"Sunny is gone!"
Flower Song was out of breath, barely able to speak. "I took it out to buy a new collar, and when I turned around, it was already gone!"
She pulled a damaged tracking device from her pocket.
"Even this was destroyed!"
Just as Ethan Cole was thinking about what to do next, Lily pushed the door open and walked in.
After hearing the situation, she immediately made a phone call without hesitation.
Twenty minutes later, a camouflage-painted pickup truck stopped outside the shop.
A brown shepherd dog jumped out with impressive presence, a faded military tag hanging from its neck.
The moment it saw Lily, it wagged its tail excitedly.
Lily gently patted its head.
"This is a retired military dog. Its sense of smell is extremely sharp. It can track scents that are up to seven days old."
Ethan watched as Lily skillfully let the dog sniff Sunny's bed, then clipped on a specialized tracking leash.
Night had fully fallen.
The three of them followed the military dog through the outskirts of the city.
Flower Song hugged her thin jacket tightly against the cold.
Ethan noticed her flinch when stepping on loose gravel, so he silently moved to the outer side of the path, shielding her without a word.
Soon, they arrived at a remote wilderness area.
It was deep into the night now.
Flower Song was clearly frightened, but she forced herself to continue for Sunny's sake.
Lily noticed and reassured her.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
Ethan also steadied his expression. Something dangerous might be waiting ahead.
After climbing over a small hill, they saw it.
A brightly lit factory stood in front of them.
High walls surrounded it completely, sealing it off from view.
When the military dog confirmed the scent was leading inside, they prepared to investigate.
Lily climbed the wall first.
Next was Flower Song, who stepped on Ethan's shoulder to get up.
Neither of them noticed that inside the factory, a guard dog had already detected them.
"Woof! Woof!"
The barking echoed sharply.
Flower Song was startled and lost her balance, falling back down.
Fortunately, Ethan reacted quickly and caught her.
"What's going on?!" a rough voice shouted.
A beam of light from a flashlight cut through the darkness.
A burly man in a sleeveless undershirt appeared, his face full of hostility.
He was the factory security guard.
Lily tried to explain calmly.
"Hello, we got lost nearby. Could we rest inside for a while?"
The man pointed at a sign nearby.
"Get out! Can't you read?"
The sign read: NO TRESPASSING
"My dog Sunny is missing… it might be inside…"
Flower Song began to explain, but Lily quickly stopped her.
Unfortunately, the guard had already heard enough.
His expression darkened as he stepped forward.
Lily considered retreating and returning with backup.
But now, leaving might not be possible.
Ethan stepped forward, blocking the man's path.
"Ethan, take Flower Song and run!" Lily shouted. "I'll hold him off!"
In her eyes, Ethan was still the thin young man from a month ago.
Standing in front of this burly guard was reckless. She believed he wouldn't survive a single punch.
Ethan turned back slightly.
"Lily, don't worry. I'm a C-Class hero from the Hero Association."
The guard's face twisted in anger.
"You're asking for death!"
He roared and threw a punch.
Ethan shifted his body slightly and dodged it with ease.
Then he countered with Bajiquan.
"Golden Eight Forms: Piercing Hammer."
His fist struck the man's head.
The guard's eyes rolled back, his body swayed, and he collapsed unconscious.
Lily's pupils shrank.
Her mouth opened slightly in shock.
"Ethan… I didn't know you were this strong!"
Her voice carried disbelief, admiration, and a faint trace of guilt. She had always thought he was too weak.
Beside her, Flower Song was completely starstruck, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
But before they could celebrate, footsteps echoed from inside the factory.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Someone was approaching.
The disturbance had already alerted the people inside.
A man stepped out from the gate.
He was tall and lean, wearing a dark gray suit. Behind thin gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes carried a cold, calculating light.
Behind him stood ten burly men, each looking dangerous.
He adjusted his glasses and looked at Ethan with a faint, mocking smile.
"A C-Class hero… and you still think you can interfere with us?"
Ethan's gaze remained steady.
"A hero doesn't just fight monsters," he said firmly.
His fist tightened slightly, cracks forming faintly in the ground beneath him.
"They also deal with people like you."
The man chuckled.
"How naive. If you want to die, I'll oblige. Take him down."
With a wave of his hand, the ten men spread out and surrounded Ethan.
Ethan's lips curved slightly.
"In this world, I don't get many chances to use martial arts properly."
The moment the last word fell, he moved.
Bang!
Bajiquan was all about direct, brutal force. His first strike came instantly.
"Piercing Hammer."
His fist slammed into the chest of the nearest man.
A sharp crack echoed.
The man flew backward, ribs collapsing, blood spilling from his mouth.
But the others didn't hesitate. They attacked from all directions.
Ethan twisted his body, smashing an elbow into the second man's arm.
Crack.
The bone broke cleanly, and the man screamed as he fell.
He stepped forward, avoiding a knee strike, and countered with a brutal rising technique.
"Tiger Climbing the Mountain."
A man's jaw shattered as he was launched into the air and crashed heavily onto the ground.
In less than three minutes, the battlefield was completely under Ethan's control.
Seven men were already unconscious. The remaining three were trembling, fear finally showing in their eyes.
The glasses man's expression darkened.
"Interesting… I underestimated you."
He slowly removed his watch and rolled up his sleeves with an almost elegant motion, exposing pale skin.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
This one… might be different.
Then suddenly
The glasses man turned around and ran.
While running, he shouted:
"Boss Fat Uncle! It's your turn!"
Ethan paused.
So he was just weak after all.
At that moment, the ground began to tremble.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Each step sounded like a drumbeat, shaking the earth.
A massive shadow emerged from the factory entrance.
He was over two meters tall, but his body was like a mountain of flesh. Layers of fat almost buried his neck.
"Which idiot dared to mess with our Wild Dog Gang?"
His voice rumbled like thunder, his fat cheeks shaking as he spoke.
"Was it you, little toy?"
Ethan's expression turned serious.
"This one… is going to be difficult."
As a practitioner of Bajiquan who had defeated many opponents, he could feel it immediately. This opponent was on another level.
As expected of a battle manga world. Even random enemies were this strong.
He charged.
Bang!
Ethan launched a piercing elbow strike straight toward the fat man's chest.
But it felt like hitting a thick rubber tire.
The fat layer compressed strangely, then rebounded instantly, sending Ethan stumbling back.
The Fat Uncle grinned and suddenly stomped.
Boom!
The ground shook violently. A crack shot out like lightning, sending debris flying.
Ethan leapt backward, cold sweat soaking his back.
This wasn't human strength.