The creaking sound of the bridge's timbers collapsing into the muddy riverbed still rang in the air, leaving a tense silence before a storm of anger erupted. Dust from the decaying wood billowed in the damp wind, while across the river, the faces of the Iron Fang Tigers turned from smug to crimson with rage.
"You... you just destroyed our source of income!"
roared the outpost leader, a giant man named Guroh, clad in a leopard-skin vest. He drew a large chain tied to a serrated sickle at the end.
"That bridge is our asset!"
Yoe Choin, in Moen Kang Yo's body, stood calmly on the edge of the unstable cliff. His glowing blue eyes, Blueprint, did not look at the enemy, but instead stared at the ruins of the bridge below.
"Asset?"
Choin sneered, his voice cold and piercing.
"Rotten logs, rusted joints, and severely eroded foundations... you call those assets? In my opinion, they're liabilities that must be demolished immediately before they cost lives. I just helped you clean up the waste for free."
"ENOUGH OF YOUR NON-SPEAKING!"
Guroh swung his chain. The whirring sound of the chain cut through the air, sending sparks flying as it scraped against the rocks.
"Attack! Finish them all! Don't let a single Evernight disciple return alive!"
Around twenty members of the Tiger Guild charged across the muddy shallows of the river. They weren't just running; they were using the 'Mud Tiger' breathing technique, which kept their feet from sinking into the quicksand.
"Demolition Unit! Static Foundation Formation!"
Choin commanded in a steady baritone.
Jin-pyo and the ten novice disciples immediately formed a tight line. They hammered their steel shields into the ground, creating a solid iron wall. However, Choin could see some of the students' hands trembling. This was their first fight outside the cage.
"Young Master... they're so fast!"
whispered one of the students in the front row, his face pale.
"Don't look at their speed, look at their footwork!"
Choin replied, walking slowly behind them, as if conducting a safety inspection.
"The mud has a high viscosity. When they jump, their center of gravity will shift forward. Jin-Pyo! When they're within five meters, apply a shock load to the ground!"
"Ready, Foreman!"
Jin-Pyo roared.
"Do you hear that? Wait for my signal! Don't let any pillars sway!"
The Tiger Guild members leaped with their weapons drawn. That's when Jin-Pyo slammed his mace into the ground with full force.
BLAAAM!
A violent tremor rippled through the mud, disrupting the resonance of the enemy's breathing technique. Three bandits lost their balance in midair and plummeted into the liquid mud.
"Now! Technique 1: Pillar Thrust!"
Choin ordered.
The Evernight disciples thrust their shields in unison. The impact not only knocked their opponents back but also broke the ribs of those unprepared for such a massive force distribution.
Although the Demolition Unit had successfully held off the first wave, Guroh was no ordinary thug leader. He spotted an opening in the left flank of the youngest student's line. He unleashed his chain scythe, aiming for the student's neck.
"Foreman! That kid will die if you just watch!"
Moen Kang Yo's real voice screamed inside.
"I know, Boss. Watch your blood pressure,"
Choin replied.
In an instant, Choin shot forward. His movements didn't resemble a dancing warrior, but rather a black shadow moving along the fastest vector lines.
CLANG!
Choin caught Guroh's chain with his left hand, which had been reinforced with Black Iron armguards. The friction of the metal produced a shrill, ear-piercing sound.
"You're their leader, aren't you?"
Guroh grinned, his arm muscles bulging to the point of tearing his clothes.
"I heard you're a trash prince who's risen from the grave. Let's see how strong your neck's 'foundation' is!"
Choin stared coldly into Guroh's eyes.
"Guroh, you have great muscle mass, but your Qi distribution is inefficient. You're wasting 40% of your energy just spinning this chain. That's a fatal operational waste."
Choin pulled the chain with a jerk using his entire body weight, an Internal Finishing technique that fused his body mass with Earth's gravity. Guroh lurched forward, losing his balance.
"Jin-Pyo! Don't just focus on the enemy in front of you!"
