The sky over Cloud River City darkened unnaturally.
Storm clouds rolled in from the mountains, swallowing the stars, smothering the moon. Thunder rumbled in the distance like the growl of some ancient beast awakening from slumber.
Sky Dominion Tower stood at the city's center, its glass exterior reflecting the violent flashes of lightning.
Tonight—
Blood would stain the rain.
The Calm Before the Slaughter
Inside the top-floor command center, dozens of screens pulsed with real-time intelligence.
Highways.
Mountain roads.
Rail hubs.
Air routes.
Every possible approach toward Cloud River City.
Red markers flickered across the map.
Closing in.
Fast.
Chen Guoan stood rigidly, fingers trembling slightly.
"Black Dragon Family's enforcement division. Forty-seven vehicles. At least one hundred and eighty elite operatives."
"These aren't mercenaries," Su Manli added, eyes cold. "These are professional exterminators. Most are former special forces, assassins trained for years. Their success rate is near perfect."
Lin Cheng stood silently at the center of the room, his presence steadying the air.
"How long?"
"Thirty minutes."
Lin Cheng nodded.
"Good."
Chen Guoan stared. "Good?"
Lin Cheng slowly raised his gaze.
"Enough time to finish preparing their graves."
BloodEmpire — Phase One
"Activate Blood Empire Phase One."
His voice fell like a guillotine blade.
In response, hidden channels lit up across the globe.
Encrypted calls.
Shadow networks.
Dead-drop communication lines.
Within minutes, responses flooded in.
• Southeast Asia underground syndicates
• Eastern European arms brokers
• African logistics kings
• Former national special forces veterans
• Retired intelligence assassins
All had once been saved by Lin Cheng.
All now owed blood debts.
Tonight—
Those debts would be paid.
The Iron Defense Grid
Sky Dominion Tower transformed.
Hidden steel barricades rose from the ground.
Bulletproof shutters sealed every window.
Anti-explosive barriers locked into place.
Underground bunkers opened.
Sniper nests activated.
Dozens of heavily armed Lin Faction elites took positions.
Chen Guoan inhaled sharply.
"Boss… you prepared for this long ago."
Lin Cheng replied calmly, "In my previous life, I died without resistance."
"This time…"
He clenched his fist.
"I will not die at all."
TheWolvesArrive
At exactly 11:47 p.m., the first convoy entered the city.
Black armored vehicles.
Silent engines.
No lights.
They moved like predators stalking prey.
From high above, satellite surveillance captured their formation:
A three-pronged encirclement.
Cut off escape.
Seal the kill zone.
Exterminate.
Su Manli whispered, "They're professional. They've already locked down six surrounding blocks."
Chen Guoan swallowed. "Police?"
"Neutralized. Their routes were rerouted through fake emergency alerts."
Lin Cheng exhaled slowly.
"Then…"
He raised his hand.
"Let them in."
TheFirstShots
The moment the assassins crossed Sky Dominion's security perimeter—
The city exploded.
Suppressive fire erupted from concealed sniper nests.
Precision headshots.
Instant kills.
Three operatives fell before they even realized they were exposed.
Then chaos.
Gunfire ripped through the rain-soaked night.
Explosions thundered.
Shock grenades detonated.
Bullets screamed through the air.
The assassins surged forward, their discipline terrifying.
They advanced under fire.
Firing while moving.
Covering each other flawlessly.
They were not ordinary killers.
They were war machines.
Lin Cheng Enters the Battlefield
Chen Guoan shouted, "Boss, stay inside!"
Lin Cheng pulled on a lightweight combat vest.
"No."
He took a weapon from the rack.
A modified short-barrel assault rifle.
Perfect for close combat.
"I end this personally."
Before anyone could stop him, he stepped into the elevator.
Descending.
Toward hell.
TheKillZone
Rain lashed the pavement as Lin Cheng emerged into the underground parking structure.
The sound of gunfire echoed like thunder.
Three assassins burst through the entrance.
Their eyes widened when they saw him.
No hesitation.
They raised their rifles.
Lin Cheng moved.
Three shots.
Three bodies collapsed.
He advanced.
Each movement calculated.
No wasted energy.
No panic.
Every kill was surgical.
