18: Chapter 18 I don't like your tone

"Ding Qing, right? Come with us!"

"What if I say no?"

"It's not up to you. Today, you're coming whether you want to or not!"

"Heh!"

The ferocious curve at the corner of Ding Qing's mouth had not yet fully unfolded.

The four men in black, standing like iron pillars at the door, moved simultaneously.

No shouting, no warnings.

Only the purest tactical instinct, etched into their very marrow.

Two dark shadows lunged out like predatory vipers from the left and right, targeting Ding Qing's arm joints with swift and ruthless movements intended to snap bone and sever tendon.

The other two drew their guns like lightning, their cold muzzles instantly locking onto Ding Qing's forehead and heart amidst the dust of the forced entry, their fingers pressing the triggers without hesitation!

The killing intent was as biting and tangible as a physical object!

However, in Ding Qing's eyes, their movements were as slow as images soaked in thick grease.

In the spark of an instant, just as the muzzles were about to spit fire and the grappling hands were about to clinch.

"Hmph!"

An extremely soft cold snort, yet one that exploded like muffled thunder in the depths of the Soul, burst from Ding Qing's nose.

He moved!

Not to dodge, but to meet the arms locking his joints and the lethal muzzles head-on!

His right arm was like a battering ram breaking free from the constraints of space, arriving first despite starting later!

Covered in knotted muscle and nine deep black Body-Suppressing Veins, his arm dragged a blurry afterimage through the dim light.

With a sharp whistle that tore through the air, it "slapped" with incomparable precision against the tactical mask of the team member lunging for his left arm.

It wasn't a punch; it was a slap!

Like a giant swatting an annoying fly!

"Thud—Crack!"

The scalp-tingling sound of bone fracturing and a muffled impact exploded simultaneously!

Under that irresistible and terrifying force, the team member's entire head, along with the tactical mask covering it, instantly collapsed inward and twisted.

His body, as if hit by a high-speed train, flew backward ten times faster than he had lunged, slamming hard against the wall on the other side of the foyer.

The wall let out a groan of pain as cracks spread like a spiderweb.

The man slid to the ground like a tattered sack.

The mask shattered, revealing half a face that was a bloody mess; his neck was bent at a grotesque angle, and after two violent twitches of his body, there was no more sound.

Blood mixed with grayish-white brain matter gurgled out from the gaps in his broken helmet.

It quickly soaked into a patch of startling crimson on the cold floor.

All of this happened in a flash!

Almost at the same moment he slapped the man on the left away, Ding Qing's left arm twisted eerily as if it had no bones!

At an angle that defied human anatomy, he evaded the right-side team member's grappling claws, his five fingers locking onto the opponent's wrist like cast steel.

"Snap!"

The crisp sound of bone shattering was like jade beads falling onto a plate, sounding exceptionally clear in the deathly silent living room.

The team member let out a shrill, inhuman wail as his wrist was instantly crushed into a comminuted fracture.

The intense pain caused his whole body to convulse, and his attack instantly disintegrated.

At this moment, the two dark muzzles had only just managed to spit out lethal tongues of fire.

Bang! Bang!

The gunshots were deafening!

But a split second before the guns fired, Ding Qing's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.

Two hot bullets tore through the afterimage he left behind, drilling hard into the sofa behind him and exploding a large cloud of stuffing.

Ding Qing appeared behind and to the side of the two shooters, his position as perfect as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times.

His eyes were cold, and he did not pause for a second.

His left leg, like a steel whip filled with explosive power, swept out with the force of a thunderbolt, accompanied by a whistle that tore the air.

His target was the lower bodies of the two shooters!

"Thump! Thump!"

Two heavy, muffled sounds like hitting a sandbag!

His calf, infused with the terrifying power of the Iron Cloth Shirt Great Perfection, was like a high-speed rotating alloy battle-axe as it slammed hard against their shins.

Crack! Crack!

The dense, teeth-aching sounds of bone breaking rang out!

The two men's calves snapped instantly like fragile twigs, twisting into horrifying angles.

The agonizing pain silenced them instantly, and their bodies fell forward like felled trees.

