65: Chapter 65 You're under arrest!

A thick scent of blood permeated the courtyard of the Imperial Dragon Residence, accompanied by a smell of burnt matter everywhere.

The light of the Twelve Earthly Fiends Trap Formation gradually faded away.

The once smooth lawn now looked as if it had been plowed, littered with severed limbs and twisted, deformed wreckage of metal weapons.

"Good grief..."

Thunder Tiger sheathed his combat saber on his back, his military boots stepping on a still-smoking piece of charred remains—the sternum of some Wang Family death squad member. "Brother Lin, you're even more ruthless than me. Thirty-five death squad members, fifteen Shadow Fang assassins, and not a single intact corpse?"

"An intact corpse?"

Lin Fan crouched on the ground, using a specialized scalpel to skillfully pry a pale blue crystal from the spine of a relatively intact corpse.

That was the spiritual energy crystal condensed within the body of a Martial Master-level powerhouse.

"Leaving intact corpses takes up too much space. When making a blind box, you have to take the essence and discard the dross."

Lin Fan tossed the crystal into a special storage bag beside him, producing a crisp ding. The bag was already bulging; this wave of door-to-door delivery had made him a fortune.

The soldiers cleaning up the battlefield watched Lin Fan's movements, which were as skillful as picking out pork at a wet market, and couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines.

Is he really just a high school student?

This mental fortitude is tougher than that of veterans who crawled out of piles of corpses.

"Report!"

A communications soldier ran over quickly and saluted Thunder Tiger. "The outer perimeter blockade has been cleared. The Su Family security team has taken over the defense of the Imperial Dragon Residence. Additionally, Miss Su Qingxue sent a message saying the Wang Family is transferring core assets and seems to be showing signs of attempting to escape through underground channels."

"Trying to run?"

Lin Fan stood up, tied the storage bag to his waist, and casually grabbed a piece of rag to wipe the blood off his hands.

He turned his head to look at the tightly closed window on the second floor.

Xiaoya was still sleeping.

The elite guards of the Su Family had surrounded the villa like an iron bucket, and with the defensive formation he had left behind, it was safe for the time being.

Since his worries were gone, it was time to settle the score.

"Brother Thunder."

Lin Fan straightened his slightly messy collar, his tone as calm as if he were talking about going out for a late-night snack. "Lend me a few vehicles. Since they like giving gifts, I should return the favor. Courtesy demands reciprocity."

Thunder Tiger grinned, that smile revealing a hint of bloodthirsty excitement.

"What do you mean 'lend'? I'll drive for you myself!"

Thunder Tiger waved his large hand. "Attention, battalion! Leave one platoon to assist the Su Family in guarding the house; everyone else, get in the vehicles! Target: The Wang Family mansion!"

"Yes, sir!"

Hundreds of soldiers roared in unison, their killing intent soaring to the skies.

...

In the center of Jianghai City, the Wang Family mansion.

This estate, covering dozens of acres, was usually a symbol of power in Jianghai City, and countless people wanted to cross its threshold but couldn't.

But tonight, it was filled with a sense of apocalyptic panic.

Inside the study.

Wang Tianba paced back and forth, the expensive Persian rug almost worn through by him.

He picked up his phone to check it from time to time, then irritably tossed it back onto the table.

Half an hour.

Ever since the Shadow Fang squad lost contact and the death squad lost their signal, a full half hour had passed.

"Still no news?"

Wang Tianba stopped abruptly and roared at the butler kneeling on the ground, "Did I raise a bunch of good-for-nothings?"

The butler trembled, his forehead pressed against the ground, his voice choked with sobs: "Master... I can't reach them. I can't reach anyone. And... and our insider in the City Defense Force has gone silent too. Thunder Tiger's special operations battalion... has moved."

"Thunder Tiger..."

Wang Tianba felt his vision go dark, his body swaying, and he only managed to stand steady by holding onto the corner of the table.

The thing he feared most had happened.

The military had intervened.

"Prepare the car, prepare the car quickly!"

Wang Tianba grabbed at it like a life-saving straw, frantically stuffing documents, seals, and gold bars from the safe into his briefcase. "Go to the west of the City, take the underground passage. As long as I reach the provincial capital, I have connections there, and Thunder Tiger won't dare to touch me!"

As long as he was alive, money could be earned again.

As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion interrupted all of Wang Tianba's fantasies.

The entire villa trembled violently, and the crystal chandelier overhead swayed and crashed down, sending shards flying.

"What's going on?" Wang Tianba screamed in terror.

"Master, Master!"

A servant scrambled into the study, covered in blood. "The gate... the gate is gone. The army, it's all the army!"

Wang Tianba rushed to the window.

By the light of the street lamps in the estate, he saw a scene that filled him with despair.

