49 Apocalypse Rules

Chapter 170: Chapter 160: Head-on Confrontation by Remote Control

"What’s the boss on about now? Twenty-four-hour patrols? Isn’t he just trying to run us ragged?"

"Who knows? Maybe he’s made a new enemy?"

"An enemy? What enemy would dare come here? Besides, with the iron doors and windows shut, this inner courtyard is a fortress. Not even a mosquito could get in! What’s there to fear?"

"Good point."

A few of Ba Song’s men, slinging rifles over their shoulders, chatted as they patrolled the estate. They were completely oblivious to a black line, as thin as a hair, slithering past their feet.

This inner courtyard, the one they claimed not even a mosquito could fly into, had already been infiltrated by the Shadow under Guan Tong’s control.

Their so-called "fortress" was a joke in the face of the Shadow’s infiltration abilities. After all, it had silently slipped into the Qingmei Association’s Yongzhou Base; what was a minor warlord’s estate in comparison?

The Shadow scouted the entire estate, inside and out, from its perimeter to its core. The vast amount of intelligence it gathered was transmitted via sensory link to Guan Tong, miles away.

Just like that, the heavily guarded estate became transparent to Guan Tong. He now had a complete grasp of the situation.

The entire estate housed roughly four hundred people. Over a hundred of them were the owner Ba Song’s men, and all were armed.

Nearly two hundred more people were chained up and locked in several large warehouses in the outer courtyard.

At first, Guan Tong hadn’t even noticed there were people in the warehouses. It was only after he eavesdropped on a few armed men saying they were going to "prepare the feed to fatten the pigs" that he realized something was wrong.

He maneuvered a Shadow Line to follow them into a warehouse, only to discover that the "pigs" they spoke of were living, breathing human beings.

Most of them were emaciated and haggard. Scantily clad, their legs were bound in chains, and their wrists were cuffed to an iron pipe. Before them ran a long trough, just like one for livestock in a stable.

Ba Song’s men poured slop from wooden buckets into the trough, forcing the chained people to lower their heads to eat. They were being fed exactly like livestock.

Fury ignited within Guan Tong as he witnessed the scene. He knew that in countries rife with warlords, many people were kidnapped and imprisoned to live a life worse than death.

But hearing about it was one thing; seeing it with his own eyes was another entirely.

The sight of the Ascenders imprisoned at Yongzhou Base had already enraged Guan Tong, but the scene in the warehouse of Ba Song’s estate was countless times more brutal. It immediately prompted him to make a decision.

Kill.

Guan Tong’s original plan wasn’t to use brute force to seize the Puzzle Fragment.

His initial plan was to scout the estate and determine exactly who had the fragment. Then, when that person was asleep, he would use Body Shifting to enter their room and negotiate privately.

If possible, he hoped to purchase the fragment with Sublimation Coins. Only if the other party refused would he consider other methods.

But after seeing the situation in the warehouse, that original plan was completely scrapped.

A new plan formed instantly. It was simple: violently seize the Puzzle Fragment and wipe out the entire estate.

Guan Tong knew there were likely many similar situations all over the world, and he couldn’t solve them all. But he wouldn’t turn a blind eye to what he had personally witnessed.

"Hm?"

Just then, a Shadow Surveillance Eye Guan Tong had placed nearby detected something.

On a street a few hundred meters away, an SUV pulled up. The people inside were asking passersby if they had seen any foreigners in the last couple of days.

’They must be looking for me...’

Guan Tong wasn’t surprised. This was their home turf, after all. Ba Song was a local warlord who had been operating here for years; it would be strange if he *didn’t* send people out after discovering an enemy had arrived.

’Fine. I’ll start with this group.’

With his mind made up, Guan Tong deliberately showed himself on the street, revealing his identity as a foreigner, before heading toward a nearby abandoned construction site.

The men Ba Song sent out quickly heard that someone from North Star Country had just passed through. Overjoyed, they immediately followed the passersby’s directions and drove their vehicle to the construction site.

