Ferocious Humanoid Weapon

"Really? Then let's go!" The girl's eyes lit up instantly, and she struggled to stand. Seizing the opportunity, Old Xiao's hand landed directly on her thigh, but instead of getting angry, the girl just giggled.

Hou Rui was speechless. He was about to warn Old Xiao, but Old Xiao beat him to it. "You two come along as well. Let's find somewhere else to sit," he said, shooting Hou Rui a meaningful look. Hou Rui had no choice but to swallow his words, get up, and lead the girl out of the nightclub alongside Old Xiao and his companion.

About five hundred meters past the exit, the neon sign of a huge lovers' motel flashed incessantly. Old Xiao, not the least bit shy, walked straight toward it.

After booking two double rooms, Hou Rui glared as Old Xiao entered one with a lewd grin, leaving Hou Rui to take the other with his girl. Not long after, as Hou Rui sat on the waterbed, brooding and regretting while the girl was in the shower, Old Xiao suddenly slipped into his room.

"Shouldn't you be busy right now?" Hou Rui spat the word "busy" through clenched teeth, furious.

"Wild Dog, you've got a lot left to learn." Old Xiao said nothing more, quietly sliding open the one-way glass of the bathroom. Before the girl inside could react, his hand was already around her neck.

The next moment, Old Xiao carried the unconscious girl out of the bathroom and tossed her onto the waterbed. "What are you sitting there for? Time to get to work," he said to Hou Rui.

Back at the nightclub's rear entrance, Old Xiao first produced two pairs of thin plastic gloves, tossing one to Hou Rui and slipping on the other himself. Then, as if by magic, he produced an access card. Sensing Hou Rui's admiration, Old Xiao had already swiped the card and opened the door with ease.

They slipped inside, Old Xiao leading and Hou Rui following, heading toward the third-floor offices. It was already past midnight, yet the central dance floor was still packed, the music even more intense and frenzied. Through the semi-transparent corridor wall, Hou Rui could see sparks bursting above the crowd, setting off another wave of excitement.

"Front wheels not spinning, back wheels will, sumida." As they rounded a corner, a man stood at the doorway smoking. Catching sight of Old Xiao and Hou Rui approaching, he tensed and barked out a phrase in Korean.

While Hou Rui was still puzzling over how to respond, Old Xiao darted forward, landing a brutal punch in the man's gut. As pain doubled the man over, Old Xiao's hands twisted sharply, snapping his neck with swift efficiency.

Hou Rui watched Old Xiao dispatch the burly man in less than three seconds, unsure what to think. Was this Old Xiao's true strength?

"There might be more inside, but remember: your job is to guard the door. Don't let anyone escape. The rest is up to me." Old Xiao fished a ten-centimeter Japanese-style dagger from the corpse, gripping it tightly.

"Got it." Hou Rui nodded.

Old Xiao knocked on the door. As soon as it cracked open, his dagger shot through the gap, stabbing a short man in the mouth.

"Mmmph!" The short man clutched his mouth, trying in vain to staunch the blood gushing like a fountain. All he could silence was his own scream.

Bursting through the doorway, Old Xiao charged inside. As Hou Rui hurried in and slammed the door, he turned and was stunned: besides the fallen short man, at least a dozen hulking brutes glared menacingly at them.

Old Xiao wasted no words and lunged straight at the crowd.

The nearest man swung a fist; Old Xiao blocked with his left arm, then ruthlessly slashed the exposed belly with the dagger, carving a huge cross that nearly split the man open.

Next, a bottle-wielding attacker aimed at Old Xiao’s head. Old Xiao dodged sideways, stabbing his opponent's arm. Without pause, he dragged the blade down, slicing open a gaping wound over a foot long, blood spurting everywhere.

"Ah!" The man screamed, clutching his bleeding arm, but Old Xiao was already on his next target.

He nimbly sidestepped a chair swung at him and faced a man wielding an iron rod. Both struck at once, but Old Xiao dodged the rod and drove his dagger hilt-deep into the man’s abdomen. Instinctively, the man grabbed his wound, but Old Xiao kicked him hard in the chest, yanking out the dagger and sending the man stumbling backward, blocking the others from advancing.

A fierce gust—the sound of a high kick whistled toward Old Xiao’s head. He suddenly crouched, dodging the heavy blow, then spun low, pivoting on one knee, and slipped behind his attacker. In the next instant, he stabbed the dagger straight into the man’s kidney, then slashed sideways, splitting his waist open so that blood splattered Old Xiao’s head and face.

He hadn’t even wiped away the blood when a powerful kick struck his chest. At the moment of impact, Old Xiao hunched his chest, absorbing some of the force, then grabbed the opponent’s still-extended leg. With a swift motion, he slashed the Achilles tendon, and as the man fell, clutching his ankle and howling, Old Xiao lunged, grabbed his hair, and, with a guttural roar, lifted the man’s upper body two feet off the ground before smashing his head down. There was a sickening crack—the man’s skull shattered like a rotten watermelon.

Among the crowd, one man, seeing Old Xiao’s unstoppable ferocity, retreated a few steps and drew a pistol. Hou Rui, still guarding the door, recognized him as one of their targets: Kim Yong-hwan.

"Old—" Hou Rui started to warn, but Old Xiao, just pulling his dagger from another victim’s neck, was quicker. He hurled the blade like a dart, embedding it deep in Kim Yong-hwan’s right eye socket.

Chaos erupted. The men in the room went berserk: two caught Kim Yong-hwan’s collapsing body, while the rest surged toward Old Xiao—and Hou Rui.

A burly man swung a chair at Old Xiao with all his might, and surprisingly, the blow landed, staggering Old Xiao and shattering the chair. But in a flash, Old Xiao snatched up two jagged chair legs, stabbing one into the attacker's shoulder blade.

About to finish the job, Old Xiao was grabbed around the waist by another man trying to throw him aside. But Old Xiao braced himself, seized the assailant, and heaved him overhead, sending him crashing down hard. Though not fatal, the fall was brutal. As the man struggled to rise, Old Xiao pounced, driving the jagged wood deep into his belly.

Before he could get up, another would-be opportunist dove at him. Old Xiao, still crouched, shot out both hands, grabbed the airborne attacker's body, and yanked him forward. The man landed squarely on the protruding chair leg, impaling both himself and the previous victim together.

By now, Hou Rui had no time to concern himself with Old Xiao. Three or four burly men had circled around and were closing in.

A fist swung at his temple, a foot aimed for his groin, and a sharp spring knife stabbed toward his belly—all at once. If Hou Rui gave up the doorway, the men would escape and bring back reinforcements, overwhelming him and Old Xiao.

He could not back down.

That was the only thought in Hou Rui's mind. He lunged, grabbing the knife-wielding wrist—the deadliest threat—and yanked it toward the man aiming a kick at his groin.

But before he could block the kick, a heavy punch landed on his temple, sending him staggering and nearly toppling. Another punch followed, but though his head spun, Hou Rui ignored the pain and forced the knife-wielding hand down, slashing open a long bloody gash on his attacker’s shin.