Ding Qing didn't even give them a second look.

He took a step forward, his heavy footfall hitting the floor with a dull thud like the beating of a war drum.

In an instant, he stood before the only captain still barely standing, who had already been terrified to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering by the bloody scene before him.

The distance between them was less than half an arm's length.

The shadow cast by Ding Qing's mountain-like frame completely enveloped the other man.

The ferocious, bloody Aura that had not yet dissipated from his body mixed with the scorching sweat vapor rising from the operation of his Iron Cloth Shirt.

It rushed at the captain like tangible lava, nearly suffocating him.

"Heh... heh..."

From beneath the captain's helmet came gasps like a broken bellows.

The hand holding the gun trembled violently.

The eyes behind the tactical goggles were filled with unbelievable shock and bone-deep fear.

He wanted to retreat, he wanted to raise his gun.

But his body was as stiff as if it were filled with lead.

Under the gaze of those eyes as cold as an abyss, he couldn't muster even a shred of strength.

Ding Qing slowly raised his hand.

He did not attack.

He simply extended his index finger and, with a dismissive arrogance that was almost insulting, tapped the cold, hard lens of the captain's tactical mask.

Tap, tap.

His fingertip collided with the lens, making a crisp, monotonous sound that felt like a heavy hammer striking the captain's heart.

Ding Qing's voice was low and raspy, carrying a hint of indifference and disdain.

"I don't like your tone."

The captain's entire body shuddered.

A chill rushed from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head; the shadow of death had never been so clear.

"And I like even less,"

Ding Qing's fingertip left the lens.

It moved down slowly.

And tapped lightly on the armor of the captain's violently heaving chest.

Right over the position of the heart.

"...the way you lot barged in."

He didn't use any force with his fingertip.

But the captain felt as if a red-hot steel needle were pressed against his heart, ready to pierce through at any moment.

"Now,"

Ding Qing's voice suddenly turned cold.

"Tell me, who sent you?"

As the last word fell.

An even more ferocious, terrifying Aura—like that of a prehistoric beast awakening—suddenly erupted from Ding Qing's body.

The air in the living room seemed to instantly freeze and collapse!

The captain felt as if his heart were being squeezed hard by an invisible giant hand.

It was almost about to burst!

The pupils behind his tactical goggles snapped into pinpoints.

"It's... it's the Zhang family and the Zhou Family!"

His voice was raspy and out of tune, his words coming out as fast as beans spilling from a bag.

"Zhang Tianhao and Zhou Zhengxiong, they... their two families joined forces and found an expert. They finally... finally found out that Phoenix Mountain has... has a big problem.

They... they want you to cooperate and go... go to a place to get something.

Then... then take that thing... back... back to Phoenix Mountain.

To find... find something of vital importance to them... exactly what it is... I... I really don't know."

"We... were just ordered to... invite you... you over!"

"Location!" Ding Qing's voice left no room for doubt.

"The east... east of the city! Jingyuan Villa!"

Ding Qing slowly withdrew the finger tapping on his chest.

The captain felt as if his spine had been removed; his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the floor.

He could only barely support himself against the deformed doorframe, gasping for breath, his undershirt already soaked through with cold sweat.

Ding Qing glanced at the lifeless corpse on the floor and the injured men with broken hands and legs.

And then at the terrified captain before him; his eyes showed not a single ripple of emotion.

"Jingyuan Villa?"

He repeated it in a low voice.

The cold and ferocious curve hooked at the corner of his mouth again, only this time, it held a hint of playfulness and... anticipation.

"Very well."

He turned around and walked away, his bare feet stepping across the cold floor.

"Tell your bosses that since they are so hospitable, I will certainly go."

Ding Qing's voice wasn't loud.

Yet it carried an unquestionable resolve and a deep chill.

"Holy crap! Brother Qing, make them take the dead guy with them! How are we supposed to handle this?"

From a corner of the living room, Wang Yang shouted.

The three men about to retreat paused, and the captain gritted his teeth as he took the body with him.

In the hallway, the elevator indicator light lit up silently, and it began its slow descent.