The alloy gate that symbolized the Wang Family's majesty had now turned into a piece of twisted scrap metal, flying more than ten meters away and crashing into the fountain pool.

A heavy armored personnel carrier, like a steel beast, was emitting black smoke, its tracks crushing the meticulously manicured flower beds.

Behind it, soldiers were pouring in like a tide.

The dark muzzles of their guns glinted with the cold light of death in the night.

"It's over..."

The Wang Family courtyard.

"Everyone, hands on your heads and crouch down! Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot!"

Thunder Tiger stood on top of the armored vehicle, holding a large-caliber spiritual energy machine gun. His voice, amplified by a loudspeaker, made people's eardrums ache.

Those Wang Family guards who were usually so arrogant were now like spineless dogs, dropping their weapons, crouching on the ground with their hands on their heads, shivering.

Facing the heavy firepower of the regular army, resisting was just seeking death.

Lin Fan jumped down from the armored vehicle.

He wasn't wearing a combat uniform, still in that blood-stained school uniform, but surrounded by the surrounding soldiers, his aura overwhelmed everyone else.

He walked step by step toward the main entrance of the mansion.

Every step felt like it was stepping on the hearts of the Wang Family members.

"Lin Fan!!"

A shrill roar came from the stairs.

Wang Tianba walked out, supported by the butler. Although his face was pale and his hair messy, he still tried hard to maintain the airs of a family head.

He pointed at Thunder Tiger, his finger trembling. "Thunder Tiger, have you gone mad? Trespassing in a private residence and mobilizing the army to attack a legal citizen! I'm going to report you to the City Lord's Mansion! I'm going to report you to the province! I have immunity! I am a major taxpayer in Jianghai City!"

Thunder Tiger sneered, jumped down from the top of the vehicle, and looked at him as if he were a fool. "Report me? Master Wang, haven't you woken up yet?"

"You colluded with alien races, hired assassins to attack a military special consultant, and sabotaged the wartime military supply chain. Any one of these is enough to have you executed ten times over!"

"Bullshit! That's slander! Where's the evidence?"

Wang Tianba roared, his voice fierce but weak. "What do those assassins have to do with me? That's a frame-up! I want to see my lawyer! I want to see the City Lord! You can't arrest me!"

He was still gambling.

Gambling that Thunder Tiger had no direct evidence.

Gambling that the City Lord's Mansion would protect him to balance the forces.

After all, the Wang Family was deeply rooted in Jianghai City, and moving one part would affect the whole.

"You want evidence?"

Lin Fan walked up.

"Colluding with alien races, attacking a military consultant, the people of the Wang Family..."

Lin Fan pointed to his own temple. "He confessed everything, even the fact that he wet the bed when he was three. Including your transfer records, call recordings, and... the contraband military weapons you hid in that underground warehouse in the west of the City."

As he spoke, he tossed One-Eye's head to Wang Tianba's feet.

"Do you need me to continue?"

Wang Tianba's body went limp, and he collapsed completely onto the ground.

It's over.

It's all over.

But he was unwilling to accept it.

He raised his head and stared fixedly at Lin Fan, his eyes full of resentment. "Lin Fan... you little bastard! Do you think you've won? My Wang Family still has people in the provincial capital! My younger brother is a deacon of the Provincial Martial Arts Association! If you dare to touch me, he won't let you off!"

"You are lynching me! You are settling personal scores!"

Wang Tianba struggled to stand up, trying to rush toward Thunder Tiger. "Officer Thunder, I want to report! Lin Fan is a cultist, his blind boxes are black magic! Arrest him! Arrest him quickly!"

The surrounding soldiers were expressionless, their muzzles raised slightly.

Thunder Tiger frowned, just about to speak.

A figure blocked him.

Lin Fan.

He looked at the hysterical Wang Tianba, his face devoid of any expression.

No anger, no mockery, only the indifference of looking at a dead man.

"Slap!"

A crisp, sharp sound of a slap echoed in the silent courtyard.

Wang Tianba was spun around twice by the force of the slap; half his face swelled up instantly, and a few blood-stained teeth flew out.

This slap cut off all his shouting.

It also shattered his last shred of dignity.

Wang Tianba covered his face, looking at Lin Fan in disbelief: "You... you dare to hit me?"

Lin Fan shook his hand, took a wet wipe from his pocket, and leisurely wiped his fingers.

"Hit you?"

Lin Fan threw the dirty wet wipe onto Wang Tianba's face.

"Shut up."

"This is now under wartime control."

Lin Fan stepped forward, looking down at this stray dog from a position of superiority. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone present.

"According to the 'Wartime Special Regulations',"

"anyone who obstructs military operations or threatens the safety of a military supply officer..."

"will be executed on the spot, or..."

"have their assets confiscated and their entire clan exiled to the Wasteland Zone."

"Wang Tianba, you are under arrest."

"Take him away."