A dozen or so men leaped out of the vehicle. Their leader, Marla, gave the order, "That punk from North Star should be in this construction site. Keep your eyes peeled! The first one to find him gets a reward from the boss. If you can’t find him—"

"No need to trouble yourselves." Guan Tong’s voice rang out. "I’m right here."

Startled, the men whipped their heads around to see a figure standing atop the construction site wall, looking down on them. They had no idea when he’d gotten there.

Marla chuckled. "Great! Saves us the trouble."

With a wave of his hand, his men instantly raised their guns and aimed at the figure on the wall.

Marla shouted, "Hey, you from North Star! You’re the one looking for trouble with our boss, Ba Song, right? Listen up! Hand over the fragment if you don’t want to get shot full of holes!"

He didn’t immediately order them to fire. Before he left, Ba Song had told him to capture the man alive, retrieve the fragment, and only then, kill him.

Guan Tong had no time for talk. With a crook of his finger, a Shadow Thorn erupted from within the chests of Marla’s dozen men, piercing them through. Their hearts burst, and they died instantly.

These ordinary grunts couldn’t afford armor that could defend against Psychic Power attacks. Thus, Guan Tong easily sent an incorporeal Shadow to invade their bodies, then solidified it to pierce their hearts from the inside out.

"Ah! AHHH!!!"

Marla collapsed to the ground in terror, his mouth agape. One second his men were alive and well; the next, they were all dead, blood pouring from their chests. Anyone, ignorant of Guan Tong’s abilities, would be plunged into horror by such a grotesque scene.

The next second, Marla felt a sudden pull on his arms and legs. He looked down to see two rope-thick black Shadow Lines binding his hands and feet, rendering him immobile.

Guan Tong then leaped down from the wall and strode toward him.

"Please, spare me! Spare my life!"

Marla trembled as he looked at Guan Tong. In a matter of seconds, his fear of the man from North Star Country had become bone-deep.

Guan Tong asked, "Tell me everything you know about Ba Song."

"I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!"

Not daring to disobey, Marla spilled his guts, telling Guan Tong everything he knew.

He knew Guan Tong was after the fragment, so he first recounted how Ba Song had been tipped off and had stolen it from a few ordinary young people.

Guan Tong was somewhat surprised to hear this.

He had assumed Ba Song was the original owner, not that he had stolen it. So that explained why the fragment’s location had moved—it was after Ba Song had taken it.

After explaining about the fragment, Marla went on to talk about the estate, Ba Song’s men, Ba Song’s collusion with officials in the Andai Kingdom, and even the people imprisoned in the compound... Afraid of leaving out something Guan Tong wanted to hear, he told him absolutely everything.

After listening, Guan Tong had a comprehensive understanding of Ba Song’s situation.

"I’ve told you everything I know. So... you’ll let me live, right?" Marla asked, a hopeful look on his face. Guan Tong didn’t answer.

The next moment, a Shadow Thorn pierced Marla’s chest, ending his life.

Shortly after Guan Tong finished off Ba Song’s men, the phone in Marla’s pocket began to ring.

Guan Tong hadn’t left yet. He heard the ringing but made no move to answer the phone. After a few rings, it switched to voicemail.

After a few seconds of silence, a cold voice came from the phone. "There’s someone listening on that end, right?"

Guan Tong remained silent.

"Then you listen good. I don’t care who you are. Since you took care of Marla, you’re definitely coming for me next. Let me tell you something, I, Ba Song, will be waiting. Come if you’ve got the guts. I’ll be right here at the estate!"

BEEP.

The voicemail ended. Guan Tong thought for a moment, then turned and left.

...

"Fuck!"

Ba Song slammed his phone onto the ground and stomped on it until it was shattered. The few trusted men in the room were so terrified they didn’t dare breathe.

"B-Boss, maybe Marla isn’t..."

"Isn’t what? Isn’t dead?" Ba Song shot him a venomous glare. "If he wasn’t dead, would he have the balls not to answer my damn call?!"

"Yes, yes, Boss..." The man who had spoken quickly lowered his head.

