Chapter 116: Total Annihilation

The bald man immediately called for a halt. Clutching his machete, he stood his ground and cast a cold, sharp glare at Ling Tian. "No wonder you're so arrogant; it turns out you came prepared. You’re here specifically to stir up trouble today. But you’ve miscalculated. This is our turf, and no matter how many men you’ve brought, you aren't leaving here in one piece."

"Brothers! Someone’s come to our territory to cause chaos. What do we do?" The bald man shouted, waving his machete with a display of bravado that could rival any gangster in a movie.

Dozens of men raised their weapons simultaneously and roared, "Hack them to death!"

The bald man nodded in satisfaction. He pointed toward the entrance and yelled, "Ten of you, go block the door! I want every single one of them taken down as they try to get through." Ten men immediately peeled off from the crowd, rushed to the factory entrance, and formed a semi-circle, their machetes aimed at the doorway.

"Let’s cripple them first!" With a roar to bolster his own courage, the bald man led the remaining twenty-some men in a charge toward Ling Tian and his group.

The charge of twenty men, all armed, carried a certain momentum. Zhao Ming and the leader were caught off guard, but they didn't retreat. Instead, they grabbed their own makeshift weapons, ready to meet the charge head-on. The stout leader swung a heavy sledgehammer and charged forward without hesitation.

As the leader often said, he had no special skills, but he had raw strength; having spent every day crushing rocks, he had developed a powerful build. Swinging a hundred-pound iron hammer was like play to him.

Sun Yibin’s expression darkened. In a one-on-one fight, these thugs were no match, but they were charging in a group with weapons. Blades were blind, and if they got swarmed, the consequences could be dire. Thinking this, Sun Yibin turned to Ling Tian. "Young Master Ling, please step back for a moment. I will hold them off; my men have already arrived."

To be honest, Ling Tian had no interest in dealing with these people himself. It was better to let Sun Yibin handle it and take the opportunity to gauge his capabilities. "I’ll stay here and finish my tea." Ling Tian picked up the teapot, poured a cup, and took a leisurely sip. He had to admit, though the fat man had poor taste in general, the tea was quite good—fragrant, elegant, and lingering on the palate.

"Not bad. Good tea," Ling Tian remarked calmly.

By now, the clash had begun. Zhao Ming and the leader each wielded a heavy iron hammer, swinging them with such force that any machete touching the iron was sent flying instantly. After three thugs were knocked down, the rest didn't dare approach them, turning their focus toward Sun Yibin instead.

Sun Yibin had spent years as a bar owner, which had dulled his military edge, but deep down, he was still the special forces soldier who had once fought through blood and fire. Inspired by the intensity of the fray, the fighting spirit that had been suppressed for years surged within him. He felt his blood burning, every nerve stimulated by the desire for combat.

"Come on, let’s fight!" Sun Yibin roared, stripping off his coat. He charged in bare-handed and engaged the bald man. Relying on his machete, the bald man held the upper hand for the first two moves, but by the third, Sun Yibin dodged the blade and landed a swift, precise punch to the bald man’s abdomen. Before the man could collapse, Sun Yibin followed up with three more rapid-fire strikes.

The three ferocious punches sent the bald man crashing to the ground.

With his warm-up complete, Sun Yibin rediscovered the feeling of the battlefield. Like a fierce tiger, he lunged into the fray, unleashing a storm of blows.

The twelve men waiting outside had also stormed in. Though few in number, they were Sun Yibin’s elite subordinates. As soon as they engaged, they dominated the ten men blocking the door. In less than a minute, eight were down, and the remaining two fled in a panic.

Seeing the battle was already decided, Ling Tian thought to himself that fighting such trash was a waste of effort; even Sun Yibin felt his own participation had been somewhat redundant.

In less than two minutes, the bald man and his thirty thugs were either injured or in full flight.

Sun Yibin grabbed the bald man by the collar and dragged him before Ling Tian, bowing respectfully. "Young Master Ling, I have brought him to you."

Ling Tian sipped his tea, looked down slightly at the bald man sprawled on the floor, and then glanced at the fat man lying nearby. He smiled. "Now that you're all gathered, is there anything else you’d like to say?"

The fat man felt like crying. How could this be? More than thirty men, and they hadn't even managed to put up a fight before being completely wiped out. He cursed his men for being useless—if a small group wouldn't work, he would just have to find more, using a human-wave tactic to crush them.

The bald man grinned, sneering, "I told you, don't get cocky too soon. The main force is still on its way."

"More people? Do you think I’m afraid of that?" Ling Tian found it laughable. Was this bald man so ignorant that he hadn't noticed how his thirty men were dealt with in a matter of moments?