The Lin Faction Unleashed
Across the perimeter, Lin Faction elites poured into battle.
Former commandos.
Professional killers.
Men and women shaped by violence.
The clash was savage.
Fists met knives.
Bullets met bone.
Blood mingled with rain.
Screams were swallowed by thunder.
In less than five minutes, the first assault wave collapsed.
But more surged forward.
Relentless.
Unending.
The Black Dragon Family had sent everything.
Lin Feng Watches
Hundreds of kilometers away, in a dark command center buried deep beneath the mountains, Lin Feng stood before a massive display wall.
Live satellite feeds.
Body cam transmissions.
Battle analytics.
His expression was calm.
Almost bored.
"Impressive," he murmured.
"He's grown."
An aide hesitated. "Should we deploy Phase Two?"
Lin Feng nodded faintly.
"Release the Shadows."
Phase Two — The True Killers
Within seconds, eight red dots detached from the main assault cluster.
They moved differently.
Silent.
Efficient.
Predatory.
Chen Guoan's face drained.
"Boss… elite kill squad just split off. These ones are… different."
Su Manli's fingers flew.
"They're genetically enhanced operatives. Black Dragon's core execution unit."
Lin Cheng's eyes sharpened.
"So."
He chambered another round.
"Send them."
Predator vs Predator
The first Shadow operative emerged from the darkness behind Lin Cheng.
Silent.
Deadly.
A blade flashed.
Lin Cheng twisted just in time.
Steel scraped his vest.
He countered instantly.
Elbow strike.
Throat crush.
The man fell without sound.
Another attacker struck from above.
Lin Cheng rolled.
Gunfire thundered.
Two more fell.
But the Shadows adapted.
They attacked together.
Coordinated.
Flawless.
For the first time, Lin Cheng was forced backward.
Blood seeped from a shallow cut along his arm.
Pain flared.
But instead of weakening him—
It awakened something feral.
LinChengUnleashed
Memories surged.
His father collapsing.
His family ruined.
Years of humiliation.
Years of helplessness.
His eyes burned.
He charged.
Close combat.
Brutal.
Savage.
No mercy.
One Shadow had his throat crushed.
Another had his neck snapped.
The last tried to retreat.
Lin Cheng threw his blade.
It pierced through the man's skull.
The battlefield fell silent.
Chen Guoan stared, breathless.
"Boss…"
Lin Cheng stood amid fallen bodies, rain washing blood from his hands.
His gaze was terrifyingly calm.
"Next."
Black Dragon Retreats
At 1:16 a.m., the remaining assassins began withdrawing.
Retreat signals flashed.
They had lost over sixty percent of their forces.
Unacceptable losses.
Failure.
Lin Feng watched silently as his kill squads retreated.
His lips curved.
"So…"
"He's finally worthy."
Aftermath
Sirens wailed.
Emergency services flooded the scene.
But the damage was done.
Dozens of elite assassins lay dead.
Not a single Lin Faction core member had fallen.
The underground world trembled.
By dawn, the news spread.
Black Dragon Family failed.
For the first time in decades.
They had been defeated.
Shockwaves Across the Elite World
Tianhai Consortium suspended all hostile action.
Eastern Star Holdings froze their offensive.
Northern Crest withdrew entirely.
One night.
One massacre.
And the elite world suddenly remembered—
Monsters still existed.
And Lin Cheng had become one.
Brother vs Brother — The Silent War
Lin Cheng returned to his office at dawn.
Su Manli cleaned the blood from his arm.
Her hands trembled slightly.
"You scared me."
He met her gaze.
"I won't die."
"I promised."
She nodded.
Then—
His phone vibrated.
A single message.
Lin Feng:
You survived.
Good.
Now the real war begins.
Lin Cheng typed one line.
Come.
I'm waiting.
National Storm Approaches
Moments later, Chen Guoan rushed in.
"Boss — emergency intelligence."
"The Shadow Families have activated National-Level Protocol."
"Military resources are being mobilized."
Su Manli's face drained of color.
"That means…"
"They're escalating beyond business, beyond assassinations…"
Lin Cheng looked toward the rising sun.
A slow smile formed.
"Good."
"If they want a god…"
"Then I'll become one."