The Capital, Late Night.
The neon lights of the bustling metropolis flickered, masking countless sins and conspiracies.
Shan Hu's figure moved like a specter, weaving through the shadows of the skyscrapers. He needed no modern tracking equipment; the faint, unfamiliar aura lingering outside the Ye family's ancient estate was as clear to his Divine Sense as a torch in the dark night.
The trail led him to a high-end office building five kilometers away from the Ye residence.
"Hiding under the lamp? They certainly know how to pick a spot."
Shan Hu stood on the rooftop of the building opposite, gazing indifferently at a lit office on the top floor. A sign read "Sky Eye Security Consulting," but in Shan Hu's eyes, it harbored over a dozen auras—not powerful, but extremely sharp.
They were specially trained assassins, accompanied by two martial artists at the peak of Inner Strength.
Top Floor of the Office Building.
A group of men in tactical black gear were busy around several precise instruments. The screens displayed thermal imaging and energy fluctuation graphs of the area surrounding the Ye family estate.
"Captain, the energy readings from beneath the Ye estate suddenly vanished two hours ago!" an operator reported anxiously. "Was our equipment discovered?"
The middle-aged man addressed as Captain frowned deeply, a hideous scar running across his face.
"Impossible. We are using the latest military-grade detectors. Unless that old undying fool from the Ye family conducted a carpet search personally, they couldn't have found us," the Scarred Captain said in a low voice. "The Ye family must have activated some kind of shielding array. Keep monitoring. Young Master Chen said that if we get proof of the Ye family hiding ancient ruins, we'll be set for life."
"Young Master Chen is truly generous..."
Before the sentence was finished, a knock, knock, knock sounded from the office's main door.
In the silent dead of night, the sound was jarringly abrupt.
Everyone in the office drew their weapons instantly, moving in perfect unison, the dark muzzles of their guns all aiming at the door.
"Who is it?" the Scarred Captain barked.
A lazy, youthful voice came from outside: "Meter reader."
"..."
A flash of murderous intent crossed the Scarred Captain's eyes, and he made a "kill" gesture. The subordinate closest to the door abruptly pulled the trigger. The suppressed pistol made a soft phut sound as the bullet pierced the door panel, shooting outward.
However, the expected sound of a body hitting the floor did not follow.
The next second.
BOOM!
The heavy solid wood door, along with its frame, exploded inward as if hit by a speeding truck, shattering into countless splinters! The shooter didn't even have time to scream before he was blasted away by the debris and the massive shockwave, smashing heavily against the wall, his fate unknown.
As the dust settled, Shan Hu walked in leisurely, hands in his pockets.
"Property management service these days is really terrible; shooting at the first knock." Shan Hu scanned the terrified group in the room, a mocking smile on his lips.
"Open fire! Kill him!" the Scarred Captain roared.
Over a dozen submachine guns and pistols spewed tongues of fire simultaneously, a dense rain of bullets flying toward Shan Hu. In such a confined space, even a Martial Grandmaster would have to dodge to avoid the brunt of such modern firepower.
But Shan Hu did not dodge.
He simply raised his right hand gently and pushed his palm forward.
"Halt."
A bizarre scene unfolded. All the bullets shooting toward him, upon reaching a meter in front of him, seemed to hit an invisible wall of air and hovered suspended in mid-air!
The bullets were still spinning at high speed, making sizzling sounds against the friction of the air, yet they could not advance an inch further.
"Wha... what kind of sorcery is this?!"
The Scarred Captain and his men stared until their eyes nearly popped out. This defied all laws of physics!
Shan Hu flipped his palm casually.
"Here, have them back."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The suspended bullets reflected back at speeds faster than they had arrived!
"Argh—!"
Screams erupted one after another. But this was not a slaughter; Shan Hu controlled the force and precision. All the bullets avoided vital organs, accurately piercing the wrists and knees of these men.
In a single breath, besides Shan Hu, not a single person remained standing in the office.
Shan Hu stepped over the wailing men on the floor and walked straight to the Scarred Captain. Although the Captain was an Inner Strength martial artist, in the face of such god-like skills, his courage had long shattered, and he lay paralyzed in his chair.
"Speak," Shan Hu pulled over a chair and sat down, as if interrogating a subordinate. "Who sent you? How much do you know about the secret beneath the Ye family?"
The Scarred Captain gritted his teeth, trying to act tough: "I'm a professional. Since I'm caught, kill me or torture me..."
"Professional?" Shan Hu laughed, a golden light flashing in his eyes. The Soul-Seizing Art activated instantly.
The Scarred Captain's eyes instantly went blank, like a puppet on strings.
"I am... a deathsworn of the Chen Family in the Capital. My employer is the Chen Family's Eldest Young Master, Chen Tiannan."
"The Chen family suspects a Pre-Qin era Qi Practitioner ruin is hidden beneath the Ye family's ancient estate. Chen Tiannan wants to seize the treasures within the ruin to use as a betrothal gift to... to propose to Ye Qingcheng, and subsequently swallow the Ye family."
Hearing this, Shan Hu couldn't help but laugh.
"Taking my things to propose to my 'vessel'? This Chen Tiannan is quite creative."
Shan Hu released the Soul-Seizing Art. The Scarred Captain snapped back to reality, looking at Shan Hu in horror: "What did you do to me?!"
Shan Hu stood up. He did not kill him.
He took out the black platinum card Ye Qingyun had given him and dialed the exclusive contact number on it.
The call connected instantly, and Ye Qingyun's respectful voice came through: "Mr. Shan, what are your instructions?"
"I'm at the East Third Ring, top floor of Sky Eye Security. There are a dozen rats from the Chen Family here who have been staring at your Ye family's foundation," Shan Hu said lightly.
On the other end, Ye Qingyun's voice instantly filled with killing intent and panic: "The Chen Family?! Damn it! It was our negligence! Please quell your anger, Mr. Shan, I will bring people to handle it immediately!"
"No rush." Shan Hu glanced at the night outside the window. "I've kept them alive for you. I want this place cleaned up within half an hour. Also, tell that Chen Tiannan..."
Shan Hu's voice turned icy.
"Wash his neck clean and don't provoke me. Otherwise, the Chen Family will be the next Wang Family of Longcheng."
Hanging up the phone, Shan Hu's figure flashed, leaping out of the window and disappearing into the vast night.
Leaving behind a room full of crippled Chen family deathsworn, waiting in despair for the Ye family's impending thunderous purge.
The night in the Capital was surging with wind and clouds. Shan Hu's first fire had already burned its way to the Chen Family, one of the four great families of the Capital.