Choin shouted, parrying Guroh's scythe attack.
"Pay attention to your comrade on your right! He's overloaded! Cover his position!"
Jin-Pyo immediately spun around, striking a bandit who nearly stabbed his comrade in the back.
"Sorry, Foreman! I lost focus for a moment!"
"In battle, one loose bolt can bring down an entire building!"
Choon replied.
Choin finally drew his black sword. The Black Iron Heavy Sword emerged from its sheath with a heavy sound. He didn't swing it wildly. He stared at Guroh, who was now attacking blindly.
"Foreman, let me do the 'demolition' on this guy,"
hissed the real Moen Kang Yo, his bloodlust beginning to seep to the surface.
"I want to see the guts of this tiger."
"Hold still, Kang Yo. We need him alive to reveal the location of their warehouse. Remember the purpose of our project,"
Chōin said firmly.
Guroh charged with the 'Tiger Fang Rend' technique. The air around him swirled, forming a sharp disk of energy. Choin stood still, waiting for the moment when Guroh's momentum reached its peak.
"Technique 3: Absolute Weight Bearing."
Chōin raised his sword vertically. When Guroh's disk of energy struck the black blade, the sound wasn't like swords clashing, but like a car crashing into a concrete wall.
THUD!
Guroh was stunned. His weapon jammed against Choin's blade.
"Do you know what you did wrong, Guroh?"
Chōin whispered amidst the clanging of metal.
"You tried to destroy a perfectly calibrated structure. Now, it's time to accept the 'Damage Bill.'"
Chōin spun his sword, using its weight to press Guroh's scythe into the ground. Simultaneously, he delivered a devastating kick to Guroh's knee.
CRACK!
The giant's kneecap dislocated. Guroh roared in pain and fell to his knees in the mud.
Seeing their leader fall, the remaining members of the Tiger Guild began to panic. However, some of them attempted suicide attacks on the novices.
"Don't run! Stay where you are!"
Jin-Pyo shouted, trying to calm his juniors.
Choin glanced at his students. He saw fear in their eyes, but he also saw the will to survive. He didn't help them directly this time. He wanted them to learn that in the construction of power, the pillars must be able to support their own weight.
"Hear my voice!"
Choin shouted, his voice piercing the din of battle.
"You are the Evernight Demolition Unit! You are not cowards! Use the breathing I taught you! Synchronize your heartbeats with the steps of your comrades next to you! Become one single structure!"
The students took a deep breath. Slowly, the trembling in their hands disappeared. They began to move rhythmically, blocking and countering attacks with increasing precision.
The battle on the mud path was long and exhausting. The slippery mud, the stuffy air, and the stubborn opponents made every second feel like hours. However, under Yoe Choin's cool supervision, the Demolition Unit wasn't just holding on; they were beginning to dominate.
The sun began to set in the west as the fighting finally subsided. The mud in the river was now reddish. Guroh lay bound, his breath ragged, staring at Moen Kang Yo in disbelief.
"You... you're not the same Moen Kang Yo as before..."
he whispered hoarsely.
Chōin wiped the sweat from his forehead, then looked at the destroyed bridge.
"I told you, Guroh. I'm the new foreman here. And this field audit has declared the Iron Fang Tiger Union to be a malfunctioning material."
Chōin turned to his students. Many of them were lightly injured, their breathing labored, but there was pride in their eyes. They had just passed their first "Load Test" in the outside world.
"Jin-Pyo,"
Choin called.
"Yes, Foreman!"
"Treat the injured. After that, have Guroh show you the way to their headquarters. We have plenty of construction materials to confiscate as compensation for the damage to this route."
Jin-pyo grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth amidst his grimy face.
"Ready, Foreman! We'll be confiscating the assets immediately!"
The story's pacing remained slow as they began to pack up their equipment. Choin gazed eastward, toward the center of the Tiger Alliance's power. The first step in reclaiming the Eastern Route had been accomplished in blood, but in Yoe Choin's eyes, this was only the beginning of building the foundation of his logistics empire.