Within the Yeschi Family's estate, mafia members were periodically patrolling. Some stood in small groups, smoking and chatting.
Suddenly, the large guard dogs in the yard began barking into the darkness.
"Huh?"
Someone noticed the dogs' odd behavior, peering out at the estate's edge under the night sky.
"What's going on?"
"Hey… you guys, go check."
A small-time boss barked out orders to three henchmen, who grumbled and marched to the wrought-iron gate. They scanned the surroundings, seeing nothing suspicious.
"Damn dogs—shut up…"
One of the henchmen cursed at the restless hounds, but before he could finish, a scarlet hole abruptly appeared on his forehead, his face freezing in shock. A sudden bullet had pierced his skull.
Strangely, his two companions didn't immediately register what happened. They scolded him for "losing a bet and venting"—only when they saw the bloody hole did the cigarettes tumble from their lips. But it was too late.
Bang, bang!
Two more well-aimed shots blew apart their heads. The trio collapsed in quick succession, their bodies making a racket. Only then did the rest of the mafia inside the estate realize something was off and hastily pulled out their weapons.
"We're under attack!"
"Enemies!"
The alarms echoed through the night.
…
A few hundred meters away, at the ambush spot, Xiang Nan's team sniper smirked, reporting into his earpiece: "Personnel at recon point #3 are cleared. The enemy's attention is diverted."
"Reporting: 8 at the 12 o'clock position, 4 at 7 o'clock, about… 30 visible in the 15 o'clock direction. Area A is weakly guarded—ideal for breaching."
As the sniper relayed coordinates, a flare of light shot from elsewhere, arcing into the estate. It was a rocket, streaking across the sky before crashing in a crowded spot.
Boom!
A deafening explosion. Smoke and debris swirled, throwing the estate into chaos.
"Move!"
Xiang Nan, as both commander and squad leader, strode toward the front gates, issuing the command.
Immediately, harsh gunfire and the clamor of close combat filled the manor grounds. Specialized munitions detonated, including smoke grenades, flashbangs, and high-explosive rounds. Unlike ordinary bombs or grenades, these custom shells scattered preformed metal fragments over an area. Maybe they wouldn't kill instantly, but they'd disable anyone in the blast zone.
Tear-gas canisters—also custom-made—choked the air, forcing eyes to sting and tears to flow.
Technically, the watchdogs' barking had already warned the Yeschi members that intruders were lurking. But none took it seriously. Their guard was lax; personnel were scattered. Xiang Nan's battle plan proceeded smoothly.
…
Inside the luxurious mansion, the sudden power outage plunged the interior into darkness. Explosions and gunshots outside left several lieutenants and their boss, Donny, in a daze.
"Who is it—Zatobi's men? The Vick Family?"
Their first thought was of their local rivals.
"No way. We've got eyes on their movements. If they were gonna sneak attack, we'd have heard something," a henchman hiding under a table shouted furiously.
Almost at the first sound of fighting, Donny's bodyguard, "Kai," had hung up on the Elder and rushed back. In contrast to the panicked lieutenants, Kai seemed calm. Broken glass from the large windows littered the floor, letting pungent smoke swirl in. With the lights out, it was near-impossible to see what was happening outside—only glimpses of muzzle flashes amid the fog, and the wails of dying mafioso. Shadows moved everywhere, impossible to tell friend from foe.
"It's likely not Vick or Zatobi," Kai muttered with hands in his pockets, squinting through the haze. He could sense multiple unfamiliar presences—certainly not "old acquaintances." Still, there was a chance the other families had hired an assassin or special ops group.
As Kai waited, he didn't rush to fight. His job was to protect Donny. The rest? Not his concern.
"Pretty professional," Kai remarked with a smirk. He'd noticed how the intruders outside operated with tight teamwork and high-end weaponry. Yeschi's defense force had dozens of men—though, to him, they were just "trash." Yet in mere moments, the attackers decimated them. Now the compound had fallen silent again—like ghosts in the fog, Xiang Nan's squad had swiftly seized the field with specialized weaponry and aggressive tactics. In under fifteen minutes, the Yeschi men were wiped out.
"Kai…" Donny's voice trembled, pale-faced.
"It's fine," Kai replied. "They're skilled—definitely not ordinary. And it looks like they're armed with advanced tech. They're mysterious." He scanned the haze, eyes gleaming with predatory focus. "Boss, you're gonna have to up my pay. I don't know when you managed to piss off people like these."
Kai gave a weird laugh.
"Money is no issue—just kill them!" Donny snarled, forcing himself to sound strong.
"Got it. Gimme a few minutes."
Kai flashed an "OK" sign. In an instant, his figure blurred and vanished. He reappeared somewhere else, a gust of wind tearing through the smoke. Hands still jammed in his pockets, he moved like a specter, suddenly materializing before one of Xiang Nan's heavily armed soldiers.
Facing the masked, well-equipped commando, Kai whistled.
Dada-dada-dada…
The soldier's pupils contracted. He hadn't sensed Kai's sudden approach at all, and in this smoke-filled battlefield—deliberately set up by Xiang Nan's team—the man was unaffected, as if the environment didn't bother him. Fear spiked in the soldier's heart. He pulled the trigger.
But the bullets that tore apart Kai's suit did no actual harm; Kai's body contorted and swelled unnaturally, muscle and skin distending as though pumped up.
Shell casings tinkled to the ground.
"Interesting…"
Kai stood in the withering hail of bullets, inhaling the thick, acrid air as if savoring it. A twisted grin spread across his face. The environment that would cripple normal humans meant nothing to someone from Meteor City. The toxic fumes from the city's giant junk heaps were far worse than these specialized tear grenades.
Shortly, the soldier's clip ran dry. His machine gun clicked, barrel smoking. He stared, stunned, unable to fathom what had happened.
"Mm… You're the first," Kai muttered. The hand he'd left in his pocket flicked out casually.
Crack!
The soldier's head twisted three full turns on his neck, practically unscrewed into a spiral.
"And next… number two."
Kai's eyes glinted as he shifted his gaze deeper into the smoke and vanished again.
~~~
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