It was true. Even as Ba Song’s trusted inner circle, they wouldn’t dare to be slow. Whether they were eating, sleeping, or even on the toilet, if a call came from Ba Song, they had to answer immediately, even if they shit their pants in the process.

Ba Song’s very first confidant had already demonstrated the consequences of failing to do so: a head bashed in with a cell phone.

"The enemy is definitely coming! Get everyone ready for me! And go to town to round up some more men. Give them guns and have them guard the gates for me!"

"Yes, Boss!"

The men hurried off to get busy, and Ba Song returned to his own room.

He took another phone from a drawer, made a call, spoke for a moment, and then hung up.

Then he lifted a floorboard under his bed, revealing the entrance to a secret passage.

Only Ba Song himself knew about this secret passage. He’d had all the men who dug it silenced after the job was done.

He entered the passage, which led to a large, specially excavated basement.

This basement was his panic room. It was stocked with all kinds of emergency supplies and, of course, no shortage of weapons on gun racks. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, and even sniper rifles—it had everything.

Ba Song took down a short-barreled shotgun, planning to keep it on him. But as he was examining the muzzle, the shiny finish reflected a blurry figure standing behind him.

Who?!

Startled, Ba Song spun around and fired.

BANG!

The shotgun was devastating at close range, but the figure he shot only took half a step back. It didn’t fall.

"Who are you?! How is this possible—"

Ba Song couldn’t believe it. Someone was hiding in his secret room! He was the only one who knew about this place! How did this person find out, and when did they get in?!

After a moment of shock, Ba Song calmed down and stared at the person opposite him. The figure was dressed head-to-toe in black, their face hidden. It was clear they were not here with good intentions.

"You’re the one who’s here to steal my fragment, aren’t you?"

"...Hand it over."

Ba Song found the person’s voice strange. It didn’t sound like someone speaking from a normal distance, but more like a voice coming from a phone.

But he couldn’t worry about that now. The best defense was a good offense!

A vicious glint flashed in Ba Song’s eyes as he repeatedly pulled the trigger.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The shotgun’s spray of pellets repeatedly slammed into the figure, forcing it back several steps, but it showed no sign of falling. There wasn’t even any blood, just a lot of holes torn in its clothes.

Through those holes, Ba Song could vaguely see that what was inside was the same color as the clothes on the outside—solid black!

What kind of monster was this thing?!

Ba Song threw the shotgun aside and didn’t bother grabbing another weapon from the rack. He raised his right hand, and a strange, brown Hand Cannon materialized where his fist had been.

Far away, Guan Tong, who was remotely controlling the Shadow, saw this and thought, ’That Hand Cannon must be Ba Song’s Psychic Power item. The power behind it must be considerable.’

"Don’t think you can scare me!" Ba Song raised his Hand Cannon and aimed it at the Shadow. "You must have some item that defends against normal weapons, but let’s see how you defend against my Psychic Power Hand Cannon!"

BOOM!

He fired. With a tremendous CRASH, the blast tore a huge hole in the basement wall. Rubble and dust flew everywhere, making Ba Song himself choke and cough.

He took a few steps back, his back against a wall, eyes fixed on the dust cloud ahead. Before long, the dust began to settle. When he saw the Shadow still standing, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"How is that possible?!"

"Ba Song, is this the best you can do?" The voice, still sounding like it was coming from a phone, spoke again. "To be honest, it’s not very impressive."

Guan Tong’s voice was coming from a phone on speaker that the Shadow was carrying. The taunt made Ba Song’s face turn livid with rage.

In fact, Guan Tong wasn’t wrong. The Hand Cannon was powerful, but for the Shadow, it was all too easy to evade. Whenever Ba Song fired, Guan Tong would have the Shadow dematerialize most of its body to avoid the damage, then solidify it again afterward.

This way, no matter how powerful Ba Song’s Hand Cannon was, it couldn’t harm the Shadow at all. Conversely, if Guan Tong had wanted to kill Ba Song, he could have done so long ago. He was only holding back because he hadn’t yet gotten his hands on the Puzzle Fragment.

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