Screams of agony echoed through the office as Jiang Chen used the two men before him like human punching bags.
"Don't beat them to death," Jiang Yuan warned his son, seeing the strikes grow increasingly heavy. They were already buried in trouble; killing these two would only make the situation worse.
"No, letting them live is the real trouble. Dad, you have to understand no one speaks up for a dead man," Jiang Chen replied, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
He raised his hand, and invisible psychic power manifested into a blade. It was a weapon only those with Esper Abilities could see; to any ordinary person, Jiang Chen appeared to be grasping at thin air.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
A shrill scream erupted as Jiang Chen severed an arm. Zhu An let out a cry like a slaughtered pig, while Shen Tai stood beside him, paralyzed with terror.
Although they held the rank of Heavenly King, they were still just ordinary humans. Their strength came from the Pokémon they raised; without them, they were nothing more than lambs awaiting the slaughter.
"So noisy. Just die already."
Jiang Chen raised his foot and kicked Zhu An squarely in the face, shattering several teeth.
"You were the one who hired people to smear me online, right? Calling me a profligate heir who does nothing but harm others?" Jiang Chen leaned down, staring at Zhu An with a cold sneer.
Jiang Yuan's eyes narrowed at those words. Had this bastard really hired people to slander his son? Given their history, it was exactly the kind of thing he would do. The father stopped trying to restrain his son.
"Do you... do you have evidence?" Shen Tai stammered, intervening on Zhu An's behalf. He had been part of it too, but he didn't believe Jiang Chen had proof; they had been very discreet.
"Evidence? Do you think I need evidence?" Jiang Chen laughed. "A little ant like you dares to ask me for proof? Who gave you the courage?"
Jiang Chen delivered two sharp slaps that left Shen Tai's head spinning.
"Let me tell you something: I don't need evidence for how I handle things. If I think you did it, then you did it. Even if you didn't, you'll take the fall regardless. I am a man who believes in an eye for an eye. You targeted me and even wanted my life killing your entire family is only fair, isn't it?"
"You... you wouldn't dare!" Shen Tai's eyes flashed with horror. His instincts told him that Jiang Chen was entirely capable of it.
"I dared to turn Tenan City into a collection of ice sculptures. Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill your family? Use that dog brain of yours to think about it."
With a wave of Jiang Chen's hand, the office door slammed shut. The followers who had come with the two men saw things taking a turn for the worse and tried to flee, but Jiang Chen had no intention of letting them leave so easily. The door was sealed tight.
Their faces turned pale. They had already witnessed Jiang Chen's brutality severing Zhu An's arm without a second thought and beating Shen Tai half to death.
"We... we just followed them here! It has nothing to do with us!"
"Champion Jiang, have mercy!"
They knew Jiang Yuan was a powerful and dominant figure, but after seeing Jiang Chen, they realized the son had surpassed the father. Jiang Chen was far more ruthless.
"You aren't going to let them go either?" Jiang Yuan asked, hoping his son would show some restraint. Dealing with Zhu An and Shen Tai was one thing, but killing all these subordinates would create an enormous headache.
"Dad, let me handle everything this time. After all, this whole mess started because of my Legendary Pokémon."
Jiang Chen pointed at three of them. "You, you, and you. Give yourselves ten hard slaps to the face, then get out."
The three men didn't know whether to feel relieved or insulted. Being ordered to slap themselves was humiliating, and they were hesitant to obey.
"What about us?" the other seven followers asked.
Jiang Chen smiled thinly. "You? You sold out the country's interests and intended to attack the Champion of Xia Country. You have already been executed."
"Gardevoir, do it. They're an eyesore. Dead men are much easier to deal with."
Jiang Chen didn't give them a chance for last words. He signaled Gardevoir. In front of a Gardevoir that had reached the Ninth-tier Heavenly King level, these humans were as fragile as ants. They were instantly wiped out by a massive Psyshock. It was a merciful end, at least; their bodies remained intact.
"What are you waiting for? Do you want to lie down with them?" Jiang Chen glanced at the remaining three.
He had spared them only because they hadn't actually participated in the plot; they were just there to provide numbers and support for Zhu An and Shen Tai. Besides, he needed a few witnesses to leave alive to spread the word.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
The sound of palms hitting faces filled the room. Seeing that Jiang Chen truly meant to kill, the survivors no longer cared about their pride. Pride wasn't worth dying for.
"Dad, notify the authorities in Xia Country. Pass on a message for me," Jiang Chen said. "Tell them that anyone who makes an enemy of me will die their whole family included.
I don't want to see a single insulting post about me on the Xia Country internet by tomorrow. If I do, I will keep killing. Also, get me in touch with the high-level officials of other countries. Tell them I want to play a game with them."
At this moment, Jiang Chen didn't look like a young man at all.
"You two can go down first," he said to the two antagonists. "I'll send your families down to join you soon. Don't worry, you won't be lonely."
"Wait! I admit I hired people to smear you, but that's not a death sentence!" Shen Tai cried out, his face twisted in fear. Zhu An tried to speak, but his jaw had been kicked out of alignment. His eyes, however, were wide with pleading terror.
"Not a death sentence? Heh, don't you know exactly what you've done?" Jiang Chen sneered. They hadn't just smeared him and his father online; they had secretly arranged for the Jiang Family Group Malls to be vandalized.
Shen Tai was horrified. Jiang Chen really knew everything. He realized he wouldn't be spared, but he couldn't accept his family being targeted. "Leave our families out of this! We take full responsibility for our mistakes. It has nothing to do with them!"
"Don't be stupid. Wildfire cannot destroy the grass; it grows again when the spring breeze blows. To pull up weeds, you must remove the roots. I don't want anyone coming for revenge later. I hate trouble."
Jiang Chen swung his hand, and his psychic power materialized into a sharp blade, sweeping down toward Shen Tai and Zhu An.
In their final moments, they finally understood why Lin Taichu had refused to help them. When they had learned that Lin Taichu's demotion from Champion to Heavenly King was related to Jiang Yuan, they had approached him, hoping he would join their plot against the Jiang father and son.
But Lin Taichu had refused without a moment's hesitation. The more one knew, the more one realized that Jiang Chen was not to be provoked. Others only knew about Articuno, but Lin Taichu knew Jiang Chen also possessed Mew. Furthermore, he knew Jiang Chen was not soft-hearted. As for his own lost Pokémon, Lin Taichu had already accepted his fate.
The two men were cut down instantly.
"Your psychic powers have grown stronger again," Jiang Yuan remarked, looking at his son. He had never heard of anyone else being able to manifest psychic energy into a physical blade.
"It was forced by these bastards. My emotions were running a bit high," Jiang Chen replied. The intense emotional fluctuations had caused his psychic power to grow at a frantic pace.
Jiang Yuan nodded. One doesn't just start hacking people apart without some emotional turmoil. His son was simply venting.
"Do you really plan to kill everyone involved?"
"Yes. Anyone who added fuel to the fire in this incident will not be spared. If a person is too merciful, no one will fear them, no matter how much power they possess."
Jiang Chen didn't necessarily want everyone to fear him; he just didn't want this to happen again. If he let them go, they would think he was soft and easy to bully,
and they would come back for more. He was a man who detested trouble and preferred to cut it off at the source. He doubted anyone would dare provoke him after this.
"Dad, pass on what I said. Also, those people won't live to see tomorrow. A lot of people are going to die. If you don't want a massive riot, I suggest the government starts moving now."
After speaking, Jiang Chen let the little fellow, Mew, teleport him away.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).