Chapter Forty-Six: Expulsion

Yuan Xiaotian had spent many years navigating the underworld and thought he had seen all kinds of people, but never had he met someone like Ling Tian. It seemed as though everything Ling Tian did was within his calculations; he handled matters with utmost composure, acted decisively, yet with impeccable precision. Every step was firmly under his control.

Especially when Ling Tian played with his throwing knives—it was pure psychological warfare. He easily shattered Yuan Xiaotian’s last line of defense because Yuan Xiaotian could neither afford to play nor afford to lose. In the end, Yuan Xiaotian abandoned his final shred of dignity, fell to his knees, and clung to Ling Tian’s leg, begging desperately.

“This is the only bloodline left of my family. Please, I beg you, let us live,” Yuan Xiaotian wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face, crying more miserably than a woman.

Ling Tian kicked Yuan Xiaotian aside, snorting with disdain. “Regretting now? What were you doing earlier?” According to his plan upon returning to Yunhai City, unless it was an emergency, Ling Tian would not choose to kill. He preferred to stop at just enough. However, Yuan Xiaotian’s actions were utterly monstrous—he had actually sliced a piece of flesh from someone’s thigh, an act of sheer brutality.

Moreover, to prevent any threat to the orphanage, Ling Tian decided the best solution was to eliminate Yuan Xiaotian.

“Brother, I was blind, I failed to recognize greatness. As long as you spare us, I’m willing to hand over all my assets,” Yuan Xiaotian pleaded urgently. As long as he survived this ordeal, he could always seek help from the Li family—no matter how skilled Ling Tian was, he would never escape their pursuit.

“Those lines are so old, my ears are calloused from hearing them.” Ling Tian dug a finger into his ear, his face full of scorn. “Transfer the money first. Once the funds are in my account, then we’ll talk further.” This was one of the mercenary’s principles: money only counts when it’s in your own pocket—otherwise, it’s just a worthless check.

Desperate to save his life, Yuan Xiaotian hurriedly ordered Yuan Li to fetch the computer and requested Ling Tian’s account details.

“I only have five million in savings,” Yuan Xiaotian said, pointing at the computer screen.

“That little? With such a large real estate company, how could there be only that much?” Ling Tian frowned. Real estate had been highly profitable in recent years—even a small contractor could make millions annually, let alone a conglomerate as big as Everlasting Group.

“The real estate business hasn’t been good this past year. I recently started a new project and invested almost everything into it. Besides, my daily expenses are quite high,” Yuan Xiaotian replied in a low voice, sneaking glances at Ling Tian from the corner of his eye.

Ling Tian stood, hands behind his back, pacing around Yuan Xiaotian. Not knowing what Ling Tian was thinking, Yuan Xiaotian’s heart pounded in his throat.

Suddenly, Ling Tian stopped and grabbed Yuan Xiaotian by the collar, his voice deep. “Do you know what kind of person I despise the most?”

Terrified, Yuan Xiaotian shook his head.

“I despise those who break their word. You promised me ten million in compensation just now, but now you’re offering five. What do you think I should do?” Ling Tian’s eyes were cold and murderous, so much so that Yuan Xiaotian could not meet his gaze, twisting his neck to avoid that chilling stare.

“When I was on a mission in Central Asia, I used a Desert Eagle to kill twelve terrorists. In the end, I captured their leader—a true desperado who would rather die than reveal the location of the bomb. But he still talked. Do you know what I did to him?” Ling Tian said, sitting beside Yuan Xiaotian as if telling an old friend a story.

Hearing this, Yuan Xiaotian’s eyes widened. No wonder Ling Tian had such an indescribable aura—he had a military background and had dealt with the most vicious terrorists.

Without waiting for Yuan Xiaotian to answer, Ling Tian continued, “To deal with a terrorist leader unafraid of death, you have to use extreme measures. For instance, I cut off his limbs, stripped him of his manhood, and threw him into a vat filled with carrion beetles. Do you know what carrion beetles are?”

Yuan Xiaotian shook his head.

Ling Tian chuckled, “You’ve seen ‘The Mummy,’ right? Carrion beetles are those black, flesh-eating bugs from the film. They bite through human skin, burrow into the body, scurrying everywhere, gnawing on the organs…” Ling Tian gestured as he spoke, making Yuan Xiaotian feel as though he were experiencing it himself.

Imagining those black beetles devouring his own insides, Yuan Xiaotian grew more and more terrified. For the first time, he found himself longing for death; if such a fate awaited him, death would be a luxury—a release.

Suddenly, Ling Tian lowered his voice with a wicked grin, “So, tell me, between you and your son, who would like to try that delightful feeling first?”

With a series of spluttering sounds and a pungent stench, the spineless Yuan Li lost control of his bladder and bowels. Though Yuan Xiaotian managed not to soil himself, he fared little better, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat.

Yuan Xiaotian opened another account, scraped together twelve million, and transferred it to Ling Tian’s designated account.

Ling Tian knew that, under such intimidation, the father and son would not dare to withhold anything.

“All right, I’m leaving now,” Ling Tian announced. Before departing, he patted both Yuan Xiaotian and Yuan Li on the shoulder. His touch was gentle, yet the two men shuddered as if struck by lightning, collapsing to the floor, motionless. From that day on, the world was rid of two scourges and gained two lunatics.

Against enemies, the destruction of spirit is just as effective as the destruction of the body.

Ling Tian strode out of Everlasting Group, made his way to the parking lot’s storeroom, and fetched several cans of gasoline. He tossed them at the building’s entrance; the battered cans spilled pale yellow fuel, which quickly spread across the steps.

A few security guards at the door stared blankly as Ling Tian set the cans in place, none daring to intervene.

He pulled a cigar from his pocket, approached a guard, and said, “Lend me a light.”

The guard, too scared to breathe, pulled a zippo lighter from his pocket with trembling hands and offered it to Ling Tian.

“Not bad, you use a zippo,” Ling Tian remarked. After lighting his cigar, he used his inner energy to shield the lighter’s flame, then casually tossed it toward the gasoline cans at the entrance. The high-purity gasoline ignited the moment it touched the flame, and crimson fire burst forth instantly.

With a thunderous explosion, a ball of orange fire soared into the sky, black smoke billowed, and sparks shot out like torrential rain. The mighty shockwave swept everything before it.

Ling Tian exhaled a slow cloud of smoke and said leisurely, “From this day forth, the Yuan family is erased.”