile, in the southern suburbs of Kyoto.

The abandoned warehouse... no, it should now be called the "New Martial Arts Special Strategy Department Base."

After a few days of frantic renovation, the place had completely changed its appearance.

From the outside, it still looked like that dilapidated red-brick warehouse, full of the weathered feel of industrial ruins.

But if a high-level martial artist were to investigate with spiritual power, they would discover with horror that beneath these seemingly ruined outer walls were hidden energy fluctuations that would make one's skin crawl.

Inside the warehouse, the lights were bright.

Lin Fan was sitting cross-legged on a lounge chair made of S-Rank Memory Metal, holding a cup of steaming milk tea.

In front of him was a massive holographic surveillance screen. What it displayed was not the interior of the warehouse, but a thermal imaging map of the five-kilometer radius surrounding the warehouse.

"Brother Fan, it's so late, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

Zhao Wujing walked over yawning, still holding a broom.

Over the past two days, he had completely accepted his fate.

Since he couldn't resist, he could only enjoy... no, he could only work obediently.

After all, Lin Fan was truly ruthless. After Qin Hai's hand was broken that day, Zhao Wujing had seen Lin Fan take a close-up photo of Qin Hai's broken bone shards, saying he would make them into an "Osteoporosis Warning Poster."

This kind of devil was not to be messed with.

Lin Fan took a sip of milk tea, chewing the pearls inside, and said indistinctly, "Sleep? What sleep? There are guests coming tonight."

"Guests?"

Zhao Wujing was stunned and instinctively looked toward the door. "Who? Coming to this ghostly place so late? We haven't even officially hung our sign yet."

Lin Fan pointed to his own eyes.

Within those originally pitch-black eyes, a faint purple-gold light was now flowing.

S-Rank Talent, Eye of True Sight.

In his vision, in the distant darkness, over a dozen auras emitting a bloody red light were approaching at extreme speed.

These red lights were mixed with intense killing intent. Under the judgment of the Eye of True Sight, they were labeled as "High-Risk Hostile Targets."

"Just a bunch of wealth-delivering boys."

Lin Fan put down his milk tea, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Old Zhao, wake up all our brothers."

"Huh? Why wake them up? Those young masters are sleeping soundly." Zhao Wujing was completely confused.

"Wake them up to watch the show."

Lin Fan stood up and stretched, his bones popping and cracking. "And let them learn what a real 'fortification' looks like."

As he spoke, his finger tapped lightly in the air.

The system interface instantly expanded.

[Hostile intrusion detected. Threat level: B+]

[Activate defense plan?]

Without any hesitation, Lin Fan directly chose [Confirm].

"Hum~"

The ground around the warehouse gave a slight tremor.

The shipping containers, discarded oil drums, and even the trash cans in the corners that seemed to be randomly piled in the yard now emitted the sound of precise mechanical interlocking from within.

"Since the Qin Family is being so polite and sent me material for a late-night show..."

Lin Fan walked to the control console, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard as red locking frames popped up on the screen one by one.

"...if I don't return the favor, wouldn't it seem like I'm being very impolite?"

He took a black remote control from his pocket, which had only one red button.

Above the button was a hand-written label:

[Surprise Blind Box: Defense Tower Limited Edition]

Looking at Lin Fan's hair-raising smile, Zhao Wujing couldn't help but shudder.

He suddenly felt a bit of pity for the "guests" who were coming tonight.

People targeted by Brother Fan usually didn't just end up miserable; they suffered... social death.

"Old Zhao, go get that high-power searchlight ready."

Lin Fan instructed, "I'm going to start a livestream in a bit."

"Livestream?!" Zhao Wujing's eyes widened. "Brother Fan, this is a military restricted zone! Livestreaming is a violation, right?"

"Who said I was going to livestream military secrets?"

Lin Fan glanced at him and took a badge that read "Myriad Treasures Pavilion Security Test" from the system space and hung it around his neck.

"I'm doing a product testing livestream for our upcoming 'Home Security Blind Box'."

"This is called live commerce. Do you understand?"

Zhao Wujing opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only give a thumbs up. "Brother Fan, you're truly a dog."

Lin Fan chuckled and turned his gaze back to the red dots on the screen that were getting closer and closer.