"Don't think being good at fighting makes you special. We have shotguns. When they get here, not one of you is walking out," the bald man said arrogantly. In his eyes, no matter how good someone was at fighting, they couldn't withstand the blast of a shotgun. Even if the sawed-off shotguns had limited range, at close quarters, a single shot would turn a man into a sieve.

Ling Tian laughed. "Sun Yibin, clean up the battlefield and wait for their shotguns. I’m actually curious to see just how powerful these shotguns of theirs really are."

Sun Yibin chuckled as well. Shotguns? Compared to real firearms, they were mere toys. The homemade shotguns used by locals were usually loaded with iron filings and gunpowder, muzzle-loaded, with an effective range of at most ten meters. Beyond that, they were practically useless.

Compared to modern handguns with a fifty-meter range, these were nothing but junk; their only real function was intimidation. They might work against common thugs fighting over turf, but for someone like Sun Yibin, who had been on real battlefields and killed enemies with his own hands, such threats were a joke—let alone for Ling Tian.

In less than five minutes, Sun Yibin’s men finished clearing the area. Aside from those who had escaped, they captured twenty-three people. They were trussed up like mummies and tossed into the northeast corner of the factory.

The twelve men quickly stood behind Ling Tian, heads held high, hands behind their backs, displaying a truly military posture.

Ling Tian looked back and nodded in satisfaction. "Yibin, your men are excellent—capable and composed."

Sun Yibin hurried to reply, "Thank you for the praise, Young Master Ling. These rascals are barely passing; following you, they will need constant training, or else they’ll tarnish your reputation."

"They do indeed need further training." Ling Tian was very pleased with Sun Yibin’s performance. He was neither arrogant nor impetuous, a rare and commendable quality.

Not long after, Zhao Ming, who had been keeping watch at the door, hurried back. "They’re here, and it looks like a lot of them. I think they’ve emptied out their entire inventory." As he spoke, Zhao Ming tightened his grip on his hammer. He had found the earlier fight quite exhilarating and was clearly looking forward to another round.

The sound of chaotic footsteps and shouting grew louder. Soon, over a hundred men swarmed into the factory. Leading them was a giant of a man, nearly two meters tall, with a broad frame and a fierce expression. He carried a heavy, spiked mace and stood at the front, looking imposing.

The fat man and the bald man shouted with excitement, "Dabiao! You’re finally here! Hurry up and save us!"

The giant twisted his neck, his joints popping with a loud crack. He glared coldly at Ling Tian, who was still sitting and sipping his tea. "Kid, release my big brother and second brother immediately, or I’ll smash your head to pieces," the burly Dabiao said in a muffled, booming voice, raising his heavy mace.

Ling Tian looked at the giant as if he were looking at an idiot, then turned to Zhao Ming. "Who is this?"

Zhao Ming glared at the giant and replied, "He’s the boss’s primary enforcer, known as Dabiao. He’s freakishly strong, can take on ten men at once, and has always been the fat man’s most effective lackey. He’s beaten every single worker here, and several female workers have even been assaulted by him."

"So, he’s a piece of human trash. That makes things easy," Ling Tian said with a faint smile. If their sins weren't grave, he might have been willing to show mercy and give them a chance. But for scum beyond redemption, sending them straight to hell was the only option.

Dabiao grunted, and five men stepped out from behind him, each holding a sawed-off shotgun. The dark barrels were aimed directly at Ling Tian and his group. "Let them go, or I’ll blow you away!" Dabiao roared.

Sun Yibin’s men didn't hesitate for a second. They drew their handguns and aimed them at Dabiao and his group.

There were four handguns on Ling Tian’s side against five shotguns on Dabiao’s.

The two sides were locked in a standoff.

Neither dared to fire the first shot, yet neither wanted to back down. It was a test of nerve; whoever’s resolve faltered first would be the loser.

Ling Tian finished his pot of tea, stood up slowly, and turned around. "Put the weapons away. It’d be a nuisance if one went off by accident."

His bodyguards put their guns away with absolute decisiveness. They were trained that orders were above all else; even if the enemy opened fire, they would return it, but they would remain loyal to their orders above all.

Ling Tian stretched his limbs and smiled. "Time for me to get some exercise."

Hearing this, Sun Yibin’s eyes lit up. He had only heard his men describe the power Ling Tian had displayed when dealing with the Scar-faced man and his crew; he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Now that he had the chance, he was thrilled. He truly wanted to witness just how monstrous Ling Tian really was.

However, remembering the shotguns, Sun Yibin said with concern, "Young Master Ling, they have shotguns. Though their power is limited, they are lethal at close range. Should I take out the gunmen first before you step in?"